Page 25 of Snowed in with the Bodyguard

Victor’s rueful chuckle reaches me from the other end. “Seems you have more contacts than you let on.”

“I always have a plan, sir. I’ll protect Holly with my life.”

“Yes, I know. That’s why I assigned you to her.” There’s a pause, a moment of consideration on Victor’s end. “Is she there?”

“Yes.”

“Put me on speakerphone. What I have to say concerns both of you.”

I do as he says, handing the phone to Holly.

Her brows knit together, a flicker of unease crossing her face. She takes the phone slowly, her grip tightening around it. “Dad?”

“Holly.” Victor’s voice softens, losing its usual commanding edge. “I’m sorry.”

Her lips part in surprise, but she doesn’t respond immediately, so he continues, his tone raw in a way I’ve never heard before.

“I’m sorry for everything, Holly. My decisions… they’ve brought danger to you and your mother and brother. I never wanted this. I thought I was building a life for us, protecting us, but all I’ve done is make us targets.”

Holly’s voice shakes as she replies. “You put power and greed above your family, Dad. You never stopped to think about what it was doing to us.”

“I know,” he admits, his voice cracking. “You’re right. I’ve been a terrible father in so many ways. But this—I can fix this. I’m doing everything I can to make things right. It won’t undo the damage, but I’m working to ensure you’re safe, that this doesn’t come back to you.”

“It already has,” Holly whispers. “What did you do, Dad?”

Victor takes a deep breath on the other end of the line, the sound crackling faintly through the satellite connection. His pause is heavy, laden with the weight of choices he can’t undo. When he speaks, his voice is low and deliberate.

“Holly, my business was never clean. You know that. I tried to keep you, your mother, and your brother away from that part of the business, but the empire I built—it’s collapsing because I made enemies of the wrong people.”

He hesitates, and for a moment, I think he might stop there, but then he continues, his tone growing darker.

“I expanded too quickly. Deals with dangerous people. Promises I couldn’t keep. It started with small operations that turned into networks. Drugs, weapons, laundering money throughlegitimate fronts. The cartel I partnered with wanted more control, but I refused. I thought I could outmaneuver them. I thought I was smarter.”

Holly’s knuckles whiten as she grips the phone. “You thought wrong.”

Victor doesn’t argue. “I did. And when I refused to give them what they wanted, they started picking apart my operations, city by city, territory by territory. My men turned against me. And then there are the politicians I paid off—they’re running scared, throwing me to the wolves to save themselves.”

“You made our lives into a battleground for your ego,” Holly spits, her voice trembling with anger. “And now you’re sorry?”

“Yes,” Victor replies, his voice cracking again. “Because now they’re not only coming after me. They want to destroy everything I care about. You. Your mother. Your brother.”

Holly closes her eyes, taking a shuddering breath. “What are you doing to fix this?”

“I’ve started negotiations,” Victor says after a pause. “With the cartel, with the factions that have turned against me. I’m selling off assets—properties and businesses. I’m handing over control of territories to neutral parties. I’m trying to give them what they want without giving them a reason to come after you.”

“That’s not enough,” Holly snaps. “They’ve already come after me. Twice.”

Victor’s sigh is deep and weary. “I know. And I’m not taking any chances. I’ve arranged for your mother and brother to leave the country. They’ll be in a secure location within the week.”

“What about me?” Holly’s voice is sharp, cutting through the tension. “You’re just going to leave me here, running for my life?”

“No,” Victor replies firmly. “That’s why Jack is with you. Holly, I may have been a terrible father, but I’ve always known one thing: Jack is the only man I trust with your life. He’ll keep you safe. I didn’t assign him to you just because he’s the best at what he does. I saw the way you looked at each other. I saw how he looked at you. I may be a shitty father, but I knew—he would protect you with his life. And I wanted you to have someone who’d put you first, even if I never could.”

Holly’s eyes brim with tears, her voice barely above a whisper. “You’re saying I can’t come back, aren’t you?”

There’s a long pause on Victor’s end, heavy with unspoken truths. “No, Holly. You can’t come back to this life. It’s not safe for you, not now, and maybe not ever. That’s all I can give you, Holly. A way out. But Jack…he’ll look after you. He’ll give you the life I never could.”

Holly glances at me, her expression conflicted. “And what about you, Dad? What happens to you when all this is over?”

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