Page 58 of Power and Possession

I hated myself.

The tears stung in the cold wind, and I wrapped my jacket closer around me, hugging the warmth inside. Did I want this man to die? Could I beg my father for his life? Was I already too late?

The longer I stood there, watching the cold wind rustle the branches on the trees, the more I felt like I was doing something wrong.

I ran the rest of the way back to the hotel. It was almostmidnight, so hopefully my father would be back at the suite.

I inserted the room key into the door and threw it open, but an empty room was the only thing on the other side. I wandered through the three bedrooms of the suite, and even into the bathrooms, but my father was nowhere in sight. Sighing, I sat on the bed in his bedroom, and something caught my eye. A silver gleam shone from the glare of the lamp, and I could see something metal in my father’s suitcase, which lay open on a chair.

I walked over, holding my breath.

It was a gun.

I instantly started shaking. All I could imagine was Steele on the receiving end of a bullet from that gun.

I heard the door of the suite open, and I quickly scampered out of my father’s room before he caught me going through his stuff. I perched on the sofa, and the second he came around the corner he froze, as if he was startled to see me.

“You should be asleep,” was all he uttered, moving past me and heading for his room.

“Dad. I want to talk to you. Please. It’s important.”

He loosened his tie and sat in the chair across from me. He drummed his fingers impatiently, and that little motion was enough to make me realize how unimportant I truly was to him.

“Did you get the guy who kidnapped me?” I tried to keep emotion out of my voice, tried not to mention Steele by name. I didn’t want my father to have any kind of notion that Steele had become more than my captor.

He sighed, running his fingers through his thinning hair. “I told you Ashlynn, I’m handling it.”

“Does that mean you have him? Is he alive?”

“He’s been taken care of.”

“What does that mean?” I pressured, my heart racing.

“He’s not dead, but he will be soon enough, so don’t worry. He won’t bother you again.”

Shit. He had Steele and he planned on killing him. If we were leaving tomorrow, it meant he was either going to kill himin the morning, or potentially transport him back to New York. I knew my father well enough to know that he would want to be the one to do it.

“Dad, please. I need details.”

“Why is this so important to you? I took care of it. Case closed.” He got up and moved towards his bedroom.

I debated telling him everything, but we didn’t have that type of relationship and I was afraid that if he found out what was between us, he would kill Steele out of spite.

“Dad, please—”

But he’d already shut the door.

I didn’t sleep at all. I sat on the couch in the main room, worried that my father would sneak off and kill Steele. I didn’t have any kind of plan or way to stop him, but that didn’t keep me from holding vigil all night long.

When the sunlight shined in through the white chiffon curtains, I started to pace the room. My bare feet hit the rug over and over as I practically wore a pattern around the coffee table.

Finally, my father’s door opened, and he appeared, dressed casually in slacks and a polo rather than his suit.

“Are you ready?” he said gruffly.

“Yes,” I whispered, grabbing the empty purse the shopper had picked up for me. I didn’t have my cell phone, or my passport.

“Dad, I don’t have any identification for re-entering the U.S.”

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