Page 75 of Power and Possession

I continued my slow pace towards my father, my heart beating rapidly and my eyes focused. I stood next to him, and he pulled out a gun and aimed at the back of Steele’s head.

My knife gouged my father’s side before he could fire it. He dropped the gun, and I kicked it away and then sliced the bonds holding Steele in place.

My father screamed, but his men stood still, completely unprepared for this scenario. By the time their eyes moved from my father to Steele, he was already up and holding the gun to my father’s temple.

“Drop your weapons,” Steele commanded, his strong arms wrapped around my father’s robust neck. “Kick them towards the center of the room and leave, or I’ll kill everyone you’ve ever cared about. Ashlynn, go collect the guns.”

The two men looked at each other and slid their guns towards the center of the room, and then they backed out. I quickly gathered the weapons and locked the door.

“You don’t pay your people enough, Topher,” Steele mused, his hand steady. “My men wouldn’t have backed down. Look at Cooper. You beat him unconscious and he still didn’t give you what you wanted.”

My father was sweating profusely, blood running down his side. I hadn’t done any major damage; it was just enough to stun him and cause him to panic and drop his weapon.

“Ashlynn, don’t let him do this,” my father pleaded, looking at me. His eyes were tearing up, fearful of his own death.

Pathetic. Even when Steele was faced with his own mortality a few minutes earlier, he begged for me instead of his own life.

Steele pressed the gun harder into his temple. “You don’t talk to her. You don’t say anything to her unless she allows it.”

“Do it, Steele.” I turned my back and waited for the gunshot. I’d made my decision.

But the sound never came. I looked over my shoulder, expecting my father to call out and beg me.

Instead, it was Steele who pleaded.

“Ashlynn. You’ll never have another father. I’m sure he loves you in his own twisted way. And I know, deep down, you love him. It doesn’t have to be this way.”

“It does. I—I choose you, Daniel.” I said the words, and the tears trickled down my face, but something inside of me burst. I felt…free. This entire time my ideology of freedom had been completely wrong. Loving Steele, choosing to be with him despite everything—that was freedom.

“You don’t have to choose, my love. You know I’d like nothing more than to kill him, but you are more important than my revenge. I grew up without any family—I don’t want that for you.” The sincerity on his face nearly broke me. He’d sacrificed so much for me, and it was only fair that I would do the same for him.

“He’ll come after us—this is the only way.”

Steele shook his head. “No it’s not. There’s a thousand ways I can keep him in check. My reach extends throughout Europe and North America. There’s several countries I could get him easily imprisoned in. For one thing, his taxes and schemes are highly illegal. It won’t be hard to put him in prison for the rest of his life.”

My eyes burned.

“Ashlynn, please,” my father pleaded. “I promise I won’t come against you.”

“You do, and I’ll kill you with my bare hands,” Steele sneered.

“Okay,” I whispered. That was all the confirmation Steele needed.

“Do you still have my phone, Ashlynn?”

I nodded guiltily. “I’m sorry.”

He ignored my apology. I knew I’d hear about my reckless behavior later. “Call Mario, he’s listed under favorites. Tell him to send back-up.”

Chapter Thirty-Seven

Steele

I couldn’t let her lose her father. He was a jackass who didn’t deserve her love, but I worried that someday she might regret it. I didn’t want that for her. I should have handled him when I got back to Europe, but I’d turned a blind eye, not wanting to do anything to cause Ashlynn additional pain. Instead I’d focused on protecting her.

The rest of my team took Ashlynn’s father away, bound and handcuffed. I had him gagged as well, not allowing him to speak to Ashlynn.

He didn’t have the right.

---