Page 9 of Wicked Embers

“I think it’s best if you leave,” Radomir advises my father. “I’ll handle Leigh.”

A sinking feeling settles in the pit of my stomach—a cold, creeping dread that steals the breath from my lungs. For a minute, the world tilts beneath my feet, the ground crumbling away as the full weight of what my father has done crashes over me. I stare at him, my mind reeling, my heart shattering into a million jagged pieces.

I force myself to breathe, steadying my voice as a new plan forms. If I can’t fight my way out, I’d act my way out instead. “Daddy, please...” I whisper, my voice breaking just enough to sound convincing. “Don’t do this.” A single sob escapes, the kind I know will tug at his heartstrings.

“Leigh,” my father’s voice breaks. “Sweetheart…” His eyes travel to Radomirs, who still has me clamped against him, and I almost falter in my performance when I feel something start tofill out near my butt. The fucking jerk is enjoying me struggling against him. It’s time to take this performance up a notch.

“Please,” I try to twist and look at Radomir. “Please let me just say goodbye to my dad.”

I see Radomir’s eyes narrow, looking at me skeptically. I let my face crumple and a few tears flow over.

His grip loosens as he nods and steps back. “But you do so here.” Radomir’s eyes hold a dark warning. “Don’t try to leave the room.”

I look at him and nod—years of grifting drummed into me by my father help me keep the act going. It looks like tonight I’m finally going to make my father proud and execute Dalton’s five-D escape plan for when the going got tough and the con artist needed to get going—distract, divert, dodge, duck, and disappear always comes in handy.

I walk toward my father, my eyes dart around the room, searching for any opportunity to cause a distraction. Then I spot it—a man slipping a card under the table.Perfect. I straighten, pointing dramatically. “Hey! That guy’s cheating!” My voice rings out, sharp and commanding, drawing every pair of eyes in the room toward him. “I saw him slip a card beneath the table.”

The man glares at me, but before he can deny it or retaliate, the other men at the table are soon on him, and I nimbly start to slip away.

“What the fuck!” I hear Radomir boom as all hell starts to break loose at the table.

Just to ensure the distraction escalates into a full blown diversion, I turn and address the other tables, raising my voice over the rising anger. “I’d check who’s at your tables if I wereyou. This man’s not the only one I noticed cheating when I walked in.”

I would love to catch the Dark lords eyes and give him the finger. But I also know not to press my luck. This may be my only chance to escape, and I head for the door—freedom in my sights. But just in case another obstacle appears out of nowhere to block my way I slip my hand into my purse feeling for the cool tin of pepper spray.

“Leigh!” My father appears out of nowhere. His hand circling my arm painfully, like the good old days when I’d disappointed him. “What the hell are you doing? That man will kill us both.” His eyes flash angrily, and just like that, he’s transformed from a drunken lout into angry dad mode. “I told you I have a goddamn plan.”

“And your plans always work!” I sneer nastily. “No thanks. I’m going to stick to my plan of escape.”

His jaw clenches, and I get a glimpse of the confident, strong man I know he once was before my mother died. For a moment, I hesitate. But only for a moment, as the angry roar of the room reminds me that my escape window is closing.

“Get back there,” my father demands. “He will kill us, Leigh. That’s no joke, and you’ll have ruined everything I’ve worked so hard for.”

Disbelief and skepticism wash over me. Yeah, right!Where has he been working so hard and on what?Out of habit and that eternal hope I have that he’s changed, I want to ask and hear what his plan is, even if I know it’s probably just bullshit! A trap to reel me into another one of his fucked up schemes. I’m about to reply, but a crash distracts me, and I turn to see Fredrik lunge at a man.

Shit that’s my cue. It’s time to get out of Vegas. I turn back to my father, trying to yank my arm loose. “No, Dad.” I glance pointedly at his hand bruising my arm. “He’ll killyou!“ A smug smile tilts my lips. “BecauseI’llbe long gone before all this settles—just like you taught me. You know Daltons five-D escape plan!”

“Leigh, I swear to God,” he seethes, surprisingly lucid for a man who was blazing drunk a few minutes ago and lost me in a game of cards. “If you don’t get back there now…”

“You’ll… what? Ground me, steal my money, lose me in a game of poker?” Disdain drips off every word and I grip the pepper spray in my bag tighter, popping off the lid and feeling for the little hole to ensure I’m holding it the right way—I don’t want to spray myself in the face! “There’s not much more you can do to me that you haven’t already done, old man.” I start to move my hand from my purse. “It’s in your best interest and it will be a lot less painful for you if you just let me go so I can get out of here while the chaos still reigns.”

“The hell you are,” my father snarls. “You’re going to cost us everything with this stunt you’ve pulled.”

“Us?” I look at him in disbelief. “Oh no, you don’t. This isn’t on me. It’s on you. You stole my future and then tried to lock me away with a fucking bratva boss. Without so much as batting an eyelid you condemned me to hell.”

“You don’t understand!” My father says through gritted teeth. “I had a plan. One you’ve just royally screwed up and that you’re going to fix and bear the consequences of.”

“Yeah, here’s the thing, Dad,” I sneer. “I’m no longer a little girl so eager to please her daddy in fear of his drunken wrath.I’m also no longer going to be helping you dig yourself out of the holes you’ve dug for yourself.” I try pull myself lose again.

“Stop fucking around Leigh.” His grip tightens on my arm. “You’re coming with me to face the consequences and ensure this doesn’t come down on my head.”

“And there it is! Protecting your own skin again by dropping me in the shit,” I hiss. “Fuck you.” My hand whips out of my bag, and I hit him full force in the eyes with the pepper spray.

“Ugh,” My father howls in pain. His hand slipping from my arm to cover his eyes.

“I warned you it would be less painful just to let go of me. Oh, and don’t rub. It just makes it worse.” I tut unapologetically. I’m about to bolt, but his hand grabs my shoulder.

“Stop.” He snarls, trying to see out his painful eyes. “Don’t you dare run!”

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