Page 63 of Boss Daddy

I swallow hard but keep going. “Tiffany begged me to protect myself, but this isn’t just about me anymore.”

For a long time he doesn’t say anything. His gaze shifts slightly, his eyes darkening as if the weight of my words is dragging him to a place I’m not sure I want him to go.

His silence stretches, and the tension in the room becomes almost unbearable.

He finally speaks. “He threatened you. Threatened them.”

It’s a cold, deadly statement.

“Yes.”

I can almost read his thoughts in those moments, thoughts of ripping apart Misha limb-from-limb.

“I’ll kill him,” he growls. “I’ll go to that damn strip club right now and—”

“Stop.” I cut him off before he can finish. I place a hand on his arm, forcing him to look at me. “You know that’s exactly what he wants. He’s dangerous. You can’t just storm in there. In fact, I bet that’s the exact thing he’s hoping for.”

His eyes meet mine, and for a moment, I think he might argue. But then he exhales sharply, his shoulders relaxing just a fraction as logic seems to return.

“You’re right. But that doesn’t mean I’m going to sit back and do nothing.”

“I know,” I say, my hand sliding down his arm to squeeze his hand. “But we can’t be reckless about this. Promise me you won’t do anything stupid.”

A beat of silence follows, as if he’s still entertaining the idea of storming Misha’s club and ripping his head off. “I promise.”

I smile. “Thank you.”

“We’ll handle this, together. I don’t want you to worry. You’re with me, and I’m going to make sure nothing happens to you. Not you, or Kailee, or Erica. But you have to promise me you’re not going to go rogue and do something stupid either.”

“Deal,” I say, holding his gaze. “No stupid moves.”

“Thank you.”

“I’ve already called Erica,” I tell him. “She’s terrified after what happened to Tiff. She said she’s leaving town.”

Samuel nods. “And Kailee?”

I shake my head. “I haven’t been able to get ahold of her. I’ve called and texted, but nothing.”

His jaw tightens again, and I can see the wheels turning in his head. “I’ve got a couple of buddies on the force,” he says. “I’ll reach out, see if they can track her down. If she’s in trouble, we’ll find her. And when we find her, I’ll make sure she’s protected.”

His words bring me a bit of relief, but I’m still worried. “Do you think we should go to the police about Misha?” I ask. “If you’ve got friends in the Denver PD…”

Samuel shakes his head, his expression thoughtful and concerned. “Not yet. It’s one thing to tap a few cop buddies to track someone down. Bringing Misha to their attention is another matter altogether. Reporting this could make things worse, make him do something rash. We need to be smart about this until we know Kailee is safe.”

He’s right, of course, but it doesn’t make me feel any better. The idea of doing nothing while Misha continues to threaten the people I care about makes my skin crawl and my blood boil.

But I know Samuel is playing the long game, and I trust him to figure this out.

I release a long breath I didn’t even realize I was holding in. I feel a little bit of the weight in my chest lift. I know the situation with Misha is far from over, but for now, I’ll take what I can get. Moments like this make me feel hopeful.

“Now, get your gorgeous ass in that bathroom,” he says.

“Gladly.”

Chapter 24

Erin

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