Page 27 of Ashes of Sin

“If I see my name mentioned in relation to this one more time, and Kyra is not at the church, every media channel in the United States is going to see what the chief executive officer of Fox & Co. does in his spare time.”

More glaring.

“Your time will come, Pierce,” he threatens.

I laugh. “You’re not the first person to say that to me.” I widen my arms out in front of me. “Yet here I am.”

“You’re an asshole.”

I sit down in my black leather executive chair and lift an ashtray out of the drawer, flicking the ash off the end. Then take another puff and blow it out.

I stopped caring what people thought about me when I made my first million. Now my net worth is over a billion and I’m immune to others’ judgment. It just bounces off me.

“Why didn’t you just phone me?” I ask curiously. “Did you think she ran away and came here?”

While I’d like to think Kyra’s panties were moist and her little cunt open and craving my cock after our encounter, I'm not arrogant enough to believe that’s the case.

Or perhaps I am.

She’s never admit it if I had turned her on. They never do.

But I know how the human body works. It would’ve had a visceral reaction, even if she was mildly repulsed. I’m looking forward to finding out when she returns.

“Do you not have a tracker on her phone? Her bag?” I demand.

Derek’s head pulls back in response.

So that’s a no then.

“There’s never been a need to track her. Kyra has been a compliant child all her life,” he says firmly.

“She is not a child, Derek. She is going to be my wife.” Not that I would be opposed to marrying her if she was even younger, but that’s no excuse for keeping tabs on her as an asset.

He’s been negligent in our agreement.

His dark glare meets mine but I’m over this conversation. I push my chair back, slide open the bottom drawer and pull out the black and teal business card.

I toss it onto the far side of my desk.

“If she’s been taken”—which I strongly suspect she hasn’t—“call these men. They’ll find her.”

Derek picks up the card and reads it, glancing back at me.

“Barrett Security,” he finally says.

“Expect to open your wallet, they’re not cheap. Next week, I’ll be standing in front of the altar waiting for your daughter. Then I’ll take her home and consummate it.” I snarl, letting that sink in.

Surely, he has to care about his daughter a small amount. I think about my son from time to time, and regardless of what he may think, I love him.

Although, what is love?

An emotion that gets in the way of critical thinking, if you want my opinion.

“Now get out of my office and sort out this goddamn mess.”

Fox crushes the card in his hand and takes a step closer. My personal security, Frank, does the same, stopping him from doing anything stupid.

“You fucking drugged us all, you piece of shit.”

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