Page 21 of Obsessive Stalker

“Oh,” I say softly.

He looks down and then back up at me again, those murky green eyes like deep pools of water that I could lose myself in easily if I let myself have the chance.

“The source of the debt isn’t as worrisome to me as the way he intends to pay it off,” he says.

“How does he intend to pay it off?” I ask, my mouth going dry.

He looks pointedly at me.

“What?” I ask, my eyes widening. “Me? What, are you going to…are you going to pay him for me or something?”

He shakes his head.

“He took a life insurance policy out for you,” he says. “About a month ago. Right after we met. He’s been counting on me returning for you, and either you turning up dead…or never turning up at all. That’s why it was so easy for me to break in, that’s why it’s been so easy to abduct you even while there’s supposedly an investigation going on and detective watching over you. It’s because it’s not true. Nobody is investigating shit, not really. It’s a half-effort so that law enforcement can claim they did their best. They’re on your father’s payroll, we verified that this afternoon.”

A whole host of emotions flow through me, from anger and shame to sadness. I knew my father was a bad man, a horrible and abusive man who never valued me or my sisters or hell, even my mother.

But I didn’t think he was capable of…this.

“He’s an evil man,” Damien says quietly. “Using his daughters to pay his gambling debts.”

“Daughters?” I look up.

Damien nods slowly.

“My sisters,” I gasp, standing from the table. “They’re -”

“They’re safe,” Damien interjects. “No thanks to your father, of course. We’ve got a few men on them now. I won’t let anything happen to them or to you, Kristen. You have my word.”

“What was he thinking?” I wonder. “Does he really think he can make all three of his children disappear and there wouldn’t be any questions, that nobody would look into it?”

He smiles grimly at me.

“He’s a powerful man,” Damien says. “Like I said, he’s got authorities on his payroll. And he also has something else - a scapegoat.”

“What do you mean?”

“Me,” he says simply. “Today he offered you to me voluntarily. I think this is his way of getting me to let my guard down. He plans to allege that I kidnapped you and killed, but not only this, he plans to frame me for the disappearance of your other two sisters as well.”

“He’s going to kill my sisters,” I say quietly. “Or have them killed, more like.”

Damien nods and I feel sick to my stomach. Not just at the horrifying plans of my disgusting dad but also at the way he intends to frame Damien for it all, to make him the bad guy while he collects on life insurance policies to pay off his debts.

He doesn’t deserve to take the fall for all of this. As terrifying as Damien is to me, he’s not a murderer. And he’s not out to get both my sisters as well.

No. The only one who should pay for this is my father. The fucked up, sick man who never, ever took responsibility for anything.

“You were right,” I breathe, looking at Damien.

“About?”

“My father,” I reply. “He’s so evil, he makes you look like a saint.”

He smiles sadly, then takes my hand and pulls me to his lap. I allow it. I feel this need, this pull towards him that I can never fucking explain but not only that, right now I need him in a new way. I need his comfort, for him to assure me that things are going to be okay.

Because although I’ve spent my life being independent and solving things on my own, this problem is too big, too dangerous for me to begin formulating a plan out of.

Damien directs my lips to his, tilting my face up by the chin and kissing me soft and slow. When he pulls away, he’s got that fire in his eyes again.

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