Page 56 of Collision of Winters
I raked my teeth over my bottom lip, and it occurred to me that we might as well pack up. So when we left for the retreat today, we weren’t coming back tomorrow.
“Apparently, Hillcroft has a company jet…?”
He inclined his head. “We have a couple.”
Wasn’t that just interesting. I thought only gazillionaires and the Kardashians flew private.
“Okay, um, we’ll leave on one on Wednesday at ten PM,” I said. “From Anchorage. So I’m guessing we should pack and board up the windows before we leave here today.”
He frowned. “Quin wouldn’t send a jet for no reason. Tell me what’s going on, blue.”
Ugh. No wonder Chris had given me this task. This was gonna suck.
“I already know I’m not gonna approve,” Daddy said. “Chris would’ve talked directly to me otherwise.”
Good point. Well, that actually helped. If he already knew it was gonna be bad in his eyes, I may as well spit it out.
“Chris wants to use me as bait in a public area in DC so he and his coworkers can eliminate a final threat,” I admitted. “He won’t put me in harm’s way. I agreed. I want to do this.”
Other than a tic in Daddy’s jaw, he stood there unmoving and stared at me.
I instinctively knew that he would disapprove because it was a matter of my safety. But he was also smart enough to know that he was biased and worrying because it was me. Chris did this for a living, and he had to be good at it. He wouldn’t risk my life—and Daddy knew that too. I bet that was why he was quiet right now. He was battling in his mind.
“This is what I want in my future,” I went on. I wanted him to understand. “I want to work at Hillcroft. I wanna train hard and earn my spot, and I wanna accomplish things and feel good about myself.”
That caused a reaction. He released a breath and scrubbed his hands over his face.
“I never should’ve told you about Hillcroft,” he muttered into his hands. “Or the possible danger.” Then he sighed and let his hands fall, and I offered a small smile.
“I’m glad you did. I’m also glad I told Dad because I’m guessing he spilled the beans to Chris.”
He shrugged with one shoulder and looked at the living room. “I spoke to both of them after you talked to Quin, so it doesn’t matter. It’s all out in the open—except for our new relationship, that is.”
“I didn’t know you talked to Dad,” I said.
He nodded once. “Last night, when you dozed off on the couch. I wanted to know if he was genuinely angry, but he was more grumpy about it. We share the same fears about having you join us at Hillcroft.”
I knew that.
“Well, you’re both gonna have to watch me grow up,” I answered. Wanting to get things going, I returned to the bedroom to get my bag. “I trust Chris, Sir. Acting as bait is all about trust. I won’t have to do anything.”
But in the future, I wanted to be more involved.
I had my work cut out for me, and I couldn’t wait to begin.
CHAPTER 9
Kayden Winters
Halfway to the O’Connor retreat, I was fed up with Daddy’s tense silence and careful driving. I demanded we switch seats so he could start observing how I did things.
He was slowing down before each bump in the nonexistent road.
I veered and drove around them without losing daylight.
Daddy gripped the handle above the passenger’s side door. “You’re going fast.”
“This car is literally built to handle rough terrain.” I kicked it up a notch and checked the time. I was gonna miss the puppies running wild, dammit. “Is this gonna be a problem, Wade?”
