Page 70 of Daddies Dark Desires (Forbidden Fantasies)
Fire burns in my chest, blasting down my middle. I’m so god damn angry that they think they can keep this from me. I did the fucking work. I found things they didn’t even know existed. They can’t just take it all from me and give me nothing in return.
Sure, I get it, they want me to be safe, but this is a surefire way of shoving me right into danger. Because I will keep searching. If they don’t help me, I’ll go find someone who will.
I slam my fist on the table, and the dishes jingle and clatter. “Damn it, you hired me for a reason, and it had better not be just because of who my father was.”
If it is…I’m done. Just done. They can take their protection and their rules and shove it right up their self-righteous and misogynistic asses.
Straightening, I’m more than ready to stomp off, to use my skills for escaping.
Fuck it. I’ll call my mother to come get me if I have to. She might want me safe, but she is also the only one I know who gets more fired up than me about the way women are treated.
I smooth my hair back, stalk over to the kitchen, and stare at the tray of cookies through watery eyes. I’m ready to toss them all in the trash when big hands encase my shoulders and a soft kiss drops into my hair.
“Come back to the table.” Grant’s soft rumble has me bracing for a fight again. “Please.”
That slumps my shoulders, and I let him turn me around.
His hands cup my face as he looks down at me. The care in his eyes tears down a few of my walls. The way he smooths away the unshed tears from my eyes makes my indignation crumble a little.
“Come on.”
I nod.
When he releases me, I step past him and stand by my seat. All three of them are watching me again. I’m not going to crumple from their direct attention like they’re so used to others doing. Especially with the combination of their authority and dangerous backgrounds.
Not me. Not happening.
Grant commands me softly, “Sit.”
I fold my arms over my chest. “No. Not until you start talking.”
The submissive version of Harper is gone. This one is all business. The brat is back, and I will not be cowed by the dangerous looks they issue me.
My brow raises, and I wait.
“Fine. Here’s what we’ve found. Oliver used a program to flag suspicious behavior, and he followed it back to someone in our firm’s investor pool. Someone who is involved in smuggling and laundering for a cartel.”
“La Sangre Nueva,” I supply because I know that’s the cartel my dad was investigating. The one that got him killed.
Trent’s eyes go icy as he examines me. “Yes. ForLa Sangre Nueva.”
“Ryan didn’t find any concrete evidence, and neither have we. But your father feared that someone inside the firm was watching him. Redacting his logs.” Grant folds his hands together on the table.
“Like the one I found.”
“Yes.” He looks pointedly at my seat, so I take it. “We’ve found a trail of heavily redacted files, compliance logs connected to the firm’s logistics client. They’re hiding shipments, locations, and destination names. One is a cartel hotspot.”
I try to keep the flame in my chest from sparking into something uncontrollable.
Oliver hooks my ankle with his foot. Silent support. A caring touch I very much need right now to remain stable.
I nod again.
“The encrypted files uncovered a lot more than we thought it would, but there was also a personal log in there…”
The way Grant trails off has emotion working itself free inside me. His blue eyes are full of things I can’t quite decipher. Something haunting. Something broken. Something that landed a blow to his core.
“His last note was to tell you, Harper, not to trust anyone. Not even us.”
