Page 96 of Ice Cold Christmas
Dario curled his body protectively around Melody’s. “My sister doesn’t want you near her.”
“She’s not your sister.”
“Fine, stepsister. Now back off. Melody wants out of here, and I’m getting her out. You know, I never trusted you. Never. Steamrolling into our lives. Always acting so perfect. Smug. Arrogant SOB. And I swear, if I find out that you had anything to do with Melody’s disappearance?—”
“I didn’t!” Victor thundered.
Olivia jerked and gasped.
“I’m the one who has been fighting like hell to get Melody back while you just moved right on with your damn life!” Victor snarled. “You and Olivia. You never looked for her. You never did shit but spend Sebastian’s money. My money.” His words fired out with fury and—desperation? “Melody, listen to me. Please. I didn’t tell you about my past because?—”
“Because he wanted to fuck over our whole family,” Dario fumed as he pushed her toward the open door.
“Because I didn’t want to lose you!” Victor was right beside her.
She couldn’t look at him, though. Right then, she just hurt too much.
“No, because he didn’t want to lose his position,” Dario corrected. “He didn’t want to lose his wealth. His power. He didn’t want you telling Sebastian to throw his ass out of the company. Sebastian would have done it. Of all the people in Sebastian’s inner circle, you are the one he always listened to. You told him to go to the doctor—he refused when everyone else said he needed to be checked out. But one word from you? He went. Done. That’s the way it always has been. Sebastian bends the world for you.” His hold was tight on her. “My poor sister, with no memory? Why the hell didn’t you just tell me? It’s okay. I’m going to take care of you.”
“You’re going to take your fucking hands off her.” Lethal.
Melody felt Victor’s stare on her. Melody focused on the open doorway. Olivia still held the door open. Through that open door, Calista and Luis peered back at her.
“Is everything all right?” Calista asked, a frown pulling at her pretty features.
“No, no, it’s not all right,” Olivia snapped at her. “My best friend just found out that your jerk of a boss has been lying to her and using her for ages. We’re getting her out of here.” A determined nod. “Come on, Melody. You’ll be safe with us. Let’s go.”
She stumbled forward, with Dario’s grip tight on her. She was almost at the threshold.
“I’m not letting you leave.” Victor’s voice. A harsh growl. He’d moved into her path.
Dario laughed. Bitter. Mocking. “See what I mean? He can’t lose control. He’s a possessive, predatory jackass.” He let go of Melody and took an aggressive step toward Victor. “What are you gonna do? Have your goons attack us? You gonna kidnap Melody? Or, wait, have you already been there and done that shit?”
Melody forced herself to look at Victor. She expected absolute rage to be on his face. But instead…
Sorrow.
“I’m not letting you leave alone, baby,” Victor gritted from between clenched teeth. His hands were clenched into powerful fists at his sides. “You don’t want to be with me, fine, but I can’t have you in danger, Melody. Calista and Luis are your guards. Where you go, they go, got it? You need protection. You have to stay safe.”
“She is safe with me,” Dario vowed. “As if we’d trust anyone you hired!”
“Well, that’s just insulting,” Calista muttered. “I am exceedingly trustworthy.”
“I do feel insulted,” Luis agreed.
Victor just stared at Melody. His dark eyes swirled with the thunderstorm of his emotions.
Footsteps thudded down the hallway. Not fast and storming. Hard and determined. Another guard, coming to join the mess in the boardroom? One of the uniformed security guards from Mage? Or maybe—maybe it was the detective. Detective Angus Clinton was supposed to be coming to the scene, wasn’t he?
“What in the hell is going on here?” Hunter McQueen’s fierce voice demanded.
Not the detective. The Ice Breaker that Victor had been using to find her.
Victor has guards to protect me. He keeps my hot chocolate in his house. He hired PIs to find me. Victor…
“My stepsister,” Dario emphasized, “has just found out what a total and utter liar your boss is. You’re not gonna be flying her off in some helicopter with him again.”
Dario had been watching them all from the estate as they left in the chopper. She’d felt the stares on her.
