Page 80 of Keeping Guard
“I’m not babysitting you. I’m spending time with you. Besides, I’m not allowed to traipse around by myself.” The last time she’d done that, Noah hadn’t been happy. If she did it again, he’d probably never speak to her again.
“Sorry. I shouldn’t have forgotten about that. Have you had any more trouble from Dalton?”
“No.” Other than his hanging around, which definitely made her uncomfortable, but she didn’t want to worry her father. Not with what he was going through.
“Good. Where’s your bodyguard?”
“At Operation K-9 Brothers. His friend’s teaching him how to train therapy dogs.” Maybe he would like it so much that he’d rather do that than go get shot at. But she couldn’t see him being satisfied with spending his days with dogs forever, so that was wishful thinking. He wasn’t even gone yet, and she was missing him.
After her father went to his bedroom, she got out her laptop. They were planning to increase production, and she had some questions, so she called Eddie. They talked for a good twenty minutes about inventory, distribution, and staffing. When they finished their conversation, she stood and stretched.
Thirsty, she went to the kitchen to get some water, and came to an abrupt halt. Her father’s house wasn’t an open floor plan like her loft, and she hadn’t been able to see Dalton before she came into the room.
“What the hell are you doing here?”
“Language, Peyton.”
“If me sayinghellbothers you, you’re not going to like this. Get the fuck out of my dad’s house.” As far as she could recall, that was the first time she’d dropped the F-bomb, but if ever it was appropriate, it was now.
“I don’t think so. I worked too hard to get what I want to give it all up now.”
“You were paid to do a job and paid well I might add.” She needed to keep him talking while she tried to think of a way to get him out of the house. If her father heard them talking, would he stay in his room and call the police, or would he come out?
Dalton smirked. “Do you know how much ass kissing to your father I had to do, how I had to pretend you were wonderful and swear that I’d take care of you after he was gone? He promised the brewery would be mine after he died.”
“The promise was that it would belong to us if we married.” She pointed between them. “Us.Guess you’re out of luck, because I’m not marrying you. Not ever.” She’d never hated anyone in her life until now.
“Me. Us. Semantics.”
“He’ll never sign any papers giving you the brewery.”
“Oh, I think he will.”
“You’re crazy.” She took another step back, intending to go to the living room and get her phone. “I’m calling the police. You don’t want to be here when they arrive.”
“I don’t think so.” He showed her the hand he’d been hiding behind his back.
“Seriously, Dalton. A gun? What are you going to do, shoot me?” She wasn’t exactly scared. There was no way he’d shoot her, but then she looked into his eyes. Now she was scared.
“Yes, if you don’t do exactly as I say.”
“You wouldn’t.”
He laughed, and it wasn’t a good one. “Do you really want to try me? Move another inch, and I’ll make your father watch me put a bullet in your brain.”
“You won’t get away with this. Walk out right now, and I won’t tell a soul you were here.” For as long as it took her to call the police and then Noah. “How did you get in, anyway?”
He reached into his shirt pocket and pulled out a key. “Your father gave me a key when I was staying here, taking care of him the first time he had cancer. Like I said, kissing his ass. You think I enjoyed listening to him retch after his treatments? Cooking dinner for him, pretending I gave a shit?”
“You’re a bastard.”
He tsked. “Not a nice thing to call your future husband. I’m tired of talking to you. You’re going to do exactly what I say if you want to see tomorrow.”
“You don’t have it in you to kill anyone.” She prayed that was true.
“No? You might want to ask my late wife about that.” He chuckled. “But you’ll have to go to the bitch’s gravesite to do it.”
God help her. He wasn’t lying. The truth was in his eyes. How had she not noticed before how cold and dead they were?
