Page 28 of No Way Forward

Her bravado faded a bit in the face of the fury emanating from him. Richard Kagen wasn’t used to being defied. Then again, he should be. She’d been mouthy for years. It was funny. She’d once heard a maid tell another staff member that when Novette hit eleven, the guard fell off her mouth and the attitude went into overdrive. It was a puberty thing, the woman had said.

Novette never won an argument with her dad. He was smarter and held all the cards. Even when she was stubborn and determined to have her own way, he managed to pressure her into giving up. Manipulating people was what he did for a living, and he was excellent at his job.

Her dad leaned back in his chair as she placed a piece of cake and a mug of hot chocolate before him. He folded his arms much as she had done and narrowed angry blue eyes at her. “Besides, what, Novette?”

“I’m already interested in someone.”

His eyes widened. “Who?”

“It doesn’t matter.”

“It matters very much. I won’t have you involved with someone inappropriate. No, let me rephrase. If you want to have a little fun, I don’t care. Enjoy yourself. As long as you use protection and your head, it’s fine. For something more serious, he needs to be vetted by me.”

“God, you’re impossible. What are you going to do, hire a private investigator to look into his background? Well, forget it.”

He frowned in distaste at this idea. “No, I’ve had more than enough of that group.”

“What do you mean?”

To her surprise, he took hold of her hands and drew her nearer to him. She hoped he wasn’t about to pull her onto his lap. The last time she sat there she was nine, and she told him in no uncertain terms she was too old for that mess. He’d laughed and allowed her space.

This time, he only held her hands, and the expression on his face looked something like love. “Novette, I hired every private investigator I could to find you. When those with the best reputations couldn’t get it done, I confess I threw away money on fools. I was desperate to find my daughter.”

Her heart constricted. “Because you couldn’t stand losing the one person you hadn’t forced to cave to your will.”

“You’re my daughter. I love you. I want to make sure you’re safe and taken care of.”

“Sometimes I’m not so sure.”

A light of genuine pain crossed his features. “When have I made you think I don’t love you?”

She didn’t want to give in to him, but her words held little heat. “Do I have to spell it out? I figure you love me in your own way, Daddy. I’m trying to get it through to you that I’m my own woman. I’ve got to live my life my way. Please, just back off with the marriage thing, and I promise to stay close. How’s that?”

He dropped her hands, and the anger returned. “In other words, you’re threatening your father with running away again? You think those are the actions of an adult? You’re still a child, Novette.”

She cursed under her breath. There was no winning with him.

He stood, leaving the cake and chocolate untouched. “Be ready at ten.”

“Daddy!”

He stopped at the kitchen door but didn’t turn around.

“Are you involved with anyone right now?”

“What?” He spun around, taken off guard with her question from the look on his face. “I’m not sure why you’re asking me that. I’ve had several arrangements since my wife died.”

“I know, but I was just wondering.” She didn’t expect him to blurt out that he was seeing Azalie. “If you want to know about my love life, how about you share information about yours?”

He chuckled. “That won’t be necessary. It doesn’t matter.”

With those words, he left her alone. Either he was so confident in his plans for her—and he felt they would go through without a hitch—or he was sure his activity wouldn’t be scrutinized by anyone. The man drove her mad.

As she pondered what to do about tomorrow, the kitchen door opened again. She expected to see a maid wandering in to see if she needed anything. Her dad had made her so mad, she raised her voice too loud a few times. Hopefully, she hadn’t disturbed anyone.

Zaid stood there in a pair of black slacks and a white shirt that was unbuttoned almost to the waist. This was the first time she recalled seeing him less than put together. The wrinkled shirt looked slept in, and his dark hair was a tangled mess about his head. God, he was beautiful.

“Zaid,” she breathed.

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