Page 17 of Girls Night
Had he been upset with me, he wouldn’t embrace me as he just did.
“Yes?” I ask, tilting my face up toward his and tucking a stray hair behind my ear.
“Where’s Tati?” he inquires in a quiet tone as he nods at one of his guests who walks by us.
I take a deep breath and let it out unhappily. It seems she didn’t ask his permission to leave, and it will more than likely fall on me to find her.
“I don’t know, Papa,” I answer truthfully.
He shakes his head as his arm drops away from me, and he raises the glass to his lips.
“Do you want me to look for her?” I ask him nervously.
“No. I’ll talk to her in the morning,” he says with a dismissive wave of his hand. I watch his dissatisfaction turn to thoughtfulness before he glances down at me. “What does Pablo want?”
“I wasn’t really listening,” I tell him with a shrug. “Mostly to tell me what a great man he is and all he’s done for the people here.”
Papa rolls his eyes, and I bring my hand to my mouth to hide my smile. It’s not very often that I see him react so … normal to anything, but when he does, it’s always a sight to see.
He sucks his teeth for a moment before he rubs my back, then gives it a pat, “You can go if you’d like. I’ll be fine.”
“Are you sure?” I ask, feeling a little surprised.
He nods, “I have men here. Nothing will happen, and if it does, they’ll take care of it. Go back to your room, go for a walk; whatever you’d like. You showed up, and that’s all I asked of you. Besides,” he says with a wry smile, crinkling the edges of his kind eyes, “if you don’t get out of here soon, I may have someone asking me for your hand in marriage.”
Now it’s my turn to roll my eyes, and Papa chuckles. I lean up to give him a kiss on the cheek before excusing myself from his presence.
He knows that it’s taking my entire will to walk away and leave him here in the company of these people. Most would secretly wish to see him captured or killed, while very few genuinely appreciate everything he does for Navolato.
“Good night,” I tell him softly. He echoes the sentiment, and I know it’s time for me to go.
I walk away from Papa, wiping away a stray tear as I set my glass down on the edge of the table.
Not many things in this world make me feel, but the love of a man that cares for me as one of his own when he could have simply walked by me as so many before him had is something that I will do anything to protect and proudly kill for.
But not tonight.
I’m nothing more than the dutiful daughter that does what she must to keep her father the happy man she knows him to be, and I’ll retire to my room quietly and without argument.
Tomorrow is a new day, the sun will rise, and all will continue to be well.
Chapter Four
The hallway was dark when I tried to make my way to my room, so the attack was a surprise.
I tell myself that over and over again to make the blow of the shame feel less than it already does.
A hand closes on the back of my neck as I’m forced into the bathroom. I hadn’t heard anyone follow me, but I was so lost in my thoughts of the way Magdalena damn near threw herself at me that I let my guard down.
This is my fault.
Another hand roughly pulls up the back of my dress, and I grunt when two fingers are shoved into my cunt.
I don’t scream.
I don’t fight back.
I won’t ruin my father’s gathering by not being able to defend myself, and I won’t lose his respect by being a simpering little girl.
