There was nothing to be scared of in the past. They were only memories. And he was doing his very best to make sure that those memories were not his future.

Or the future of the child who had not asked to be conceived. Let alone by two such broken people.

Broken though they might be, he was nothing if not bold.

And that was what brought him to her father’s front. It was an office building, like any other. One could be forgiven for believing that it was actually a legitimate business. But of course, he knew it wasn’t. He knew the authorities were well aware it wasn’t, either, but so far the man remained untouchable. Whether because there was a labyrinth of crooked police officers or other more complicated reasons, he did not know. But he intended to find out.

He also intended to walk into the other man’s office today and throw down a gauntlet of his own.

Because he knew that the other man would’ve seen the headlines.

And he knew that he would have been making plans.

Ewan intended to upend those plans.

He moved through the reception area, barely glancing at the secretary.

She wasn’t there to check people in, after all.

There was a metal detector, of course. He was searched for weaponry when he got off the elevator. He was not so foolish as to bring a weapon into the building.

There may be a day when it came to that. But he would choose his venue. And it would never be on Mark Hargreave’s home court.

“You have an appointment with Mr. Hargreave,” the man waving the magnetic wand over his body said.

“No,” he said. “However, he will know that we have a connection. Ewan Kincaid. Duke of Kilmorack.”

“Indeed you do,” said the man, proving that he was more than just a goon. He was someone who was privy to the conversation in his boss’s office.

“Yes. And it is about the business that you would expect.”

“Then he will look forward to an appointment with you.”

“He doesn’t even have to anticipate it. I’m here.”

“You know he has many people hoping for an audience with him.”

“But only one of them is the father of his first grandchild.”

The man chuckled. “We’ll see if he’ll see you.”

He disappeared behind the door and opened it a moment later. “He’s feeling generous today.”

“Just my luck,” said Ewan.

His playboy charm was turned up to eleven, and he knew that it was likely to irritate the other man, so he made sure that his smile was brilliant.

He walked in as if he didn’t have a care in the world. Much less a plan.

“Mr. Kincaid,” said Hargreave from behind his desk.

He could see nothing of his daughters in the man.

Perhaps they weren’t his. But then, if what Jessie said was true, they had his mind. But the girls were beautiful and petite, and this man had the look of a blunt instrument.

You could put a wild jackal in a suit, but that was what he remained. And Ewan should know. His father was of noble blood, for all that it meant, and he had still been a jackal.

A scavenging hyena that just wanted to pick the bones around him clean.