Page 141 of Pucker Factor

He cleared his throat uncomfortably. “I guess it’s about time you should know that I’ve had cameras in your apartment since you moved in.”

“What?”

“And a tracker in your purse. Not that it did much good since it blew up in your office. I’ll have to make sure that doesn’t happen again.”

“My office blowing up?”

“No, putting a tracker only in your purse. And I may have also tapped your phone. Again, that didn’t help when your office blew up.”

“I don’t believe this.” I shook my head walking away from him as I processed just how far my father went to keep tabs on me. And that would be my life if I was with Eli. I knew it. Just one more reason to stay away.

“Honey, it was for the best.”

I spun around and jabbed a finger at him. “It was an invasion of my privacy!”

“And a lifesaver a time or two. Daniel? He was a woman.”

I gasped, covering my mouth. “Take that back.”

He shrugged. “Sorry, but he was only posing as a man. Or she…” he said thoughtfully. “Thankfully, that didn’t go any further.”

“That should have been my mistake to make.”

“The man was a predator. The woman,” he added, completely flustered. “You know what I mean.”

“The point is, you’ve been interfering in my life, but never actually been there for me. You don’t get to step in now and play the hero.”

“I’m not trying to. I was letting Eli do his job.”

“Yeah,” I laughed, “right up until you shot him.”

“He jumped on the roof of my SUV!”

“And your guys nearly had me killed when they shoved us off the road. How was that helpful?”

He shrugged. “They got a little out of control.”

“A little? Dad, Fox has more control, and I’m pretty sure he’s a few screws loose of a psychopath.”

He nodded in agreement. “I’m going, but I want you to be careful, and don’t discount Eli completely. He would be good for you.”

“Yeah, fine,” I grumbled.

He turned to leave, but then stopped and eyed me in that Dad way. “And Sybil? Stop stealing people’s wallets.”

35

ELI

“I can’t believe her father shot you,” Kavanaugh scoffed.

“Didn’t I say no one was supposed to be injured?” Cash said, sitting down in the chair across from me.

I glanced around the mansion and sighed heavily. I still couldn’t figure out why she left me. And she called her dad of all people to make sure she could get away. It reeked of desperation—to get away from me. That was a hit to the gut.

“It’s not like I intended to get shot,” I replied. “And it’s only a shoulder wound.”

“You were about to bleed out,” Red said as he sat down, handing me a bottle of water.

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