Page 29 of Treasured By 3

“Are you threatening me? I’ll be happy to share that with the-”

“I’m promising you that your daughter won’t be half as kind as I’m trying to be,” Lief growls. “We have enough work to do today, don’t add to it.”

ELEVEN

Lief

The manin front of me is torn. I know that. Some part of him believes we’re holding Valerie hostage and, like any parent, he wants to protect her. However, the fact that he refuses to listen to what she’s saying–every clear word leaving her lips–is an issue.

I glance at my watch. “Three minutes until the police arrive and thirty seconds until the two men behind you figure out who you are and override the options I’ve provided.”

Tightening my arm around Valerie and pulling her against my side keeps her from being a threat. Chase and Hunter are waiting by their car. Valerie’s father must recognize the limited options.

He points at me. “This isn’t over.”

“It is. This is my life. It is my choice what I do with it,” Valerie snarls.

Her father backs away, eyes flicking between us and Hunter and Chase. He heads out and I call the police back, letting them know the man left. As I take care of that, Hunter and Chase close the distance. Hunter hugs Valerie and Chase watches her father disappear.

“Do you want us to follow him?” Chase asks.

“No,” Valerie mumbles. “I want to talk to my mother. Tristan wouldn’t have told my father where we live. He wouldn’t have told him anything.”

“Valerie,” Hunter starts.

She turns her glare on him, and he puts his hands up. “Alright. I’ll keep my thoughts to myself right now.”

Valerie excuses herself and heads down to the gym. Chase addresses me. “He shouldn’t have gotten to the front door.”

“I’m aware,” I agree.

“Do we need to bring back some personal security?” He presses. “I don’t want any unwelcome outsider able to get this close to us and our bride-to-be.”

“She won’t like that,” Hunter says. “It’ll feel like a safe house all over again.”

“And I don’t like that our personal home can be accessed by people Valerie doesn’t want around, and we don’t know. How is that a set up for success?” Chase demands. He rubs over his forehead. “Perhaps we should let our father and Vanya move into one of his homes, and we can move into the mansion. It would be more secure.”

“Let’s get married to Valerie first,” I suggest. “Then we can discuss-”

“We won’t be able to discuss anything if her father hurts her,” Chase growls. “Valerie’s capable of plenty, we’ve seen that, but we’ve also seen how quickly someone’s luck can run out.”

“Chase,” Hunter starts.

“I want to marry her and I know you do, too. To do that, we all have to make it down the aisle. I knew it had been too quiet and easy since Yuri. This is why. We’ve been so worried about our own enemies we haven’t thought about her family and how they’d react to the marriage. We knew her father hated us and didn’t approve. We didn’t take it seriously and he could-”

“He’s notourfather, Chase,” Hunter says.

Chase sits down and runs his hands through his hair. I haven’t seen him like this before. I blink at him a few times, then make tea.

“If he was our father, she’d already be gone,” Chase murmurs.

I bring over the steeping tea and set it in front of Chase. I take a breath. “Valerie isn’t going to let her father interfere. If I know her, she’s downstairs, beating the punching bag while practicing what she’s going to say to her mother.”

“We could pay off her father. Or ... something,” Chase says.

“It’s her problem,” Hunter counters. When Chase and I both glare at him, he rolls his eyes. “Don’t give me that look. Valerie likes to solve her own problems. We all know that. Give her time to process it.”

Chase takes a sip of the steaming tea and exhales. “So I’m just supposed to do nothing?”

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