Page 38 of The Capo

“You’re not old, Dad.” Because if my father was, Francois was. That wasn’t something I wanted to add to the mix. “Yes, I’ll be a good little girl for Francois while you’re gone.”

“That’s my girl. I can’t lose you, honey. I just can’t lose you.”

“You’re not going to lose me.”

“By the way, you can stay here as long as you want after all this blows over.”

I’d told him about the fact Quince had been hassling me. The man had even texted again telling me that if I wasn’t back in LA in three days, he was terminating my contract. I hated the pig, but he’d helped my career at a time when no one else would. He believed I owed him. The fucker.

“Thanks. That means a lot and I might take you up on it. Neither LA nor modeling is the same any longer. So dog eat dog.”

“Then maybe it’s time for a change. I know that well.” He looked away, obviously lost in thought.

An awkward tension shifted between us. All the wasted years had taken a toll. I had no idea what to say to my own father. “Did you love her, Dad?”

My question caught him off guard. “More than the moon and stars. She was my first and only true love. Something you’re not ready for.” He laughed as he pointed a finger at me.

“Maybe not. You were young when you got married.” I knew all the answers, but I needed something comforting, maybe familiar to help me get through this.

He came and sat on the arm of the couch. “Too young. High school sweethearts who got married right after graduation. Against her parents’ wishes. The fact they disowned her certainly didn’t help.”

“And she was pregnant with me already.”

The wry expression on my father’s face was amusing. “Yeah. That wasn’t a secret, but we were way too young to get married and to start a family.”

“Don’t worry, Dad. I don’t believe in love so there will be no marriage and I doubt you’ll ever have grandchildren.”

“Love is important, sweetie. Your mother and I had some really good times. It was a shame the way we ended. You’ll find someone special when the time is right. But he better be good to you, or I’ll kill him with my bare hands.”

While he laughed, I knew he was being serious.

For some reason, that made me think about Francois, which was crazy. And I was already breaking my own rules.

It seemed strange to me that I was no longer frightened. Maybe just the knowledge that Francois would do anything in his power to protect me had allowed me to breathe a little easier. However, I reminded myself of the rules I’d created and planned on following.

My grand plan went out the window the moment something bounded into the room then onto my lap, knocking my laptop off in the process. I squealed, uncertain if it was a wild animal that had accidentally broken into the house or some crazed man. Either way, I couldn’t breathe, completely smothered in kisses and licks.

“Sadie. Off.”

The man with the voice, the deepest, darkest baritone I’d ever heard in my life that turned my insides into mush, couldn’t be more than a few inches away.

I realized the powerful kisser was a furry creature, her happy face as she issued a single woofing sound forcing a giggle.

“Right on time, buddy,” my father said. “One of your men has been here for a couple hours.”

“Good. At least he followed my orders. Sadie. Come.” Francois shifted his gaze toward me, lingering for a few seconds before lowering his piercing eyes to the floor.

“She’s beautiful,” I said, the nagging voice inside laughing at me since I’d already glanced in his direction. “Yours?”

“Yes.”

The one-word answer was a clear indication he was still angry with me for being so curt hours before. Yet his deep, rumbly voice created a wave of shivers and even worse, goosebumps that I had no doubt he homed in on with his dark and breathtaking eyes. I was clearly losing portions of my mind.

The fact I’d been tossed into his dangerous life was something I would need to continually remind myself of. He was just as mesmerizing as before, but now that I knew he owned a dog, everything I thought I knew about him was completely off. He was also even more gorgeous given he was wearing a short-sleeved polo shirt, which not only accentuated his incredible, muscular chest but also presented the tattoos on his arms in a more magnificent manner. I couldn’t help but stare.

Had I just broken almost every single rule? Yep, I had.

He leaned over without saying anything else, grabbing my laptop. The lid had popped open in the fall, and I was horrified when I noticed the screen flicked on, the picture of him right there front and center. Oh, dear God. The way he studied the photograph of himself was odd, as if he’d never seen it before. Or as if he hated seeing himself on film.

---