Jaw tense, he returned my father’s glare. “I would never take advantage of your daughter, sir. So don’t come to my house threatening me. You want your money back? Take it, I don’t give a flying fuck about the pay.”
Robert held up his hands. “All right, that’s enough. I’m sure there’s an explanation for all of this, but it’ll have to be settled at another time. We have a plane to catch. Blake,” he said, extending his hand. “It’s good to see you again. Thank you for keeping Hadley safe.” Blake nodded and shook his hand.
“Hadley, it’s time to go,” my father commanded.
“In a minute,” I growled, anger boiling in my veins. I pushed past Blake and he followed me to the side of the house, out of my father’s sight. “Care to tell me what’s going on?”
He unclenched his fists. “Yeah, your dad’s an ass.”
“I know that already. What about the money? How much did he give you?”
Sighing, he lowered his head. “Ten million.”
Mouth gaping, I almost choked on my words. “Is that the only reason you agreed to let me stay?”
“Yes.” When I tried to walk away, he grabbed my hand and pulled me into his arms. “Don’t walk away from me, Hadley. I admit, I didn’t want you here in the beginning, but you knew that. I don’t care about the money, I care about you. That’s why I haven’t touched a cent of it. The money isn’t what I fell in love with.”
I sagged in his arms and let the tears flow. “Then keep it. I’m sure you’ll find something to do with it.” The horn beeped and I stepped away. “I have to go.”
Blake reached for my hand, but I pulled back. “Don’t leave like this, Hadley. What do you want me to say?”
“I can’t be the one to tell you, you’ll have to figure this one out on your own.” Turning on my heel, I walked straight past my dad and into the car. Real life wasn’t like the movies. I thought for sure he’d scoop me into his arms and beg me to stay. Instead, he let me go and I watched him disappear behind the cloud of dust from our car as we drove away.
“It’s good to see you again, sweet pea,” my father announced.
Huffing, I turned away from the window and glared at him. “You didn’t need to be rude to Blake. He didn’t use me for the money.”
He sighed. “I know, but getting involved wasn’t a good decision on either part. Nothing can come of it.”
“Why? Because he’s not a celebrity? What does that matter?”
“You’ve been through this before and I don’t want to see you get hurt again. You need someone who can handle the press, and what it’s like to be in the public eye. Nick can do that and I know he cares about you. We’ll just keep your relationship with Mr. Evans a secret.”
I shook my head. “No, Dad. I love Blake and I want to be with him. Once he’s done with his mission, he’ll come for me.”
He blew out a sigh and ran a hand over his weathered face. “Honey, don’t you see? He can’t be with you and keep his job. What kind of undercover detective would he be if he’s in the spotlight? Everyone would know his face. He’ll have to give up his career. And even if he was willing, would you let him? He’d resent you in the end.”
I glanced at Robert and he nodded. “It’s true. Blake won’t be able to do his job if he’s with you. But it’s a decision he’ll have to make for himself.”
Could I let him give up everything to be with me? I knew the answer, and it felt like a kick to my gut.
Blake
One Week Later
“What the fuck, Evans? You almost killed him,” Mason barked.
I slapped handcuffs on the sick fuck we’d been tracking and dragged him to his feet by yanking on his neck. His face was a bloody mess, but the bastard deserved it after raping and strangling two women because they wouldn’t go out with him. I wanted to kill him.