her hair. “Yes, well … I’m sorry that we’re ill prepared for guests. I was just finishing breakfast and was on my way out the door. We’re breaking ground on a new youth community building today.”
And that explained the jeans, Molly thought. Not that anyone would mistake Kathi’s clothing as appropriate for dirt-digging.
“We won’t hold you up.” As if Molly weren’t with him, Dare said, “I’m here to see Bishop.”
Kathi’s strained smile wouldn’t have fooled anyone. “I’m so sorry.” She looked to Molly. “Of course he’d like to see you, you know that. It’s been forever since you visited.” She let out a breath and looked back to Dare. “But I’m afraid my husband is rushed, as well. He has an important business meeting this morning.”
Molly wanted to groan. She needed this—whatever it was—over with.
“Tell him I’m here.” Dare stared down at Kathi. “He’ll make time for me.”
“Oh.” Kathi pursed her mouth. “He’s acquainted with you?”
Dare waited, again not answering. His blatant disregard for her nosiness left Molly desperate to fill in the silence, but she fought off the urge.
Kathi put her hands together. She tried, but she didn’t have the same lethal qualities that Dare possessed. “Yes,” Kathi finally murmured. “Let me ask him what he’d like to do.”
She turned and, in regal fashion, exited the room.
Molly didn’t realize she was holding her breath until Dare put a hand between her shoulder blades.
“Breathe, honey.”
She inhaled with a gasp. “Oh, my God, that was painfully awkward.”
Dare just shrugged. “If you thought so, then gird yourself, because I hear Bishop approaching, and given the weight of his stomping footsteps, it’s about to get worse.”
Now that Dare said it, she noticed the difference in her father’s usual metered approach, too. He came around the corner, but he wasn’t alone. He had one of the guards, and Kathi, with him.
For only a second his concerned gaze roamed over Molly, taking her in from head to toes. Something tightened in his face—concern for a daughter who had survived a kidnapping and severe treatment at the hands of goons? Molly just didn’t know. Often her father had been cold, but then, she’d never had her life threatened before.
Seeing that she was whole, Bishop quickly focused all his attention on Dare, a more deserving adversary.
Resentment brought the words to Molly’s mouth. “Hello, Father.”
All three of them glanced her way. Together, they made a potent triumvirate of animosity.
Dare laughed over their united front. “Should I consider this your idea of backup?”
The guard didn’t like that. His left eye twitched, and he made a point of showing his gun.
Softly, Dare taunted, “Try it.” Without breaking eye contact, he said, “I guarantee Bishop will get the first bullet.”
Kathi made sounds of alarm, her hand at her throat, her gaze going everywhere.
Bishop didn’t move.
Finally, the guard disengaged from his challenge. It was an amazing thing for Molly to see, but then, she’d known all along that Dare had that intimidating effect on people.
Expression severe, her father started to speak, and Dare silenced him with a look.
“You want this aired, Bishop, fine by me. Let’s open the windows and make sure the whole staff hears. But I had assumed you’d want some privacy—given your overriding concern for keeping things quiet.”
Impotent with rage, face distorted with displeasure, Bishop dismissed the guard with a raise of his hand.
The guard hesitated. “Should I stay inside, sir?”
He shook his head, and in a bid for privacy, said, “Take the rest of the day off.”
It was clear that the guard wanted to argue, but didn’t dare.
As he started away, Kathi frowned, moved with him and spoke quietly before returning to stand at her husband’s side.
Bishop’s gaze shifted to Molly again. “You’re back.”
“Yes.”
He hesitated, struggling with himself, but finally asked, “Unharmed?”
Kathi hugged his arm. “She’s well, Bishop, as you can see.”
Annoyance showing, her father continued to watch her. “She can speak for herself.”
“Yes,” Molly said. “Thanks to Dare, I’m okay.”
He nodded. To Molly, he almost looked relieved.
But now that the guard was out of range, he said low, “I can’t believe you came here, Molly. What were you thinking?”
Dare spoke up. “I brought her.”
Bishop looked at them both with disdain, but again gave his attention to Molly. “Do you have no shame?”
Molly did what she’d always done when faced with her father’s loathing. She squared her shoulders and donned an air of nonchalance. “I have no reason to be ashamed.”
“That’s not …” He inhaled deeply, looked away and then back again. “You’ll bring a scandal down on all of us.”
Molly curled her lip. “And that’s what matters most to you, right?”
“What the hell are you saying?” Freeing himself from Kathi’s hold, Bishop took a step toward her. Before she could blink, Dare was in front of her. He didn’t draw a gun, but he did take out his phone.
“You want to be an ass, Bishop, fine. I’m sure the FBI will be interested in investigating Molly’s abduction into Mexico and your probable role in it all.”
Kathi reacted theatrically. “Mexico?”
Bishop cursed as he pulled her back, signaling that he wanted her silence.
“No.” Inside his fancy suit, her father bunched and shifted and, knowing him as she did, probably worked up a sweat. “No, goddamn it, I do not want the law involved in this. Not because I have any involvement, but because—”
“It’s bad publicity. Yeah, I get it.” Dare shut his phone, and took a step forward to tower over her father. “Insult her again, give her so much as a dirty look, and I’ll make the call with the sole purpose of ruining you. Understand me?”
“How dare you?” Kathi whispered, sounding truly enraged. “You can’t—”
“Fine.” Bishop
