The Billionaire’s Pawn

STRIKER

I met with the big guys at the office door. One opened the door for me, and the other just shot me a bored look.

I drew a deep breath before I walked in and came face to face with my tormentor. Linus was there standing and patiently waiting for me. Then my gaze fell on my gun on his desk. Hence it was not in his daughter’s bedroom.

I shook my head. I honestly didn’t know what to say. An apology wouldn’t suffice for what I did. And I felt utterly ashamed of my behavior.

“No one, let alone my employee, had ever betrayed me. Who, I trusted him with my daughter’s life. I trusted you before. You gave me my daughter back, unharmed. And then this is how you repay my gratitude by sleeping with my daughter? You took advantage of her vulnerability and her fondness for you?”Fondness? Interesting choice of words.

“I want you gone and never step in this house or my properties again. You will receive the full payment for your service, Mr. Cade.” He turned around. “Get your gun and get out.”

“Sir, may I speak freely?”

“No. I don’t want to hear it.”

“Sir, please?”

When he turned back, a minuscule hope came to life. “I would never ever betray you. I did as you asked. I’d never broken any rules. I do my job diligently. I swore an oath, and I had never broken it. I-” I swallowed hard. “I don’t- I can’t remember what happened last night.”

“I’ve seen what I’ve seen, Striker.”

“Sir.” I met him in the eye. “I would have-” Jesus Christ, I would only sound rude and disrespectful to her daughter. “I’m so sorry, sir.”

“I want you to cut any ties and communication with my daughter as soon as you step outside of this house.”

“Sir, that’s a little bit drastic. I just promised her that I would never leave her the way I did two years ago. I can’t do that to her again.”

“So you’re willing to take the consequences?”

“Dad, don’t ever fire him!” London just burst into the door, and the guys tried to stop her.

“It’s not your decision, young woman. I trusted you to behave and not to scratch your itch with your bodyguard.” That was way out of line.

“Sir.” I pursed my lips tight.

“I’m not done with you.” He pointed at me. “And this is between my daughter and me. Nothing like this would have happened if you just did your job.”

“Well, I can sleep with any man I like, Dad. I was sleeping with Magnus, the man you dislike, and you didn’t seem to mind. Why now? Because he’s my bodyguard and the man who saved me?” London was making this situation worse.

I squeezed my eyes shut. I couldn’t listen to this anymore.

“That’s exactly what I wanted to point out. Where’s your decorum, London Hester? I raised you better than that.”

“I’m leaving, sir.”

“No, you’re not,” London just ordered me. Without breaking eye contact, she told her father, which shocked me the most, “Or maybe, I just like him very much.”

I gave a warning look at London. “Don’t. Don’t make this worse, Vanderford.”

“I said that’s enough,” her father just yelled at us and ordered his men, “Take this young woman out of my sight.”

Great.

“No. I’m not done, Dad.” Her refusal caused those two guys to come over.

“Miss Vanderford, please?” The bulky guy asked first.

“I don’t want another guy to babysit me. I want Cade.”

“You ended that choice the moment you slept with him.” Linus gestured to those guys to take London out of his office.

“Miss, please?” said the tall one.

When London refused, they held her in her arms, and I didn’t like it a bit. It didn’t amuse me how they handled the situation.

“Don’t touch her.” My voice was calm, but it didn’t show the same as how I felt inside. My jaw clenched harder to the point it might break. My blood started to boil when they ignored my warning.

I rushed toward them when they didn’t listen, still gripping her arms tightly. “I said, don’t fucking touch her. Ever.” I grabbed the tall guy’s wrist and twisted it. He shrieked, loosening his other hand go from London’s arm. The bulky guy just caught his buddy’s attention. Before he could react, I did an uppercut on his chin and grabbed London on her waist to save her from falling. Then I kicked that asshole on his chest enough that it knocked the air out of his lungs. “I did warn you, but you didn’t listen.”

I wasn’t aware London wrapped her arms tightly around me, her face buried into my chest until I smelled her hair-a mix of flowers and vanilla. “Are you okay?”

“You two, out.” Linus’ voice made me stiffen as I realized I had worsened the situation.

The two guys got up and left the office, leaving me in an awfully awkward situation again.

“Are you okay?” I asked London one more time when I hadn’t heard anything from her.

“Yeah. Thanks.” She blew a shaky breath.

“London, go up. I need to talk to Striker. Alone.”

“But, Dad.”

“It’s alright, Vanderford. We’ll talk later.”Content (C) Nôv/elDra/ma.Org.

She second thought at first, but I gave her a reassuring smile. When the door shut before us, I faced Linus again.

“You need to control your temper, Striker.” What happened had nothing to do with my temper. I just didn’t like seeing their hands all over London’s.

“May I speak freely, sir?”

He replied to me with a glare.

“I meant no disrespect, sir. What they did, grabbing her like that was wrong. She’d been through a lot. I was scared the situation would escalate and trigger something that happened to her two years ago.”

“Then you shouldn’t have left.”

“When I said I would never leave her. What I was trying to say was, alone in that situation at that time.”

“Well, she was terrified. She was mentally traumatized, and then there you came, giving her the assurance of safety and security. One moment you were there, and then the next, you were gone. After she got out of the hospital, she trusted no one, and you were miles away. I was helpless, Striker. She slept in the firm for three days, where she could see familiar faces and trust someone. And it took months before I could leave her side. It broke my heart to see my daughter in that situation. If you were only here, she could be better by now.”

“I’m so sorry. I didn’t know.”

“I’ve hired therapists. It didn’t work out. I printed your picture and gave it to her. Do you know what she said? I don’t wanna see him again. That’s when she started getting out of the house. I was supposed to be happy, but she was not the daughter I once knew. It felt like she was broken inside. Until now, something is not healed in her, and then these things with you and her happened.”

“Then why did you hire me?”

“I want my daughter back, Striker.”

“This won’t help her, Mr. Vanderford. This is a trap. You can use me however you want, but I will just end up hurting her.”

“How can you be so sure?”

“She will get attached to me. I saw the way she looked at me. What she needs is to face the fact that I was only doing my job. And I am here to do my job. That’s all.”

“Then don’t do your job.”

I snorted at how absurd that sounded. “What exactly do you want me to do then?”

“Marry her.”