As she disappeared from the bar Bills demeanour changed. No longer the laughing kindly man, he had straightened up and was looking at Craig with a severe look on his face
“OK son” he had said making Craig feel suddenly very young and slightly nervous and seeming to have completely forgotten that Craig was his boss. He had looked at him with surprise, but Bill seemed intent on saying more
“I don’t know what the hell went on this week, but Kira is like a daughter to me and nobody, and I mean nobody … not even you” he added silencing Craig who had opened his mouth to say something
“Is going to upset her…. Do I make myself clear?”
Craig clamped his mouth shut and nodded
“Now the only reason that you and I aren’t having this conversation outside is that she looks happy”
He ignored the younger mans surprised look and the fact that he was obviously very fit and at least 3 inches taller than him
“But let me make myself very clear Craig… that if you hurt her I will come after you… she deserves to be treated like the lady she is and I expect you to do just that.”
“Do I make myself very clear?”
Craig nodded, his eyes looking back at Bill with surprise, but also with a deep respect. There had been very few men who had ever stood up to him, and given that it was out of concern for Kira he suddenly felt very ashamed of what he had thought of Bill Thomson
Holding out his hand which Bill had taken they had shaken hands
“You have my word Bill that the last thing I ever want to do is hurt Kira”
With a nod the harsh look in his eyes had disappeared and once again he had begun laughing telling jokes which had Craig smiling. Craig however, was suddenly very aware that while Allan Rothman might be her biological father the man before him now was truly the man who cared for her like a real father. This was the scene which greeted Kira when she returned. She smiled at the two men who looked at each other with an understanding in their eyes.#p#分页标题#e#
An hour later they found themselves in a stretch limo on their way to the airport and once there they had bypassed the usual lines and were soon comfortably settled in the waiting room. Bill had pulled out some papers to work on, leaving the two of them to chat privately. Kira had been sharing with him her vision for the Superior’s refit, and was delighted that he was interested enough to make real worthwhile suggestions. As she giggled at one of his more outlandish ideas she had noticed him stiffen. Suddenly his body was rigid and his face black with anger as he stared disbelieving ahead of him.
“Are you OK Craig” she asked in surprise before her eyes followed his to see what had made his mood change so dramatically. Seeing her father sitting watching them from the other side of the waiting area she had gasped, grabbing his arm in panic
“Oh my God….” She whispered in total shock
Craig suddenly aware of her shock had looked deeply into her eyes seeing the fear and disbelief in them.
“It’s OK Kira” he said, his voice tight “Ignore him”
Pulling her eyes from her father who sat stonily watching them she looked deeply into his, hers full of such confusion
“What’s he doing here” she asked her voice a whisper
“It doesn’t matter…he can’t hurt you” he said softly, his eyes becoming more reassuring
However, as she looked at him nodding gently another voice cut in
“Hello Craig…..Hello Kira. I see you still have a problem keeping your hands off my property Craig” he said unpleasantly
Kira swung her eyes around to look at the man before her with no attempt to conceal the hatred in them.
“I’m not your property” she said coldly
With a cold smile he had said “No kiss for your dad Kira”
“Get away from me” she snarled leaning in closer to Craig
The man before her laughed nastily
“You never did know how to show respect…..just like your mother” he said looking at her in complete contempt.
Before she could respond, Craig had stood between her and her father his voice controlled and cold
“Which rock did you crawl out of Allan” he had asked softly
“Perhaps you should turn around and crawl back under it”
Allan Rothman had laughed unpleasantly
“As charming as ever eh Craig. I see you don’t ever learn your lesson. My….daughter” he spat out the word with distaste “does have a way of attracting you doesn’t she….then again she always was a whore…..just like her mother”
As Kira gasped in horror Craig had stepped up even closer to him
“Be very careful how you speak to her Rothman” he growled angrily “One more word, and I swear to god that I will make you even sorrier than two years ago” his voice contained undertones which Allan Rothman caught making him scowl.