The Billion Dollar Bachelor(18)

Well, that was too bad. They could suck it. She wasn’t going back.

“What are you doing here, Dad?”

“I might ask you the same thing.” His gaze dropped to the sheet wrapped around her. “Though, I can guess.”

She resisted the urge to pull it tighter—to hell with being ashamed or embarrassed about what she’d done. “How did you find me?”

“You think turning off your phone is enough? I have eyes and ears all through this city, sweetheart. You know that.”

She swallowed. “I’m not going back, Dad. Understand that right now.”

He smiled and her heart contracted. She knew that smile. Like a shark’s. Whenever he was very, very angry he smiled like that and when he did, everyone knew that the consequences were going to be very bad indeed.

“The car’s downstairs, Pandora,” he said calmly. “I’d get down there now if I were you.”

She’d never argued with her father before. Never refused to do what he wanted her to do because she didn’t have any power of her own to fight him with. The couple of times she’d made a token rebellion he’d taken away her Internet access. For a girl stuck in a tower, her life curtailed by bodyguards and walls, a computer her only escape, that had been akin to blinding her.

But last night she’d gotten out. Taken a step into the real world, not a virtual one for once. And discovered a power she never knew she had. A power she was damn well going to use.

“No,” Pandora said.

Nick’s smile flickered. Became colder, more fixed. “Get in the fucking car.”

“No, Dad. I’m not getting in the fucking car.” She met his gaze. “I’m not going anywhere with you ever again.”

“We’ll do this the hard way then.” He made a gesture and the two bodyguards began to advance on her.

“Lay a finger on her and I’ll rip your fucking arms off.”

The breath left her body at the sound of Hunt’s voice, low and deadly behind her. Oh, God. He must have woken up. What the hell was he doing out here, the idiot? Didn’t he know how much danger he was in? She whirled around in time to see him advance into the room wearing nothing but a pair of low-slung jeans.

Jesus, even now, with her father here and her newfound freedom at risk, all she could think about was how hot the guy was.

“Don’t,” she began. “You should have—”

“Oh, Christ,” her father interrupted in a voice redolent with disgust. “Jax Morrow. This is your place?”

Shock broke over her. She’d stumbled into a bar and into the arms of Jax Morrow? Holy freaking God. No wonder he’d seemed somehow familiar. His face wasn’t as recognizable as that of his brother Donovan since he kept himself firmly out of the spotlight, but his name was a fixture in the newspapers, magazines, and gossip columns of the city.

“Jax Morrow?” she said faintly. “You’re Jax Morrow?”

Hunt/Jax’s intense blue gaze flicked to her, a brief searing glance. Then he returned his attention back to where her father stood. “Garret,” he said calmly. “Yeah, this is mine. How the hell did you get up here?”

Pandora stood there, still stunned. He would know who her father is, of course he would. The Morrows and Garrets were rivals from way back. Which meant …

He now knows who you are.

Oh Jesus.

“The locks on your door aren’t as strong as they look,” her father was saying.

Jax’s face had darkened with anger. “If you’ve broken anything, so help me—”

“Relax. The door is fine. I, however, am not.” Her father’s cold stare got even colder. “It appears you’ve taken something of mine.”

Oh, shit. They were talking about her. “He didn’t take anything,” Pandora said hotly. “I asked him—”

“Be quiet,” Nick ordered, cutting her off. “You need to do as you’re told and get into the car. Or shall I get Danny to pick you up and carry you?”

Pandora’s heart felt like it was going to come out of her chest. Nick wouldn’t hurt her but the thought of the bodyguards dragging her kicking and screaming out the door was humiliating. So, either do what he said or be forced into it? Not much of a choice there.

“She’s not going anywhere.” Jax Morrow’s voice was rough and dark and absolutely certain.

“The hell she isn’t.” Nick stared at him. “She’s my daughter and she does what I tell her.”

Menace permeated the air, the bodyguards tensing. God, she should just do what she was told. Nick looked angry enough to do Jax harm and she didn’t want to be responsible for that.