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nodded her head and went back to playing World of Warcraft or Second Life, or working on one of her coding projects. Not today though. Today she d discovered an inner core of strength she didn t know she had. Her father s gaze could have frozen fire. You will not speak to me like that. Not after all I ve done for you. Get in the car. I won t ask you again. What compensation? Jax said before anyone could move. And who the fuck is Sergei? My daughter is promised to an associate of mine. Promised? The engagement is to be announced today. Pandora gritted her teeth. I knew it. I knew that s what you were going to do. Happy birthday to me. Jax blinked, as if he couldn t quite understand. What is this? You have a fiancé you didn t tell me about? No, of course not. She took a ragged breath. I would never I ve arranged the marriage, her father interrupted, in return for territory and numerous other advantages. He stopped, his eyes calculating as he stared at Jax. And Pandora began to get a very bad feeling about what was going to happen next. But maybe I ve changed my mind, Nick went on. Maybe I could do better than Sergei. Dad & Pandora began. Far better, Nick murmured, ignoring her, his gaze on Jax, an acquisitive gleam in his eyes. You wanted to know about compensation, Morrow? How about this for compensation then. I want you to marry my daughter instead. * At first Jax couldn t quite understand what the man was saying, not when he was still reeling from the discovery that his Snow White was Pandora Garret, daughter of Nick Garret, head of the most notorious crime family in New York and once the Morrows greatest rival. The virgin daughter he d screwed over his couch and whom the guy now apparently wanted him to marry. No, Pandora was saying. No, Dad. He s got nothing to do with this. But Nick Garret was staring at him with the same dark eyes as Snow s, his expression that of a man who has just uncovered his mortal enemy s weakness. An analogy that wasn t out of place given the situation. The Garrets and the Morrows had been rivals a long time ago, when crime was big business for both families. Except the Morrows had eventually chosen the path of legitimacy while the Garrets stayed in the underworld, making money and gaining influence on the sly. Shit, even if she hadn t been a complete stranger, even if he d been in love with her, he would never agree to marry her. Be associated with a crime lord s daughter? Not a good business move at the best of times let alone now, with every sordid aspect of Morrow s past plastered all over the headlines. You re crazy, he said curtly. I m not marrying anyone. Now get out of my apartment before I call the police. You re not going to do that, Nick Garret said, a slow, cold smile turning his mouth. It s a tricky time to be a Morrow, isn t it? Lots of secrets coming out. But those aren t even the bad ones. I know of a few more that won t make your life any easier should they get into the press. Jax thrust his hands in his pockets, a thread of ice winding through him. You ve got nothing on us. We would have heard about it years ago if you had. Perhaps I ve been saving them for a rainy day. Waiting for when I could use them to my advantage. That smile widened. And I can see that advantage right now. Jax went cold. Of course there were secrets, there always were in a family like his, and it really shouldn t surprise him that Garret would know about them. But still & it wasn t like his father to leave such loose ends lying around. What do you want? Jax forced the words out, anger and frustration beginning to burn away the cold. Jesus, where the hell was his usual detachment? His logic? Because he damn well couldn t afford any stupid emotional reactions now, not with Nick Garret staring at him like a hungry snake. I told you what I want. An alliance with Sergei will give me territory but it won t give me the protection the Morrow name could. Or the respectability. So, marry my daughter; make her a Morrow. Extend your respectable image to my family and in return I won t tell the world about a few inconvenient murders here and there. Oh Christ. The guy was nuts. I m not marrying any-damn-one! Pandora folded her arms, angry tension in every line of her figure. This is the twenty-first century, Dad! You can t make me. Oh really? And where are you going to go for help? She paled. There s the police. They ll You think I haven t got every police officer in the city in my pocket? Garret s voice was derisive. No, sweetheart. You don t get a choice. How had it gotten to this? How had a simple one-night stand gotten so complicated? Jax should have known not to trust the desire coiling in his gut. He should have held strong. The anger spilled over and before he quite knew what he was doing, he d walked forward, getting in Garret s face. If you think you can intimidate me he began. The bodyguards closed in instantly, guns at his head. Easy boys. Garret flicked his fingers and the men stood back. I m not intimidating you, Morrow. I m blackmailing you. I want Morrow protection, respectability, and I ll do what I must to get it. So you can keep on doing what you re doing? Of course. You ll keep the heat off. I think it s a fair trade, don t you? Dad, Pandora said quietly, though her vibrated with fury. Don t do this. Why can t you just & leave me alone? I m a businessman, sweetheart. I always have been, I always will be. Is that all I am? Just business to you? [ Pobierz caÅ‚ość w formacie PDF ] |