He bristled, his chest expanding with his rage. “I’m the one who spent more than a decade in a cage. Yes, I’m looking out for myself. Somebody has to.”

“Stop the pussy-ass whining, Father,” I said. “Your accommodations were better than ninety percent of the world’s. You know that I personally saw to it. And don’t forget that the only reason you ended up in jail was because you didn’t listen. You’re making the same mistake now.”

It was the only warning I would give him.

I hoped he heeded it.

Based on his response, he didn’t.

He pushed aside what I’d said, and said, “You took care of my accommodations as you should have. And now it’s my job to see that I never enjoy those accommodations, as opulent as you might have been sure they were, again.”

I walked closer to him, still not able to look at Kayla, and let my gaze skip over the implements my father had gathered. I saw that they were still clean, and that gave me some measure of relief.

“How many of my men did you take out?” my father asked.

He was seasoned enough to recognize the blood, even on the black fabric.

Part of me had hoped that Kayla wasn’t, but I knew she was smart. And there was no way to shield her from this, no matter how much I wanted to.

I wouldn’t be able to shield her from anything anymore.

She had to see the truth, know it, because this was going to be her life now.

Eventually, I’d get her to accept it.

For now, I turned my attention back to my father and answered his question. “Five. Or six. Maybe more. I wasn’t counting. And you really should hire better help, Father,” I said.

He shrugged. “I guess I got what I paid for,” he said.

“Yes, and what you got were inferior hired hands that could be taken out by one man,” I said.

“You’re my son. I expect no less,” he countered.

“What are you doing, Father?” I asked, turning serious.

He turned serious too. “I’m protecting you. You’re blind, and you can’t see what’s right in front of you. I was hoping to convince our dear Kayla to tell me the truth so that I can end this charade.”

“Father, your time away has made you suspicious,” I said, shaking my head.

I walked over to the table where he had laid out his tools and grabbed a towel, moving with an ease I didn’t feel. But it wouldn’t do to show my father my emotion because I knew he would use them against me.

And I didn’t want to show them to Kayla.

Not here.

Not yet.

So, like always, I kept myself under control.

My father laughed. “My years on this earth have made me suspicious,” he said.