My Addiction (Club Desire #2)(79)

Carolyn seemed ready to argue, but then she backed down like she had for as long as Kate had known her. The woman ducked her chin and backed out of the office, pulling the door shut behind her with a loud click.

Kate was oddly disappointed she hadn’t gotten to slam the door closed too, and that Carolyn had broken the flow of her temper.

Her father cleared his throat. “Kathryne. What did you want to discuss?”

Her anger flared back to life instantly, and she turned her burning glare on him, refusing to break eye contact first. He had aged since she’d seen him last; the lines around his eyes and mouth were etched deeper than she remembered. It had been only two months ago that they had met face to face.

Finally, he sighed and dropped his gaze. His shoulders sagged, and the tight line of his mouth relaxed for the first time in a long time. “I apologize. Kate. What did you want to discuss?”

She nearly did a double take to make sure this was actually her intractable father. He rarely gave in on any point to anyone. She wasn’t sure how her parents had stayed married for fifty years with her father being so stubborn.

She tried to hold on to her burning anger. It was still there, but his capitulation with her name had calmed her some.

She sat heavily in the chair in front of his desk and looked up at him, anger still simmering in her stomach as she thought about what she’d heard outside Dex’s rooms.

“I’m going to ask you something, Dad. And I want the truth. The whole truth.” Her words were clipped, and she knew her anger carried clearly, from the expression on her father’s face. But what surprised her most was that his expression showed concern rather than the anger or contempt she was used to.

His unexpected reactions threw her off guard, and she gritted her teeth. She would not allow herself to be sidetracked. He had things to answer for.

He stood stiffly on the other side of his desk as he watched her. “I’ll answer you to the best of my ability, Kate. What would you like to know?”

“What do you know about a company called Merestone?”

By his expression, she knew her question had caught him off guard.

“It’s a global time-share company that I invested heavily in a couple of years ago. It was a good investment for a while, but I’m thinking of selling all my shares. The return has been falling steadily.” His manner turned wary. “Why?”

She bristled as she remembered the conversation she’d overheard back at Club Desire. “What exactly is your involvement in the company?”

His brow furrowed. “As I said, I’m an investor. I’ve never even stayed at one of their properties. Why?”

She growled in the back of her throat, frustration churning in her stomach. “Did you have anything to do with them hiring me for graphic design or coding work?”

His expression pinched like it usually did when she had confused him over some point. “I didn’t know you were doing work for them. Were you concerned I got you that business? Is that what this is all about?” He gestured toward the door she had slammed open to get his attention.

“Kate, I know I’ve been single-minded, and put what I wanted for you ahead of what you wanted. But I do respect your independent streak, and believe it or not, your willingness to stand up to me and make it on your own.”

His statement caught Kate off guard. She couldn’t remember one time in her entire life her father had said he respected her, or that he thought it was a good thing when she stood up to him.

He shook his head. “Honestly, I thought you would’ve caved by now and done what I wanted. Purely because you always have in the past.” He actually looked contrite, which surprised the hell out of her. “I apologize.”

Kate was wary of his apology. After years of his disapproval, this overture was hard to swallow.

He ran a hand through his thinning salt-and-pepper hair. “Look, let’s cut to the chase. You got all your clients on your own, without any help from me. What else can I tell you?”

She frowned. “That’s not the only thing I want to know, Dad. Are you working with terrorists?”

Her father looked like she’d slapped him. He recoiled, a large crease forming between his eyes as he sucked in a few large breaths. He sat down hard in his office chair and then leaned forward so he was at eye level with her. “Why would you even think that?”

“The FBI is investigating the two of us, and our interactions with Merestone Resorts. The changes Merestone asked me for on the front pages of their sites, along with the functionality they asked me to build for their front desks. My code apparently transfers money to different accounts, which are being used by terrorists.” Her voice nearly cracked as the backs of her eyes began to burn with unshed tears.

I will not cry in front of my father, damn it!

“Dad, look me in the eye and tell me you had nothing to do with that. That you aren’t working with them to increase the vast Fretwell empire.” She raised her palms toward the ceiling. “I’ve seen you pass cash to politicians in the past and urge them to change the wording on some piece of legislation, all so you could make more money, or expand your businesses. So, honestly, it’s not too much of a leap for me to believe you’re embroiled in this.”

She bolted to her feet and stared down at him.

His face was white and he looked sunken and old, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t guilty.