Arranged: An Array Series (Book #1)(38)

Father exhaled a breath loudly. “You don’t trust anyone, Garrett. Not since these horrendous events have happened.” He moved his hand around in the air. “You used to be a carefree lad. Now you’re cynical and—”

I rounded on him. “You and George are still alive, aren’t you?! I’m keeping you and everyone safe. Even that ruthless wife of yours.”

He darted his eyes at me, his voice menacing. “Watch your tongue, son. I won’t start that argument with you again.”

“No, we won’t.” I began to pace. “Because I won’t be staying long in this room. Sophia is just like Cecilia. I won’t be on a leash in a marriage.”

He immediately stood from his chair, his jaw tightened. “And you are saying I am?”

“You let that woman terrorize the servants, and me.” I held my ground, standing in front of him. “Spending loads of money on frivolous things, and being utterly and unnecessarily rude to Ava.”

Father scowled. “Ava is protected under me.”

I laughed bitterly, taking a large gulp of brandy straight from the bottle. Lowering it slowly from my mouth, I shot back, “And she is protected by me and my men.”

“You can’t marry her, Garrett.”

I froze, turning to face him. Looking down at the bottle in my hand, I wondered if I heard him right. What did protecting her have anything to do marrying? A little befuddled, I tugged on my earlobe, trying to focus on the veering conversation. I pondered the differences of the two women. They were night and day, brandy to water, land to the ocean. Red hair to blonde, my attention pivoted to Ava. Beautiful, smart and—stop. A smartass, yes, beautiful, yes; there wasn’t any denying that Ava Barlow was one of the most captivating females I had ever laid eyes on.

From her memorizing green eyes to her soft skin, she was untouchable to me. I wasn’t getting married anytime soon, wasn’t going to stay in Telliva, and sure as hell not going to court someone with flowers and gifts.

“Garrett.” My father’s voice penetrated through the silent room.

“What?”

“I see how you look at her.” His words were softer this time. “How you build armies to protect her.”

My forehead creased. “And that means I want to marry her?”

He shrugged, sitting back in his chair. “You must have some sort of feelings toward her.”

I raked my hand through my hair. “She needed to be protected. Your army wasn’t getting the job done.”

Father slammed his glass on the table with a clink, his brandy spilling out onto the table. “Keep it up with that tongue of yours! I have traitors in my midst while you get to start a band of bandits from scratch, under your fine-tooth comb. I have hundreds of men; you have eight.”

“And counting,” I sneered.

“If you oppose my offer with Sophia, Hara will take your spot.”

My stomach dropped, all the air leaving my lungs. My hands started to shake as I looked at the man who called himself my father, wanting to strangle the life from him. “You can’t do—”

“I can do whatever I wish with her! I’m her father; she is a young girl.” He focused on me, his eyes tightening, like he was reading my mind. “Aruna regime can’t keep her from me.”

I threw my bottle, the glass breaking against something, as I took a step toward him. “She is your daughter! You’ve seen what happened to Ava. Hara will be a target. She is impressionable and dreams of love.”

“She can’t live in a world of naivety forever. She will learn what it is to live within her birthright. She is a daughter of a king; there are responsibilities to that.”

“And you’d force her into a marriage with whom?”

“King Lou Defour.”

“King Lou Defour?”

Father nodded. I took another step toward him and stopped myself. Any closer, and I’d be tried for attempted murder. No, murder. Rage and fear were the only two things coursing through my veins, which was a dangerous combination.

“Have you lost your damn mind? That man gets married every few months. Doesn’t he have over nine wives? Some go missing!”

He picked up his glass, taking a sip. “He is powerful and is favored upon by his people. We are losing support and money for our assassins’ search. The Lords think they are spending too much of their money. They are starting to lose interest.”

“We don’t need them!” I exclaimed. “I have my men. They’re loyal to me, paid by me and my lands. We don’t need their money."

“And how long will your money hold out? Can it support thousands of people? And your eight men are going to protect this whole kingdom, Garr? We have no leads on this enemy. No one knows where they come from, who their leader is. I’m growing tired of going around in circles.” Father rubbed his forehead and reached into his pocket with his other hand, pulling out a cigar and a box of matches.

I sat across from him. “You are losing faith in me.”

He shook his head. “Not at all. I grow tired of these terrorists not making a mistake for us to catch them.” He struck a match, lighting his cigar with a few puffs, and returned his attention back to me. “I won’t be around forever, Garr. I need to leave this country in peace before George leads it. I have to do this before I die.”