Just hearing her spout off her age forced me to realize how much older I was than the scrumptious girl. “Have you told your parents this yet?”

  “No. Until I have everything settled, I don’t want to say a word. My father has a way of making me feel guilty. So those men were planning on ransoming me?”

  Shaking my head, I looked out one of the glass doors for a few seconds. “Honestly, I doubt it. Whoever those men were, they were professionals.”

  “How do you know?”

  “The clothes they wore and the weapons they carried.”

  “But they wanted to kidnap me. If not for money, then what? To shut my father up? To destroy him?”

  “That remains to be seen,” I told her. “Unless you tell me more of what your father is involved in, there’s only so much I can do.”

  She stared at me incredulously. “I’m not asking you to do a damn thing, Braxton. I can protect and defend myself. Besides, my father couldn’t care less. I have a feeling his usual activities will continue while he’s here, which includes introducing me to all the old, single politicians in this country that can do him some good in his election next year. Imagine a big, splashy wedding highlighted in all your magazines and newspapers.”

  “Ouch.” That would certainly bode well for the man’s upcoming campaign.

  “Sounds barbaric, doesn’t it?”

  I cocked my head, studying her intently. The anger and distrust of her father was easy to read in her eyes. But she still had some respect for him. “Let me put this another way. I’m not allowing you to be by yourself right now.” I yanked the jacket from the back of the couch, pulled out both the knife and the gun, placing them strategically on the table. “Take a good look at these, Jasmine.”

  “Why?” She dropped her head instead.

  “Because I commanded you to do so and you need to fully understand what you’re dealing with at this point. Look. You could have died in that abduction attempt.”

  She finally lifted her head, taking labored breaths as she glanced from one to the other. “I understand.”

  “Do you?” We were at a slight stalemate.

  “Your shirt is covered in blood, Braxton… They called me bitch and whore. I’m no fool. I know this has everything to do with my father and the fact he’s pissed so many people off. But how did the jerks find me?”

  “A good question. I’m curious and have several of my own including, aren’t you supposed to have a bodyguard? Given the number of diplomats I’ve met, and the state of the world affairs, I’ve been told it’s prudent for family members to be guarded at all times.”

  “I think you mean because my father is so hated.”

  “That too.”

  Her laugh was laced with bitterness. “I have an amazing bodyguard named Dugger Abbott but it’s easy to ditch the man. I’ve had years to do so, the guard before him the same. I used to be the kid who knew every way of sneaking out of my parents’ house. It used to drive my parents nuts but I couldn’t stand being cooped up like a prisoner. I had friends. I wanted to play and party. So, I always found a way. And don’t worry, Braxton. Whatever my foibles and antics, I’m smart enough to know the enemies my father made over the years are highly dangerous.”

  “How dangerous?”

  She chewed on her bottom lip and glanced elsewhere. “The Honoured Society. They are very dangerous, more so than anyone in the country.”

  “The honored society?”

  “Spelled the Australian way. Otherwise known as the mafia to every American.”

  “The mafia? What in God’s name did your father do to piss them off?” Gage certainly hadn’t mentioned them, but a diplomat and a mafia group weren’t usually placed in the same circle. There was a hell of a lot I didn’t know about a country I’d always wanted to visit.

  “You name it,” she said before taking another sip. “My father acts like he wants to concentrate on erasing crime on one hand while enjoying perks of their donations to the cause. Don’t quote me.”

  “You’re certain about that?” If that was the case, the fuckers had no intention of ransoming her off for money. They were in it for blood and control. Hell, even I’d had to quarrel with the mafia Don of the Los Angeles regime who’d believed he could come into San Diego with a bulldozer. I’d certainly gotten practice using a weapon at that point.

  Her intense shudder was a positive enough answer. “Daddy thinks he’s bigger than the law and immune to those challenging his immortality. He’s just like his father, another man who treated women like possessions and bribed and blackmailed his way to the top.”

  Their world was quite fascinating. “Who else knows he takes kickbacks from these assholes? Members of parliament? His opponents?”

  “I might be the only one other than the society. I caught him on the phone a few times and continued to snoop over the years. That’s one reason I left for America, accepting a scholarship at Georgetown. I knew if I stayed in the country, I’d be a weakness someone would use. Funny how it seems I was right.”

  I stared at her incredulously, but my anger was just below the surface. It was odd the woman had ditched me, yet I wanted to protect her. I also wanted to ascertain additional information about this mafia group. Maybe they were the ones who’d discovered the extent of my father’s sleuthing.

  “I read books and watch crime shows. Okay?” she barked, staring at me with amusement in her eyes. “Bottom line. My father isn’t a good man. I don’t want this life. I feel obligated, out of respect, to be here to some extent, but I have my limits and that’s it.”

  “You need to understand something very clearly. You’ve become the target, Jasmine. If this group of men is mafia, they’ve followed you and your parents from Australia, and they won’t stop until they gather leverage with your father. While I know you want to live your own life, I may be the only man who can keep you alive long enough to do so.”

  I wasn’t prepared to tell her that by keeping her close, she could potentially provide some answers, which my brothers and I obviously needed. Valerio had been right.

  Coincidences were bullshit. Another question formed in my mind.

  Was she even telling me the truth about her hatred of her father and his world? Or…

  No, I wasn’t prepared to go down that road just yet. I was usually damn good about reading people and she struck me as a woman determined to break free from her father’s tether.

  She stared at me and threw back the final gulp of her drink. “I’ve begun to think I’m not going to have a life of my own. Do you know how horrible that is to finally admit?”

  I sat up on the edge of my seat. “I need you to look at me.” She was so damn stubborn that she acted as if she wasn’t going to allow that to happen. “Look. At. Me.”

  “What?”

  “You are going to have a life to live but you will need to trust me. Can you do that? And just as important, can I trust you not to try and escape at this point?”

  She took a few seconds before nodding.

  “Good girl. Now, you’re going to pour yourself a glass of wine and go into the main bathroom where you’re going to take a nice, hot bath. Then we’re going to have that late dinner I mentioned with you in a robe.”

  “You’re taking off the bloody clothes?”

  “I might even do that.” At least her resolve hadn’t been shattered.

  “Okay. I’m not going to run.”

  “Now, one last thing. I need to contact your father and explain you’re very safe. Will you trust me enough to provide me with the best phone number?”

  She seemed almost nervous, dragging the tip of her tongue across her bottom lip. “Yes. But my dad won’t like you calling.”

  “Not to be rude but I couldn’t give a shit what your father likes or doesn’t like.” I pulled out my phone as a further encouragement.

  “He will try and hurt you. I know him. He hurts everyone who tries to get in his way.”

  “Now it’s time for me to say that I can take care of myself, little koala. I’m a very big boy and in case your instinct didn’t let you know, I am considered a very dangerous man as well. Plus, I have two powerful brothers prepared to back me up as well.”

  “So I heard.”

  “You were checking up on me.”

  “A girl’s gotta do what a girl’s gotta do.”

  I slid my finger over the screen of my phone. “What is your father’s number?”

  She was still slightly reluctant to give it to me and as soon as she did, she rose to her feet. “Just don’t say I didn’t tell you so.”

  I watched her walk away and for the life of me after what had just occurred less than an hour before, my cock was rock hard all over again.

  What in God’s name did that say about me?

  CHAPTER 14

  “Only happy people have nightmares, from overeating. For those who live a nightmare reality, sleep is a black hole, lost in time, like death.”

  —Guy Sajer

  Jasmine

  Nightmares were a part of a kid’s world, maybe from a terrifying story told around a fire or from being silly enough to watch a horror flick way too late in the night. Braxton and I were oil and water. But that didn’t mean I wasn’t still attracted to him, especially given his generous gestures. He’d ordered almost everything on the menu, three attendants needed to bring the food to the room.

  I’d been starving, the entire day nothing but a horrific blur. The shower had soothed some of the aches, the fluffy robe exactly what I’d needed. However, the quiet between us, the unspoken words were as troubling as the incident earlier.

  We were sitting at a linen-covered table directly in front of a series of floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the Potomac, colorful boats lining the water. What I didn’t understand was why he’d bothered with candlelight, or maybe one of the bellmen had mistaken my incarceration as a date.

  What I was thoroughly enjoying was the wine, a sultry cabernet with hints of walnut and blackberry. I could tell he was watching me, studying me as if determined to find me in a lie. I was as troubled as he was about the events but had no idea who was behind the attack. Unless the mafia assholes had followed us to America.

  “Tell me about the Honoured Society,” he finally said as he cut into his extremely rare filet. He’d been slow to eat, enjoying his scotch instead of partaking in food that would simply go to waste.

  “I’m no expert on the Aussie mafia, Braxton,” I said and concentrated on my food, twirling a forkful of my seafood pasta against a huge spoon.

  “If you were snooping, I know your cunning abilities well enough to know you discovered some burning secret.”

  “You know me well enough? You know nothing.”

  He laughed and pushed himself back from the table, glaring at me with those same dark, incredulous eyes. “I’m an excellent observer of behavior.”

  I wasn’t entirely certain what he was getting at, but I didn’t like his tone. I placed my utensils on the plate, staring at him in the same manner he had with me. “You might think you know me, but I know shit about you other than what you want the public to know. You act as if you want to protect me, but it feels like I’m under a microscope. Or the bright light of an interrogation. I don’t like that.”

  “And I don’t like being conned.”

  “Fuck you,” I said quietly, my heart racing. So much of me had wanted him to join me in the shower. I’d almost been stupid enough to call for him. I needed to have my head examined.

  He reached over, snagging my wrist and pulling me closer. “I suggest you remember who saved your life.”

  “That doesn’t give you the right to treat me like I’m the enemy.” He didn’t seem to expect my quick retort, although one aspect he should know about me by now was that I spoke my mind.

  At all costs.

  I couldn’t hate him but so much, because he was right. He was also far too sexy in his clean shirt that he hadn’t bothered to tuck in. Just staring into his piercing eyes was another reminder I could have died. Yet seeing blood on him was even worse.

  After a few seconds of our mental and emotional showdown, he released his firm hold. “Maybe you are right.”

  It was impossible not to study him as he’d done with me, trying to memorize all the sexy details about his chiseled face. I wasn’t certain why I hadn’t noticed the small scar over his eye before.

  “Bar fight?” I asked, returning to my normal bratty self.

  He sat all the way back in his chair, swirling his tumbler on the table. “No. I ran through a plate glass window in a summer vacation house. My mother was none too happy our two-year planned trip had been cut short.”

  “I hadn’t noticed before. Do you have scars anywhere else?” I leaned forward, allowing my curiosity to get the better of me. My voice was a little too seductive.

  “My back.”

  “From?”

  “My younger brother who stabbed me with a knife he’d gotten for Christmas.” He finally smiled, his eyes glazing over from the memory.

  “Ouch.”

  “More with him. I think it was the first and only time my father took him behind his office door for punishment.”

  He could flip his emotions and his pattern of talking on a dime. At least that allowed me to laugh. “So close, huh?”

  “Actually, we are. More so as we got older.”

  “I always wanted to have a brother or sister, but it wasn’t in the cards.” I took another bite of food, wanting to pepper him with questions. “My mother could barely tolerate having a kid in the first place.”

  “What is it that you need to know about me that will allow you to trust me?”

  The question was valid and one I hadn’t thought through. “I don’t know. Are you a good guy?”

  His laugh filled me with hunger. “You already know the answer to that. I’m ruthless and some say a forever playboy.”

  “I don’t buy that. You just haven’t found the right person yet. They are tough to find, the search exhausting.” Now I was giving relationship advice? How fascinating.

  “Is that you want, a relationship? A huge family?”

  I pushed the plate away, uncertain I even knew the answer. “I really want a career of my own and yet, I’m not certain what that is. I know I want to have a business of my own, treating employees like family. But I have many interests.”

  “Such as?”

  “Fine art. Sculpture. Music. Television. I think whatever I do I want to remain creative. I can’t imagine being a boring accountant.” We both laughed, which was a welcome respite. “I can see a fabulous art gallery where huge showings are done, wine and champagne flowing.”

  “Sounds lovely.”

  “I know. Frivolous.”

  “That wasn’t what I was thinking. I don’t see you that way at all. You’re highly intelligent and can do anything you put your mind to.”

  “Good. If you think of me as nothing but a nerd, you’re sorely mistaken.”

  “You will never be mistaken for a nerd.” He polished off his drink, immediately getting to his feet and heading to the bar. “What else do you want to know?”

  I had to think about how far down the rabbit hole I wanted this to go. “Favorite color?”

  He turned his head quickly, the sexiest smile I’d seen crossing his face. “Really?”

  “Really. You can tell a lot about a person by the color they choose.”

  “Blue, I guess.”

  “You guess. Hmmm…”

  After pouring another half glass, he swaggered back in my direction. “No one has ever asked me a simple question like that before.” After placing his glass on the table, he refilled my wine.

  “Mine is easy. Red. A power color. It suits me.”

  “Yes, it does. What should that tell me about you?”

  “That I refuse to give up a fight no matter how brutal.” I’d obviously amused him, his laugh tickling all my senses.

  “I like that about you, amongst other things. You know, I think my favorite color is emerald green.”

  “Ah, a beautiful representation of the earth and everything solid.”

  “Maybe so.”

  “Favorite food?”

  His nostrils flared as he allowed his overheated gaze to fall. “Isn’t that obvious. A blood-red steak.”

  “Mmm… A meat and potatoes boy.”

  “To a degree, yes. You?”

  “You happened to select my absolute favorite. I love seafood and pasta. Although ice cream is a close second.”

  “Not a vegemite sandwich?”

  Now I was the one to wrinkle my nose. “Have you ever eaten that crap?”

  As he burst into laughter, another twinge of need hit me. “I can’t say I have.”

  “Let me give you a hint. Don’t.”

  “I’ll keep that in mind.”

  “What else,” I said before taking a sip of my wine. “I know. What did you want to be when you grew up? A kink club owner?”

  “Hardly. I wanted to be an architect but when you’re born into the family I was, you are required to gravitate toward the family business. Thankfully, my older brother enticed me to take the various exams needed to become a financial advisor, our younger brother realizing how much money could be made off rich people.”

  “You’re rich.”

  “Yes, but I’m insatiable.” He leaned further over the table, cocking that sexy head of his.

  “Yes, I think you are. Are you truly sadistic?”

  “I am.”

  “Hmmm… I’ll keep that in mind.”

  He took a deep breath and it felt as if I wasn’t even wearing the robe. “You should do that. Perhaps we’ll have more time to explore your dark needs.”

  “Perhaps.” We’d had many awkward moments settling between us but this seemed overheated. Enough so a tiny bead of perspiration trickled down the back of my neck. My hair was even still damp from the shower, the quick makeup I’d applied barely hiding the girl underneath. Not that he seemed to mind. I wanted the man but what good would it do to become even more involved? I allowed the tips of my fingers to slide down the side of my neck into the bodice of my robe. I couldn’t seem to help myself, enticing him as if we were a couple.