My stomach plummeted to my feet, and my head went fuzzy. Gavin failed to notice, continuing with his discovery like he’d found Atlantis.
“I called a college buddy who works at Warner to ask him about the portrait. He told me the girl was the ‘lost Warner daughter.’ That’s what everyone calls her because she ran away from home and poor Samson Warner had no idea what had happened to his daughter.”
That wasn’t remotely true, but I couldn’t get my mouth to work to tell him that.
Gavin placed his sweaty hand on my shoulder, sending shivers down my spine. “Don’t worry, kitten, I arranged for a family reunion.”
He moved to the side, revealing my father only a few feet away, coming toward us. It hadn’t even been ten years since I’d last seen him, but he appeared to have aged two decades. His formerly salt-and-pepper hair was mostly salt now, and the bags under his eyes had their own carry-ons.
The part of me that had always wanted to be a daddy’s girl, that had longed for his approval and unconditional affection, yearned for him, even after he’d let me down again and again.
“Kit.” His rich, authoritative voice hadn’t changed, and the way he barked my name still sent shivers down my spine. “It’s really you.”
“Dad,” I squeezed out. “What are you doing here?”
“Well, I’m here to see you.” His heavy brow furrowed, and he turned to Gavin. “You said she was expecting me.”
Gavin raised his hands, playacting his innocence. “I might have forgotten to mention your visit to Kit. But aren’t surprises fun? I think so.”
My feet became unstuck, and I slid to the side so I was fully out of the hallway and could be seen by others. Not that I thought either of them would physically harm me, but I didn’t want to be trapped.
“This isn’t the right time for this kind of surprise. It’s an important night for Elliot,” I hedged. “We could set up a call and—”
“Now, listen here.” My dad charged right through my protests. That hadn’t changed in all the years apart. “Your mother and I have been looking for you for years. I’ve flown across the country for you. I will not set up an appointment to see my own daughter.”
Gavin rocked back on his heels, a pleased smile lighting up his features. “I’m happy I could be the one to facilitate this father-daughter meeting. Family really is the most important thing there is.”
I gasped at him, incensed. “What is in this for you? Is this supposed to be some kind of payback to Elliot? I promise you, he’s not going to be hurt by this. I am.”
Dad’s brows winged in the middle, and his cheeks flushed crimson. I’d gotten that very annoying trait directly from him.
“I’m not going to hurt you, Kit. I’m here to see you. You disappeared from Mexico, and we had no idea where you went.”
“I won’t hurt you either, kitten,” Gavin drawled. “That’s not the kind of guy I am.”
“Good. I’m glad we have that settled. Now, let’s go find Elliot and we can all talk.” I tried to edge past them, but Gavin put himself in my way. With the wall behind me and the two of them in front of me, I felt like a trapped rabbit. “Excuse me, I don’t like being blocked in like this.”
My father, for his part, seemed to realize what they were doing and backed off, giving me some space. But Gavin stayed where he was, trying to intimidate me with his height and proximity.
“I don’t think we need to involve Levy,” Gavin said smoothly. “The three of us are getting along so well.”
“This doesn’t involve you anymore either,” my father told him. “I’d like to speak to my daughter in private.”
Gavin swiveled to look at him. “That’s fine, as long as you remember what we discussed. I found her for you and brought you here. It’s time for you to keep your end of the bargain. I expect to have a new lease in hand on Monday.”
Dad straightened his spine and tugged on his starched cuffs. Gavin obviously didn’t know who he was messing with. While Elliot Levy could be intimidating as hell, Samson Warner had the capacity to be a soulless villain without breaking a sweat.
“It’s become clear to me you deal in deception, young man. I see now why you haven’t been able to find office space, and it has nothing to do with being wrongly blacklisted. I don’t make it a habit to do business with anyone who isn’t completely aboveboard.”