Tarin peeked around the corner. The preconference crowd was starting to gather. Now she just had to wait until the one person she wanted to confront showed up but she knew she wouldn’t have to wait long. He wouldn’t want his adoring public to be without his presence.
It took longer than she expected. She had to pretend for ten minutes that she was doing something and not just stalking the guests of the hotel. As soon as she spotted James Madsen, she stepped behind some people and watched him. The gray at his temples surprised her; he’d always kept his hair a perfect black. She was about to step out when she noticed a young woman dressed in a hotel uniform approach him. He stepped to the side to speak with her. Though Tarin was too far away to decipher his words, his tone was neither pleasant nor conciliatory, and she noticed the woman’s face changed from shocked white to brilliant red before she walked away with clenched fists.
He hadn’t changed; he remained a bully. Why she thought he might have undergone a transformation, she didn’t know but she made her way toward him despite the revelation. She noticed his dark gray, Italian silk suit was as crisp and perfect as though he’d just had it pressed. But since it was already almost 8:00 in the morning she knew he’d already had it on for hours. At least that was one thing she always remembered about him—impeccably dressed, always.
He glanced her way a couple of times. Though there was no sign of recognition, she knew it could simply mean he was masked with his professional persona, a facade that concealed his penchant for picking out only those faces in the crowd that were likely to slingshot him to the top of one pinnacle or another. Then she remembered her hair hadn’t been blonde in many years. It had been a reminder of her mother he hadn’t been able to stomach.
Squaring her shoulders, she stepped forward ready for the evitable battle of wills.
“Hello, Dad.”
His head swiveled so fast it brought to mind the iconic head spinning scene in The Exorcist when Regan was possessed by a demon. For whatever reasons, he had always been engrossed and mesmerized by the gruesome scene.
“Tarin. What a surprise.”
“It is, isn’t it? We need to talk.”
“In case you haven’t noticed, I’m busy.”
“I know. I’m willing to have our father-daughter chat right here. I don’t have anything to hide but I think you do.” She’d always thought of him as a giant, so it surprised her to realize that she only had to look up slightly into his blue-gray eyes.
“I’ll arrange a more private setting.”
She watched as he made his excuses to titans whose opinions mattered to him. Then he found his sidekick Cal, whose expression was pure hate which he turned her way. If he could spit daggers through his suspiciously narrowed eyes, she was sure she’d just been attacked. She glanced around to see if anyone else saw it but no one else appeared to have noticed. When she turned back, he had a neutral expression pasted on. Her father finally returned and gestured for her to come with him.
She’d been reluctant to follow him into the elevator and up to a suite permanently designated for his use, but she did. And at some point, the anxiety she experienced wasn’t because she feared him. That fear had been present for a good part of her life, but now she knew their relationship would change forever and it was highly unlikely to be a positive outcome.
He stared out the window for a moment before turning to her.
“So you think you can take off and then come crawling back when things aren’t good? You want me to fix your mess?”
The muscles in her back instantly tightened to the point of cramping. She felt like a little girl again, accidentally soiling her panties because he’d taken too long to get her to the bathroom. Of course he’d claimed it hadn’t been his fault because he’d never admit any weakness, whereas in his eyes, she was one long series of faults. At that moment, she saw his tactic for what it was, to put her on the defensive. He had almost succeeded. Almost.
“Did you try to have me killed?”
“Always the drama queen, weren’t you?” He sat, crossing his legs while he scrutinized her with disdain.
“Who’s my mother?”
He sighed. “She died—”
“Bullshit.” She wasn’t sure who was more surprised. An insistent buzzing began in the back of her brain; her mind was on overload.
“And I have a half-sister. When did you plan to tell me about her? Or was it meant to be a deathbed confession?”
His permanent tan appeared to have lost a bit of its color. But he still said nothing. It was the only time she ever remembered him speechless.
Sickened by all she’d learned, she relished the newfound feeling of having bested him, and she realized she had gone there for precisely that reason. She wanted to knock him off his pedestal. She had no doubt he’d rally back and volley a ton of accusations and hurtful insults out of proportion to her assertions. But she wouldn’t remain for any of it. She glowered at the man she was quite sure she’d never lay eyes on again.
“What makes me feel particularly sorry for you is you’ll never get to know your grandson. He’s amazing.” She turned to leave.
“What do you mean grandson’?” Her father stood as the remaining color drained from his face.
“Oh please. I know you have Calvin spy on every last detail. I’m quite sure he knows about this one.”
“How old?”
She frowned. What game is he playing? His stunned expression looked so authentic. And although he was a consummate actor forever playing to the crowd, she had the impression he wasn’t pretending.
“Two. And if you have someone attempt to abduct him again, I’ll air your dirty laundry in every news outlet in the world. I doubt you or your business could survive that. And last but not least, stay away from Caspian Winery or I swear I’ll go to the police. I’m sure they can dig up something to charge you with. I’ll give them a lot to search for.”
Though her legs were trembling so badly she wasn’t confident they’d carry her out, she managed to make her way to the elevator at the end of the hallway. She tried not to think about all that she had said until she could process it alone, away from his scrutiny. One thing, however, stood out clearly; she was convinced he was more affected by the threat to his hotel chain than anything she’d shared about herself.
As quickly as the doors opened, she stepped in and hastily pressed the lobby button. Closing her eyes, she leaned her head against the wall.
“So, Tarin, I see you’re still trying to make my life difficult.”