The Lies I Believed

He'll Come For Me

My hands were shaking like never before and I couldn't figure out how to calm myself down. Nothing was working for me. I began to fear the worst. What if Asher never comes for me? What if he's so angry, he can't stand the thought of being married to someone like me? Or even having mercy on someone like me?

"I'm leaving her in your hands, Asher. If anything happens to my daughter--"

"I can forget about protection in the United States? I got it, Brad."

"You think he got that, Lexi?"

"No."

"See? Even your wife thinks you need to be reminded of how much power I actually hold. You guys be good. Don't come back with another baby."

"Dad!"

"What?"

"Brad, I'm going to take care of her. We'll be fine. It's not like I'm sentencing her to death."

"You're taking her to meet the woman the mafia hates. That's more than sentencing her to death. You want her to befriend the enemy."

"My mother was part of the French mafia before she was kidnapped."

"Wasn't it her own fault for getting kidnapped? Anyone in the mafia knows how to keep a low profile and to keep as many guards around them as possible. Honestly, your family is messed up. Your father is pretty brave for the way he abandoned you."

"Dad!"

"What? I'm just saying."

"It's fine, Lexi. I used to curse him for doing that to me. I won't say my life was miserable after that, but I hated everyone after that."

"Except me."

"Yes, except you, my love." Asher pulled me to his side. "I promise to take care of her. She means everything to me, Brad. I have the best troops waiting for us at the airport."

"Are you sure you want to go back to France? I can set you guys up somewhere else. Doesn't matter the cost."

"Brad, I understand your concern, but she wanted to go back. I can't even persuade her to change her mind."

"He's right, Dad. I want to make amends with his mother. I mean, the last time she heard about me, Vincent was proof I existed." I chuckled. "The only way I can make more allies is to fix a problem before it gets out of hand."

"And you think you can fix her?"

"No, but it's worth a shot, right? Once she sees I'm not a threat to her, she'll be the only one who doesn't like me. How will she prove to everyone else I'm someone who shouldn't be trusted?"

"You think of everything, don't you?"

"No, but thank you." I hugged Brad. "We'll be back in two weeks. The kids won't miss us until we're back."

"Well, I'll take good care of them."

"Actually...I kind of asked Jennifer to watch them."

"What!" Brad looked hurt. "Why her?"

"...Because she knows how to take care of a toddler. You and Tasha never have time to watch anyone and Karli is always around Natasha."

"Right..."

"Besides, you can visit them whenever you like. I just don't want them in your way when you want to do something."

"How thoughtful of you..."

"Dad, come on. You'll be fine. Maybe you and Tasha can go on a trip or something."