The Bodyguard

Chapter 12

TORI

It had been a week since my neighbor had almost drowned me, and after that near-death experience, I was somehow okay. I'd finished filming Leaving It All Behind, and the premiere was at the end of the week. However, there was one thing I was dreading, and that was meeting with my father.

Patterson was back in his LA house in California to specifically talk with me, Theo, Oliver, Archer, and Daniel. This man who had attacked me once before was going to do it again, and I had a feeling it all started the night of the awards ceremony.

"So I have a half-sister named Brielle, huh?" I asked my father, sitting down in his office. The guys surrounded me even though no one was going to harm me.

My father glanced at me and then at the papers on his desk. "You do." Gosh, was he so busy he could barely even look at me?

I cleared my throat. "You want to tell me what man you decided to keep away from her? Cause that is the man that has been coming after me. He paid my neighbor to drown me, and I almost died."

Patterson laid his papers down and removed his gray-framed glasses from his face. "What? How come this is the first I hear of all of this?" Patterson stood and crossed his arms. "Would someone like to explain?"

I stood to defend my bodyguards. It was not their fault my neighbor snuck around back. How could we have known that would happen? Someone should have been with me, but I was in my backyard. I should be able to have some alone time.

"I told them not to tell you. I'm fine. What I'd like to know is who this guy is. You claim you want to protect me but then decide you don't want to tell me the full story."

Patterson sighed and reclaimed his chair, as did I. "Brielle is a few years younger than you. She's twenty years old and still learning to be a mature adult. Brielle dated this guy in high school, and his name was Royce. I never liked him. He was a broody asshole." I rolled my eyes. My father wasn't getting to the point quickly enough and seemed to notice my anticipation. "Brielle always wanted to go out with him, and soon enough, Royce began controlling her. Royce said she couldn't be friends with these people or go to this event without her. It's like he couldn't stand not being around her. He began stalking her, and I caught him one day. I paid him off to leave her alone and never mess with us again."

"I guess you got your wish. Royce hasn't messed with you at all. It's been me, and I bet he's doing it because you wouldn't let him near Brielle. It's the only explanation. You haven't protected me once since we've met. They have," I said, pointing behind me to my bodyguards. "Without meeting you, I may not have them, but you still haven't done anything for me to trust or want you in my life. All you have done is protect your real family and your reputation while I sit back and take in everything else."

"Tori, you are my real family too."

I scoffed. "If I'm such real family to you, then why don't you prove it, huh? I haven't seen anything to impress me."

"Stay for dinner tonight, all of you. I'll introduce you to my wife Hayley, son Peter, daughter Brielle, and youngest daughter Morgan."

My face was blank. Not only did my father have a wife, but he had three kids—not one kid, but three kids—and he left raising me to do that.

"I don't know if you'll want me to do that after I tell you this."

My father raised his brow. "Um, what?"

I glanced back at Theo. He didn't expect me to drop the bomb on Patterson right now, but I didn't care. "Theo and I are together," I said, stepping back and interlocking my fingers with Theo's.