Read Online Merger (Triple Threat Book 3) by Kit Tunstall, R.E. Saxton - Free Book Online

surge of possessiveness swept through him, and he had to clench his teeth to fight through it, shocked by his response. After a moment, when he had calmed down, he cleared his throat before speaking again. “After all, I’m not releasing my bargaining chip. Lily stays with me, and you can be certain she’ll be safe as long as your investigation dies a quick death. I’ll take care of her and our children.”
    Philip let out a small gasp. “Is she pregnant?”
    Dominic shrugged. “Not for lack of trying on my part, but I don’t know for sure.”
    “I’m an honest man, Rinaldi. I’ve always held out against corruption and bribery. I’ve even stood strong in the face of threats. You’re asking me to put aside my reputation and my ideals.”
    Dominic shrugged, keeping his expression hard. “I’m just asking you to think about Lily before you make your next move. You need to decide which is more important to you—your reputation, or your daughter? And any future grandchildren,” he added with a small smirk, wanting to drive home the point. If he had his way, he’d never have this discussion with Philip again. It could disappear into the background, and having the other man aware of the power he wielded over him would be enough. He didn’t have to beat Philip over the head with it on a continuing basis as long as the old man fell in line tonight.
    He could see Philip crumble along with his resolve. The older man’s shoulders slumped forward, and his expression was one of utter defeat. It was a disquieting sight, and Dominic felt a moment of pity for the other man. He couldn’t act on it, or show any signs of doubt or weakness, but he was surprisingly sympathetic to the position in which he had shoehorned Philip Faulkner. It was the other man’s attention to his family and dangerous intentions toward them that had prompted this response, but he was still capable of feeling some compassion for the other man.
    With that in mind, he softened his tone slightly. “I promise you I will take care of her, and I won’t deliberately hurt her as long as we’ve reached an understanding.”
    Looking weak, the other man nodded. “You’ve gotten what you wanted, Rinaldi. My daughter’s the most important person in the world to me.”
    He inclined his head as he got to his feet. “You should pull yourself together then, because Lily will be expecting us to have reached some sort of accord. I suggest neither one of us give her the details of the situation surrounding my marriage to her. It’s for the best, and there’s no reason to hurt her.”
    Philip nodded again, still looking devastated. It was as close to an agreement as he was going to give that evening; of that much, Dominic was certain.
    With a small sigh, he moved away from the couch where he’d sat, planning to retrieve Lily from her room, where she’d gone with obvious anger at being dismissed. He was going to have to work for it to make it up to her, and he stumbled for a moment when he realized he actually cared about doing so. As long as he had Lily, he controlled the situation with the police commissioner, so it was in his best interest to keep her happy. That was all there was to it, and the only motivation for wanting to make up with her.
    He couldn’t blame her for being angry with him anyway, because he’d been a high-handed bastard, though marginally less so than her father with his demand that she go to her room. He had to hold back a chuckle as he remembered the glare she had given both of them, and he was surprised that she had actually given in without an argument.
    He was even more surprised when he opened the door to the den and found her in the hallway with her arms crossed over her chest, glaring at him. Apparently, the earlier show of docility had been just that. He cursed softly under his breath, closing the door behind him so Philip wouldn’t see her. He grabbed hold of her arm and dragged her down the hallway when she tried to resist