I glanced at all of the food I had scattered over Godric’s kitchen counter. His pantry was stuffed with so many items that I’d just grabbed whatever looked good. I would have to clean the mess up after I finished eating.
“So when can I see you?” my father pestered.
My eyes narrowed at his tone. “Everything all right?”
He was quiet for too long.
“Father?”
“Actually, Poppy, I received an interesting photo of you. I’d like to talk to you about it in person, not like this.”
“What kind of photo?” I asked cautiously.
My bracelet buzzed. I tapped on it.
A hologram picture formed in front of me.
“That photo,” my father said, his voice quiet.
I sucked in a harsh breath.
The fear of it being a photo of Godric and me on the front lawn of King Corporation vanished. It was much worse than us sitting side-by-side in the grassy courtyard eating lunch together. This photo was intimate and left nothing to the imagination.
Godric’s beautiful naked flesh was on full display from the backside. He was on his knees on the bed, his face tilted to the side showing his profile. And he had me pinned to the headboard, my head thrown back in ecstasy with my bare limbs wrapped around his body.
My father cleared his throat. “That is Mr. King, correct?”
“Yes,” I croaked, my voice filled with guilt.
“And that is a bedroom on my base. Correct?”
I whispered, “Yes.”
He stopped speaking, quiet. So quiet.
I didn’t know what to say, so I stayed silent.
We didn’t speak for a full minute.
Then it only became worse.
Godric walked into the kitchen on silent feet, griping in exasperation, “Poppy, everyone is arriving. If you’re done eating, we need to start discussing what happened today.”
But he jerked to a stop, his eyes caught on the photo before me. The man blinked slowly. His head cocked as he evaluated the picture, his eyes narrowing in slow cooking fury.
Then he bellowed, “What the fuck is that?”
My eyes were wide on my face. “Godric, wait. My father—”
“I don’t give a damn about your father right now,” he interrupted. He stormed forward and pointed at the photo. “How the hell do you have a picture of us like this? No one was in the room then.”
My mouth bobbed, horror etching my features.
My father cleared his throat. “That’s Mr. King, I presume, Poppy?”
CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE
Godric’s shoulders tensed and his attention snapped to my bracelet. “Yes, it is. Who the fuck is this?”
“My father,” I hissed. “I tried to tell you.”
His mouth snapped shut, and his features cleared of all emotion as he turned into Mr. King, the businessman. “General Carvene, you’ll have to excuse me. I didn’t recognize your voice.”
My father snorted. “Yes, I could tell you were distracted by the way you were berating my daughter.”
Godric’s eyes peered skyward. He sighed heavily. “I imagine you have questions about what you overheard.”
“I do. That can be saved for when I get there. We will talk in person then.” My father hummed. “We can discuss something else now. That photo you are so upset about, the picture I wanted to burn my eyes out after seeing, was sent to me.”
Godric’s shoulders stiffened, and he peered back down to the intimate image. His tone flattened—a dangerous sound. “This was sent to you?”
“Yes. About a half hour ago. It’s untraceable.”
Godric’s jaw clenched.
“Did you have guards outside the room?”
“Yes,” he growled.
My father went silent, and then asked, “Are your men targeting my daughter or are we the targets?”
Smart, smart man.
He didn’t jump to conclusions.
My father had one army. Godric had the other.
Spark a fire between the two, and there would be war again. Anyone wanting to take over would merely wait until they destroyed each other. No work done on their part other than sending a racy photo to an overprotective father.
Godric rubbed the back of his neck, his eyebrows furrowing in thought. “Was it just the photo sent?”
“Yes. There wasn’t a note.”
“Then it’s probably us. I’ll look into it.”
“I’ll expect a report,” my father said, and then he switched topics. “I’ll arrive in New City tomorrow. We’ll talk then about private issues.”
“Bye, Father,” I quickly added.
“Call me if you need me before then. Goodbye.”
He ended the call.
I quickly tapped my bracelet.
The image disappeared.
“Was it Jonathan?” I asked evenly.
Godric’s nose scrunched. “Maybe.”
“You’re not sure?”
“No, I’m not. He’s loyal to my father.”
“Meaning?”
“No one fucks with my father. He would take great offense to someone trying to hurt me. So, essentially, being loyal to my father is being loyal to me too.”
I nodded. “And it would be too obvious. Jonathan was the one interrupting us. If he’s a clever person, he would have been certain not to put himself in a situation to be caught.”
Godric stayed quiet for long moments before he blinked with a thought. “How exactly did you get out of my room without being seen by my guards?”
“There’s a hidden passageway…” I trailed off, my eyes widening. I tapped my bracelet again and pulled up the image. I studied the angle further and pointed. “The bedroom door was more that way, wasn’t it?”
Godric was bent, reviewing the photo too. His golden eyes narrowed. “My men didn’t take this.”
“You’re right.” I nodded. “This was taken from the bathroom. That’s where the hidden passageway is.”
Godric straightened and crossed his arms over his chest. His lips curved in a pleased, evil grin. He chuckled ever so softly, and it was frightening. “That means it came from your father’s, and there’s only one man who would benefit directly from this.”
My forehead crinkled. “His men are loyal.”
“It’s like a puzzle, pet. Think a second.”