“What happened?” Gage asked Darian as he tried to console Larkin.
“That man is horrible,” Brylee stated in a hushed tone and wiped her eyes with the napkin.
“Who is it?”
“It’s Eve’s father.”
“And you knew her from high school?” Darian asked the girls.
Larkin sniffed and glanced at the table Eve was at. “Yes. The three of us had a lot of classes together and we had a lot in common.”
“She just disappeared during o
ur last semester of high school. We tried calling, but her father always said she was busy. He was lying,” Brylee said.
“Why do you say that?” Patrick asked.
Larkin scowled. “She told us he didn’t want her to have any friends.”
“And he cut her hair because he said it made her vain,” Brylee added.
****
“Jesus,” Patrick murmured. He studied the pair by the window. The girl was Brylee and Larkin’s age, but she seemed younger because of her posture. He would say she looked shy, but he realized she was likely withdrawn to protect herself.
“Isn’t there anything we can do, daddy?” Larkin murmured to Darian as she set her head on his shoulder.
“Let us talk about it.”
“But we can help her?” Larkin asked, hopefully.
“We’ll see what we can do,” Darian promised.
“Why don’t you let me check into it?”
Everyone at the table turned to Patrick.
“I have a great private detective who can get me all the information on her.”
Darian nodded. “Sounds good.” He smoothed his hand down Larkin’s hair. “We’ll see what he comes up with and then make a plan.”
Both girls smiled and looked relieved.
“Are you ready to order?” the waiter interrupted.
Patrick kept glancing at Eve and her father. He could tell from where he was sitting that the man disliked everything. He watched him complain about something to the waiter a few times. The girl sat beside him, mute, and she would flinch when her father barked something at her.
Every minute that went by, Patrick got angrier and more determined to help the girl. The sooner, the better.
Chapter Two
A few days later, Patrick walked into Darian’s office with a file in his hands.
Darian looked up from his computer. “What have you got there?”
“The file on Eve. Larkin and Brylee’s friend. It’s fucked up.”
Darian sat back in his chair. “What do you mean?”