The Bodyguard (Book 1 in the Original BOC Series) ✔

Chapter Thirty-Two

Worry had started to take over Ben as well as Adam. They both glanced at the other, turning back to Jane with frowns. Even though they were no longer had to escort Mara to New York, they hadn't thought that perhaps the men who'd been chasing Mara would still be after her.

Adam turned to Ben with his crossed arms, but then just as quickly looked back at Jane, shaking his head.

"Do they know who took her?"

The redhead shook her head, shrugging that was all she knew and turned her attention to her uncle. With all eyes on him, Tycoon Hallden sighed, shutting his eyes.

He was starting to wish he'd told Jane everything to keep him from having to talk to the team he had hired months ago, and wasn't on good terms with. One in particular.

Hallden continued to stare out the window, finding it easier to speak when he began to retell what he knew about the day his daughter went missing.

"When Edward called me about what happened, he thought that Mara would be in trouble. He offered to hire police enforcement to help search for her, but I told him not to because they wouldn't know where to start. I told him I'd keep him informed once word of Mara came through."

The father lowered his eyes, facing himself to the people in the room then looked up. "He's really worried about her."

"Just not you, right?"

Hallden looked behind the older man who also looked over his shoulder, at Nathan who hadn't spoken until now. The entire time from the moment Jane mentioned Mara, he had been silent, scowling, and turned away from everyone. That is until Mara's father started talking.

"As am I," he emphasized at Nathan, leaning his head forward with raised brows. Hallden swallowed, looking down and let his shoulders slump. "She's my only child. She's all I have left other than Jane."

His hand gently motioned to the redhead who had stood up and went over to Mara's best friend falling into a chair. She was glancing in the team's and her uncle's direction as she was caressing the blonde's hair after he buried his face into her stomach to cry.

Nathan frowned, shrugging. "You didn't seem so concerned the first time we had a 'business meeting'. Why the sudden change of heart?"

Hallden responded nothing while the young man's hard gaze was on him. He couldn't even look away. He had to wait for Nathan to blink hard, turning away with a shake of his head. Ben motioned for Hallden to take the seat Jane got up from and nodded silently for him to take his time speaking.

Once he was seated, Hallden propped his arm up and rubbed his fingers against his temple. He closed his eyes, frowning in shame as he told them about how Mara had cut him off after the deal she had made with him back in Kansas. Ben, Adam, and Nathan glanced at one another and just received confirmation of where that miracle money came from.

The father didn't notice this and continued to reveal everything he'd found out about Mara, and how much it hurt him to see her go through the marriage to Edward.

"She was so miserable up there," Hallden moped when he sat up and dropped his head into his hands. "I could see it! But by the time I had damn thought of to call it off, she said 'I do'." He lifted his head, his blue eyes accentuated by the purple rings underneath, "Edward hadn't arranged a reception. We were all being ushered out as soon as it was over and he just disappeared upstairs with Mara."

Nathan's jaw clenched, brow lowering and his green eyes glinting something that had Ben's eyes turned to him instantly. The older man knew, that out of all of that was spoken, Nathan had only heard Mara being taken to a bedroom with another man. It didn't take a genius to know that Nathan was getting more pissed off than he already was.