A Flame Divine ♕

XLV. B R I B E

Swallowing, Everly glanced at Stellan with a raised eyebrow. "That's not a bad idea," she began, "but I would hate for you to waste your money on that...."

Stellan peered into her eyes, and she could tell he was contemplating something.

"For you, it would be worth it." He placed a hand in her thigh and squeezed.

Tears sprang to Everly's eyes. "Really?"

Stellan nodded and the look he pierced her with made her heart throb. "It's the best thing for us. No gray clouds hanging over our head. No more looking over our shoulder." He slid his hand up to grasp her fingers, bringing them to his lips for a sweet kiss. "We can finally have the life we've dreamed of."

Everly turned her face into his palm. "That's perfect, Stell. It's exactly what I want. A fresh start. With you."

"Eat up," Merrik said as he dished out another egg for Stellan. "You have a bank to bust and a deal to make."

°°°

Later, Everly and Stellan sat on the patio for some fresh air. Crisp as it was, it kept Everly from freaking out. This would be the first contact she would have with her father since she left months ago.

It's just a phone call, she told herself. He couldn't touch her there.

Stellan wrapped a fur throw from the sofa around her. "Do you want me to do it?" he asked.

Pulling the blanket tighter around her shoulders, she shook her head. "No. I need to do this. I have to face him."

Stellan nodded and handed her his phone. "I'll hold your hand the whole time," he said, and as she took his phone from him, she laced her fingers through his.

With a deep breath, she dialed the phone number she was surprised she still remembered.

It rang four times, and just before she hung up, her father's smug, overconfident voice rang in her ears.

"Jack Preston."

Everly took a deep breath and said in a voice stronger than she felt: "Dad?"

There was a blistering silence on the line for a heartbeat or two, and when he spoke again, her dad's voice had turned cold.

"What the hell are you calling me for?" he barked, and Everly winced. "Unless you are about to tell me you are coming home, I don't want to hear it. Don't you dare waste my time."

To her horror, tears filled her eyes, and she was so grateful her father couldn't see her; she didn't want to give him the satisfaction of knowing he'd made her cry—again.

"Why do you care if I come home or not, daddy?" she hissed. "It's not like you ever gave a shit about me to begin with."

"What an ungrateful daughter of mine. I fed you gourmet meals, I gave you designer clothes, I gave you everything you could have needed." She heard him scoff. "You have work to do. Especially if you want to make it up to me." There was some background noise and the sound of a door closing before she spoke again.

Everly couldn't help it; she returned her father's scoff and the words she'd wanted to say to him for so long just spilled out. "You gave me everything I could have needed? Really? How about love, Dad? How about compassion? Oh, and maybe not treat me like a fucking whore to further your business?" Her chest was heaving up and down, and she glanced at Stellan before she put the phone on speaker so he could hear her father's retort.

"You're just like your mother. Soft. Malleable." Her father grunted. "Good for nothing."

Stellan practically growled at his words and slid an arm around Everly's waist. She was grateful for his grounding touch.

Everly took a deep breath and took a deep breath, willing herself not to say the words that were hanging on the edge of her tongue. If she wanted a hope of getting her dad to agree to the deal Stellan wanted to offer, she had to be calm. "I'm not good for nothing, Dad... but if you want to think that, that's fine..." She trailed off, tears coming to her eyes and shaking her head. "Stellan?" she murmured, pleading with him for help. She couldn't do this... she couldn't talk to her father about this. She couldn't talk to him about anything.

He squeezed her hip in understanding. Clearing his throat, he spoke to her father for the first time.

"Everly is the most amazing person in my life. She will never be good for nothing."

She heard her dad cackle over the line. "So it's you, boy. Don't you think it's about time you return my daughter to me?"

Everly stared intensely into Stellan's eyes as he replied. This was it. This deal was detrimental to their freedom—true freedom.

"About that," Stellan began. "I am willing to make you an offer you can't refuse." She heard the confidence in his tone. It was smart on Stellan's part. To play at Jack Preston's game, he had to act like the manipulative asshole he was.

The line was silent for a moment, and Everly almost thought he had hung up until he spoke. And his voice was dead quiet. "You, boy? You're going to make me an offer I can't refuse? Oh boy, I have to hear this," he said, his voice taking on that infuriating condescending tone she hated so much.

Stellan's chest rose with a breath, and Everly bit her lip.

"How does ten-million dollars cash sound?"

"What?!" Jack exclaimed.

"It's yours if I have your agreement that you will never contact, or pursue us ever again."

"You tell me what I need to sign, and my word is yours."

Everly felt her heart sink. Wow, she thought. He really doesn't give a shit about me. Tears filled her eyes and she jumped up and began pacing in front of Stellan, feeling anger, hurt, and humiliation well up inside her.

"Meet me in Chicago tomorrow at 3 pm, and you have a deal." Stellan rattled off an address before hanging up.

She crossed her arms and looked at Stellan. "Please tell me I don't have to see him," she seethed, hot tears running down her cheeks.

Stellan moved next to her and pulled her to him. "I would never have asked you to," he said lowly.

His proximity and touch finally broke her—she buried her head in his chest and let go, tears soaking the front of his t-shirt.

"How could he, Stellan? How could he just give me up for fucking money? Isn't a parent the one who's supposed to be there for you no matter what?" She sobbed, and in a strangled voice added, "Why doesn't he love me?"

Stellan wrapped his arms tightly around her, his hands rubbing gentle circles on her back. "He is selfish, Ev, and not deserving of your tears. In fact, I'm convinced he's not human because it would be impossible for anyone not to love you."

She could hear the ire in his voice and could tell he was as angry with her father just as much as she was.

She looked up at him with a sad smile. "Thank you, Stellan. Thank you for everything. You can't know how much it means to me."

As he kissed the top of her head and they went inside the house, the realization of how lucky she was washed over her again, and she couldn't help but smile.

"There's one more thing I want to do to," Stellan told her once they got back inside.

Everly looked at him. What more did they need to ensure their safety?

"I need to pay off Vinnie."

Everly turned to him. "How much money do you even have?"

Stellan smirked. "Enough to buy them out, and then some." He dipped his head to kiss her. "You and me, baby, we're almost free."