When You Dare

by Lori Foster

  That did it. After waving off the approaching valet, Bishop moved to confront Dare. Voice lowered and infused with suspicion, he said, “I don’t know what this is about, but if you think to blackmail me, I can tell you that it won’t work. You won’t get a single cent from me.”

  It took all of Dare’s resolve not to plant his fist in Bishop’s face. Feigning a boredom he didn’t feel, Dare said, “Does that mean you’re not curious about where she was, or how she got there?”

  On uncertain ground, Bishop flexed his fingers while trying to gauge his opponent. Finally, after smoothing his already smooth hair, he tweaked the collar of his golf shirt and played blasé. “I assumed she was off on another research trip.”

  “Yeah?” Arms relaxed, stance negligent, Dare smiled. “And you thought I’d blackmail you over that?”

  “What else?” All decorum fled as he said, “Thanks to her absurd vocation, Molly gets herself into preposterous situations.”

  “Like what? Being kidnapped?”

  “Kidnapped?” For only a moment, Bishop rocked back in shock before realizing how loudly he’d spoken. Appalled at himself, he again looked around to ensure no one had overheard him.

  “That’s right. Taken against her will.” Enunciating slowly, Dare said, “Abducted.”

  “But…” He blustered in disbelief. “That’s absurd.”

  Dare shook his head. “It’s a fact.”

  Not missing a beat, Bishop asked, “But she’s safe now?”

  Did the man care? Or was he pondering his own position in things? “She’s safe.”

  After letting out a breath, trying to shush Dare with his own example, Bishop said, “Look, this has nothing to do with me.”

  “You’re her father.”

  “An irrefutable fact.” Bishop sounded pained by the relationship. “But you’d have to understand my daughter. She is not conventional. She is not circumspect. It’s a fault I have lamented for years.”

  Dare said nothing—which prompted Bishop to say a lot.

  “Just what the hell do you want from me? You certainly can’t expect me to take charge of Molly’s every misfortune.”

  Being kidnapped was a misfortune? “You’re a real asshole, aren’t you, Bishop?” Dare didn’t bother being circumspect, which prompted Bishop to another quick survey of their surroundings. “Do you have any idea where your daughter was?”

  “Since I didn’t know of any of this, how could I?”

  “Do you even care?”

  Bishop flattened his mouth—and refused to reply.

  Deep down, rage simmered in Dare, but he didn’t show it. “You know, I have to ask myself—why would a father be so indifferent to his daughter’s well-being—unless he was the one who had arranged her misfortune.”

  Jaw going slack and face coloring, Bishop blinked in an effort to reconcile himself with the accusation. “You’re serious, aren’t you?” And then with new heat: “What the hell are you talking about? Do you know who I am? Do you know my standing in society?”

  Hmm. He had looked genuinely surprised by it all.

  Dare decided to press him. Coming out from around the SUV door, he closed the distance to Molly’s father. At around five feet, nine inches, Bishop stood damn near a half foot shorter than Dare. He was lean, toned, but he lacked any real strength.

  Physically, he was half the man Dare was. In character, he was a worm.

  “So, Bishop,” Dare said, “it would surprise you to learn that your daughter was snatched out front of her apartment building?”

  “That’s ridiculous. Who would want Molly?”

  God almighty, Dare wanted to hit him. One good pop to the nose, that’s all. Bishop wouldn’t be so smug or condescending with his own blood splattered over his face. “And I guess you didn’t know that she was taken to Tijuana, held captive, starved, tormented and threatened?”

  “I don’t believe you,” Bishop blustered. The earlier hot color leached from his face. He said again, “I don’t believe you.”

  “She was taken, all right.”

  Even while shaking his head in denial, Bishop muttered, “But…why?”

  “That’s what I want to know.”

  Perplexed, Bishop looked down in thought, then glared at Dare. “This is hard to accept. And what do you have to do with it, anyway?”

  “Not a damn thing, except that I’m the one who found her.”

  With even more suspicion, Bishop asked, “In Tijuana?”

  “Yes.” Keeping it vague, Dare gave a bare-bones assessment. “I was there for unrelated reasons, and I saw her. Her condition was not good.”

  “What do you mean?” And in accusation: “You said she was okay.”

  “She’s alive, and she’s healing.” Physically. Emotionally… Dare just didn’t know. “But she was poorly treated.”

  The seconds ticked by; Bishop swallowed. “Raped?”

  “She says not.” The rapid-fire questions felt more devious than frantic.

  “Who had her?”

  “People who deal in white slavery.”

  Bishop blanched in horror. “Dear God. White slavery? But surely… Where is she now?” He looked around aghast as if expecting her to suddenly appear. “She’s not with you, is she?”

  “I told you, she’s safe. I have her well away from here.” Away from you.

  “I see.” Though he tried to hide it, Bishop’s evident relief couldn’t be missed.

  It wasn’t relief for his daughter’s safety—the bastard.

  “Well.” Bishop tugged at his tailored shirt. “I’m pleased to hear that she’s all right.”

  “I didn’t say that.”

  Disregarding Dare’s statement, Bishop forged on. “She obviously can’t come back home.”

  “Home?” Dare inquired.

  “To Ohio.”

  His eyes narrowed. “To where you live, you mean?”

  As if justified, Bishop said, “There would be a ghastly scandal. The media would have a field day if they got wind of this, and knowing Molly, she won’t even attempt to keep it quiet.”

  “You would expect her to?”

  His chin shot up. “For the sake of her family, and to protect our good name, of course that’s what I expect.”

  “She didn’t ask to be taken, you know.”

  “Maybe not in so many words.” Bishop curled his lip in disdain and distaste. “But still…”

  Wishing he could demolish the smaller man, Dare asked, “What do you mean by that?”

  “She’s my daughter. Of course I care about her well-being. But odds are she brought this on herself.”

  “Are you fucking kidding me?” Dare had seen some hideous people in his time, but Molly’s father beat them all.

  “With that filth she writes and the way she—”

  As Dare stiffened in fury, Bishop trailed off.

  Through his teeth, Dare gritted out, “It is not her fault.”

  “This is absurd.” Bishop dismissed the topic with a shake of his head. “I’m not going to continue this conversation with you. I don’t even know your name.”

  Straightening to his full height, Dare glared down at him. “But I know yours, Bishop. And if I find out you had anything to do with Molly’s abduction, I’ll damn well take you apart, piece by piece.”

  His mouth fell open in disbelief. “You’re threatening me?”

  Bishop obviously couldn’t believe such a notion.

  “I’m explaining the facts to you.”

  Umbrage stiffened the older man’s spine. “I don’t have to listen to this.”

  As he turned away, Dare said, “Fact number one is that Molly is coming home.”

  That stalled Bishop in his tracks.

  “She needs to know who did this to her. And so do I. The best way to find that out is to confront people.”

  “That’s outrageous! Good God, man, you don’t brag about it when you’ve been defiled. You show some common decency and you cover it up.”

  “Fact
number two,” Dare said, speaking over Bishop’s protestations, “is that Molly isn’t going to hide anything—but you are.”

  He bristled at the order. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. What is it you think I need to hide?”

  “That we’ve met, that you know Molly is safe with me and that I’m hunting for the one responsible. You aren’t going to say a word about this to anyone. No one is to know about Molly, not until she or I tell them.”

  Bishop narrowed his eyes and pointed a finger at Dare’s chest. “You do not dictate to me.”

  “Yeah, I do.” Dare stepped closer until that rigid finger touched him. Bishop jerked his hand away and retreated, but Dare didn’t allow that.

  He caught Molly’s father by the front of his shirt. “Because, Bishop, fact number three is that you don’t want to be on my bad side. I can destroy you. I will destroy you if you cross me on this.”

  Squirming to get free, Bishop feigned courage that he didn’t possess. “You don’t know who you’re talking to. I am not a man you can bully.”

  “That’s a claim I can put to you, Bishop.” Dare knew the slow show of his teeth looked like pure evil. “I have contacts in businesses that you can’t even imagine. I have friends in high places, and better friends in low places. No matter what you do or where you crawl away to, I have ways of getting to you. Cross me, and I will obliterate you, Bishop, socially, financially and personally.”

  Teeth gritted, Bishop tried to knock Dare’s hand away, but couldn’t. “Just who the hell are you?”

  “I’m the person who knows all about you.” He dragged him closer, up onto his tiptoes until their noses almost touched. “I know about your summer house, and your apartment in the city. I have access to your various accounts, a detailed record of your worth and a list of all your business acquaintances.”

  Breathless, fearful, Bishop whispered, “You’re bluffing.”

  “I don’t waste time bluffing.” Digging up info on Bishop Alexander had been insanely easy for Trace. “I know you’re cheating on your wife and on your girlfriend. You’re considering an offer to sell part of your company, without telling any of the shareholders. You have a dental appointment in two days, and you just bet two grand on the outcome of your golf game.”

  Bishop went pale, gasping like a fish out of water. “How…?”

  “Even better, you don’t know jack shit about me, do you? Where I live, how I get my info, when I’ll be back…or if you’ll see me when I do return.” After that ominous threat, Dare released him with a small shove. “I don’t like you, Bishop. You’re a shitty father, a cheating husband and an unscrupulous businessman.”

  “I… I…”

  Dare shook his head. “Save your breath. I don’t care about your excuses or justifications. Just know this—I want answers, and they better be truthful.”

  “But…” With a fleeting look around, Bishop appealed to Dare. “We can’t stay here. People are starting to take notice of us.”

  Like he gave a shit? Being around Bishop soured his stomach and quadrupled his sympathy for Molly.

  “Believe me, I don’t want to extend this visit any longer than I have to.” In fact, he was damned anxious to start the drive back to see Molly. He’d wasted a good portion of the day waiting for Bishop to finish his game, and he still had a little more surveillance to do. Hell, by the time he finished, it’d be late, much later than he’d first intended.

  He glanced at his watch. Was Molly lonely? Worried? Without him there, would she have another episode of near panic? He’d have to check in with Chris…. No.

  Never before had he been a person to fret, and he damn well wasn’t going to start now. Molly was a strong woman, and she was in good hands with Chris. If anything had happened, Chris would have called.

  The glare he put on Bishop had the man swallowing hard. “This will take less than five minutes,” Dare told him, “as long as you’re straight with me. If not…well, then, we can be here all fucking day.”

  “Fine.” Trying to regain his aplomb, Bishop rested a hip on the hood of Dare’s SUV and attempted a cavalier pose. “Let’s get this over with, then.”

  That Bishop kept trying to take charge should have sent Dare’s temper to the breaking point; instead it reinforced just how obnoxious and pretentious the man was.

  How the hell did Molly stand him? Had she gained her incredible willpower through necessity, from dealing with such a cold, uncaring father? Dare thought of her mother’s suicide, and how Molly’s life must’ve been after that loss.

  Molly’s choices had been to be strong, or take the same path as one of her parents. She’d chosen strength.

  And damn, he admired her as much as he wanted her.

  “You had questions?” Bishop prompted.

  Shaking off his distraction, Dare said, “Molly’s boyfriend. What do you know of him?”

  “Who?” Looking genuinely perplexed, Bishop asked, “Do you mean Adrian?”

  Unwilling to give Bishop any guidance, Dare didn’t reply.

  His silence impelled Bishop to continue. “They’re not together anymore, which is a shame, but to my knowledge that’s the last man she dated.” Bishop pretended to give it some thought.

  Dare wasn’t fooled. “You’re pushing your luck.”

  “I don’t know that much about him. He seemed pleasant enough. Successful.” Bishop shrugged. “He owns property, his own business.”

  “He owns a bar, but he’s hocked up to his eyebrows—and you’d know that, too, Bishop. No way in hell would you have let your daughter date anyone without doing a background check. You’re too protective of your own interests to risk letting anyone seedy in the door.”

  Provoked, Bishop snapped, “If you already knew, then why are you bothering me?”

  “Judging your honesty—and so far you’re failing.”

  Taking that as a threat, Bishop rushed to say, “Fine. He was a graspy little worm who no doubt dated Molly for my money. But I wasn’t worried.”

  “Because even Molly won’t see a dime?”

  In his own defense, Bishop said, “She does well enough for herself.”

  But she hadn’t always. When she was a little girl with hopes and dreams, all she’d had was Bishop, and it broke Dare’s fucking heart. “You’re talking about the writing career that you scorn?”

  “I did not raise her to indulge in vulgar means of entertainment.”

  From what Dare could tell, Bishop hadn’t really raised her at all. “Like whoring, cheating and gambling, you mean?” Those were Bishop’s sins, and they had not been passed on to the daughter.

  Umbrage darkened Bishop’s complexion. “Are we through here?”

  Dare shook his head. “Tell me about Natalie.”

  “What do you want to know?”

  That Bishop didn’t even make a pretense of trying to protect his youngest daughter didn’t surprise Dare. The man would guard his own interests first and foremost. “Where is she?”

  “At this moment? I have no idea. She teaches, so she’s likely home by now. Probably grading papers or some related tedious task.” He caught Dare’s impatience and rushed on to say, “If you’re asking me where she lives, then you’ll find her in an apartment complex not far from Molly. The two of them have always been thick as thieves. For as long as I can remember, if one of them lied, the other one swore to it.”

  If they had lied, Dare would bet it was to protect one another. “And your wife?”

  Bishop shrugged. “At this particular moment, Mrs. Alexander would be presenting a grant to the Historical Society in Cincinnati.” He waved a hand. “She’s very into her little clubs and charitable affairs.”

  So far, Bishop was the sole unscrupulous family member. Not that Dare was done digging. “When did you realize that Molly was missing?”

  “When you trapped me here. Before that, I had no idea. My daughter and I don’t keep track of each other’s social calendars.”

  “Bullshit. You knew.”


  “I knew she was out of touch. I knew she was likely annoyed at me and therefore not returning her stepmother’s calls. But she travels without alerting me, and she’s always been independent.”

  Because she’d had no choice. “Didn’t Natalie notice?”

  Bishop looked at his nails. “Natalie did call me, concerned, but I had nothing to tell her, and neither did Kathi. I haven’t heard from her since, so I assume she came to the same conclusion that I did, that Molly was off on business with her book contracts.”

  “Or the movie deal?”

  Blank-faced, Bishop asked, “What movie deal?”

  Huh. So he really didn’t know about that. Dare had already determined that the man was a lousy liar; if he’d known, he couldn’t have hidden it.

  “I’ll be in touch, Bishop.” Dare wasn’t about to share Molly’s news. If she wanted him to know, she’d tell him herself. “When Molly calls you, you fucking well better answer. I don’t care what you have going on. Understood?”

  “Does this mean we’re done?”

  “For now, yes.” Dare smiled again. “Don’t forget what I told you, Bishop. This never happened. Tell a single soul, and you’ll regret it.” Stepping around his SUV, Dare opened the driver’s door and started to get inside.

  For a second or two, Bishop stood there, unsure what to do. Finally he hissed low, “Why the hell are you even involved in all of this?”

  And Dare couldn’t resist. He knew it was a mistake, knew he was acting out of character, that if he was truly in control he’d stick with the plan and drive away.

  But he couldn’t.

  Slowly he closed the door and came back toward Bishop.

  Sensing that he’d erred, Bishop tried to backpedal, but he wasn’t fast enough. Dare grabbed him by the front of his shirt.

  The older man screeched when Dare slammed him up against the hood of his car. “You try my patience, Bishop. That’s a very dangerous thing to do. Don’t let it happen again.”

  With that warning, Dare shoved Bishop from him, forcing him to stumble before he gathered his composure and staggered away, taking his temper out on the valet who had yet to retrieve his car.

  Dare had learned more than enough, for now. He got in the SUV, put it in gear and drove out of the club’s lot. Rage continued to simmer inside him, making him clench his jaw and lock his teeth. He wanted to see Molly. He wanted to hold her and tell her how sorry he was for her lot in life.