Brannon had never been so frustrated and angry as he sat there watching his mate suffer. Hell, he even felt bad for Elias. The poor guy was just as confused and scared as Kasey. He couldn’t wait to get his hands on that bitch Artemis and make her pay for all she’d done.

“Layla, can I have a word with you, please?” Roberto said politely but with steel lining his voice.

Brannon watched as Layla winced at his request but nodded slowly. As soon as her father had called her name, she’d cowered into the scared child he’d first met. Over the last few days, he’d forgotten that about her. She’d blossomed and flourished under Kasey’s tutelage.

He watched them step into the hallway and smiled to himself. The big guy obviously didn’t know anything about shifter hearing.

“You don’t greet your father?”

“Sorry, I was distracted. How are you, Father?”

“I’m fine. Listen, I’ll keep this short and sweet. Stay away from that shifter. You’re already promised to another and I won’t have you screwing that up. Do you understand me?”

Layla nodded and wiped at the tears falling from her eyes. Brannon wanted to rip the man’s head off for upsetting her like that. Did he not care that he was destroying his daughter’s soul?

Brannon heard Caelan growl softly but remained where he was. Before he could say anything, the two of them reentered the room.

Isaac stepped closer, interrupting his glaring. “Can I have a word with you, in private, please?”

Brannon nodded and stood with Kasey in his arms. “Caelan, can you sit with her, please?” Once the other shifter was sitting, Brannon settled her next to him and placed a gentle kiss on her forehead.

“Private, please. I do know of your hearing capabilities,” Isaac said with a shrug.

“Fine, this way.” Brannon led the way down the hall to his office. As long as there was no shouting, they wouldn’t be overheard, unless of course, one of his friends came closer to the door. But that wasn’t any of his concern right now, finding out what his mate’s father wanted was.

“It’s obvious that you are my daughter’s true mate, correct?”

Brannon had to smile at the man’s abrupt question.

“Yes, I’ve spent the last few months trying to convince her to give me the time of day. It wasn’t until she finally admitted her secrets that I was allowed close enough to show her how I felt.”

“You don’t mind I’m her father or that she lied to you all?”

Brannon laughed. “Your line of work, your past, those things I mind. There is no doubt you love your daughter and have tried to do the best by her. I respect that. As to her secrets, I knew she was hiding something, but you’re wrong. She never lied to us, she hid, but never lied. I even confronted her on them. My biggest concern was I wouldn’t be able to keep her safe depending on what those secrets were. But no matter what, she’s my mate, my other half, my soul.”

“And your friends, what do they think about all of this? They can’t be happy she’s my daughter after all they’ve gone through with my men.”

“They don’t believe the sins of the father should be held against the daughter, so to speak, I mean. You told us you weren’t involved, even helped with Carly’s problem. That was a point in your favor. You never gave us any problems when your men were dealt with either. Which I confess surprised us all.”

Isaac shrugged. “I would have dealt with them if you hadn’t. You all just made it easier. You were protecting your people. I couldn’t and wouldn’t fault you for that. If it matters in the least, I wasn’t lying about going legit. I’ve been working on that for the last few years. As matter of fact, I failed to mention this the other night. I’ve done my research. I know about your clubs and bars. At the time, I couldn’t figure out how to include you in my plan. But with the help of Roberto, I have a proposal for you as well.”

“Stop there. Let me ask you a question that has been weighing on my mind since you brought this up.”

“I’ll be happy to answer anything you want.”

“Why are you giving everyone business? I can’t figure that out.”

“Simple. I know the best when I see it. I want the best. If it also helps ease the tensions between us—that’s an added bonus. But even if my daughter had no connection to you, I would have had my agent contact you about doing business.”

“And what’s your proposal for me?”

“Rumor has it you’re remodeling your club. I’d like you to expand your VIP section.”

Brannon cocked one eyebrow in amusement but didn’t respond. He was curious to see where Isaac was going with this.

“Like I said the other night, my clientele will be of a higher caliber and therefore will need special places to go without being mobbed by the paparazzi and fans and the such. I’d like to set up a service to bring my guests to your club where they can dance, drink, and have a good time safely. You’re a smart man. You can see the benefits of this, right? My guests will bring in people, they’ll spend a ton of money, and make your clubs a household name.”

“What if I tell you I don’t need more money or more notoriety for my clubs?”

Isaac smirked. “Fair enough. I’d still refer my clientele to your club, though. It is the best and will offer them the most freedom to have fun. But I do have another thing to discuss, business wise.”

“And that would be?” Brannon was surprised to find himself enjoying the banter with Isaac. He really hoped for Kasey’s sake that he did go legit.

“Inside my resort will be a small bar for those who don’t want to go out. I’d like to sublease it to you to run. You pay me a very small fee for the space, but you own, control and run everything in that space. The only thing I ask is that you, of course, stock Mountain Spirits, which I believe you already do at all your clubs anyway.”

“Can I get back to you on all this? I need some time to think, and to be honest, I have other bigger things on my mind at the moment. Namely my mate.”

“Yes, that’s what I really wanted to talk to you about. I just got sidetracked, but my wife should be here shortly.”

“What about Kasey?”

“You’re her mate. That means what exactly? I know a bit about shifters but confess to knowing little in this regard.”

“Simple enough. The fates decreed she is the only one for me. Once we’re mated, that’s basically a marriage in shifter talk. I’ll be hers forever.”

“So you can’t cheat on her?”

Brannon growled. “I couldn’t do that now. The thought makes me sick to my stomach, but once we’re mated, it’ll be even worse. If something were to happen to her, I’d shrivel up and die, too. She is my life, my heart, my everything. I will do whatever it takes to keep her safe and by my side.”

“Your friend, Kira, I believe her name is. She said she is now a shifter after mating with Luke, correct?”

Brannon nodded slowly, confused as to where that question came from.

“And my daughter? When she mates you?”

“Yes, there is a high probability she’d become a shifter, too. A wolf shifter to be specific.”

“Interesting, that explains a few things with Elias and my daughter, doesn’t it?” Isaac trailed off.

“Car’s pulling up,” Luke announced from the other side of the door. Finally, the truth was about to come out.

“Let’s greet my lovely wife and her friend, shall we?” Isaac said with ice dripping from each word as he left the office and led the way back to the living room where everyone was waiting in silence. Only a minute or two passed before Artemis stormed into the room with another lady hot on her heels.

“Isaac, what’s the meaning of this?” Artemis demanded. A second woman Brannon didn’t know followed Isaac’s wife through the front door.

“Mom?” Elias said. The woman looked scared to death and seemed glued to Artemis’s side, not even looking at her son.

“The DVD, Jonah?” Isaac said without even a glance at his wife or her friend.

“DVD? What DVD?” Artemis demanded.

Everyone ignored her and watched as Isaac handed Caelan the recordings to put in the player. “I’d start with the one that's labeled living quarters,” Jonah said. “I took a moment to flip through them for expediency.”

“That’s why you’re my trusted friend, Jonah. Thank you,” Isaac said as leaned against the wall and stared at the TV.

“What is this?” Artemis demanded as the TV lit up to show what Brannon assumed was a living room in Isaac’s home.