A Little Bit Ninja

8: Spawn of a Nut Job (Revised)

And so he did. He explained how his “step-surrogate-guardian/dad” saw me as the spitting image of his deceased wife, when she was my age, and concluded that I must be the child he believed was dead all these years. No amount of arguing could convince him otherwise, and he was determined to make up for lost time.

“And he thought I would just skip right out of my life and come play daddy-daughter dates with him? Is he on crack?” I rolled my eyes at the thought.

“He is a very determined man and what he decides…is law.” He shrugs his shoulders.

“What, and nobody can talk reason into him? How could he think that a girl he kidnapped would ever want to be anywhere near him?”

Anton shrugged again. And it didn’t escape my notice that he didn’t make denials about crack. That might have explained a lot. 

“I think, he thinks he’s correcting a wrong and that you’ll view it that way eventually. People usually come around to his way of thinking.”

I got the implicit meaning behind it. When others didn’t see sense on their own, they were forced to. The more I thought about this guy, the more I didn’t want to ever meet him.

“So is this what you do for fun? Your dad’s grunt work?” I was trying to be snide, but it rolled right off him.

“No, I really surprised him when I volunteered. I’ve never done a job for him before.” I just frowned at him in disbelief.

“Like I said, I wanted to meet you, and the other goons that he would have sent would not have been as nice—or as attractive—as me.”

“If I’m this guy’s daughter, wouldn’t he be mad if I got hurt?”

“Well yeah, but as long as it isn’t permanent injury it can be filed under the ‘whatever is necessary’ category. But as long as you come willingly, no harm will come to you.”

I rolled my eyes so far back that they might have stuck there permanently. Ant must have been as crazy as his step-dad if he thought they will ever get me to go with them under my own will power.

“And what happens when I escape eventually and go to the police?”

Because if they do succeed in dragging me to this guy, they would have to keep me chained in a cell for the rest of my life to keep me from getting back home to my brother. And even then I’d eventually find a way. Determination is my superpower, remember?  

“You won’t get anywhere with them,” he smirked at me. “We’ve got our resources on the inside.”

“Well, what about my real dad then? He will tear the world apart one brick at a time and won’t stop looking until he finds me.”

This was not hyperbole. My dad was abroad for business deals almost all the time, but I was his baby girl. He would move heaven and earth if I asked him to. And if anybody messed with me, heaven help that poor soul.

And Abe. I couldn’t leave him. He would go ballistic. Seriously. Ballistic. I was his last limb.     

“You don’t know who you are dealing with Jadie,” Anton said, turning my face to look at him.  

Why did he keep calling me Jadie? Only my inner circle had permission to call me that. Kidnappers definitely didn’t qualify. I snorted, and rolled my eyes at him again.

“You think I’m joking?” His voice was rising in volume. “The Boss is a decent guy to those on his good side, but he is absolutely ruthless when it comes to those who cross him. Think about your ‘real’ dad. You have no idea how bad it would turn out for him if he stepped in this mess. We have much more in our arsenal than a simple businessman does.”