Chapter Seven... "The Devil's Desire"

                                    

                                          
Ace, you are one cold-hearted, son of a bitch," Leo said as he barged into my office. Of course, it is only one person who can tell me that and still live.
"I second that."
Okay, now three. I'm surprised it took them this long. I was expecting them earlier, but now I know why it took them an hour to come here. They had to go get Steve.
Looking up at my right-hand man, Maria, and Steve, I arranged my paperwork neatly on my desk and readied myself for their tongue-lashing.
"Can I help any of you?" I said nonchalantly, looking straight into their eyes, daring any of them to continue the tongue-lashing. Realizing their position, they kept quiet, well, only Maria and Leo.
"Leave us," Steve said to them while he glared at me. When the door clicked shut behind him, he walked to the chair in front of my desk and sat down stiffly.
After two minutes of silence and glaring, two men waiting for who will back down, I finally spoke up. "Well, I know you have something to tell me. If you don't, you better get going."
"Fuck you, boy. I'll give you credits. You have the coldness of your father, the only man who could stand up to me," Steve bellowed.
"Well, what can I say, old man? At least I took after something good from my father before I killed him. This cold motherfucker doesn't give two fucks about what you think. And I know you, Leo, and Maria didn't pull all that drama to discuss my cold attitude or my father." My face grew even colder. I hated any conversation about my father. That vile man was not my father. He was just the man who donated his sperm to my mother, nothing more.
"My instructions were to protect and take care of my daughter, but that's not the kind of report I hear from Maria when I called to inquire about her health and welfare. Or is your concept of protection all about putting her under more trauma than she already is?" Steve ranted on, his voice increasing. I knew not to tempt the man too much, especially with his daughter, but he was just being paranoid over nothing and everything.
"Then why don't you carry her along out of my house? I'm sure you'll do a pretty good job of taking care of her," I retorted.
That statement had Steve rethinking. I was no fool. There were other qualified hitmen, professional bodyguards, and other drug lords who would be able to protect her, but he came to me. It was a calculated move, and whether it was intentional or not was none of my business. But I was sure going to use it against Steve. Not use it in a bad way. I'd use it as a passage to get what I want. That is who I am. A man who used the desperation and vulnerability of others for my power play. Steve is right. I am just like my father. My mother had an Achilles' heel, and my father used her vulnerable state however he liked. He bathed in her desperation and tears, and it only fueled him more. Seeing the frustrated look on Steve's face, I stood up and strolled to his side, smiling smugly.
"That's right, you won't," I taunted. "You can't because I'm the only one who can give her the maximum security she needs, and it drives you mad and angry because you want that opportunity. But it's impossible. Your long-lost daughter finally found, but you can't take her, not until she's safe enough to know that she's yours."
Steve slowly bowed his head in defeat, just like what I wanted.
Steve lost all the fight in him. He knew he had no other choice but to comply with whatever decision I make about his daughter. He never easily accepts defeat, but for his daughter, the evidence of the love he shared with Belinda, his wife, he would do anything to keep her safe and alive.
"Fine. Keep her. Protect her, but for now, until I settle whatever this ruckus between me and The Mavericks is about," Steve grumbled. It might hurt his pride, but then he had to think about his daughter's life. "But I'll come back for her when this is all over, and I want her back. Unharmed. Unscathed." He warned.