by Mary Martel
Well, wasn’t that a relief?
My shoulders relaxed, and I blew out a breath, not realizing until that moment how tired I really was. And I knew my night had only just begun.
“Thanks, guys.” I really meant that shit. Dismembering bodies and putting the parts in a barrel full of acid until they were picked up by a cleaner didn’t exactly sound like my version of a good time. It never was.
I went to take a step away from the mess when a barely there touch landed on my shoulder and disappeared. I looked back over my shoulder and directly into Rancher’s eyes.
“Your girl,” he asked and paused, seeming to wait for some sort of response from me. I inclined my head slightly, and he continued, “You’re going to have to draw a line somewhere when it comes to her. Your mother was before my time, but we all know what kind of man your father is. You are not your father. Figure out whether you want her in or out, and if she’s in, then my advice would be not to lie to her. If she’s in, you should tell her what your plans are for her mother. If she’s out, that’s cool too, maybe not the wisest choice or even the one I would choose, but you’ll need to keep her in the dark on everything if that’s your choice. She can’t be half in, half out. That’s not exactly safe for her and you damn well know it. Just be smart, Franklin, and know we’ll have your back with whatever you choose. Now go get cleaned up, your father won’t thank you if you keep him waiting much longer. The sun’s already come up, so if you’re lucky, you can catch him before he goes to bed and won’t have to wait at the mansion until midafternoon when there are better things we both know you could be doing with your time.”
As a rule, we didn’t talk about my mother. None of my father’s soldiers did, so it was a little strange to hear him talking about her now. Though he’d made one thing very clear. They both understood exactly what Gem was to me and what she’d eventually become to them. The rest of it I didn’t care about. Gem would know as much as she wanted to know, and she’d never be anything but safe. I’d make sure of it and I’d kill anyone who even so much as threatened that.
Rancher grunted as he shoved his arms underneath the traitor’s shoulders and hefted the man up. “Fucking fat man,” he groaned. “Bronco, get over there and pick up his legs. Fuck, brother, make yourself useful for once in your pathetic life.”
Bronco swore viciously at his brother, and I walked away from them laughing. They were behind me and they’d do as I asked. I could finally cross another worry off my list.
Gem’s cunt of a mother was going to find herself in good hands, and before she knew it, her life would be falling apart right before her eyes.
Fuck yes, things were finally looking up around here.
I showered in the locker rooms showers we had here and got dressed in the clothes I had stored in my locker. I always kept spare clothes on hand in my locker for times just like these. There was a lady who came in and cleaned out the showers and toilets, she also did the laundry. I left my dirty, bloody clothes on the floor in front of my locker, knowing she’d pick them up and clean them for me, and when she hung them back up in my locker, there’d be no sign of the blood splatter.
The woman was a goddamn miracle worker. She also got paid in cash and knew how to keep her mouth shut so she was perfect for the job.
I didn’t know where my father found these people, but he had someone for everything.
I checked my phone before sticking it in my pocket. Two text messages from Gem. One saying goodnight and that Riley had stayed over. That one had me grinding my teeth and wanting to throw my phone against the wall, even though I’d asked him to stay with her. It still pissed me off. I was glad she wasn’t alone but damn, I really wanted to be the one spending the night with her. That was my job. The second text was Gem saying good morning and wishing me a good day.
That one made me smile. She was thinking about me even with Riley there.
I put my phone in my pocket without responding to her. I didn’t want to engage her because she’d just text me right back, and it would have me putting off what I needed to do for the rest of the day and driving right back to her stupid beach house so I could be with her.
She was like the best kind of drug I’d ever encountered. I always wanted more and more and more. Sometimes I was afraid she’d get scared by my intensity and try to run away from me. She never did, and it just made me want her even more.
The body was nowhere to be seen by the time I made it back to the main room in the warehouse. The blood had been scrubbed away from the floor and the chair had been righted, sitting in the middle of the room empty, lonely even, simply waiting for the next poor motherfucker to come and sit in it.
The boys worked fast. I just hoped they had the same work ethic when it came to Gem’s mom.
I almost felt sorry for them.
This place didn’t feel like home anymore. I wasn’t sure it had for a very long time now.
Home was now several hours away at a house on the beach with a mint-haired girl who owned my heart… and our new pet.
I found my father in the dining room. He sat at the head of the outrageously long table, sipping some relaxing tea from a dainty cup I knew cost a whack, with his iPad on the table in front of him. Going through his emails and working, no doubt.
He’d had the same routine for years. He worked late into the night and usually went to bed after the sun came up. Then he’d sleep until the early afternoon, get up, and have breakfast all alone at the big table like an asshole who refused to eat at the breakfast table in the kitchen. He never ate in there because the servants were usually in there, and he didn’t like to be around them.
My father could be an asshole, that was for sure.
I’d caught him before going to bed. His tie had been removed. The top three buttons on his shirt were undone, and his jacket rested over the back of his chair.
He gave off the false air of being relaxed and approachable. I knew different.
I approached him and pulled out the seat on his right. He didn’t bother looking up from his iPad as I sat down in the chair and rested my hands together on the table.
In my head, I kept hearing his words, telling me that if I didn’t figure my shit out with Gem then I’d have to let her go. Yeah, he really understood she was going through a tough time, and got why I’d want to be there for her and spend my time with her. Yeah, absolute bullshit.
I felt like he hadn’t just been threatening me with a lesson, a painful reminder, of my duty to him and the family business. No, it was more than that because he’d been the one to bring her up when we’d never talked about her before ever. Not even when she’d been at the house with him here. I kept her away from him and he never brought her up. He’d so far been smart enough to keep her name out of his mouth.
He’d fucked up the moment he left that voice message on my phone. And I wasn’t going to let him ever forget it.
When he continued to ignore me, I got pissed. “Rancher and Bronco are working a job for me. You don’t need to know what that job is, and they won’t be checking in with you. You don’t need to worry about it or them, I’ve got it covered.”
That did it.
Finally, I had his attention.
His cup landed in the saucer with a clatter, and he closed the cover on the iPad case. He placed his elbows onto the table, leaned forward, and steepled his fingers together in front of his chin.
He looked so at ease. So approachable. It was all a lie, a show I didn’t know why he bothered putting on for me. I saw past his mask to the real man lurking just beneath the surface. I wasn’t impressed and I’d seen worse.
“You dare sit at my table and tell me what my men are doing or not doing?” he asked in a deceptively soft, calm voice. When I was younger, this voice used to scare the ever loving shit out of me. I wasn’t a little boy anymore and I’d long since ceased being afraid of him.
My daddy issues were all kinds of fucked up.
I shrugged, as if I didn’t have a care in the
world. “Your men, my men. What’s the difference?”
Now I was just picking at him in an attempt to get under his skin. Riling him up wasn’t exactly smart, but fuck if I could stop myself or bring myself to care.
He’d crossed the line, so here I was returning the favor. Just how he’d taught me.
He slammed his fist down onto the table, making his stupid cup and saucer rattle. His eyes blazed with rage as he seethed at me.
“My men, son,” he spat at me. “Mine until I decide you’re ready to lead them, and even then they will always be loyal to me until the day I fucking die.”
I laughed, the sound making even the hairs on my skin stand on end. I sounded unhinged, like a fucking maniac. What I said next made it even worse. “If you’d like, I could arrange for you to die tomorrow. Or, we could just say fuck it, and I can bash your brains in with that stupid fucking cup. It makes no difference to me.”
He smirked at me and it wasn’t a pretty look. I knew because I’d seen the same look staring back at me in the mirror.
“Ah,” he gloated. “There’s my son. I was worried you’d let rich girl pussy distort your priorities.”
Rich girl pussy.
How fucking dare he?
I saw red and I completely lost control of myself. That was the only excuse I had for picking up that teacup and cracking it over the side of his head. The dainty, frail cup immediately shattered, sending shards of glass across his face and down on his shoulders.
“You little prick,” he snarled as he stood, pushing his chair back. The chair fell back and crashed to the rug on the floor with the pieces of the teacup.
I smiled at him as I stood up from my own chair and faced off against him. His forehead and right cheek were covered in angry red splotches, indicating the tea must have been hotter than I’d originally thought.
Good for him.
“Don’t ever threaten me with Gem again, or it’ll be the last thing you ever do,” I warned him. “Now, I’m moving out, and no, you can’t have my forwarding address. You have my number if you need to reach me for the business or jobs you need me to take on. For now we need some space. I’ll let you know when I’m ready to see you again. Until then, deuces, old man.”
I walked away from the table, ignoring his outrage. He kept telling me he’d kill me if I left this house again without his permission. He wouldn’t dare even try. My father’s way was the only way, and he was very traditional in the sense you passed things down from father to son.
Daughters were married off to someone whose alliance would strengthen your business. Sons were groomed to sit on the throne.
If he wanted me to be weak and subservient, even toward him, he should have raised me differently.
I emptied the safe in my closet into two suitcases and carried them out into the hall, sitting them down on the carpet beside my door. I filled several bags and another suitcase with clothes and carried it all out to the hallway beside the first two suitcases.
I cleaned out the bathroom, loading everything into a carry-on bag I always brought with me whenever I flew anywhere. When my bedroom had been emptied of everything personal and sat out in the hallway, I couldn’t believe it. I knew I had already told Gem I was moving in with her, but this was me officially moving out.
I had a sudden urge to light the place on fire just so I could watch it burn.
I carried suitcase after suitcase, bag after bag, down to the bottom of the stairs until only one bag remained outside of my bedroom. I picked it up and turned back toward the stairs. My father stood before me, blocking my path.
Fuck, I knew this had all gone far too easily and he wasn’t about to simply allow me to walk away from him.
“Get out of my way, old man,” I ground out through clenched teeth. My patience had run out. “I already told you I’m leaving, and you aren’t going to be able to stop me, so don’t even try it. You’ll only embarrass yourself.”
I’d had enough of his bullshit to last me for the rest of my life, and I needed to get back home to my girl. She’d been alone with her plaything for far too long now. I was jealous and getting twitchier by the second.
“You’re my son, and you aren’t going fucking anywhere until I tell you you’re allowed to leave,” he spat at me, making me scoff at him.
What the fuck ever, old man.
I’d like to see him try and stop me.
He reached for the suitcase and tried to rip it out of my hands. We struggled, grunting as we both wrestled over the handle. I wasn’t about to let go and lose to him, not this time.
I put my shoulder into his chest and plowed him backwards.
“Fucking get off me,” he snarled, spittle flying from his lips and landing on the side of my cheek. Dirty fucker.
He stumbled back, tripping over his own feet, and finally let go of the handle on the suitcase. Since he let go first, I felt smug in letting it go after him. The suitcase landed on the floor with a heavy thud, and the old man’s hands went to my shoulders and he tried to shove me back.
I was too strong for him and didn’t budge. I kept shoving him backwards toward the railing at the open landing before the mouth of the stairs.
“You think that little fucking spoiled rich bitch is going to want anything from you if she knows where you really come from, what it is you do, and where your money comes from?” He grunted and swung his fist at me, catching me in the head right above the ear.
It hurt like a motherfucker, and he’d clearly put as much of his weight as he could into it. Always a great fucking father.
I tried to pry his hands off me while kicking his feet out from underneath him. He didn’t want to let me go and wasn’t that the story of my fucking life. Once he got his claws in me, he thought he owned my ass until the end of time.
But time for him was about to run out because I’d had enough. The shit he just spouted about Gem had pushed me too far.
We were done here, and I was done with him, consequences be damned.
I kicked at his feet, harder this time now that we were right before the railing, and his legs went out from underneath him. His hands clawed at the front of my shirt, seeking purchase and something to hold on to.
I stared into his frantic eyes, completely fucking calm on the inside, as I put my hands on his shoulders and I shoved him backwards with all my might.
His eyes widened in horror as reality set in, and he toppled backwards over the railing, his feet going up over his head. His arms windmilled through the air as he dropped, and though his mouth remained open in a silent scream, no sound came out.
I watched impassively as the man responsible for spawning me fell to his death. He landed on the beautiful mosaic tiled floor with a sickening crunch. Something had been broken beyond repair.
Blood immediately began to pool around his head, and I hoped like hell he didn’t crack the tiles with his landing, because the fuckers had been imported from Spain and were irreplaceable. The whole flooring would need to be switched out if he’d ruined even one of the tiles, the insensitive fuck.
I grabbed hold of the railing with both hands and leaned over to stare down at his broken, no longer breathing but still bleeding, body.
The king was dead.
The throne now belonged to me, all I had to do was claim it.
And I was pissed because this meant I’d have to clean this shit up before I could get back to my girl and claim her in an entirely different way.
Fuck, but the old man made my life difficult for me even in death.
Chapter Sixteen
Amara, Riley’s Mother
Gem
Riley insisted on driving. Typical male in my life, he had to be the one in control. Though he claimed he should be the driver because, unlike him, I didn’t know where we were going.
The joke was on him, because I was going to make him drive me all the way back to my father’s house—well, I guessed one could call it the nannies’ house now—so I could drive my Vanquish back to my bea
ch house. I missed driving her, and I didn’t want to drive the Caddy everywhere now. The sucker was huge, and I worried the next time I had to parallel park the beast, I’d back into something and run it right over like a little plastic toy car.
Really, I was just spoiled and enjoyed having two cars to choose from and to drive around. My dad had a garage full of sweet, expensive cars that I knew the nannies would never touch because they all had their own rides and they’d never been allowed to touch his cars. They wouldn’t touch them now that he was gone. Maybe since they were all mine now, I would come back at a later time and take one of those babies home with me too.
Maybe Franks and Riley might each want one. Otherwise, I might have to sell them and that sounded a lot like work to me. And shit on that.
“Where to first?” I asked, as I manually rolled the window down in Riley’s truck.
Unbelievably, this heap did not have working air conditioning, and it was fucking hot outside today. I was already starting to sweat and was so thankful I’d thrown my hair up in a messy bun on top of my head, because this heat and humidity mixed with the air whipping around my head would have totally done a number on my hair and made it not only frizzy, but scary to look at as well.
“We should have taken my SUV,” I grumbled again for the second time in like two minutes.
I was whining, and I couldn’t seem to stop myself.
Franklin had never texted me back last night, and I texted him this morning letting him know everything was copasetic and he’d still not texted me back.
He was making me start to worry about him and it pissed me off.
I didn’t know what the hell his problem was or why he insisted I text him every single time I let out a fart when he couldn’t be bothered to text me back. It was stupid, and I childishly wanted to stop texting him and letting him know things were going good, but I wouldn’t do that to Franklin. He only demanded it of me because he was worried about me, but he didn’t realize it was a two-way street and that I worried about him too.
