“Yes,” I agree. “Let’s end it tonight.”
We start playing, and the game is quickly intense. I lose track of time. My father pulls a chair up to sit between us. My mother tries to get us to break for dinner. But Derek and I stare at the board and soon I am backed into a corner. Derek’s gaze meets mine. “You could always sacrifice your queen and let her die a royal death. Would it—would she—be worth it to win?”
My blood runs cold, the threat against Emily clear. I am about to reach in my pocket and remove the tape I made of him at Teresa’s house the other night when my father leans in close and says, “If anything happens to Emily, Derek, I will disinherit you. And I mean anything, so you damn sure better hope a natural disaster doesn’t happen.” He reaches into his pocket and sets a piece of paper on the board. “There’s the amended page. It’s done. She’s one of us now and we protect her.”
“Why do you care about Emily?”
I might be shocked at my father’s actions, obviously planned to be a part of this night, but his motivation is clear to me. He wants my support to take down Mike, which means he’ll protect what is mine. His answer, however, is more simply his own, typical of who he is, and always has been. “Because only pussies use their women to fight their wars. Real men, Brandon men, fight one-on-one.”
Derek stands up and so do I, but my gaze lands on the empty spot where Emily no longer sits. I forget about my brother and my father, cutting around them to find Emily is not in the room. Nor is she with my mother, who is standing by the fireplace. She lifts a finger to point toward the door, the look on her face warning me that Emily had reacted to the exchange that just took place. Exiting the library, I search the foyer and the kitchen, my gut telling me she’s outside. Sure enough, she’s standing under a tree in the center of the yard, and she hasn’t even bothered with her wrap. Concerned, I walk to her but she doesn’t turn when I know she must hear my steps.
“Emily,” I say, stepping in front of her, my hands settling against her neck, under her hair. “What’s wrong?”
“Your brother threatened to kill me.”
“I don’t think that’s what he meant.”
“Your father did. What are we doing here? What is happening?”
I press my forehead to hers. “We’re okay. You’re okay.”
“I think I need you to promise that right now.”
“I promise.”
In that moment, I know I should offer to send her away again, but I can’t find the words. I can’t send her away. No matter how selfish it makes me, I need her too much to let her go. And if I have to use the tape I made to protect her, even at the expense of Derek’s life, I will. Without question and for the first time, I can say it without guilt. I know that means that this war has changed me. I know that winning it—which I must—will change me even more. But I am also certain that I won’t lose myself, as long as I don’t lose Emily.
Also by Lisa Renee Jones
Hard Rules
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
New York Times and USA Today bestselling author LISA RENEE JONES is the author of the highly acclaimed Inside Out series, which is now in development for a cable television show to be produced by Suzanne Todd (Alice in Wonderland). In addition, her Tall, Dark, and Deadly series and The Secret Life of Amy Bensen series both spent several months on the New York Times and USA Today lists. Since beginning her publishing career in 2007, Lisa has published more than forty books translated around the world. You can sign up for email updates here.
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CONTENTS
TITLE PAGE
COPYRIGHT NOTICE
CAST OF CHARACTERS
CHAPTER ONE
CHAPTER TWO
CHAPTER THREE
CHAPTER FOUR
CHAPTER FIVE
CHAPTER SIX
CHAPTER SEVEN
CHAPTER EIGHT
CHAPTER NINE
CHAPTER TEN
CHAPTER ELEVEN
CHAPTER TWELVE
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
CHAPTER NINETEEN
ALSO BY LISA RENEE JONES
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
COPYRIGHT
This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.
DAMAGE CONTROL. Copyright © 2017 by Lisa Renee Jones. All rights reserved. For information, address St. Martin’s Press, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10010.
www.stmartins.com
Cover design by Kerri Resnick
Cover photographs: chess pieces © Michael H/Getty Images; man © Viorel Sima/Bigstock
The Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available upon request.
ISBN 978-1-250-08383-8 (trade paperback)
ISBN 978-1-250-08387-6 (e-book)
e-ISBN 9781250083876
Our e-books may be purchased in bulk for promotional, educational, or business use. Please contact the Macmillan Corporate and Premium Sales Department at 1-800-221-7945, extension 5442, or by e-mail at [email protected].
First Edition: February 2017
Damage Control Page 26
