“No, seriously,” Aiden said. “I’ll do it.”
“Not a chance. You can stay here and make sure she doesn’t go hunt the guy down. I have to go hunt down a different one, and if we both go, we would be out all night looking for her and hiding a body.”
She grinned. “If you don’t want me to do it, I can send you his address. You can swing by.”
“Did he do anything to you besides run out of the restaurant because you scared the man to death?”
“No,” she growled with a curl of her lip. “You two are the worst.”
The motorcycle shop we ran in front of the building had closed hours ago, and now we would spend the night dealing with the other side of our business. The less than legal side, which made us the majority of our money.
I shoved my helmet on and started up my bike. The beautiful murdered out R1 which, currently, was the love of my life. A perfect midnight black that blended me into the night whenever I needed, which would be helpful tonight. I shot off a text to the guy I paid to keep tabs on Elliot, and he quickly let me know Elliot would be attending an art exhibit for a date.
My lip curled. Elliot’s family was as rich as they came, but he thought he could skip out on the fifteen thousand dollar gambling debt he had with us. Yet he’s spending his Saturday night at some uptight, highbrow art exhibit trying to get laid.
What an asshole.
I headed towards downtown, but I turned off when I recognized the road, taking a quick detour.
Cameron Fletcher’s mansion rose in the night, the lights on it a beacon of wealth and regality. He thought of himself as a king,and he had enough money he could buy the title somewhere. Being so narcissistic, he probably already had.
The vivid image of my childhood home in flames hit me, the smell of burning wires and wood making my stomach churn. I hated to think burning flesh had been mixed in, too. Then the harsh chemical scent as we made it out of the garage, Evie’s cries and screams as she tried to cough the smoke from her lungs.
And maybe the worst image of all of them. The one burned in my brain and always seemed to appear at the worst times, my parents trapped in the flames as I stood outside.
Now here he was. The man who did it had locked himself up safely inside his own home.
Karma never came for the man who took everything from me. The horrible things he had done never came to bite him in the ass. They say people in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones, so Cameron Fletcher took that advice and built a stone house. He kept everything sealed and impenetrable so karma couldn’t get to him, and it had worked.
Until now.
Until I grew up and decided I wouldn’t wait for fate to intervene.Iwould be his karma.
And nothing made me happier than planning to burn his life to the ground, exactly like he had done to mine.
Two
Regan
Iwanted to slouch back on the stiff couch, but it wasn’t designed for it. Every piece of furniture in my dad’s office felt like this—stiff, expensive, and antique. It demanded perfect posture, so I sat up straight, enduring the discomfort while my dad outlined my to-do list for the next two weeks.
As he listed each event, I realized how little I would be needed at each one. They were all for him and his business. Sometimes, it felt like I was taking up space, contributing nothing, and the embarrassment of it made me want to hide. But for him, I would always do it.
My dad ran the largest security company in the city. I had dreamed of taking over one day since the moment he told me how much a family legacy meant to him. It’s why I gave up any dream I had of going to art school and went to a top college to get my business degree, hoping he’d give me a chance. But now he seemed more focused on growing his business than preparing me to inherit it. And with his illness, I couldn’t demand more.
He had told me last year, and we knew the illness would kill him. He had amyloidosis, a condition which would eventually shut down his organs. Treatment only prolonged his life. Wehad come to terms with it over the past year, but I wanted every minute with him to count. His success remained unmatched, and I wanted to learn everything, but he hadn’t let me start yet. I had taken all the right steps, but he still seemed to think I wasn’t ready. Maybe he wanted a perfect legacy left, or he didn’t want to face me taking over one day anyway, but I still needed to learn.
The tasks he had given me were usually along the lines of going to parties and smiling for everyone in town he might know. A new way to keep him on their mind without him having to lift a finger, and I had agreed to keep doing it, but I hated going. The crowds, the small talk, the looks expecting me to say something smart and funny only made me freeze with anxiety. I rarely spoke to people because I didn’t know anyone, and besides those parties, he didn’t love me going out. The one he continued droning on about now was apparently another extremely important dinner party coming up soon that would be filled with clients and partners of his business that I needed to help keep happy.
I tried not to roll my eyes. I felt worth more than sitting around here. I wanted challenges, I wanted adventure, and I wanted a life more than sitting around my house. If he would realize I’m capable of more. He kept running himself to the ground and I knew no doctor could be approving of it. I didn’t know if his health or the stress caused it, but he didn’t seem to want me to leave as much. Still, I listened, hoping to make him see I could help him.
I could do…things. I wasn’t exactly sure what he would need me to do, but I still felt confident I could learn.
He continued talking, going on about how he wouldn’t let us miss a single event since he had decided to run for mayor next year. It felt like he tried to pack an entire life into the next few years. I tried to understand and be there for it all, but sitting there and looking pretty for parties was burning me out.
“Those are all fine with me,” I said, knowing my agreeing would at least let me get out of the house tonight. “I have plans tonight with Elliot. There’s a new art exhibit we are going to.”
“Fine. Fine,” he said, shuffling through a few more papers. “I’ll see you tomorrow at some point.”
