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Between Bettencourt’s stone face and the terms of the contract, he wasn’t overselling it.
I’m not entirelyinmy body, but some of the gut feelings are breaking through. It’s bad timing. I can’t afford to lose my nerve and I absolutely can’t afford to let Bettencourt sense weakness.
He sits up, folding his hands on the desk. “Traditionally, the contracts are signed at the initiation. That’ll give you some time to sort out your loyalties.”
“Loyalties?”
Bettencourt purses his lips, looking every bit the disappointed father except for the black, angry flash across his eyes. “We had an agreement. You’ve already broken it.”
You can join the consortium.
But?
You join it alone. Not with Elise.
And then:Stay away from her. Whatever game you two are playing is done. It’s your place with us, or it’s her. I won’t negotiate.
I’d agreed.
I agreed, and then I took Elise home and broke her heart.
“You’re tailing me.” I watch Bettencourt for his answer. He doesn’t shake his head, but there it is, all the same. “Oh. You’re watching your daughter. Probably since she left home. How far does it go? A private investigator? Cameras across the street? A mic in her apartment?” I tilt my head like this is a cocktail party and we’re playing a fun guessing game. “Does she know how fucked up her Daddy is? She might, I suppose. That’s probably why she left.”
I don’t want to find anything about Bettencourt fascinating. It’s against my will that I notice the smile. It never reaches his eyes. He’s cold, down to the core. Nothing in his heart but balance sheets. That, and an obsession with power and control. That’s what gets him off. That’s why he’s been watching Elise for two years, even while he claimed she was useless to him.
“She knowsexactlyhow fucked up I am.” His hands go to his chest. “Elise is my firstborn daughter. She’s just like the man who made her. The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. I’m sure you’ve heard that before. People used to say that about your father. That his sons would turn out just like him.”
I want to strangle him. I want to leap across the desk, put my hands around his neck, andcrush. I want to leave this office destroyed and bloody and, if possible, on fire.
Elise is nothing like him.
And I’m nothing like my father. I wish I was. I wish I was good enough to forgive and forget. I wish I’d never allowed myself to learn anything in the alleys. Not how to stay alive. Not how to please people. Not how to fuck, for God’s sake. I wish I could have forced myself to stop when we didn’t need the money, but I never did.
“He would be disappointed, then. My father was a principled man. He wouldn’t like the lengths I’ve gone to for the consortium.”
“And you haven’t gone toanylengths yet. You haven’t done a single thing to prove yourself.” He’s musing. Thoughtful. “Oh, it doesn’t matter, does it? You’ll have your chance at initiation.”
“Does Elise know about that, too?”
“My daughter knows what I taught her. You don’t need to worry about her, Gabriel. She’ll be coming back to the fold.”
“Back to the consortium, you mean.”
“She’ll be coming back tome. And not as your whore. Elise will be more powerful than you’ll ever be.”
It’s not the blow he thinks it is. I’ve been fighting for any semblance of power since I was fifteen. Once someone takes it from you, it’s almost impossible to get it back in any real way. Oh, I have money. I can command the attention in a room. But inside, where no one can see, I know what those things are.
Illusions.
They’re not real.
I taste the reality of weakness like metal in my mouth. Elise might go back to the consortium. Her father might give her an illusion of power. But if she’s one of them—if she’s one ofus—then she’s going down, too.
I stand up and extend my hand. My skin crawls at the prospect of touching him again, but I don’t waver. “I look forward to congratulating her.”
Bettencourt stands up, too. “If she makes it. She’ll need to prove herself, too. We’ll be in touch.”
I feel his eyes on me as I leave.
