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Olivia's gaze burned with malice. “Haven’t you done enough?”
My shoulders sagged. She wasn't wrong. I'd failed to see in Lux what I'd witnessed happening to my sister all those years ago. That knowledge shredded my heart, each cut more painful than the last. I'd been prepared to love and honor Lux until the day I died, but I hadn't been ready for the possibility of her dying—and for the same reason as my sister.
Was it karma? Poetic justice? I didn't know and was too cowardly to find out. "You're right," I said. Turned on my heel and walked out.
THIRTY-TWO
Clint Gets His
RUSH
The rideback to the house in Key West was mournful. After gathering my things and hers, I abandoned the place, just as I'd abandoned her. But I couldn't bring myself to stay. Because I had done enough. She was sick because of me. And I’d be damned if I watched the woman, I loved die.
Revving up my bike, I took off. Rode through the night without stopping. Quicker and faster than the luxurious journey out to Key West. Just put my head down and drove. Despite my best efforts, my head was full of Lux, her secrets, and whether I would see her again alive. I wasn't a praying man, but I couldn't help lifting my head and pleading with the powers that be that Lux would live.
I pulled up at the garage, frowning at a light streaming from the entrance. "The fuck?" There would be hell to pay if I were being robbed tonight of all nights. I crept in silently. At the sight of Clint in the office, I ground my teeth together. Papers were strewn everywhere, and he was surrounded by them, unencumbered by his wheelchair, searching desperately for something.
I stole back outside and made a call before tiptoeing back along the same path. He hadn’t moved, muttering under his breath.
“You won’t find anything,” I said, rolling my shoulders back and lifting my chin, ready for a fucking fight.
Clint flinched, jerking the paperwork from his hands.
“Damn, Rush! You scared the shit out of me." He swallowed. "I've been calling you, but they went right to voicemail. I needed…”
“Needed what?” I crossed my arms over my chest and leaned against the door frame. I was interested to hear what sort of lies he’d tell.
“I needed…” Clint stopped and shook his head.
I stepped into the room. “What, Clint? Or are you having a hard time coming up with another lie?”
Clint’s jaws clamped together.
“I found everything, Clint. The invoices, the offshore account, the house. All of it.”
“Is that right?” He spoke with fury, but his face had paled.
“Did you think I wouldn't?” I grabbed hold of the collar of his uppity fucking polo shirt. “You thought you could rob me blind right under my nose.”
“I’d never do that. Not ever. Fuck, man. I was saving your money. Putting it aside, I know how you don’t like to deal with the business side of things. I put it offshore so the IRS couldn’t lay claim to it.”
I glared. The man was pathetic. I didn’t feel the anger I thought I would. There was only disgust and determination to get the man out of my life for good. My energies were wrapped up in Lux. “I trusted you. I believed you had my back, but all you did was steal and lie.”
“I didn’t. I’m a businessman. What I did was for your own good.”
I glanced down at the papers. “All this mess. It was just a distraction, wasn’t it?”
Clint’s tactics changed. “What did the bitch do with everything?”
Red flashed across my vision, and I didn't think. I just reacted. Punched the asshole square in the nose. Blood gushed from his face like a geyser. "Watch your mouth," I hissed with satisfaction. It felt good to get my anxieties out with physical activity.
Clint moaned, grabbing at his face as he fell back. "I think you broke it. You asshole!" He grabbed some tissues and wrapped his nose. "But you'll never be able to prove anything." His eyes told me he still believed he'd won.
"Thanks to Lux, I can prove everything," I said, jangling my keys in his face, specifically the USB I'd attached to it. “She’s all about the computer files, so it doesn't matter what you've done with the evidence. I have all I need right here.”
In the distance, sirens could be heard. Blue and red lights flashed outside the windows, illuminating Clint's terrified face.
“Rush,” he pleaded. "Please." He stood then, holding out one bloodied hand while the other held tissues to his nose. "I'll do anything. Do you want more money? I've got tons. You can have it all."
