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“Because I think she regretted the abortion right after, and she’s regretted it every day since. It was a hard time for her.”
I let her words sink in, forcing my face to stay neutral. “I guess,” I mutter. “Look, you go. I’ll bring her home soon. I still have some work for her to do.”
Rosey jumps up. “Okay, whatever.”
I wait patiently for Meli to return. When she does, she looks relaxed, but I’m in a mood and I know I should just take her home before I say something I regret, but I’m too worked up. “The whole kid thing,” I begin, and she rolls her eyes, “is it just because you don’t want them with me, or you don’t want them at all?”
“At all,” she confirms.
“You’ve never wanted them, not with anyone else?”
She looks confused. “No.”
“Not even with Grim?” I snap.
She eyes me for a second. “Not even with Grim.”
“Is that why you got rid of his kid?” I shout. “Or was it out of spite because he loved your sister?”
A range of emotions pass over her face . . . hurt, disappointment, and anger. “You’re a dick,” she mutters, grabbing her bag. Albert comes in, with Jolene right behind him.
Meli goes to leave, but Jolene puts her arm across the door. “You need to be here for this part.”
“I really don’t,” snaps Meli.
Jolene shuts the door, so she can’t leave. “What the fuck are you doing?” I snap.
“She’s got her security waiting downstairs,” Albert warns.
“I don’t give a fuck,” I yell. “You’ve lost your mind if you think you can walk into my office and take control.”
“That’s the problem with you men,” Jolene begins. “You all think I’m incapable. Like a woman can’t run business as good as you men.”
“If this is some bullshit talk about feminism, I’m not interested,” I snap. “I want my deal back with Chai.”
“We all have to get used to disappointment, Arthur. I planned on dragging this out a lot longer. I wanted you to fall for me naturally, but you’ve forced my hand with all your snooping antics. I mean, really, smashing up Donnie’s bar first thing?” She shakes her head like she’s the one disappointed.
“You think because your brothers died and you inherited a few businesses, you’re ready to take on the world?” I ask, laughing. “You can’t handle it.”
“Oh, Arthur, Arthur, Arthur,” she says with a heavy sigh. “I’ve been running the show all along. The ‘man’ you’ve been looking for is me.”
I let her words sink in, waiting for her to crack a smile and tell me she’s joking. But she doesn’t. “Bullshit,” I mutter. All the pieces begin to click into place and the realisation that she’s been running things all along hits me like a freight train.
“It was easier for you to believe I was having a threesome with the Palmer brothers rather than running them. You were so easily fooled. You believed the gossip rather than checking the facts. It makes you sloppy.”
“You had your brothers killed,” mutters Albert. “That’s how you knew about the acid.”
I pull my gun from my drawer, and Jolene smiles. “I wouldn’t if I was you.”
“You’re not the one with the gun,” I say.
“I don’t need one,” she says confidently. “If anything happens to me, your lovely ma pays the price.”
I pause, my hand resting on the cold metal. “What?”
“You heard right. Your brothers really shouldn’t have left her alone today.”
“You fuckin—”
