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I couldn’t talk.
All this information, all coming at once were like blows against me.
“I’ve stepped in on your behalf.”
My gaze jerked to his. He liked that. He was loving the manipulation that was washing over me. He was thinking it was working, that I was too impressed, too scared to stand up, to speak against him, to do what I wanted. To leave this hotel room.
“Once Mr. Prestige was aware of the connection you and I have, he changed his mind. He changed his mind about other things as well.”
My stomach took a nosedive. Connection. What other things? What other ways had he been thinking of trying to hurt me? Hurt my mother?
I couldn’t stay here. I was going to be sick.
I tried to stand.
“You should remain sitting, Miss Williams.”
“No,” I choked out. I couldn’t. I had to get out. I started for the door, looking at it like a lifejacket on a sinking ship. I needed to hold on to something to keep from drowning.
“Ramsay!” he barked disapprovingly, but the door shoved open.
Scout was there, and he was seething.
83
SCOUT
Ramsay was pale as a ghost. All the blood was drained from her face, and I’d never seen such panic in her eyes before. She took one look at me and stuttered to a stop. “Scout.”
She even sounded weak.
He did that.
I moved past her, locked on my grandfather, who was behind her.
“What the fuck? You don’t get to talk to her. You don’t get to look at her. You don’t get to breathe the same air as her.” I was still going at him, but Ramsay got in front of me.
“Scout.”
“His real name isn’t Scout.” He laughed. He fucking laughed, all condescending. “It’s an insult to your family, insisting on using the name that man gave you.”
“Shut up before I come over and break your face.” I was two seconds from doing it, fuck the consequences.
God. If he’d hurt her—
Cold rage filled my veins. If he had hurt her. . .
“Did he hurt you?” Her hands were on my chest, and she began walking me back. I resisted. The thought of him in a room alone with Ramsay was maddening. He didn’t get to know anything about her, talk to her. Nothing. He didn’t deserve to even know about her. “I swear to God, Ramsay. If he hurt you—”
“He didn’t.” She held her hands up. “All he did was talk to me.”
Talk?
Fuck.
I was going to lose control. The rope was stretched tight, and it was going to snap. “You didn’t expect me, did you?” I taunted him, going on the offense first. That was what he taught me.
He tipped his chin up, his shoulders set back as if he were resigned to dealing with me.
Well, he was going to deal with a whole ton more than just me right now. I moved in front of Ramsay, saying under my breath, “Go. He won’t bother you again.”
“Scout.” Her hand reached out, touching my arm. Her fingers curled around me.
I pulled it free, not roughly, but gently. “Go, Ramsay. I’m okay. I won’t do—I won’t do what I wanted to do seconds ago. I promise.” I moved forward, feeling her leave. This was the only time I could say what I wanted to say. After today, there’d be no freedom for me. “You messed up, old man.”
His eyes were trained behind me, watching Ramsay leave, before they switched back to me. “Messed up?”
“I was coming to you anyway. You didn’t need to do this. Set whatever this was up for Ramsay. All of it was wasted. Your time. Your money. All of it.” I spat. “I was coming anyway.”
His eyes flared, a peculiar look there. “You were coming to me?”
I couldn’t give him that last bit of victory. I’d already said it twice. Another time? I couldn’t. I just couldn’t. “When did you start building here?”
His answer was swift. “The day your mother bought your plane ticket. We started planning this hotel the next day. Locals were told it was something else. I’m surprised you didn’t hear about it.”
“This place is thirty minutes from Pine River. I don’t give a fuck what locals talk about.” He was a toxin, invading everywhere. “You did this so you’d have a hold here? Own the area? Run it? Have a say over the local politics because your ego couldn’t handle losing another one of us. You lost your mark. We’re thirty minutes away.”
“Close enough. And I’ve not lost you. I’ve not lost any of my children.”
“Except your son.”
“I only have one son. He’s in his rightful place.”
He’d disowned his other son. I wasn’t going to let him forget him. I tipped my chin up. “Your son, Miles. My uncle, remember him? He’s taken me in.”
His mouth went flat.
“He’s given me a home.”
His mouth turned down.
“He built a gym to help train me.”
