AllFreeNovel
Share Us
He holds his hands up like it’ll somehow prove his innocence and laughs.Laughs.
“They’re not my pictures. I didn’t take them, I acquired them,” he says.
“Explain,” I snarl and move the barrel of the gun an inch closer to his forehead.
“It’s a long story.”
“Start talking then. I don’t have all night,” I bark.
“You got that right. You’re lucky I’m even here. I’m risking a lot showing you those photos, you know?” He scoffs and shakes his head. “Dad’s messed up in some shit.”
“Shocker,” I deadpan.
“It’s a lot worse than you think.”
“I already hate him. No need to drag it out. What the fuck does this have to do with him?”
“I bet you didn’t hate him when you cashed in that trust to buy some fucking ranch and your idea of a new life,” he spits.
I grind down hard on my jaw and the hand at my side forms a tight fist. I’ve never not hated my father. I saw firsthand the type of horrible people that he had no problem representing and keeping out of prison. On the rare occasion that things didn’t go exactly according to plan, there were always dangers lurking around every corner for me and the rest of our family. He put us all in that position countless times whether he meant to or not.
“Fuck him and fuck you too,” I seethe.
Bash points to the folder of pictures as if to remind me that we’re not the only ones involved here.
I narrow my eyes and add a few seconds to my patience to hear him out.
“What I came here to do was to warn you. A man by the name of Eddie Reynolds tried to get Dad to represent him a while ago. Dad refused.” He pulls another picture out of his bag, this time of a man. “This is him.”
I study the picture. Memorizing every detail down to his stature and complexion. The most obvious identifiers are his stark white hair and full-neck tattoos.
“He’s involved in human trafficking and shit,” Bash goes on and I raise my eyebrows as I listen. “Dad’s not all straight and narrow, but he’s not that crooked. So Dad refused to defend him in court. Reynolds started picking off our guys one by one and told Dad that if he didn’t get him off with no prison time, he’d kill his whole family.”
I lower my gun and twist my face. I don’t ever remember my father turning down a potential client, no matter how heinous their crimes were. He’s a big-shot lawyer. His typical clientele is criminals, those with mafia ties, or just rich enough for my Dad’s exorbitant fees.
His moral compass has always been a little more gray than black and white. All for the money. And I hated him for it. He’d represent anyone if it meant a big payday, and made an absolute fortune in the process. But human trafficking must be the line he wasn’t willing to cross.
“This is exactly why I left New York City,” I sigh.
“Yeah, well, Reynolds got hold of Dad’s old bank records. Your name is on the trust.”
“I emptied that trust the day I turned eighteen. That was over twelve years ago, and it’s a sealed document.”
“These are criminals we’re talking about,” Bash reminds me.
“Right.” I rub my jaw and pace back and forth. “But why the fuck does he have pictures of Blythe? And how did you get them?”
“He’s here. He’s been here,” he says. “Gathering intel on you.”
I drop the folder of photos on the table and cover my eyes with my palm, willing them to stop burning.
“I got a guy on the inside the day I got a whiff of this whole thing going sideways. He found these pictures on a flash drive and sent them to me. I had no idea who the girl was, but then I saw that you were in some of the pictures with her. Figured you’d got married and started a family down here or some shit.” A subtle cringe flashes across his face. “We tracked a few of Reynolds’ guys to a house.” He scrolls on his phone to pull up a dot on a map and points the screen toward me so that I can see. “I saw it with my own two eyes this morning. They’re holed up about 60 miles from here.”
“You’ve got to be fucking kidding me. You have surveillance on it?”
“No. Couldn’t risk them knowing we had their location,” he answers.
I put my hands on my hips and blow out a breath.
