AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“I don’t have to give you your money at all, Anderson. Do not forget this.”
“Guess you don’t mind if the police and the media find out about everything going down at the firm, eh?”
His eyes flicker with something I have never seen before with him. I’d seen it with only a few people in person, and even now, some primal part of me goes into a hyperaware state. The flicker is pure rage. The kind of rage I’ve seen when a client had to get dragged into rehab against his will before his next concert tour. The kind of rage that hits right before a fight breaks out in a frat. It’s mindless and has no thought of consequence. Seeing that look in my father’s eyes sends a shot of frost through my veins.
But he neutralizes the expression and trades it for apathy. His voice is flat. “You are capable of many things, but hurting your mother is not one of them, and I promise you, that would hurt her. More than you know.”
He will never give me what I want if I push any harder. I have to make him think of the future. Of what he’s standing in the way of. Otherwise, he’s going to feel attacked and shut down. Since he’s brought her up twice now, I ask, “Do you think she likes June?”
“She seems to, yes. Why?”
I shrug as innocently as possible. “I’d like to think of them getting along. Planning our wedding together. Becoming friends while playing with our children. Mom was always so good with kids.”
He huffs a bitter laugh. “Are you going to name one of them after me while you’re at it?”
“Hmm?”
“This allusion to our future together to pull on my heartstrings?” He shakes his head, smirking. “Well done.”
“I am merely working with what I’ve got.” Which admittedly isn’t much right now.
He sighs, folding his arms over his chest. “You can have the money.”
I close my eyes, trying not to let him see the relief wash through me. “Thank you.”
“But first, there is something I require of you.”
I fight the urge to grit my teeth and snarl that it’s my fucking money. That will not get me what I want, and I know it, but this cranky old bastard makes it impossible not to want to. My jaw clenches no matter how much I fight it. “What would that be?”
“Something you will not like but is necessary for the firm's continued success.”
“Details, old man.”
He chuckles. “So anxious to get started?”
“She doesn’t have a lot of time!”
He shrugs at that. “There are several details of the business I have kept you from, Anderson. Things which you did not need to know about. I drew lines in the sand I vowed not to cross until you were old enough to understand them. I had hoped to keep you clean a little longer … but now, I do not have a choice in the matter. It is time for you to get your hands dirty.”
“Fine, I’ll intimidate someone for you, whatever. Just get to the point.”
He pauses. “Or, you can stay clean longer if you would be willing to forget about June.”
Chapter 53
JUNE
Okay, June, everything will be fine. It’s been my mantra all morning, getting me through the elevator ride. Ever since I left Anderson, I’ve needed pep talks, mantras, and everything else to get me to put one foot in front of the other. It’s been hard not to have him right next to me on my trip to work. I keep jumping whenever someone moves near me or turns a corner too fast. When I saw a jogger, I nearly belted him.
No one is coming to kidnap you again, and even if they do, it probably won’t be the worst thing in the world. The first time has to be the worst time, right?
Weird that I get comfort out of that thought, but I do. I didn’t see it coming the first time, and that was not the kind of surprise anyone wants. But now, I think I’d handle it better. I’ve been there and done that. The only person with cause to kidnap me is Andre, and though he is a sociopath, he doesn’t seem to want to hurt me, so I’m probably in the clear. Ish.
Still, though, blackmailing Elliot gives me pause. I fight not to text Anderson to call it off. It’s wrong. I know it is. But I need the money. For that matter, I earned it. It’s mine. But it still feels wrong to let Anderson blackmail his father for it, no matter how terrible Elliot is.
As soon as the doors open, I half expect to be bombarded by everyone in the office. But thankfully, no one is at the door. They’re buzzing about, getting things done. Like I should be.
As soon as I put my bag down at my desk, though, Garrett’s voice calls out, “Oh my god, she is alive!” He rushes over from the direction of the breakroom behind me, but I spin around to stop the hug I know is incoming.
