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9
Finley
Christ, she was sweet, keeping her head down as she slid into the seat with barely a sound. I tracked her every move, staring as she curled a wisp of hair around her ear. Others watched me, like they always watched me. The goddamn outburst at the boat hadn’t helped matters.
I tried to talk myself out of it, tried to get my damn head in the game, but the moment I'd seen her this morning, I couldn’t stop myself. Iwantedto kiss her, just like right now I wanted to again.
Find the money, track her every move. The thrill of this was a little too fucking addictive. I stiffened watching her, well aware how she triggered every fucking ravenous instinct inside me. I didn’t like her here, in these classes and these halls. She needed to be back home, back within the walls I knew. She needed to be secret, she needed to be safe…
Every goddamn asshole who glanced her way I wanted to stab in the fucking eye. I drained my Scotch.
Don’t look at her…
Don’t fucking look at what’s mine.
My phone gave abeep.I steeled myself and looked down.
Dad: My money better be fucking secure…
My money. Notourmoney. Justmine…
My money.
My reputation.
My fucking family.
Christ, this woman was going to spiral me out of control. I lifted my cell and my fingers moved across the screen.
I have it under control.
I hit send and waited. I didn’t have to wait long.
Dad: You'd better.
I winced and cast the cell aside, letting it hit the sofa and fall. An ache spread through my jaw. I released the clench and rubbed the ache.My money…the words grated on me. I filled my glass once more. The silence of this place normally soothed me, but not tonight. I stood on the top floor and stared out. Darkness reflected behind me with barely a sparkle of light. All the sparkle was out there.
Streetlights shone, illuminating the paved paths around the Institute.
My gaze moved to the building in the distance. Darkness claimed each floor but the top one. That ache in my jaw moved deeper. I swallowed the Scotch, feeling the burn move through me. It was more than just my father that had me wound so fucking tight. It was the damn classes…more importantly, this fuckinginitiationhanded out to a select few.
An initiation which was all about finding a damn target and exposing their secrets.
I knew the kinds of assholes who came here and what their intentions were.
Most would go for the weaker ones. The ones whose families were already hanging by a damn thread. But some…some weren’t just interested in revenge or blood ties gone sour.Some were here for the hunt.
It was those bastards I had to watch out for, especially where Annalise was concerned.
My money.
I winced at the words and swallowed the heat, letting it move through me. The launderer was causing problems, making demands, demands like his daughter's safety. We'd pushed him too hard, expecting a man like him would buckle and do whatever we wanted.
We'd expected he wouldn’t resist when we brought him into the fold.
To launder for the Salvatores alone.
The Ghost. His name whispered in certain circles piqued a lot of interest, too much interest. They’d heard about the five million washed in three months, washed by means that were known only by the man himself. So when he showed a backbone, it took us by surprise. He wanted to pull away from us, demanding to send his daughter to the island. To a place filled with the kind of people my father wanted her far away from. The kind of placeIwanted to be far away from.
