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“You shot me. That’s what the fuckin’ problem is.”
Armand looked like he wanted to rip Cali in half.
“I think it’s time for you to shut up,” Armand threatened.
“Look in my eyes. Do I look scared of you? Do you see anything familiar? Rattle loose any memories in that bat-shit crazy brain of yours.”
Watching as Cali went off the rails, I backed off. His job in our plan was to create a distraction. We needed all eyes on him. He had refused to tell me how he was going to do it, which concerned me. But, he had done it. This was my chance.
As Armand’s men slowly moved towards Cali, I slipped past them and up the stairs. Having the floor to myself, I hurried to Armand’s office. Quickly picking the lock, I slid in. I had approximately 30 seconds before Armand’s men dragged Cali outside and beat the shit of him. I needed to be back downstairs by then.
Pulling open the floor vent revealing the safe, I pulled out my phone. Retrieving the failsafe code, I entered it. In a moment, the safe popped open. Finding the two ledgers just as Jimmy had said, I pulled them out and flipped through them.
I couldn’t believe it. This was it. And just as I was about to close them, the office door opened and someone stepped inside.
“Eris?” I said staring up into her cold, emotionless eyes.
“What are you doing?” She asked as if she already knew.
“It’s not what it looks like.”
“It looks like you, Dillon, your cousin, and your joke of a brother-in-law put this engagement party together to help you steal my father’s accounting records.”
I looked down at the ledgers in my hands at a loss for words.
“Would you believe me if I said I got lost on the way to the bathroom?” I said searching for my smile.
“You asshole! You made me believe that you were coming around,” she said getting loud.
I quickly stood up and closed the door behind her.
“Look, you can’t have me. Do you understand? I’m not a piece of property that you and Armand can just order around,” I said dropping the charm.
“Well, we’ll see what my father has to say about this,” she said before trying to push past me to the door.
“I’m giving you a way out,” I said, my voice rumbling.
“What?” She replied startled by my anger.
“These,” I said holding up the ledgers. “These are your freedom. You don’t want to marry me. You don’t even know me. All I am to you is the best of a bunch of tragically horror options. You’re only here because, like me, you’re trapped. I take these and you have your freedom.
“You could meet someone who actually gives a shit about you. And you could have the life you so desperately want. You could be happy.
“Think about it. What would being happy for the first time in your life feel like? Tell me, Eris, what would it feel like?”
Eris looked at me in silence. The moment drew out long enough that I thought all was lost.
“It would feel good,” she finally said washing my body in relief.
“Then, return to the party. Let me take this. And allow me to give Armand the justice he deserves.”
“You can’t,” she said causing my heart to sink.
“I know my father’s an awful person. I know he deserves everything you want to give him. But, he’s still my father.”
“Your father who is treating you like cattle.”
“Being with you wouldn’t have been a curse.”
