Deception, p.34
Deception, page 34
When I come to, I’ve been moved. I’m no longer hanging off the bed but now lying on top of it. A thin blanket covers my naked body and I’m alone.
Or at least I thought I was alone.
“Sit up and take your medicine.”
Dad’s cold, soulless voice materializes from a dark corner of my room. He’s no longer wearing his suit jacket and his tie is gone. His face is wearing a neutral expression, the rage having finally quieted.
Medicine?
What medicine?
He holds up a pill. Everything is blurry because of all the crying I’ve done. I blink trying to focus on the pill and figure out what it is. Doesn’t look like ibuprofen.
“What is it?” I croak out.
“It’s to erase your mistake.”
Mistake?
“I don’t understand.”
He scoffs. “There’s a lot you don’t understand about this world, sweetheart. Plan B. Take it willingly or I’ll force it down. I will not be raising some bastard child again.”
“Again?”
“Not you,” Dad assures me, holding the pill to my lips. “Your sister. I’ll never forgive your mother for that horrible mistake.”
Before I can process his words, he holds my nose and shoves the pill down my throat. I gag and choke, but eventually swallow it.
“Sleep, sweetheart. You can rest now. You’re finally home where you belong. With me.”
Chapter Eighteen
Scout
She’s gone.
She’s fucking gone.
This wasn’t supposed to happen. She was supposed to stay with us forever.
How did Alexander find her?
A discarded pink cat sits on the couch cushion beside me. Seeing it punches me in the gut. Della is gone, too. Just when I was really getting to know the kid. She’s back in that hellhole with her evil-ass father.
I pick up the stuffed cat and bring it to my nose. It smells like Della. Her shampoo is lavender scented and I could easily pick it out of a thousand other scents. My chest aches with longing.
“I didn’t tell a soul,” Ty grinds out. Again. “I swear it.” He’s back from his hasty exit now that the cops are gone. “You know I’m telling the truth.”
I glower at him, watching him for any sign he’s lying. Unfortunately, as much as I want to blame him, I believe him. He may hate me for lying to him and for who I am to his family, but he does care about Landry. Ty has a shitty last name but he’s not like his cousin.
The appearance at the fancy-ass party Sparrow went to and the anonymous tips to the cops were supposed to work, at least until Leo found us a new place to lie low. But they didn’t work. We weren’t fast enough and weren’t able to save her in time.
“He found out somehow,” Sparrow spits. “Maybe you were followed.”
“I wasn’t,” Ty tosses back. “I was careful. Maybe it was one of you coming or going.”
There hasn’t been any coming or going, though, aside from my job for Bryant. This entire week, none of us have left the building. Sparrow worked out some, but never left. Even our groceries were delivered. There’s no way they should have found us. I was careful, dammit.
What if the person I felt like was watching me wasn’t Ty after all? Maybe it was whoever pieced together our involvement. That makes me responsible. Fuck.
“Leo?” Sully asks. “I mean, it could have been him, right?”
“Leo wanted to fix the situation,” I say, shaking my head, “not make it worse. This is fucking worse.”
Leo wanted to fix it. He said he understood what I’d gone through. Then who? There’s only one other person who knows where we are. And even though he’s supposed to be an ally—fucking family—I’m beginning to realize we may have just been played. I’m not sure why yet, but I’ll find out.
Their voices merge as one, a dull roar behind me, as they discuss who could have led them to us.
But I know.
It hits me like a ton of bricks.
That motherfucker…
“I have to go,” I growl, jumping to my feet, tossing the pink cat back onto the sofa. “I’ll be back. Keep me posted if you hear anything and start working on a plan on how we’ll get her back.”
We will get her back.
There’s no question in my mind.
It’s only a matter of when, and how many assholes we have to crush along the way.
* * *
All that can be heard echoing in the cavernous halls is the unique cadence of my gait as I limp toward Bryant Morelli’s study.
It boils my blood.
I knew not to trust him, and I didn’t, but I didn’t expect him to actively work against us. Especially after all I’ve done for him.
His muffled laughter cuts through the otherwise silent home which pisses me off even more. When I reach his door, I push through it without knocking. He has his back turned to me, the phone up to his ear, but swivels around at the sound of me coming into his office.
“I’m going to have to call you back,” he rumbles. “Talk soon.”
He ends the call and sets down his phone before motioning to one of the seats. “Please, sit.”
Grinding my molars together, I try not to lose my shit. I attempt to keep my emotions in check, feigning an impassive expression. With a nod of my head, I take the offered seat and then bore my gaze into him.
“Wasn’t expecting a visit,” he drawls out. “I suppose I can carve out a couple minutes for you, though.”
I crack my neck and lean back in my chair. “Cut the bullshit, Morelli.”
His easy expression morphs into a hard one. “You’ll do well to watch your tone, young man. Best remember who you’re speaking to.”
I want to shoot this prick in the fucking face. I could, too, considering I have my Glock in my pocket.
“You knew she was there with us,” I grind out. “You knew and you ratted us out for some goddamn reason.” I let out a humorless laugh. “All that crap about family was just a lie.”
He smirks, shrugging his shoulders. “Family is nothing more than a tool to use when necessary. Eventually, you will learn this.”
He’s wrong.
My brothers are everything to me. And now that Landry is ours, she’s everything too.
“You shouldn’t have done this,” I say, my voice cold and dipping dangerously low. “You really shouldn’t have done this.”
Bryant’s face twists into a hateful expression. “Don’t threaten me, boy. I think you forget who you’re speaking to.”
An old man trying desperately to hold on to power in this city that his sons have ripped from his grimy paws. Yeah, I didn’t forget who I was addressing.
“I did everything you asked—”
He cuts me off with a vicious slice of his hand through the air. “And you will continue to do exactly as I say. No fucking distractions like the Croft girl.”
“I’m not going to be your dog anymore, Morelli.”
“You will heel, goddammit. And if you don’t, I’ll turn you in for arson.”
Cold fury rushes through my veins. “Excuse me?”
“You heard me,” he rumbles, smugness dripping from him. “I own you. I have since the moment Constantine dropped you in our laps.”
“You can’t do this to us.”
“Oh, but I can.” He smiles wide and cruelly. “I had someone follow you and record you setting those fires.”
It was him.
He set me up.
“On your order!” I bellow, rising to my feet. “You made me do that shit!”
“Being a leader means having many spoons in many pots. Always stirring. You’re just a fucking pot that belongs to me. My sons are pots, too.”
“Why turn on us?” I demand through gritted teeth. “What did we do to deserve this?”
“Deserve?” He scoffs. “You hoodlums don’t deserve the toilets you shit into. What you deserve is a cold, hard dose of reality.”
Fisting my hands, I glower down at him. “It’s because of Leo, isn’t it? You found out he was helping us last night and threw us under the fucking bus. Your little spies told you, huh?”
He bristles and I know I’ve hit the nail on the head. “He’s not the only one with loyal contacts.”
“You’re pissed,” I continue, words heating as I spew them, “that we didn’t shut down the Croft project as soon as you told us to. That we fell for the girl and care for her now. It infuriated you that your dogs didn’t obey, and when you found out your son was helping us, you lost your fucking shit.”
“Even you know you’re nothing but a dog.”
“This dog,” I say, gesturing at myself, “has no qualms about biting his owner. I’m not a loyal dog.”
“Scout,” Bryant warns, his tone losing some of the cool and rising with fury.
“I’m done with your bullshit, Morelli,” I grind out. “From now on, I’m playing by my own rules. You can threaten to turn me in, but just know I won’t go down without a fight.”
“The apartment, the cars—”
“Quit while you’re ahead, old man.”
“Scout!”
I limp out of his office, ignoring his rage-filled demands. He wants to threaten me? I’ll make his life a goddamn hell and torch the entire thing to the ground.
Morelli will soon learn you don’t poke a bear.
This bear will rip his fucking heart out and not feel one ounce of remorse.
I’d rather sit my ass in jail for eternity than let him get the upper hand.
“Scout!” he bellows, charging out of his office after me. “Stop!”
Screeching to a halt, I turn on my heel and wait until he’s inches from me. I tower over the man and I let him feel every bit of my rage, pulsating from me like fiery heat from a volcano about to erupt.
“You will stand the fuck down, old man, while we work on getting her back.” I sneer at him. “Understood?”
“Or what?”
“I will go to the police or the motherfucking FBI,” I warn, spittle flying from my lips and showering his face. “Or maybe I should just tattle to your sons. Let them know what a monster their senile daddy is. What do you think they’d do to you, hmm? Are they loyal dogs?”
His face blanches and I know I’ve hit him where it hurts.
“You pulled the trigger too soon,” I spit out. “Because you were pissed at Leo for intervening. You’re going to pay for that mistake.”
“Now listen here, son—”
“I’m not your son. I am done with you. You will back the fuck away or I will expose every nasty secret in your life. And, Bryant?”
His jaw clenches. “What?”
“If Landry’s father hurts her because of your stunt, I will hurt you in kind. An eye for an eye, motherfucker.”
Chapter Nineteen
Landry
Yesterday was a nightmare.
My fantasy nothing more than a rug being yanked out from beneath me. Today is reality. Cold, bitter, lonely. I wallowed all night in my sadness, but today my senses are sharpened with the pain from the assault. Bruises mar my lower back, ass, and thighs making me wince every time I sit down or move. Anger at my situation is slowly replacing fear, infecting my every cell with bitterness.
We deserve a better life than this.
Sure, we have endless amounts of money.
Money means nothing to me. I would rather have not a single dime and be happy than be forced to live another second with a wealthy monster.
Della needs me to be strong.
I need me to be strong.
Which is why, rather than curling into a tiny ball, crying my eyes out, I’ve straightened my spine and made a promise to myself.
I’m going to get us out of here. The first step is getting out of this room. I have to stop feeling sorry for myself. These bruises hurt, but I can’t let it stop me. There will always be bruises with Dad. There will never be a good time. I have to act.
He’ll go to work eventually. And when he does, we’ll bolt. I can do something extreme like set the kitchen on fire. The security guys will be forced to evacuate us. Making the slip would be easier then. I’d just have to run like hell.
I have to get access to the kitchen first.
Unfortunately, that means biding my time. I’ll play Dad’s games, keeping Della as safe as possible, until the time is right. I won’t be afraid. Not like before. Staying with the triplets taught me something. That we’re capable of being loved and cared for without malice.
I want those guys back.
I will get them back.
When I got out of my shower earlier, I found several things on my bed. A beautiful dress, matching undergarments, and a killer pair of shoes. My makeup and hair stuff was also returned to me. The note Dad left me angered me and I wanted to rip it to shreds.
Dinner tonight with some important people. Prove to me you’re not the whore from yesterday and an actual lady. Perhaps you’ll be treated like one.
I finish the last of my makeup and walk over to my full-length mirror. It took a lot of concealer to hide all the hickeys on my neck, but I eventually made it work. The dress fits me like a glove. Seductive red, formfitting, but also still chaste enough that it hides my cleavage and hits my knees. The black Jimmy Choos give me several inches on my height. With my blond hair straight and smoothed down coupled with my flawless makeup and daring shade of red on my dress, I appear to be fierce. Not some demure toy meant to be paraded around like a show pony.
Beneath the silky material of my dress and panties, bruises tell the real story. The slight wince every time I move or sit reveals Dad has attempted to break his toy. Despite how much it hurts, I refuse to be broken.
I have claws.
Rage inside me is the color of my dress.
Fiery. Volcanic. Explosive.
A knock at the door has me lifting my chin and tightening every muscle in my body. The door creaks open and Dad steps in, immaculate in a bespoke navy suit. His eyes rake over me, scrutinizing every detail.
“You look nice,” he murmurs, walking toward me. “Even if red is the color of whores.”
I don’t flinch at his nasty words. Instead, I stride over to him, not cowering from his cold stare.
“I’ve just fixed my makeup, Daddy. Don’t make me cry.” I deliver my response with an impassive facial expression. “Is it time to leave yet?”
His eyes narrow, flashing with irritation, but to my surprise, he nods. “They’re waiting at the restaurant. I told them we’d be a little late.”
I start past him, but his hand encircles my wrist, stopping me. “Be good, sweetheart. Don’t let that mouth get you into trouble. It won’t end well for you.”
His threat makes me internally quake and the welts on my ass throb. I refuse to let him see what it does to me. Biting hard on the inside of my cheek, I give him a curt nod. “Always on my best behavior, Daddy.”
“Good girl.”
Fuck you.
* * *
All of my carefully constructed walls come crumbling down the second I lay eyes on Ty. He’s sitting at the table with a scowling man I recognize from the news, Winston Constantine, and a beautiful, smiling brunette. There are two seats available at the round five-top table, one beside Ty and one beside Winston.
Hurrying ahead of my father, I greet Ty with extra enthusiasm. “Ty! So good to see you!”
“Landry,” he says, standing and planting a kiss on my cheek. “Sit. We need to catch up.”
He pulls out the chair beside him and I ease into my chair, whimpering slightly at the pain of it. Ty tenses and I feel Dad’s penetrating glare on me. I may be a good actress, but I can’t erase the pain—the pain he inflicted—and I’m tired of hiding it for his benefit.
“Winston, Ash,” Ty says, “this is my friend, Landry Croft, Alexander’s daughter.”
The woman, Ash, gives me a little wriggle of her fingers. “So nice to meet you.”
Dad, Winston, and Ash get pulled into conversation with the three of them, but my attention is solely on Ty.
“How are they?” I whisper, my voice quavering.
“Worried about you.” He glances down. “He hurt you. I can tell you’re hurt. Are you okay?”
I chew on my matte-red-painted bottom lip, willing the tears to stay put. “I’ve been better.”
His jaw clenches, anger flashing in his blue eyes. “I’m sorry.”
“It’s temporary,” I tell him, meeting his stare. “It has to be.”
“It will be. They’ll figure something out.”
I can feel eyes burning into me. When I glance over, Winston is watching me. Like he can see right inside me head. A shudder passes through me. Quickly, I look away, taking solace in Ty’s friendliness.
“What would happen if he knew you were helping them?” I murmur softly.
“Winston can’t know,” Ty says back. “Ever.”
We get through dinner easily enough, Ty and I stealing secret conversations when we can. To an outsider, it might seem we were two would-be lovers, on the path to a happily ever after. To me, he’s my link to the outside—to them.
Dad starts talking to Winston about his birthday party that’ll be here next weekend. It gives me an opportunity to escape his suffocating presence. He shoots me a warning look when I rise to my feet, excusing myself to the restroom, but he’s too engrossed in conversation to do more than that.
“I’ll go with you,” Ash says quickly, scrambling to her feet.
I’m not eager to make friends with this woman—since she’s married to some dude who’s friends with my horrible father—but I can’t exactly tell her no either. I force a warm smile her way.
She babbles about nothing of interest until we’re safely inside the bathroom. Her entire demeanor changes. Concern washes over her features.
“Are you okay?” she asks. “I can tell you’re in pain.”
Am I that transparent? If Dad knew she was in here checking on my wellbeing, he’d be pissed.
“I’m fine,” I lie, lifting my chin. “Thanks for asking.”
She approaches with careful hesitation. “Did they…” She trails off. “I’m so sorry.”
They?
Frowning, I shake my head. “I don’t know what you’re referring to.”
