Page 77 of Reckoning

Shawn wet his lips before speaking again. “It seemed like a good deal. Huge influx of cash, giant new business partner. I didn’t think she would do anything to sabotage the company.”

I felt like I’d been hit in the face with a bag of bricks. “She’s not sabotaging the company; she’s sabotaging me.” She’d always wanted to be more involved, but Conrad wouldn’t let her. He said it wasn’t her place. “Guess she found a way to participate after all.”

“That little bitch,” Conrad muttered, but his tone had changed. He was smiling.

He was unbelievable. “She’s going to destroy everything, Conrad.”

“I might just let her. It took a lot of balls to pull this off.”

“She just needed Shawn’s balls.”

Shawn had the nerve to flip me off.

“And she’s at home relaxing while we fight to figure this out.” I stood and started to the door, picking up my jacket from where I had thrown it when I walked in.

“Where do you think you’re going?”

“I’m bringing her in. She caused this mess, and she’s going to fix it.”

“Not a chance. You’re not putting your sister in the spotlight like this.”

I turned and threw my arms in the air. “She did this to herself! First, you let her get off with trying to murder Maddie, and now—”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa.” Shawn rose to his feet. “Anita tried to kill Madeline? I thought that was an accident.”

“She pushed her into the water after slamming her head into the dock and making sure she wouldn’t be able to swim.” My hand was on the door, but I couldn’t leave. Not without being dismissed by Conrad. “Maddie nearly froze and drowned.”

“I’m sure it wasn’t that dramatic.” Conrad narrowed his eyes at me. “Since when do you call her Maddie?”

Even Shawn picked up on the tension. He shifted back in his seat, trying not to move his head too obviously between us.

“Stop trying to minimize her actions.” I ignored the question and stopped myself just short of jabbing my finger at him. “The doctor thinks Madeline has a concussion, and that didn’t come from hitting the water. Anita needs to take responsibility for this.”

“I’ll handle it.”

“Like you handled her this morning? She didn’t even look sorry.”

Conrad wasn’t looking at me anymore. Instead, he was staring at the TV on the wall, muted but showing news coverage of our building and our company. And there, on the screen, was Madeline and me stepping out of our car, hands clasped as I pulled her toward the door.

I bit back a curse. How had someone gotten into the parking garage? How had we not noticed them fucking filming us? The words across the screen speculated as to the reason for her being here, from her complicity in our crimes to whether she was working to try to mitigate the damage. I blinked and looked away as Conrad stepped forward, eyes boring into me. “Is that bitch in my office building?”

“I couldn’t leave her alone. Anita would have—”

Conrad was past me and through the door before I could think. I ran after him, panic rising in my chest, hearing Shawn following in our heels. I didn’t want him to see this, but I couldn’t lose even a second to turn around and dismiss him. I had to stop Conrad from getting to her. If he saw her here now, today, he was going to kill her. He was going to take her from me permanently, and I wouldn’t be able to stop him because I was weak, weak, weak, just as I had been my whole life.

I had never wanted to protect anyone besides myself. Everything about my existence was centered on avoiding a beating, getting enough food, and earning the right to sleep through the night. But I couldn’t let him hit her again. The night he brought her to me I had been so drunk, but I still felt every kick as though it had hit me and not her. I had no desire to see any of Madeline’s blood outside her body ever again. I would open a vein and give her mine if that was what it took to keep her intact.

“Dad, wait,” I begged as he tugged on the door to my office.

“Open this now,” he said, not responding.

“I wasn’t going to leave her at home. I don’t want Anita wandering around my house looking for her.”

“I don’t think that’s why she’s here,” he growled, whirling on me and pointing at the door. “Open this.”

“Dad, please, I’m handling her.”

“Then let me see for myself!”

“What is going on here?” Shawn’s voice snapped us both to attention. “You guys are freaking me out.” He looked at me pointedly. “Is she okay? Why are you talking about ‘handling’ her?”

“This is none of your business.” Conrad’s looks could kill, but Shawn stood his ground. “You’ve done enough damage today. Stay out of our family business.”

“I’m not leaving until I make sure Madeline is okay.” Shawn frowned. “It’s not going to be good press if there’s a dead girl behind that door.”

“She’s not dead!” I exclaimed, horrified by the thought but turned back around when I heard a sudden crash. Conrad was kicking in the door. And I couldn’t do anything but stand there and watch.

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