Page 58 of Desperate Vows

“You do? What’s happening now?” I’d never seen glee in Franklin’s eyes like I did in that moment.

“He’s trying to break down the front door at the club. We’ve got guys waiting until he’s inside.”

Franklin grinned. “Are the rest of them with him?”

“Yes, his siblings are with him and a few others.”

“Good. Try to keep one alive. Preferably the woman. Marco wanted to play with her.”

Thea. “No.” I loved her. I loved all of them. They were my family, and they were all I had.

“Let me know when it’s done.” He ended the call. “I’m very angry with you, Claire. You did something very naughty, but I’ve found a way to fix it.”

I wanted to say something smart, but I didn’t. Instead, I continued to inch my way backward. If I didn’t fight back, I was going to die, and I had too much to live for.

“My lawyer informed me that if you make me beneficiary, at the time of your death, it becomes mine. I’d never heard of an easier solution to a problem. Lucas goes. Then you go. Then the money is mine. All my problems are solved.”

That thin veneer of sanity that he had shown to the world was cracking. I was positive he thought he could get me to sign it over, but his lawyer didn’t know what I did. Even if I wanted to give it to Franklin, I couldn’t now.

“That might have been the case before I changed it. If Lucas or I die before you, it will be divided among five charities. The soup kitchen, a pregnancy crisis center, the animal shelter, the children’s hospital, and a private company researching cancer treatments located in Germany.” I darted to the kitchen and grabbed the biggest knife I could, holding it in front of me. “You’re never going to get the money.”

Franklin stared at me. “You can fix it.”

Shaking my head, I replied, “No, I can’t. I knew that if you ever got the chance, you’d try to force me to give it to you. I wanted to make double sure you’d never see a dime.”

He worked his jaw as his lips twisted into a sneer. I could see the rage building.

“You’ve always underestimated me. You thought I’d be too afraid to go against you, but I’m not afraid of you anymore. I’m just sad that I had to publicly claim someone as pathetic as you as my father for so many years.”

The primal growl that ripped from him startled me.

I’d unleashed a beast, and it was charging right toward me.

Chapter Twenty-Four

LUCAS

It was dark, I was tired, and I missed my wife. Alexander was on the other side of Franklin’s club while Ari and I were sitting out front, watching the door. Dimitris and Thea, well, I didn’t know where they were. They’d taken a different car and when I arrived, they were nowhere to be seen. As far as I knew, Jason’s guys were with them. I hoped they were close.

I was looking at the club, trying to figure out what I was actually seeing. I had dozens of heat signatures both above and below.

Ari exhaled. “What’s going on?”

There were cars parked out front like a party was going on, but the bodies on the screen weren’t moving like people at a party. They stood there like… “They’re prisoners.”

“What?” Ari asked.

I looked at him. “That missing container Dimitris said wasn’t there when they rescued those girls. What do you want to bet they had older girls? I’ll wager that’s them.”

Recognition lit in his eyes. “That would make sense. I’ll counter that bet. Those people walking around in the basement are an ambush.”

“You guys hearing this?”

I knew Dimitris and Thea wouldn’t answer. They heard us, though, and they would be aware.

We used a mesh radio system to communicate that we’d acquired from a military shipment a few years back before we decided to forge a different path.

Ari grumbled under his breath. “They wanted us to think it was a party, so we’d walk in trying to play things cool so no one got hurt, only to find ourselves at the end of a firing squad.”

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