Page 29 of He is… Creed: Part Three

“Where is he, Mother?” I demand, standing in the center of her bedroom that reeks of Lawrence. She smells of him as well, and it’s killing me to know she’s been with him.

She perches on the edge of the mattress and smirks. “I have no idea what you are talking about.”

“I’m losing patience,” I ground out after wasting valuable time searching for the bastard.

A thin, dark brow arches. “And here I thought you were a man of control, like your father.”

I move my neck from side to side as I draw in a slow, agitated breath. “Make no mistake, Mother,” I say, my tone low and lethal. “I am like my father. And we both know what he would have done if someone crossed him, now, don’t we?”

If Lawrence is still here—and every instinct I own says he is—I’m going to find him. I’ll end this now, once and for all. I’ll fucking force him to tell me where Red Dart can be found. Screw digging through the trenches for his secrets. If I don’t drag it out of him, Julian will.

My cellphone rings, and I answer the call to hear Caleb announce, “We have the bullets. The men are on the outskirts of Sunrise City waiting for us.”

“I’ll catch up,” I say, not about to leave without Lawrence.

Silence. “I’m on the front porch when you’re ready.”

Considering I didn’t tell Caleb I was coming here, I curse silently at being busted. And I know him, just as he knows me. He anticipated how I’d react to finding out my mother is responsible for those bullets injuring our men. He’s trying to keep me grounded. Trying to remind me there are issues at hand bigger than this anger. Bigger than the past.

And he’s right.

I grit my teeth, end the call, and slide my phone into my pocket. With a look of contempt directed at my mother, I start walking, and I don’t stop until I’m on the front porch, where Caleb leans on a banister. “How’s Mommy Dearest?” he asks, all nonchalant, as if him showing up here is not a big deal.

I fold my arms in front of me to keep from punching the damn wall. “Lawrence is fucking my mother. Pretty sure he was here when I arrived, but I couldn’t find him. He has to be underground.”

Caleb arches a brow. “And you were going to do what if you found him?”

“Beat the crap out of him, make him tell me where Red Dart is, and then kill him.” It wasn’t the answer Caleb wants, but it’s honest.

“Not exactly the plan we discussed,” Caleb replies dryly. “At least with Lawrence alive, we know who has Red Dart. He’s the devil we know, and that’s better than the devil we don’t know.” He pushes off the banister. “We’ll bring a team back and do a thorough search. For now, let’s go kill the Zodius hanging out at our front door. And thanks to you, I have some Green Hornets we can try out.”

If there was anything a visit to my mother was good for, it was to remind me of all the reasons I didn’t belong there. I belong by Caleb’s side. That’s what he’s telling me by showing up here.

And that’s exactly where I will stay.

Chapter Thirty-One

Lawrence

I’m pacing, a gun loaded with Green Hornets in my hand, when Jocelyn explodes into the lab, panting out her reprimand. “I told you not to use those bullets until after Red Dart was in place!” she shouts at me. “He’s connected me to you! He’ll connect me to Red Dart if he hasn’t already!” She sucks in a shaky breath, no longer yelling but still irritatingly shrill. “I told you Creed would know where they came from. We’ve had this technology for years. He was a stockholder. He saw the reports. My son is ten times more dangerous than his father ever was. He’ll help Julian take over the world. He will. And he’s going to come for Taylor Industries. He’ll take my research. I don’t know why he hasn’t already.”

Holy hell, she’s crying, tears streaking her cheeks. I’d wanted her to fear Creed, to see him as a threat, and to use her guilt over her past sins as motivation to save the world now. And I knew her money motivation would take control if I gave her the chance to be a hero. And my plan worked. Maybe too well. A hysterical female is the last thing I need right now. “Control yourself, Jocelyn, and act like—”

“A soldier?” she snaps. “I am not a soldier. I’m the woman you promised—”

I set the gun on the desk, then grab her and shake her. “Get a grip on yourself, woman. I would not be foolish enough to use those bullets and show my hand before we’re ready. Think about what you are accusing me of, Jocelyn, and you will see it’s insanity. Someone deceived us.”

“I thought you made sure that couldn’t happen. You said you had ways to take care of business.”

I set her away from me and run a hand through my hair. Who the fuck is double-crossing me?

“General—”

“Shut up, Jocelyn,” I snap. Now I remember why I hated involving women in important matters. “I cannot think with your incessant chattering.” A look of shock registers on her face, and I turn away before I’m forced to endure another wave of tears sure to follow.

I rotate to face the bed where West rests. West was the only one who’d had contact with Zodius. The only one who had access to artillery logged in at the base. And the only man who knew what a certain “top-secret” unit contained.

“It was West,” I say, fury forming inside me. I snatch a letter opener from the desk and walk through the open glass door framing West’s bed, and I don’t stop until I’m driving the letter opener into his leg. The dirty, lying betrayer gasps and tries to sit up, his eyes bugging out of his head as the confines hold him down.

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