Page 73 of Beautiful Prey

He shifted on his feet. “This is not the time. We can get a meeting together with our lawyers and—”

“I’m pulling my shares out of the company,” I interrupted, wanting to just rip the Band-Aid off for good. “That’s all I wanted to tell you for now. I no longer want anything to do with it.”

“Eve…”

“I’m serious. Maybe things have changed, but I’m not going to stay silent.”

He sighed. “If that’s your decision, then fine. But there will be consequences.”

“I know. I figure we won’t be talking much.”

He shook his head. “I’m really disappointed. Your father would be very disappointed.”

“Well, he’s not here. And I’d tell him the same thing if he was.”

“You don’t know what you're doing. We should talk about this later,” he said softly. “You’re just upset and aren’t thinking straight. Things happen, things we can’t control. It’s in the past now.”

“It’s not. How can you even—”

Uncle looked past me, his expression going from pissed off to friendly and, dare I say, nervous. “Kennedy, I’m so glad you could make it.”

I turned and saw a very tall man with striking gray eyes looking right at me, a black oni mask in his hand. He smiled when I caught his gaze. He was clean cut and I could tell he came from money. A nice black suit and a gold Rolex on one wrist. His dark hair was cut short and tattoos peeked out from the collar of his dress shirt. He was handsome, though something in his gaze made me feel odd, almost uncomfortable.

“Wes.” He stood beside me and shook my uncle’s hand. “Nice setup this year.”

“Had to dip my hands a little more in the donation box, but I think people appreciate it.”

“I think so too.” Kennedy dropped his hand and glanced at me.

“This is Eve, my…Roman Martel’s daughter,” Uncle Wes introduced. “Eve, Tyler Kennedy.”

He offered his hand, and I took it. “I never got the pleasure, but I’ve heard so much about you,” he said.

I forced a smile as I slipped my hand out from his. He was one of the donors. I remembered seeing his last name on the list.

“I don’t attend these parties often,” I replied. “And I’ve been very busy with—school.” I glanced at Uncle Wes, who smiled.

“I’ll bet.” He placed his hands in his pocket. “I’m a Michigan graduate myself but I heard State’s Psych program is well-acclaimed. And you've already got some impressive experience.”

My uncle shifted uncomfortably beside me.

“Yes, forensic psychology and psychodynamic therapy.”

“I might be in need of your services if you can believe it.” He took out a card from his suit coat and handed it to me. “When you're ready for work at least. School is the main focus, right?”

“Yes, for now.” The card had KENNEDY BIOMEDICAL AND MEDI-TEC ROBOTICS in bold letters. Interesting combination. “Robotics?”

“A newer project,” he explained. “AI is advancing at a fast rate. No better time than now to start testing. But that’s separate from our work with Martel, and we could never be happier with the results. But then Martel rarely disappoints.”

Yeah, well, prepare for that to change.

Just then, a sharp chill ran down my spine. I got that feeling like I was being watched. Uncle Wes made a passing comment but I didn’t pay attention as I turned my head around and looked behind me.

I noticed him in the back corner. A huge man in a server uniform, wearing a silver skull mask, staring at me. He stood there, unmoving. My pulse drummed. Something felt wrong by the way he watched me. I had a sudden strong urge to move.

“Eve?”

“I’m sorry, what?” I turned back to them.

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