Page 104 of Exposed

“Give up all custody and visitation rights to my grandson.”

“That’ll never happen.”

“Oh, it’s happening. You get to decide how many people die in the process,” he grins.

“Were you the one who followed me and Simon that day?” Jasmine pipes up.

Good girl. Keep him talking, and I’ll figure a way out of this.

“Not me, but someone I hired,” he answers, pleased with himself.

Ah. He likes his ego stroked. We can do that.

“Were you going to kidnap Simon?” I ask.

“That was the plan. Make a solid case that you’re neglectful and incapable of caring for him. The stalker was shit at his job, so your little girlfriend caught onto him.”

“She’smy wife,” I growl at him.

“See, this is why you can’t raise my grandson. You have no respect for your elders. Don’t worry though, you’ll learn today. The mugging didn’t teach you anything,” Heath tsks his tongue.

My jaw tightens in anger, and he continues.

“I hired hit men to kill you and make it look like a mugging gone bad. Yourwifewould’ve been spared had you let them kill you that night. But, no, you had to fight back. Today, it’s your fault that she’s going to die.”

“It’s not my fault you’re insane,” I snap. That mugging felt intentional, and now I know why.

“All that matters is I get Heath Rutherford Truman the third, and I’ll raise him to respect me. When I retire, he’ll be the perfect heir for Truman Holdings.”

No way is he renaming Simonthator raising him.

“No, you won’t. After kidnapping my mom and Cat and trying to hurt us, you’re going to be locked away for life,” I rumble.

“Wrong. All the police will hear is my alibi. You tried to kill me, and I fought back in self-defense. Your mom will have gotten mixed up in a bad drug deal, but she’ll be set free. I already have a revenge note ready for the police to find for Cat. I’ve framed a past client she worked for, so Iwon’t be connected to that kidnapping. Give me the fucking gun, or your mom and Cat die.”

He looks at his watch. “Tick, tock. If I don’t check in with my men in five minutes, they pull the trigger, and it’s lights out for your mom and Cat.”

“No,” I growl. “Tell your men to stand down, or I’ll kill you.”

“I’m defenseless,” he clutches his chest, feigning innocence. “You’re the only one with a weapon. My wife will tell them you lured me here to kill me. Bye, bye, custody. A murderer like you will never see Simon again,” he says patronizingly.

Fuck. I can’t hurt my chances of losing my son. I’m going to let Heath think he’s won. I reluctantly release my grip on the gun, and Heath swipes it away with his grubby hands.

He aims my gun at himself but holds it away from his body. With a loud pop, he grazes his shoulder with a bullet and curses.

What the ever loving crap? He’s freaking bleeding on my floor.

“An injury from your gun,” he muses as he looks at his bloody handiwork. “Like I said, you lured me to your house, then tried to kill me. You shot me. We wrestled for control of the gun, you two accidentally got shot and died.” His bullshit alibi is sick on so many levels.

“Call your men,” I demand.

“Not so hasty,” he chuckles.

“You’re a fucking maniac,” I shout.

“At least I’m alive, which is more than I can say for you in a couple minutes,” he sneers.

This bitch messed with the wrong man. He thinks he covered all of his bases, but he grossly underestimated me.

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