Page 93 of Emperor of Lust

I level a cold look at him. “Yes, you will.” My mouth twists. “Out of curiosity, why did you stop shaking her down every year?”

Senator Donahue hesitates. I pull the blade away from his wife and in two strides I’m in front of him, shoving him to his knees, thekatanaresting against his jugular again.

“Speak,” I snarl coldly.

“I was convinced to stop!” he yelps. “Look, I did a lot of good with that money! I used it to get elected! She came from a criminal family, and I thought it was…justice, you know? I used that money to finance my campaigns, to do good.Do you know how much good I’ve done?” he screams, his voice self-righteous.

“You think extortion isgood?” My grip on the hilt tightens.

“No, I…listen,” he says, gesturing vaguely. “I’m sorry, truly. I made mistakes, but I was trying to do the right thing.”

“Funny, I have a hard time seeing blackmail that way,” I spit back.

His wife cuts in, “But… Think of his career, of the things he’s accomplished! That wasmafiamoney. Blood money! We used it to get into a position to help people?—”

“You used it to torture Hana for years with the memory of what your fuckhead son did to her,” I growl. I drag my eyes back to Josh’s dad. “Whoconvinced you to stop.”

He gulps weakly. “One of Josh’s friends. He worked for me; inner circle type stuff. A little over a year ago, when the rumors started that I might get tapped for the Ambassador position here in Tokyo…” He lifts his shoulders. “Ed convinced me it was unwise to continue coming to her for money.”

I don’t blink. “That why you fired him?”

Donahue gasps. “No! No, of course not. Poor boy had a drug and gambling problem, and it was seriously affecting his work. I fired him, yes, but I also tried to send him to rehab, on my dime.”

I nod slowly. “So what happened when he threatened to start telling people it was blackmail money financing your campaigns?”

I’m just spit-balling here. But it turns out my hunch was right.

Donahue’s face goes sheet-white. His eyes dart to his wife before he looks back at me, looking guilty assin.

“I—I don’t know what you’re?—”

“Is that why you killed him?” I press. “Keep him quiet?”

“Please…” Senator Donahue wails. “Please, let me just?—”

“Let’s talk about the video,” I growl, my tone ice-cold. “The one of your son and his little friends torturing Hana. The one of your little darling trying torape herwhile she screamed and begged him to stop.”

Something breaks in Judge Donahue’s face. She cups a hand to her mouth, horror in her eyes as she looks away.

But her husband’s face is a mask of confusion and genuine ignorance. “V-video?” he stammers. “OhGod, there’s a fuckingvideo?”

I study him, the desperation in his eyes.

“I know you sent it to her, Senator,” I growl. “On the iPad.”

Judge Donahue looks sick as she whirls on her husband. “Kempton,” she blurts, horrified. “Did you send her avideoof what he did to her? I didn’t even know?—”

“Neither did I, Blythe!” he replies, his face lined and white. “I never sent her anything!” He spins back to me, genuine fear on his face. “I swear to whatever you hold holy,” he insists. “I didn’t send that girl anything!”

My mouth thins.

“Think about it!” he begs. “Right now, my son’s death is viewed as a tragic accident. What he did that night has never seen the light of day. If I knew there wasvideo evidenceof his crime?” He shakes his head. “I’d have destroyed every damn frame of it. Not sent her a copy.”

Well, fuck. He’s got a point.

“Please,” he whispers. “Please. I made a horrible mistake. I was angry, and I was so,sobroken up about my son. I knew he’d done something unforgivable, but he was stillmy son. I know I handled it badly—threatening that poor girl, taking from her…”

He looks up at me. “If you’ll let me, I’d like to make it up to her. To Hana. I’ve done wrong, and I truly want to make amends.”

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