Page 67 of Breaker

I belong to me.

Rune hasn’t said anything since the night in his office. No one’s said anything about Zane at all. I’ve not been allowed out of the house besides going to work. I’m allowed to go out to the pool, down the dock, but when I tried to walk to the end of the drive, peering around the gate to find the source of the revving engine I keep hearing, Clyde grabbed my arm and dragged me back inside.

Clyde, my ever-present shadow. He’s been here all week, making meals with me since Rune let the staff go. In all my fifteen years in this house, I’ve never spent so much time with Clyde. It’s like the man’s developed abandonment issues. Or he’s terrified something bad’s going to happen to me.

Like Zane.

Now that I have a plan, I need to enact it, but I can’t until I see Zane. But between his obsessive talk with Rune in the meetings all week as they wait for a response from Snyder about the deal, or his chatting about his lodge buddies coming to the fundraiser, I can’t get him alone.

And the strangest part isn’t that I’m not allowed to leave, that Zane seems to be more interested in rubbing dicks with this Snyder guy, or Clyde’s overprotective presence; it’s that no one’s talking about Delly.

I can’t wrap my head around why no one, not Rune or Clyde, is asking me questions and wanting to know more. Details. Something. Anything.

I don’t understand. It’s like Delly stopped existing. It makes me wonder what kind of man their father is and why Rune isn’t retaliating. It makes me wonder what Rune did to their brother.

And it makes me wonderwhyRune killed him, to begin with.

I mostly sit in my room when I come home from the office. I don’t know what to do with myself. I’m barely even a person anymore without her here. My entire life was so wrapped up in work and Delly and going out nights to pick up some random stranger who would leave me feeling slightly less empty than Rune. But at least those nameless men made me feel like I had control over parts of my life. Over who was touching me.

I know Delly’s fine, and they have some sort of plan for her, but Rune doesn’t. It makes me think they’ve had communication beyond telling me to come back. Maybe the silver-haired man is communicating with Rune.

In between crying quietly into my pillow or pacing aimlessly in my bedroom, I nap or sit in front of the TV with Clyde, watching reruns ofThe Great British Baking Show.If I try to sit in my room alone to pout, Clyde will stalk in and either sit next to me on my bed, sprawling his long legs out on my pink comforter, and read or drone on about work.

Interest almost sparks when he talks about how Snyder contacted him, expressing interest in Rune’s deal. I remember when we finalized the sale of their chain of hotels across the west coast last month, how difficult it was to get ahold of anyone in his company. It was hard to even get him to sit down long enough to hash out the details. He’d finalized the sale over video call, from his yacht as he took Rune for millions.

Chain of hotels. I’m no fool. Rune paid an ungodly amount for that chain. And while we did end up with the hotels, I know Rune ended up with something else. Drugs. Smuggled artifacts. Who the fuck knows at this point?

Now, Clyde is sitting next to me in my bed, taking up too much space as he flips through videos on his phone. He tells methat thanks to this previous sale, the Snyder Group is donating a huge chunk of change to Zane’s fundraiser.

I glance his way, my stomach dropping. He sees my expression and nods.

“Yes, girl, the fundraiser.” He pats my head. “It’s tonight. We need to arrive early to greet guests.”

I slump down in the bed, covering my head with my blankets.

“We do this every year, Cora,” Clyde reminds me like I need it.

Lowering the blanket, I peer over it, ensuring he sees my frown. My eyes fall to my nightstand where I’ve stashed the envelope. Ineedto get Zane alone.

Clyde nudges my leg with his shoe, but I duck back under the covers. “Get up, or we’re going to be late for work. Rune wants you to type up the contract today.”

I roll my eyes even though he can’t see me under the blankets. He nudges me again, and I sit up, tossing the covers off.

“Why isn’t he trying to get Delly?” I ask.

Clyde recoils, confusion and something like concern flickering over his features.

“I was returned and no one talks about her. I don’t understand.”

He takes a deep breath. “We’re waiting.”

“For what?”

“On information.” Clyde pockets his phone and stands, looking up at the ceiling. He’s in a suit today, which means another long day at the office avoiding Zane. “We are waiting to see what those men want in return for Delilah.”

I clench my teeth. Revenge is a vile thing. It makes people do heinous things. Rune killed their brother, they took Delly toretaliate. And they didn’t just take her, they turned her against him.

No. Cora. You did.

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