Page 130 of Burn It Down

I glance over to see him pull a pistol out of a holster clipped to the inside of his pants.

“Whoa, Martin, let’s not do anything crazy. There’s already been enough attempts to take a life.”

“Jacob, if your father has laid a single hand on my daughter, today is the last day he’ll draw a breath.”

I believe every word he just said.

Martin is out of my car before it’s even in park. He’s halfway to the front door before I smack the hood of my Range Rover to get his attention and point to the basement. My parents have a keypad down there that raises the garage door and unless anyone’s in the basement, they most likely won’t hear the door open, potentially giving us an opportunity to gain more information.

We make our way into the bowels of my parent’s house and quickly hear my father’s shouts.

“I never told you tokill him for Christ’s sake!”

“What? You thought just torching his shop was enough repayment for ruining our lives?” Cora shouts back.

Martin and I pause on the steps and flash a look of surprise at each other. It certainly doesn’t sound like Cora is being held against her will…nor does it sound like my father is in charge of this interaction.

I slip my phone out of my pocket, put it back on video, flashing a quick view of Martin and myself in the lens just so we’re accounted for before we climb a few steps higher so we can hear better as the argument continues.

“Cora, allIwanted was to ruin Jacob financially. To prove that if he wasn’t worth a dime, that mechanic wouldn’t want anything to do with him and Jacob would come to his senses and crawl back to the life I had planned for him, finally forgetting about his queer lifestyle.”

“Yeah, and how’d firing him and threatening his inheritance work out for you?” she sneers. “Itold youhe was no longer interested in the money! And youpromisedmethat money!”

I can tell my father has his jaw clenched based on how clipped his words are. “That’s what the lawsuit was for. Jacob would’ve come around. He would’vehadto because he would have had nothing, nor would his boy-toy after the shop was turned to ashes.”

“You obviously weren’t paying close enough attention to the two of them. They would have lived out of one of their cars in order to be together,” Cora fires back. At least she’s smart enough to have seen how deep my love for Dylan runs.

“Arson? Sure.Murder?No, Cora. I may be an asshole, but I’m not a killer for fuck’s sake. You’re on your own. And I think it’s best if we steer clear of each other from now on.”

“Excuse me?I did all of this for you…forus.First, you force Jacob into a relationship with me so you can use my father. Then when Jacob defies you, you reach out to me, making promises you never intended to keep. And now you’re just going to pretend you’ve played no part in this?”

“Cora,” my father growls, the sound of his footsteps moving to the right of the door. “You were the one who went on the air and basically told the whole fucking world he was gay and that yousupported him.How is that me not keeping my promises?”

“That was never supposed to air!” she shouts. A few seconds later, something shatters against the wall. “I offered Jacob the arrangement you suggested. He and I get married publicly while living separate lives privately. You and I could continue our affair while he and Dylan kept their trysts behind closed doors. Everyone would win, but Jacob has his own mind and refused to consider that plan, and now you want to throw me to the wolves? Once again, leaving me withnothing?”

Martin and I stare at each other with wide eyes.My father is having an affair with Cora?

There’s a pause and then we hear my father ask, “What are you doing?”

Fuck, I wish I could see what’s happening right now.

I move up another step and try to peer under the door but all I see are Cora’s heels in front of my dad’s loafers.

“I was promised an Ellington, Steve. My whole life I’ve been reassured that my future will be set with your fortune. You and I have both known for a while that Jacob’s gay. Hell, I’ve gotten more action from you than him over the last few months and trust me, it wasn’t for lack of trying.”

“Yes, but our affair was only ever going to be just that. You were feeling neglected and I was pissed at my son. We could offer each other something in the moment.”

I have to grab Martin’s arm to keep him from catapulting through the door. Hell, I’m about ready to knock my dad’s fucking head off, myself.

“Tell me you don’t still think about it,” she purrs. The next sound is an obscene groan from my father and I can only guess where Cora’s hand has landed. I silently turn the door handle and ever-so-slowly work the door open a crack.

“Of course I do. I thought asking you to help made sense because we shared a common enemy, but I was wrong. I should never have dragged you into this and I’m not who you want. Money isn’t an issue, Cora. I can give you a whole new start, anywhere you want to go, but you and I are through. Locking that boy inside the burning building was crossing a line even I’m not willing to toe.”

How fucking heroic of you, father.

They’ve rotated slightly and I see Cora run a hand up my father’s chest. “I took initiative and took matters into my own hands. You wanted new properties? I ensured you got them forpennies on the dollar. You wanted Dylan out of Jacob’s life? Done. Do you even know how many times I had to let that disgusting cop put his hands on me in order to get him to do all of that shit? Then, when he accidentally hit that old guy, he refused to be a part of this anymore. But I’m no quitter. And we weresoclose to achieving our goal. I waited until Dylan was alone. I knew there were no internal cameras because Officer Dowdy had confirmed that earlier and I did what everyone else was too chickenshit to do. You need a warrior by your side, Steve. Someone who knows how to play this game. Haven’t I proven I can be that for you?”

The sound of a wet kiss fills the air around us. I look over to see Martin slumped against the wall of the staircase, pale and dazed. Admittedly, it’s a lot to digest.

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