Page 318 of Rage

"Why tell me, then? Why not keep stringing me along until you got tired of me? Or is that it—are you done playing with me already? Think it'll be less fun now that you aren't using me to get something you want?"

I'm angry and talking out of my ass, probably not making any sense. Nothing makes sense anymore.

He used me.

"I would love you for the rest of my life if it was a choice."

My stupid, selfish heart restarts itself with a painful lurch. "Then why tell me?"

"Because I can't lie to you anymore. You deserve the truth. And because I don't think I'm capable of letting your father get away with what he's done."

He pushes the items on the counter closer to me, and I focus on them for the first time. A copy of the medical records for Everly Asher, some printed emails from a Dr. Finley at the care facility where she's being treated, asking for progress updates in return for payment. There are records of wire transfers.

Levi’s gloved hand rests on a printed list of instructions next to two pill bottles. The labels aren't from a pharmacy, only plain white labels with the name of what I'm assuming the medications are: misoprostol and mifepristone.

"Those are the medications that doctors prescribe to induce abortion, and the instructions on how to use them. Whoever gave them to him specified how much to give and when to give them. There's a note at the bottom that states how much was in each bottle, which was far more than the dosage needed. The note specifically mentions not to give more than the original dose."

Levi picks up the bottles and shakes them.

"They're empty."

He nods. His expression is closed, but I can read the agony in his posture. The anger. The absolute hopelessness.

The pill bottles drop from his hand onto the counter, like they’re too heavy for him to hold any longer. His shoulders slump, and I feel his pain so viscerally that it makes my stomach lurch. Stumbling to the kitchen sink, I barely make it in time before I lose the contents of my stomach.

Chapter Seven

Levi

I'm not sure if he wants me near him right now, but I rub Adam's back as he vomits, then hand him a napkin and some water. The bottle of bleach I used to clean up after myself earlier is still next to the sink. After leading him to sit down, pulling the trashcan out next to him in case he might not be finished, I clean and sanitize the kitchen sink and counter. I take longer than I need to, trying to give Adam time to process, and myself time to figure out my next move.

There's more to show him, of course there is. A man who is capable of what his father has done has a lot more skeletons in his closet than even what I've uncovered.

Adam speaks, drawing my attention. "He got the Albas deported."

It isn't a question. He must have already suspected some involvement, but the file in his hands is hard proof, not only that he targeted the Alba family, but that he's been paying off judges. There are more records like that one, where he's paid judges or other officials for various favors.

He sits with this knowledge for a little while, looking through each paper, giving them new attention and focus now that he understands what he's looking at. It's quiet, and I'm wonderingif I should leave. He hasn't so much as looked at me since I showed him the worst of it. And he's been understandably withdrawn since I told him the truth of my involvement with him.

Part of me wishes I’d never met him, or that we met under different circumstances. But, honestly, none of those scenarios would have led to a happy ending for us, either. It's a gut-wrenching fact that I have to acknowledge. I don't deserve a man like Adam. And he certainly doesn't deserve me. He's too sweet and soft, everything good in the world, and I'm filled with too much anger and hate. And lust.

All I've done is taint him. Punished him for the sins his father committed. Dragged him to hell with me.

"I have something to show you," Adam says. He sounds like he’s still in shock.

He keeps his eyes averted and walks out of the kitchen, to a door near the pool table. Through the door is a small hallway. We pass an impressive home gym on the left, and towards the end of the hallway is a door.

The room is dark. It takes Adam a second to find the light switch, and when he turns it on, I see that we're in a large storage space. There are bins marked with various holidays, most of them Christmas decorations. Along the far wall, there's a row of file cabinets. Adam bends down and runs his fingers along the bottom of the cabinets until he locates a small black box, which he pulls a key out of. He uses the key to unlock the file cabinets and opens a drawer towards the bottom left.

"I lost trust in my father a long time ago. A few years back, during the worst of the pandemic, I started getting suspicious about things. The rest of the world was suffering, people were losing their lives, their jobs, their homes, but we seemed to be thriving. My father was making more money than ever before,despite no longer working at the firm. I felt like something was off."

He moves all the files to the front to reach the back of the drawer, where he pulls out a stack of files. "Turns out he invested in a lot of pharmaceutical companies shortly before official news of the virus started to spread. One might say it was a smart move, and sadly not illegal, but I kept looking. Some of the money transfers and investments seemed off."

Adam hands me the stack of files. "I'm sure there's more, and not all of that is exactly concrete, but I think it's enough to warrant an investigation. Offshore accounts, shell companies, and I'm pretty sure insider trading. I highlighted a bunch of transactions that I wasn't sure about at the time, but now that I've seen what you’ve found, it could be evidence of more bribes."

Speechless and unsure what I'm supposed to do, I look down at the heavy stack of files in my arms before blinking up at Adam. He still doesn’t meet my eye.

"I knew my father was dishonest. Corrupt, even. It seems like all rich politicians are. I prayed for him and had this juvenile plan to donate every cent of my inheritance when he dies. But I had no idea it was this bad. I promise you, I didn't know. I didn't know he was ruining people's lives, hurting them. What he did to your sister…" he gags but holds up a hand when I try to step forward.

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