Page 115 of Brutal King

“That I want the baby to have family,” she repeats.

“Before that.”

“I’m choosing to stay.”

“Before that.”

“That I…” Her cheeks flush. “Shit. I wasn’t supposed to say it first.”

“That’s all right, dearie. Gideon knows better than to say it at all.”

Both Sofia and I turn to the sound of the male voice echoing through the basement. There, across the pool, is Henry. But it wasn’t him that spoke. It’s the man standing menacingly in the shadowed hallway behind him.

I push Sofia behind me, instantly taking note of the weapons I’m carrying, glad that I hadn’t had a chance to fully undress. There’s the knife holstered at my ankle, and the gun at my waist. Slowly, I move us to the far end, where there’s another exit, but two men appear with rifles pointed right at us.

Sofia clutches at my shoulders. “Gideon.”

“Shh.” I turn back to the shadowed man. “Who the fuck are you?”

He steps out, the light revealing his face little by little. When he’s fully exposed, the sight of him has me frozen in place. It’s as if the water has turned to ice and it’s seeped into every part of my body. I cannot believe what I’m seeing, yet I’m not the only one that does.

“It’s your father,” Sofia gasps. “How?”

“I… I don’t know.” I trail my gaze over him, searching for anything that would indicate this is a lie. That this isn’t my father, but someone with an uncanny resemblance. This man is much older, the lines on his face more pronounced than what I recall, and his hair mostly gray. But his eyes are the same steel blue. Just as intense and hard.

“How is this possible?” I ask.

“Come out, son, and I’ll tell you.”

I glance back at Sofia. “Stay behind me.”

We move as one to the edge, where three men I hadn’t seen before assist us up. Sofia remains glued to my back, peering over my shoulder at my father.

He tilts his head as he watches her too, curious and interested. “Come out, little one. I won’t bite.”

I stiffen and instinctively stand taller in front of her. “Father. You’re alive. How? I saw the crime photos.”

Grinning at me, he says, “You wouldn’t believe how easy it is to arrange your own death when you have the means. All I had to do was offer Sean Murphy money to bring in the wrong person. No one even bothered to look at his face when they started stabbing him. By the time they threw the body into the lake, it was unrecognizable. Then, I paid to have it cremated before you could come in to identify it. Couldn’t take the chance. Out of anyone, I knew you’d be able to tell it wasn’t me.” He pulls out a cigarette and lights it. “The dying was easy. The hard part was letting go of my life.”

“But you did it? Why?”

“It was getting too dangerous. I needed to take the heat off me for a while, or they could have killed me for real. And quite frankly, I needed a break. Doing what I do is tiring.” Shrugging, he comes nearer. I take a step away and he smiles. “Afraid of me, son?”

“Confused,” I reply, hoping he can’t hear the thunderous pounding of my heart. None of this is right. “Why would you keep this from me? I thought you were dead. I thought those men killed you.”

“That was the plan. You needed the motivation to finish my job for me. Nothing gets someone more motivated than revenge, wouldn’t you say?”

A guard I’ve never met before comes into the grotto. “The house is secure.”

“There was no one else?” Father asks him.

“The housekeeper and the cook. They’ve been dealt with.”

“Oh, God,” Sofia cries, but cups her mouth instantly.

Father glances at her. “It was just two, dearie.”

I look at Henry. He’s staring at his feet. Father notices and goes to stand beside him. “Henry here has been an absolute help. We should give him a promotion, I think.”

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