Page 257 of Never Fall for an Angel

“Is this true?” Bella asks and I don’t have to turn around to know she’s crying. She steps forward to the edge of our father’s bed, tears streaming down her face while she looks down at him. “Is thistrue?”

William ignores her, looking straight at me instead.

“Your mother did nothing for this place,” he wheezes. “While I was working late nights, she was at home with the children shehadto have. This place belongs tome.”

“Wrong,” I tell him, holding up the documents I’d had in my hand since the moment we walked in. “This was hidden in the safe down in the basement along with Mom’s death certificate. It’s her will, and it states the property goes to her children. Which means Levi, Bella, and I are the owners.” I toss the papers in his lap. “You never owned anything except that cancer that’s slowly killing you.”

He glares at me, reaching out with a feeble hand to grab the papers.

“And before you think about ripping those up, just know that’s a copy. You’re only wasting what little energy you have left.”

“This document proves nothing.”

“On the contrary,” Paulina finally speaks. “It proves you’ve committed larceny. You kept the lodge from it’s rightful owners.”

William laughs from the bed.

“When you found out I was onto you, you sent Sebastian to hurt my wife, didn’t you?”

William’s gaze flicks to Mila, and I step in his path. Fuck that. He doesn’t get to scare her again.

“You sent him there to kill her in the hopes that I’d fly off the handle; only your plan backfired when she proved to be stronger than what you could do to her, so you sent your hounds to find her. That night on the rooftop, you planned for Sebastian to kill me, but . . .” I shrug. “He’s never been a good shot. Guess I fucked that plan too.”

“You were supposed to die,” he croaks, his eyes glinting in anger in the dim lighting of his room.

“Then—and this is the most laughable part—after you learned I was alive, you found out you had cancer and wouldn’t be around to inherit the lodge, anyway. You were pissed off, so you sent Collin to my house, but that failed. You lost control of Sebastian, and he kidnapped my wife because you told him with me out of the picture, he would be welcomed back into the family. That failed, too.”

“What are you going to do? Kill me?” he challenges, a wicked grin on his face. It’s all the more creepy with the oxygen mask over his lips. “Please. I’m already dying. You’d be doing me a favor.”

I open my mouth to speak, but Mila takes my hand. When I look down at her, she gives a subtle shake of her head.

“He’s right. Killing him is what he wants,” she says softly.

Fuck.

I’d come to the mansion with every intention of putting him in the ground tonight, but looking down into her soft gray gaze, I know she’s right.

“How could you do this?” Bella asks, tears clogging her throat. She backs up when he holds a hand out to her—he’s always had a soft spot where she’s concerned. “You killed mom? Had SebastianrapeMila? Hecarvednasty things into her skin and yousenthim to do that to her?”

When he doesn’t respond, she turns on her heel and storms out of the room.

“Let’s not forget the other shit you’ve done over the years,” I murmur, and Levi’s shoulders stiffen. “My siblings and I are finding it hard to move on with you in our lodge.”

“You can’t move me,” he croaks. “I’d be dead within a week.”

I shrug. “Quite frankly, I don’t care. You’ll be moved to a care facility with enough funds to cover your very basic needs.” I look down at his fancy oxygen machine keeping him alive. “Once that runs out, well . . . I guess you’ll find out the rest when it happens. I know you love a good show.”

“This is my home,” he growls, attempting to look menacing when he sits forward. Unfortunately for him, a stiff breeze would take him out. “You willnotthrow me out.”

“If I had my way, I would have thrown you in the ocean,” I murmur darkly and Mila’s hand tightens around mine. “You can thank her for the rest of your miserable life.”

I pull Mila towards the door, and Levi follows. Paulina stares at my father for a long moment before she joins us in the hall, shutting the door on a hacking cough that rings out behind us.

“I’m so sorry,” she whispers, tears shining in her eyes. “I never knew—”

“None of us did,” Levi interrupts her, wrapping an arm around her shoulder. “You’ve been the best damn aunt to a bunch of unruly kids. We owe you everything.”

She smiles, but it dissolves into tears.

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