Page 111 of Revenant

Hicks drives with a confidence I envy, but his posture is stiff with tension. I’m not sure if he is more worried about the upcoming appointment or Crystal sitting in the back seat. When we pull up to Granger Industries, I remain frozen in my seat, struggling against the urge to bolt. Hicks opens the door and rounds the front of the vehicle. I’m not aware of him again until he crouches down next to me, placing a warm hand overmine. I blink, then wince when I realize I’ve been picking at my thumbnail until it’s a bloody mess.

“We can do this without you,” Hicks reassures me, the concern in his green eyes slaying me, and I shake my head. “I trust Crystal and your father as far as I can throw them. The idea of them in the room together…”

I shudder.

“I’m not afraid to confront my father,” I tell Hicks, swiping the blood on my jeans, grimacing when it leaves behind a little smear. “But I am smart enough to be worried about the destruction he can cause if he sets his minions on us. He won’t stop until I’m back under his control. He won’t give a fuck who he destroys to do it. The thought of you or the others becoming a casualty of this war… It’s unbearable.”

Shadows thicken, and darkness slowly fills the car with a menacing chill.

A startled squeak escapes Crystal, and she stumbles away from the vehicle, stark fear etched on her face. Before she can bolt, Gunner blocks her exit and hauls her to where the others are waiting near the entrance.

Undaunted by the silent threat, Hicks captures the back of my neck with his hand, then drags me close and smashes his lips to mine in a brutal kiss that steals every thought from my head. I’m panting by the time he pulls back, struggling to recall my own name.

The smug fucker smirks at my dazed look, but it’s the tiny purr rumbling in his chest that hits my veins like a sedative. It reminds me that we are no longer just human. If my father tries to start shit, he will get the surprise of his life.

With a shaky nod, I allow him to haul me out of the vehicle. He pulls a little too hard, and I end up sprawled against his chest. His warmth erases any lingering chill, and I take a deepbreath, like coming up for air after being underwater for too long.

Courage bolstered, I grab his hand and drag him toward my father’s building…only to slow when I round the front of his car and spot the dent marring the front fender.

“Why didn’t you fix it?” I grouse, mortification filling my cheeks. The damage is from me and the first time I ever drove a vehicle. Gunner and Hicks were taking a beating from a group of thugs, and I saved them…by running their attackers over.

“I have fond memories of that day.” Hicks smiles down at the fender, running his hands over it, and shrugs. “It’s a reminder of the day I decided to keep you.”

I sputter with laughter at his audacity, allowing him to haul me the rest of the way toward the building. When the guys fall into step around us, tension eases from my spine. Hicks enters the building first, confident of his place in the world. He prowls toward the reception desk like he owns the building, not sparing the two security guards any attention.

Gunner immediately becomes territorial, his form bulking up impressively as he steps in front of me and growls at the officers. The guards step back in alarm, their hands dropping to the weapons strapped to their sides. Needing to de-escalate the situation, I step around Gunner and curl up against his side, pressing my hand to his chest. “No need for drama. He thought you were threatening me. You weren’t, right?” I ask the guards as sweetly as possible, and their disbelieving gazes drop to me.

It’s only when they shake their heads and slowly lift their hands from their weapons that Gunner relaxes. When he gazes down at me, his whole countenance softens, and he wraps his arms around me possessively.

After years of neglect, I fucking love his protectiveness. I carefully pull the big man away from the guards, then nod for Hicks to take over.

“We would like to see Richard Farthington,” Hicks tells the woman behind the reception desk, and a snarl curls my lips when she gazes at my men a little too lustfully.

“I’m so sorry, but he’s not accepting?—”

I shove my way to the front, ignoring Gunner’s grumble of protest. When I reach the desk, I flash a smile that is more teeth than anything friendly. “Tell him his daughter is here to see him. I’m sure he will make the time for me.”

A moue of distaste curls her mouth, but she does as ordered.

Though she clearly doesn’t believe me, she knows better than to do anything without my father’s permission. I shudder when my father’s voice barks through the phone, and the woman flinches. She replaces the phone in the cradle with a trembling hand. “You, uh, you can head right up.”

Without another word, we all head toward the elevator. The ride is silent, full of tension and anticipation of what’s to come. Everything is riding on the next few minutes. I close my eyes when the elevator dings. No one moves as the doors glide open, allowing me a moment to gather my courage, then I inhale deeply and step into the hall.

I stride into my father’s office with Hicks and Crystal trailing me. Now that Ellis is on the property, he’s able to loop the cameras and access the files he wasn’t able to retrieve while off-site. Jaceson and Jameson are breaking into the offices, collecting anything incriminating. Gunner remains in the hallway near the elevator, standing guard.

“I see you managed to cause another scene.” My father tsks in annoyance, his voice harsh with reprimand. He leans back in his seat, a look of disgust twisting his features. “Are you ready to crawl back home after the mess you created?”

My eyebrows shoot up at his audacity, but instead of being upset, I laugh. “Don’t you mean the mess you created? You’rethe one who had me committed—illegally, I might add. I wonder what people would think if they discovered the truth?”

I stride across the room, my rage burning away any leftover fear. I lean over his desk and snarl in his face. “Your inability to forget the past, your need to control me has twisted you into a monster. You could have forgotten I existed, started another family, and lived a good life, but you?—”

“I had the perfect life,” he bellows, shooting to his feet so he can yell into my face. “And you took it away from me!”

“I was a child!” I scream back, then shake my head at the pathetic man before me. “You were supposed to be my father. You were supposed to love me.”

“Love you?” Every emotion wipes off his face, and he straightens to his full height to glare at me. “You are unlovable. Not even your mother could stand to be in the same room as you. No, you are not my daughter. You are a curse. I allow you to live only so long as you are useful. I. Own. You.”

I brace for the pain of his words, and I’m surprised when I don’t feel anything.

---