Page 39 of Vengeful Reign

“I’m sorry about him.”

“Whatever.” I walk over to the large picture window and watch to see if he drives away. He’s gone, but the threat Julia mentioned still lingers in my mind. “Jack, did you ever find any of the other people involved?”

“No. It’s strange; the only person I found was Joanne, which doesn’t make any sense, and I’m not the one who found her.”

“Who did?”

“Connor, but he got a tip from one of our guys who spotted her in town and then they tracked her down.”

“That sounds pretty suspect. If she was running from you guys, why would she come back?” I already had a feeling in my heart, and it crushes me to the bone. She was leading them far away from John and me while sacrificing herself.

“Something is on your mind.”

“Yes, it is. I don’t know who else was involved in his kidnapping, but I do know that she was going to die of ALS, so she distracted you away from me.”

“I wish things had worked out because I would have helped her with the medical treatment if she’d come to me in the first place.”

“I don’t know what her reasoning was. All I know is she said he wasn’t safe with his family, and part of me still believes it.”

“You don’t believe any of my brothers would do anything, do you?” His mood darkens like I’m accusing his brothers of nefarious intent.

“No, I didn’t say that.”

“Good, because that’s bullshit. They might not want kids right now, but they’d do anything to protect the family.”

“Family includes your father?” I ask.

“Not anymore,” he grunts.

“What does that mean?”

“Since our mother’s death, we’ve had a strained relationship with him. We’ve all blamed him for her death.”

“I’m sorry.” I press my hand on his chest, feeling his heartbeat intensify as I hold it there. I want to tell him about what his father said, but the way he’s looking at me, I forget all about the bastard because my future husband will protect me.

“Miss Fieri, you better be careful with the way you’re touching me. I might have to show you what it does to me.”

“Momma,” John cries out.

“Hold that thought, handsome.” I kiss his jaw and tend to his little brother.

Chapter Fourteen

Jack

“So how are the marriage plans moving along?” Connor asks after a blissful week at home. I’ve been so damn busy buried inside Nora that I nearly forgot about my other obligations. Connor and I headed to the docks where we received several shipments and oversaw some other matters before I could return to my beautiful fiancée and my little brother.

“So how is Dad taking this whole situation between you two?” Connor asks, driving us back to the estate.

“He’s asked about John, but that’s it. You know he never gave a fuck about him, and it was just a show.”

“Yeah, it was only because of Mom that he didn’t send John away to a mental facility.”

“It pisses me off. Nora told me that if he’d gotten more help sooner, he might be speaking full sentences.” I shake my head, wanting to beat my father’s ass. Hell, I want to kick my own ass for not taking the initiative, but our world was crumbling around us and losing our mother had been hard on us all. Still, I should have done more.

“Are you serious?” Connor snarls, slamming his hand on the steering wheel.

“Yes, so Dad might have kept John, but he didn’t do a damn thing for him.” We arrived at the reinforced gates and entered, monitoring the scene. I’m always looking for defects or ways for penetration after the last attack. There are always ways to get in, but I’ve added multiple layers of reinforcement.

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