Page 73 of Cruelly Fated
Larry tilted his head, mock curiosity glinting in his eyes. “She didn’t tell you. How interesting.”
“Tell me what?”
“A few weeks before the tragic death, your mother came to me. Said she was taking an extended leave to travel abroad. Ididn’t buy it at first, ignored her request. But she wouldn’t shut up about leaving.”
I stared, heart pounding.
“She was my star performer. Losing her was out of the question. But she became…unreasonable. And when she said she was taking you with her—well…” He smiled thinly. “I had to act. Your potential was obvious. You were going to be even more lucrative than she ever was.”
A sudden headache clamped down on my skull. Larry couldn’t be telling the truth. He couldn’t.
Mom had planned for us to leave Avari? Is that why she’d picked up the side hustle from the Voltaires…?
“What did you do?” I asked through gritted teeth.
He flicked his wrist nonchalantly. “What I always do. I take out trash.”
My blood surged hot. “Did you kill her?”
He tsked, as if I were the one being unreasonable. “Not with my own hands… The key to running any business is plausible deniability.”
My thoughts flew to the girl he’d mentioned—the one found in the river. She’d worked here too.
“You son of a bitch!” I lunged at him with a scream, aiming to dig my nails into his beady eyes. But the guard stepped in, shoving me so hard I landed flat on my ass. Pain shot up my spine.
“Ooh-ha-ha!” Larry cackled. “Your new owner’s going to love this side of you. Just try not to get too feisty, or you won’t lastthe night. Vampires have a nasty habit of draining mouthy prey dry.”
Hot tears welled up. That was how Mom died; she’d fought back. Forus. So that we could have a new life away from Avari.
“You’re a monster,” I hissed.
“You have no idea the lengths I’d go to protect my empire.”
I let out a bitter laugh. “It’s a seedy club, Larry. There are dozens just like it around the block.”
“All of which I intend to buy,” he said smoothly. “Most are defaulting on their loans. It’s only a matter of time.” He adjusted his gold cuff links again, for what felt like the hundredth time.
“So now you run loan scams too?” I spat.
A devilish smile spread across his face. “Worked on your grandfather.”
My eyes rounded and I stared at him, unblinking.
“I also took care of your school application, and I didn’t even have to lie. They were most eager to learn a close family member has a criminal record.”
Larry stared me down like an emperor deciding the fate of a conquered subject. That’s exactly what he thought he was. Most saw him as a rude, greedy opportunist. They had no idea how deep his rot ran.
His phone chimed. He glanced at the screen, and that smug grin returned.
His eyes gleamed as they met mine. “Your transport is here.”
Thirty-Two
KYON
Dragon scales rippled beneath my skin. The beast hadn’t stopped snapping in my head since we laid our hands on the vampire lord. If it weren’t for Valor’s steady logic, I’d have torn the bloodsucker to pieces already to avenge Allie’s mother, but we needed him.
I shot another glare at the vamp slouched beside me in the back seat while Valor drove like a maniac, weaving through highwaytraffic.
