Page 85 of The Reckoning
“Yes.” Another betrayal, another knife thrust. The easiest way to sell a lie is to use the truth as a buffer. “She found evidence in the attic. Medical records. Payment receipts. Enough to destroy Hayes Pharmaceuticals if it ever went public.”
Father’s jaw tightens. “Where are they now? Arson and Lilian?”
“Not so fast. I want my position secured in writing. Right here, right fucking now.” I hold out the paperwork I drafted this morning and drop it down onto the desk.
“What is this?” Richard asks, eyeing the papers suspiciously.
“My protection. I won’t disappear like Arson did.”
Richard looks from the papers and then back at me, a glimmer of respect in his eyes. “Full control of your inheritance, and your position as COO secured. Is that all you want? You could have had that at any time by showing up at the office.”
I shrug. “I could’ve, but I wasn’t ready then. I’m ready now. Sign the papers, and I’ll give you the information.”
“We should have a lawyer look this over,” Patricia comments, and I glare at her.
“To have a lawyer take a look at this means lost time, and lost time could be the difference between catching them or chasing them forever. But sure, go ahead, call a lawyer.”
“That’s nonsense, Patrica.” My father shakes his head and grabs the paper, scribbling his name on the signature line.
Patricia blinks, looking nervously at the documents, skimming her cold gaze over me and Richard as if she’s waiting for something else to happen.
“Now, tell me where they are.”
“Of course.” I tuck the papers away in my back pocket. “The Mill House. My old dorm room.” I check my watch with deliberate casualness. “They’re sleeping. If we leave now, we can be there before they wake.”
“You’re certain they have these…documents with them?” Patricia asks, a tremor finally breaking through her collected demeanor.
“Oh yes! Lilian has been hiding them.” I force a cold smile. “She’s not as fragile as you led everyone to believe, Patricia. In fact, she’s quite resourceful when properly motivated.”
The barb lands, Patricia’s lips thinning to a hard line. Father moves to his desk, pressing a button on his phone.
“Jenkins, prepare the car and call Hansen. Tell him I need his security team to meet us at Oakmount University. The Mill. Immediately.”
“We’re doing this now?” Patricia asks, already moving toward the door.
“Of course, what better time than the present?” Father’s voice is steel. “We need to contain the situation before it escalates further.”
“Understandably, but you’re only as good as your plan. If we have a plan, then we can be better prepared for what might take place.”
Father rolls his eyes at her, and it’s the first crack in their united front. Pin them against each other. They’re so much alike that it’s easy to cause problems.
“Nonsense, they’re basically children. Arson is dangerous, yes, but by using the element of surprise against him, he won’t be prepared to fight back.”
I don’t bother telling them that there is no preparation for him. He’s been ready for a fight since the moment they put him in that cage. My only hope is he sees this as the opportunity he needs to get revenge.
I follow them from the study, down the grand staircase, and out to the waiting Town Car.
Each step makes me feel like I’m sinking deeper and deeper in quicksand. There’s a hollow pit where my stomach should be, emptiness spreading through my veins like poison.
This is necessary, I tell myself as we slide into the back seat, Patricia beside me, Father facing us. This is the only way to make things right. I spent so long being a coward, being a victim, letting my father control me, giving up my wants and desires.
Even if it hurts, even if it’s scary, it’s what must be done.
The car pulls away from the mansion, tires crunching on gravel before hitting the smooth asphalt of the main road. Father makes calls the entire drive, speaking in clipped, coded phrases aboutretrieving assetsandcontaining liabilities.Patricia stares out the window, her profile sharp against the morning light, one manicured hand tapping a restless rhythm against her knee.
I close my eyes, trying to block out the voices, the dawning horror of what I’ve set into motion. If this backfires and Lilian gets hurt…fuck, I will never be able to forgive myself. Images flash behind my eyelids—Arson’s face, battered but alive with something like hope as we tracked Lilian through the forest. Lilian’s eyes, wide and vulnerable as she surrendered to us both.The promise of something new, something real, that existed between us for one perfect night.
All of it ash now. All of it sacrificed on the altar of my guilt and fear. Of my need to make things right. No. I can’t think like that. If it means they survive, then it’s worth it. I know Richard better than any of them. With his paranoia and the suspicious meeting he had with Arson, it’s only a matter of time before he brings everything crashing down on us all.
