Page 137 of Relapse
What?“Why?”
That didn’t make any sense. Mason and Sean did not get along – which was a nice way of saying they hated each other.
Micha waved his hand through the air. “I don’t know. Maybe Mase is going to kill him or something.”
That’s when panic struck my heart. No, they wouldn’t. Would they? The look in my brother’s eyes flashed through my mind.
Oh my God, they would.
“You have to stop them!” I cried out desperately. “They don’t know what he’s capable of.”
Micha’s brow knit. “What who’s capable of?”
“My father.”
The distinct grindingshriek of metal on metal burned through my subconscious. At first I thought the slight throb in the back of my head was a sign of a hangover – wouldn’t be the first time I woke up having no idea where I was or how I got there – but the musty scent of earth seemed familiar. Where the hell was I? I didn’t hear Harper.
Like a slap in the face, everything hit me. Sean showing up, Lana’s confession, the secret dungeon under the shed, Dean Whitley, and the cloud of gas.
My eyes flew open and I was instantly met with the source of my anger. Ned Callaghan stood over by the table, sharpening a knife. The asshole couldn’t be too smart, because he had his back turned to me.
I lunged. Or at least tried to. Something snapped me back, drawing my eyes down to the rope binding my wrists to a metal chair. Which, considering it didn’t move with me, I assumed it was bolted to the ground.
God damnit.
“You really should take better care of yourself. That gas should’ve kept you out for at least another twenty-minutes.” Ned tipped his chin and looked back at me. “Just how many drugs have you poisoned your body with? I’m not sure I want my daughter around that kind of influence.”
This motherfucker.
“Too bad you didn’t have that much concern for your daughter when you were beating her.”
“What you call beating, I call lessons.” He sighed and returned his attention to the blade he was sharpening. “If she’d have listened in the first place, then none of this would’ve happened. It was a simple rule. Don’t go in my office.”
The fact that he was trying to justify his actions only strengthened my resolve to end him.
“Is that what you’re going to tell your son?” I asked while looking around for Sean, who I didn’t see anywhere.
I remembered seeing him fall down the stairs, so I knew the gas knocked him out.
“My son was never supposed to be a part of this.” Ned placed the sharpener back on the table, then spun around and pointed the tip of the blade at me. “I blame you for that.”
“Right, cause it couldn’t possibly have anything to do with what you did to his sister.” I tipped my head to the side and looked right at him. “Or Lana.”
That surprised him. Ned’s eyes widened just a bit.
That’s right, asshole. I know about that, and soon Parker will too.
“Lana’s a beautiful girl who I would’ve left alone had she never gained the interest of a Whitley.”
The way he said Whitley, full of disgust and hatred, made my gaze shift over to Dean, who was still asleep. If his beef was with the Whitley’s then why Tico, or Harper? Why any of it?
“That’s a big cell for one person.” I didn’t really care why Ned did what he did, but the longer I could keep him talking, the more time I had to loosen the rope on my wrists.
“It was originally built for four.” Ned twirled the knife in his hand and walked across the room. “But I had to escalate my plans and settle for one.”
If Dean was one of the four he was talking about, then I could only assume he was talking about the other kings. Which again, didn’t make sense. If someone was going to go for one king, then why not cut the head off the snake? Taking out the king of kings would pack a much bigger punch. Then again, my dad wasn’t an easy man to target.
“Why Dean?” I asked while twisting my left wrist, stretching my bindings.
