Page 99 of Savage Ruin
We clear the security gate to our neighborhood.
He waves the gun. “Floor it.”
CHAPTER43
HENLEY
“Why me?” I ask him the question that’s been burning in my throat for ten years. “I used to wonder how you even knew me, but David answered that question for me the other day. Now, I just want to know why.”
“Most of the students at MIT are smart, and quite a few of them come from wealthy or privileged backgrounds with every advantage given to them. But here you are, a nobody from nowhere, with no connections, no advantages, and instead of trying to beat everyone to the top, you want to use your brain to help others. You were an anomaly,” he muses, his eyes on the distant past.
“I used to listen to you talk about all these ideas you had to help others, and I couldn’t help but wonder if it was real. I’d never met anyone who truly wanted to help others. My parents always said they did, making a big deal out of their charitable contributions, but behind the scenes, they were horrible people who only cared about themselves. You seemed sincere, but maybe it was a ruse to get David to fall for you,” he admits.
“I had to know, so I watched, and the more I watched, the more intrigued I became with the way you think. But David grew a conscience and broke it off with you. Incensed at first, I made him pay dearly for that decision, but the more I thought about it, the more excited I became. You could be my own little experiment. With very few friends or family, I could isolate you, test you, and determine if you were truly a match for me,” he reveals with a gleam of madness in his unnerving eyes.
I grip the steering wheel tighter. “Is that why you killed my mother?”
“She was your safety net, but I knew you could make it on your own,” he replies derisively with a smirk. “You exceeded almost all my expectations. Almost. Staging your death could be considered cheating, but I guess I don’t mind the initiative you took. Finding you again after all these years… is much more exciting.” He runs the barrel of the gun softy down my thigh. “I can’t wait to test you. See if you’re worthy.”
I snort. “Thiago, Grayson, and Mateo think I’m worthy, and they’re the only ones who count.”
Snarling, he brings the gun up and taps the end of it against my temple. “I haven’t forgotten you’ve been consorting with my enemies. You will not mention their names to me. The Savages took everything from my family. Wealth I was supposed to inherit—mine by right of birth.”
“It was my understanding your father made a lot of bad business decisions. He squandered away your inheritance. Maybe you should blame him for losing it all instead of taking revenge against men who did nothing but protect their own,” I state passionately, unwilling to let him continue with his delusional rhetoric.
He smiles at me and shoots the driver’s side window out. The sound is deafening in the small confines of the car.
I scream and clap one hand over the ear closest to him until the ringing stops.
He turns the gun back toward me. “For weeks I’ve been dreaming of the punishments I’m going to give you. It’s time you learned to show me loyalty and respect.” He points to the right. “Slow down. Get off this exit.”
Using the paddle shifters, I downshift as we come off the interstate.
“Turn right at the light,” he instructs.
After turning, I look in the rearview mirror and notice an SUV coming up fast behind me. Thiago’s in the front passenger seat. It pulls back to allow a sedan to move in between us. Thomas is driving.
Langford continues to give me directions until I realize we’re going in circles. “What’s going on?”
“Just making sure nobody is following us,” he says with a smirk.
I say nothing. Every time we turn, the vehicles behind us switch out, but I’ve recognized several of the drivers. Jameson, Allison, Thomas, and a few other security guys, although I don’t remember their names. All driving different vehicles.
Langford messed up when he went to the garage. Once the security system alerted Thiago the garage door was open, he could easily see and hear us through the app. Langford essentially gave his address to his enemy.
He slumps against the window and snarls at the pain. “Fortunately for you, I don’t see anyone coming to your rescue. Take a left at the light.” After we turn, he points to bright white apartment buildings. “There.”
I park the car and look at him.
“Slide to my side and get out,” he orders. “Don’t try anything.”
I do as he says, and we slowly make it to his apartment. When we get closer, Philip opens the door.
“David would be so proud,” I say sarcastically toward Philip.
“He will be,” Philip returns quietly.
Langford turns to me. “Help me get this shirt off.”
