Page 64 of Duke
Mr. Mikaelson’s lawyer, Isaac Hauser.
She’s his niece.
Isaac's sister is Rose Hauser Ashford,
Elliot’s mother.
I really had to dig.
Thank you.
“Who’s this from?” My eyes flick to hers.
“Your librarian friend. She finally came through.” Lennon gives an uneasy look over my shoulder at Hunter before returning her gaze to me. “Remember, I told you I had her looking into whether there was a family connection between Elliot and Isaac or anyone else involved in the case.” Her lip has started to tremble harder with every glance she makes in Hunter’s direction.
Bear and Duke join us, Lennon’s distress a palpable thing. We stand in a circle around her, but she can’t keep her eyes off our unwelcome guest.
I blink, confused. “It’s Hunter. My half brother.” Have they never met? I rack my brain, trying to remember. “You haven’t met him?”
“No, I did, I think.” Her answer confuses the shit out of me. With her lips twisting in disgust, she murmurs, “Wh-what’s wrong with him?”
Bear cups the back of her neck. “I drugged his beer with the fucking oxy the jackass delivered for me from my dad.”
Duke eyes the remainder of the bottle. “How much did you put in there?”
“Enough,” comes Bear’s grunted reply. “Lennon… exactly when did you meet Hunter?”
Lennon raises her hand, and it shakes as she presses her fingers to her lips. Her eyes flick to me. “I-I think he was the one who held me at knifepoint and drugged me at the auction.” She swallows hard. “Took me. Did fuck knows what to me.”
I blink, my heart clenching in my chest. “Are you fucking kidding me?” And even though I’m voicing surprise, I can’t say the thought hadn’t crossed my mind.
“I recognized the voice when I came out onto the patio. The size of him. Um…” She turns into Bear’s arms, shaking her head.
Fury courses through my veins to every damn cell of my body. I don’t take the time to think things through, have no idea what I intend to do, but I charge over to the passed-out man who no longer means shit to me and yank him out of his chair. His eyelids flicker, and he moans as I slam him to the pavement beside the pool. “Wake up, you motherfucker!” I grip his shirt, pick him partway up, and slam him down again. “Did you drug Lennon?” I slap him hard across the face to rouse him, then as his eyes are semi-focused on me, I get right up close. “What did you do to her?” I straddle him, but he’s too groggy to push me off. “What did youdo?”I rage, incensed. He mumbles something that sounds a whole lot like “our little slut,” so I punch him right in his asshole mouth. “Tell me, you nasty fucker!”
“I—” He sputters and coughs. “The OG Bas—” He’s practically choking on his own blood. “Th-their orders,” he rasps.
“They fucking ordered what? Where did you take her? Where the fuck was she?” When he doesn’t answer any of my questions, I punch him again, nailing him in the eye, then slam the other fist into his cheekbone. There’s a sickening crack. But I don’t stop.Can’t.Dark anger floods through me. “You fucking lied to us! You knew! You knew where she was the whole fucking time!” He put his hands on her. He left her open to abuse by the OGs—I have no fucking doubt of that while I whale on him, my fists flying and flying.
In my peripheral vision, I see Bear holding onto Lennon, who is clearly traumatized by either Hunter’s presence, what I’m doing, or both. But I can’t stop myself. It’s all for her. He touched our girl. He never will again. My vision tunnels, and I can’t see anything but my asshole ex-brother and the way he used to laugh and laugh at me, beat on me, and tell me I killed our mother and that I was never going to be as big or as strong or even half the man he is.
Funny, but Iamonly half the man he is, according to our genes. But I’d rather not be any part of him.
From somewhere distant, I vaguely hear Bear. “I’m taking her inside.”
Duke lets me go another ten seconds, then grabs me under my arms and pulls me off Hunter. “If you end him now, you’ll never know the full truth.”Doesn’t stop me from wanting to bash his skull in.“Come on, Mase. He’s a bloody fucking mess. You did this for her. He’ll be thinking about it for a long time to come. So will she.”
That’s what I’m afraid of.Pain lances through me. I turn in his arms and whisper against his neck. “Make sure she doesn’t”—my chest jerks and my voice hitches—“h-hate me, Duke.”
He grips my head in his hands, connecting our gazes. The look of astonishment on his face nearly bowls me over. “Hate you? Fuck, Mase. You’re her avenging fucking hero.”
THIRTY-THREE
LENNON
My heart thumpswildly in my chest. I don’t want to be here anymore, but I don’t want to leave Juliette alone. Only dim lights illuminate the hall. It’s kinda spooky, especially since it’s so late at night. She shoots me a smile and gives me a reassuring pat on the shoulder. “Everything’s fine. They’re expecting us.”
“Are you sure we’re just supposed to go in there?” I grit my teeth, wondering who owns this place, if it’s the regular at the diner she’s been talking to or if it’s someone else entirely. She’s never pointed the guy out to me or mentioned any of her plans, so the suggestion that I tag along for a night of work to earn some quick money had come as a surprise.
