Page 80 of Wrecked
“You’ve learned nothing, son. Absolutely nothing.” He pushes back against my hold, and I let him. He turns to face me, cheeks red with anger. “Where is your leverage, Nathan? Last I checked, you didn’t have any. Unless you’re telling me you’re over that Hansel girl?” He sneers. There’s a smile in his eyes that makes me uncomfortable. Like he knows something I don’t.
“You can’t hurt her anymore. She’s eighteen. Chris has no power over her, and I don’t give a flying fuck what happens to him or her shitty mom.”
Nathaniel grabs a folder from the coffee table and slams it into my chest. I look down at the file labeled Ellie. My stomach plunges, the contents feeling like they are seconds from coming up.
“It’s as though I’ve taught you nothing, son. You’re only as powerful as the threat you present to others. You’re still in the sandbox, Nathan. With your little pail and shovel, pretending to build a moat around your treasure, pretending to protect what’svaluable to you.” He scoffs, his disappointment ringing loud and clear. “Waiting me out, Nathan? That’s fuckingchild’s play. I expected better from you! While you were busy building your little castle in the sand, I was keeping tabs on my interests. It appears Chris Hansel has gotten a little bolder in his desperation. His wife was on the cusp of leaving him. Leaving him meant the money in those offshore accounts became hers. Whether she knew about them or not.”
“What’s your point?” I spit out, not liking where this conversation is going. Nathaniel nods to the file in my hand. I open it slowly, like a snake is going to jump out at me. I read the top document, my eyes jumping to my father’s. My heart stops in my chest. No. This is not happening!
“Everything, Nathan. Everything has been transferred into her name. With her signature. The best part?” He practicallygiggles. “She works at that company. Part-time since her junior year of high school. That gives her access to their accounts.Motive and means.She’s eighteen now, able to be charged to the fullest extent of the law.” His eyes harden and his lips thin. “The law is me, Nathan.”
No. NO.
“Leave her alone, or I swear to God, you will regret it!” My threat is pathetic. I’ve got nothing to bargain with. Nothing on him. He can spin any story I tell the media. He can prosecute Ellie and send her to prison. He holds all the cards, just like always.
“I’ll leave her alone, Nathan. You go back to Columbia, and we can forget this ever happened. I already told Dean Winters that you made a terrible mistake. I told him you’d be back in the fall. Finish school and if you still have feelings for the little—the girl—when you’re done, we can talk then.”
He’s lying. I know he’s lying. He’s never going to let me be with her. He’s never going to allow me to live my life. As long ashe has her for leverage, I am doomed to live under his thumb. And he will always have her as leverage because I will never stop loving her.
“Why do I matter? Why does she?” I seethe. “Your image is that damn important to you? This fake family-man persona you created. The people love you! Why do you have to fuck with me? Fuck with people I love?”
“Your image is all you have, Nathan. I was cursed with a slut of a wife and a failure of an oldest son. You are the future of our family name, and I will doanythingI have to, to ensure you don’t fuck it up.”
“If I go back to school, you’ll leave her alone?”
“Yes. I’ll have no reason to go after her, Nathan. I don’t waste my time on frivolous things unless it benefits me.”
“Fine,” I concede, my heart crushing in my chest. I’m losing her. This will never end. I will never get her back.
I’m so consumed by my pain that I don’t see his fist coming. It lands hard in my gut. I double over, clutching my stomach, and he swings at my face. Three more strikes to my midsection, then one to my head. I fall to the ground, my face narrowly missing the coffee table on my way down.
Nathaniel’s feet appear in my line of vision. I see him lift his foot, bringing it back behind him and then letting it fly forward. Black spots line my vision, and he rears back to kick me again.
“STOP! Dad, stop! Please don’t hurt him,” Emmy screams from the entrance of the loft.
Nathaniel slowly turns and walks away from me. I try to yell, to distract him, but I can hardly get a sound out. I hear the loud slap ring out from my spot on the floor.
“Talk to me like that again, and I’ll make it so you can’t talk for a week.”
He walks away, slamming his study door behind him. Emmy runs over to me, helping me to my feet, but I’m far too wobblyto walk to my room. She helps me over to the couch, and I finally get a good look at her. Her lip is bleeding, a small trail of blood seeping down to her neck. I feel absolutely feral. She doesn’t even look phased, which means he’s been hurting her. I went away to school, and he needed a new target.
I’m going to kill him one day. I swear he is adead man walking.
“Go pack a bag, Ems.” I manage to get the words out despite the vomit creeping up my throat.
“Are we going to Asher’s?” The hope in her voice breaks my heart. I wish I could take her away from this hellhole permanently.
“Yeah. We’re going for the summer. Grab everything you need.” The dizziness starts to subside, so I grab my phone and text Asher.
Nate:Got room for us this summer?
Ash:Didn’t expect to hear from you so soon, man. Room for you and Ellie?
Nate:Room for me and Ems.
Ash:Always. WTF happened?
Nate:Dad was expecting this. He kept tabs on Chris these last two years. I guess he transferred everything to Ellie’s name.
