Page 85 of Wrecked
“Mom may be a shitty parent, but there is no way she won’t cover Emmy’s treatment. She won’t just let her die,” I interrupt, refusing to believe anything he’s saying is true. Ellie doesn’t belong to Chris. Emmy doesn’t belong to Nathaniel. It’s too much. Too many lies. Too many secrets. It’s too much to take in.
“Your mother wouldn’t have a choice. My prenup is airtight, Nathan. There is a strict infidelity clause. If I divorce her, she getsnothing. She won’t be able to pay for Emily’s treatment. She will be removed from the clinical trial I’m funding. My contribution is the only reason Emily was approved for the treatment.She will go without her surgery. Without her transplant. She will die, Nathan. She will die at twenty years old.”
I’m shaking with anger. My vision’s turned black. The only thing I can feel is this all-consuming rage. I want him to die. I want him to die painfully, and I want to be the last fucking face he sees.
“What. Do. You. Want.”
“It’s simple, Nathan. There is a woman I want you to meet. I want you to court her. Date her. Make her fall for that…charming personality of yours.”
“What the fuck?!” Asher and I say at the same time. “No. No way. Why the hell would you want me to date some random woman? Why does that matter to you?”
“The why of it is not important right now, Nathan. Is your stubbornness and your…obsession with that sewer rat from high school really worth your sister’s life?”
This is never going to end. As hard as I fight, he will always beat me. He’s never going to stop hurting the people I love. He’s never going to stop controlling my life. He’s always going to get exactly what he wants.
“Why do you hate Ellie so much?” I whisper, not sure he can even hear me through the phone.
“I don’t hate Ellie, Nathan. She’s irrelevant to me. The moves I make in life are to benefit me, and only me. You could learn a lot from me, son.”
“Don’t call me that. Ever. Again.” His only response is to laugh.That’s when I feel it. This other part of me, buried deep down in my soul. It’s dark, and it’s ugly. It’s stirring to life and I’m powerless to stop it. There is a storm growing inside me, and its only prey is on the other end of this phone. I push it back, but I feel it tingling beneath my skin. I won’t let it out. Not yet. Not until I have what I need. Once I do? I’m going to unleash this monster within me. I’m going to let it loose. I’m going to take him right to his target.
Nathaniel Westin.
In the meantime, my sister is going to get better. I’m going to do what Nathaniel asks.
And when the time is right…
I’m going to make him wish he never created me.
“What’s her name?” I ask, preparing to break my vow to Ellie for the first time in six years.
“Katie Nolan.”
CHAPTER 38
NATE (25 YEARS OLD)
Aquick search of the name Katie Nolan tells me a few things about Nathaniel’s motives.
She’s smart.
The kind of smart that will take you places.Bigplaces. She just finished her final year of law school, earning her JD. She’s been interning with Stokes & Baros since she was early into her undergrad program, and she has a pretty impressive history with that firm. They allowed her to assist with cases during her second year of law school, noting her talent and skills surpassed most of her classmates. She discovered critical evidence in a high-profile case last year, and as an intern, it’s pretty remarkable. It’s no surprise that she has a lot of law firms vying for her attention.
She’s known Dimitri Baros since she was fourteen, when they met attending the same boarding school. They both received academic scholarships to Columbia. She’s staying here for her Master of Laws degree, and it appears she plans to work for Stokes and Baros when she graduates. That makes sense considering her connection with that family. That also explainspartof my father’s interest in her.
Stokes & Baros is his biggest competition, the firm having a slightly higher conviction rate than Westin & Associates. Apollo Baros is also his biggest opponent when it comes to the Judicial Selection Committee. Nathaniel’s goals have always extended past state prosecutions. He wants to become a judge, more specifically, he wants to become a federal judge. He craves the power and recognition that position would give him. But even state appointed judges are difficult to come by in a district saturated with hungry lawyers.
Apollo Baros is one of the best District Attorneys in the state. He has always been an obstacle for Nathaniel, and his private practice is just as problematic.
In Ohio, District Attorneys are legally authorized to practice law in a private setting, and both men took advantage of that by establishing their own law firms.
Stokes & Baros have excelled in both prosecutions and defense. They’ve done a lot of pro bono work on cases that end up becoming very publicly recognized, which has landed them a lot of powerful clients. Stokes & Baros is neck-and-neck with Nathaniel’s firm regarding successful prosecutions, but Westin & Associates’ defense strategy is almost embarrassing.
It doesn’t take a genius to realize that Nathaniel wants Katie. His law firm might actuallyneedsomeone of her caliber. Her defense methods extend far beyond her education, and her investigative work is impossible to ignore. Her preference for criminal defense is exactly the thing Nathaniel is looking for at his firm.
He wants me to date her…so that he can use her.
I don’t even know why this surprises me. This is very on par for Nathaniel’s self-serving nature. What surprised me even less was Ash discovering her family connection. At first, I was having trouble discovering the motive. Why would he go to this length just to enhance his firm? His ultimate goal to join thepolitical realm is where most of his efforts lie. That’s when Ash did a little digging.
