Page 202 of Endgame
He drove home. I went to the DNA lab. Left a stack of cash instead of a paper trail.
Winston may know a lot, but this time he has no idea.
If he did, he wouldn’t look so damn relaxed.
“Okay, okay.” His laugh is nails scraping the inside of my skull. “I’ll cut to the chase. For years, I’ve been diligent in teaching her how to be a functioning member of society. Ofoursociety. All so I could marry her off in a way that would be beneficial to both me and her future husband.”
The mere idea of having another man so much as looking at her sends a surge of adrenaline through my veins. Despite myself, my jaw tics. My fists clench on my desk.
“While you weren’t my first choice—since our businesses already benefit from one another…”
Hisbusiness benefits frommine. The only reason I let my proxy at the law firm keep him as a client was for the sake of pretense. Of lowering Winston’s guard.
My money though? I’d rather die than allow him to manage a single dime of my fortune.
“…You were a valid candidate.” Winston tsks, shaking his head as if he’s sorry for what he’s about to say. “Unfortunately, even if I had considered you, I see this isn’t working. This wedge that she’s driving between us is bad for business.”
My jaw almost drops to the floor at his audacity. The things he’d done to Aurora, to my family…
Twenty-three years of bottled-up rage rises dangerously close to the surface.
I’m combustible. A landmine that’s been waiting to detonate.
But I’m not ready.
Tomorrow, I’ll have the DNA results.
If Aurora is my step-niece, if she is the product of rape, the case I’ll build against him will be airtight.
The evidence will speak for itself.
Nothing and no one will be able to bury this secret.
While the statute of limitations on rape in Massachusetts is fifteen years, there are exceptions.
I am one of them.
There’s no question that I’ll take him down for the false imprisonment of Aurora, for raping Lotus and possibly killing her.
Deep breath.
“Hmm.” I pretend to be considering what he said.
Winston’s lips twitch as he waits. His fingers tap restlessly on his knee.
His composure is tearing at the seams.
He doesn’t like waiting. Or…I unnerve him.
Curious.
“I won’t hesitate to take matters into my own hands.” He flattens a hand over my desk. Both his feet are on the floor now, his body leaning toward me. “The Hales, the Bernards, they’ll take my side.”
What he’s saying makes sense. Other than Stafford, I trust no one.
Still, I question him. “Will they?”
“Naturally.” The hitch in his voice betrays his doubts. So he hasn’t approached them yet. “I run their finances. I’ve made them millions. Their allegiance is all but guaranteed.”
