Page 52 of Redemption

Chapter 39

“Put the gun down,”Webber commanded as he faced off against my father. A command I knew my father would ignore. He had no intention of going down without a fight. Stubbornness was definitely something I’d inherited from him.

“Not a chance. There’s no way I’m going to prison because of this bitch.” Contempt oozed from each word he spewed. It still shocked me how much my father hated me. Even before what happened with Casey, we’d never had a perfect relationship, but it was as though this loathing had been festering long before then. It didn’t matter. This man was nothing to me, and his feelings had no effect. I could give him a run for his money in the hatred department.

I couldn’t help but goad him a little. “Fuck you. You’re going to rot in prison for what you’ve done. Inside you’ll be a nobody with nothing. No money. No power. You won’t have your lackeys there to protect you.”

He dug his gun deeper into my side, drawing a wince from me.

“Shut your fucking mouth. This is your fault. If you would have just left things alone, but no, you had to stick your damn nose into what was none of your business.”

“You gave Casey to men for money. You’re out of your damn mind if you thought for one second that I would let you continue to brutalize her.”

He laughed, a sound that drew chills down my spine. It was diabolical, and something about the tone scared the shit out of me. As though he knew something I didn’t.

“I’m not going to tell you again, Mr. Santiago. Put the gun down. You’re only making things harder on yourself. You don’t want to add murder to your list of crimes.” Webber continued his steady aim at my father. All this time I’d avoided looking at Miles, but instinctively my eyes were drawn to him. His gun was also drawn, but there was an infinitesimal shake to his hands that I only noticed because I was looking for it. His face was ashen, but focused. I knew this was killing him, because of the memories it brought back. If things went from bad to worse, I prayed he wouldn’t fall back into the darkness, because this time, I didn’t think anything would reach him.

“Fuck you.”

Those were the last words I heard as my father turned his gun toward Miles and multiple shots rang out. A scream resonated through the air, and I realized it came from me. I blinked several times, but the scene in front of me didn’t change. Both Webber and Miles stood with their guns still drawn and no obvious signs of injury. I scanned Miles from head to toe, praying I wasn’t missing something. A groan of pain from next to me alerted me that someone’s bullet had hit its mark.

My head followed the sound. Standing at the back of the living room stood Agent Morgan, his gun drawn. My gaze dropped, and crumpled on the floor at my feet lay my father, blood slowly pooling beneath him, agony etched into his face. He coughed, blood spraying out of his mouth with the effort.

“You always thought you were so smart.” Even facing death, the bastard remained smug. “Yet, after all these years, you never knew about my little secret.”

“You have no secrets left. I know everything about you.”

He attempted to laugh, but it turned into another choked cough. When the cough subsided, he spoke again. “You’re not so fucking smart this time.”

I refrained from railing at him to talk. He wouldn’t tell me if he thought I couldn’t take not knowing any longer. It was best to act as though I didn’t care what secrets he took to the grave. And the grave was where he was headed. Slowly. Painfully. Just like he deserved.

My expression remained blank even though I was moments from caving and begging him to tell me. Finally, he spoke again. “At this precise moment, your sister is being prepared to be sold at an auction. And you’ll never find her. Even you’re not that good.” He coughed again, his breathing becoming shallower.

My brows furrowed in confusion. He must be delirious as he approached death. Casey was safely tucked away in a small cottage I’d bought several years ago when I began preparing to destroy my father. My curiosity forced me to ask. “What are you talking about? Casey is far from here, protected from you and your evil. There is nothing you can do to her now.”

Sinister laughter echoed in the air. “I’m not talking about Casey. I’m talking about Phebe. Your half-sister. Her mother was some whore I fucked who owed me money.”

I reeled back in shock. A half-sister? I had another sister that I’d never known about? How had I missed her in all the files I had on my dad?

Not wanting to sound desperate, even though I knew the emotion came through, I barked out my question.

“Where is she? What have you done to her?”

“Oh, I haven’t done anything to her. Her loser boyfriend sold her off to some member of the Russian mafia to pay the debts he owed me. She could be anywhere. I neither know nor care.”

A maniacal laugh poured from him, but quickly turned to coughing as blood continued to bubble out of and down his mouth. His labored breathing slowed, until finally, it stopped. I could only stare at my father’s body as the impact of what I’d just discovered sank in. Warmth surrounded me as I found myself in Miles’ embrace. He pulled me close as chills threatened me. Could my father be telling the truth? My heart said yes. It would be just like him to torture me like this, even in death.

“Oh my god, Miles. The terror and pain she must be going through right now. We have to help her.”

Miles arms tightened around me, and I absorbed his strength. “We will, Josephine.”

“Son of a bitch. We got nothing from this,” Agent Morgan said in disgust.

I whipped around to face him, anger coloring my words. “Is that all you care about? That you didn’t get what you wanted? My father pulled a gun on me and could have killed any of us in this room, and you only care about your stupid info?”

In my rage, I snatched the flash drive from my pocket and hurled it at them, hitting Crocker, who’d quietly appeared next to Morgan during my father’s confession, in the chest.

“Here’s your fucking info. Everything I’ve collected on my father for the last seven years. It’s all yours. Figure that shit out on your own. In the meantime, I’m going to find my sister and get her out of whatever hell hole she’s been delivered to.”

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