Page 107 of The Mastermind

“Untie her,” he told Mallory.

Mallory looked at him suspiciously. “No.”

“She can’t do a damn thing to you in her condition. Look at her.”

Derek probably knew if he had come closer, I would attack him with whatever energy I had left, so he sent Mallory. The asshole was manipulating her, and she didn’t even know it.

When she untied my wrists and removed the rope from my body, I shook my hands and wrists, trying to loosen them. I could have attacked her, but I had to save whatever energy I had left to kill one man.

“How did you cause the fire?” I asked. “You were supposed to be at the grocery store with Mom and Grayson.”

Derek stood several feet from me. “I told them I’d forgotten a gift card, so I went back to get it. I thought you had gone over to your friend’s house for the day. I didn’t know you were home until it was too late.”

“Yousawme. Youchosenot to save me.”

“I would’ve gotten burned, but your dad saved you.” He shrugged. “I knew he would.”

Fury had risen to where it numbed my emotions. “You’re a fucking asshole.”

“In life, you’re either a winner or a loser. I chose to win. I needed to win. Your father found out about my business and threatened to turn me in, so I had to eliminate him.”

Eliminate him. How could he speak about his brother that way? How could anyone refer to their own blood so callously? I should have been worried that I was numb to Derek’s words, but it stopped me from revealing how shattered I was.

Derek faced me. “I wanted his business. His wife. His kids. I met Melanie first, but he swooped in and made her fall for him.”

What?The Gods were testing me today. I didn’t know how much more shocking news I could take. I’d never heard my parents talk about this.

Mom had never mentioned Derek making moves on her. Had he? I’d kill him. Grayson would break every bone in his body if he knew.

“My mom doesn’t love you.”

She’s still hung up on your father.” Derek’s jaw tightened. “I respect her loyalty and will always have feelings for her, which is the only reason she’s alive.”

Mallory fumed, realizing that Derek had just lied to her.

Derek walked over to Mallory. “But my heart can only be true to the woman who’s true to me.” He kissed Mallory on the head. “Get the laptop ready for money to be wired. Remington should be here at any moment.”

That statement seemed to soothe Mallory. She must have been under his spell because she smiled, nodded, and did as he requested.

Gripping the charity pin, I glanced around for an escape route. A door was on my right, but it was too far for me to run. My body was still trying to fight off the lightheadedness.

Derek approached me, and I stiffened. “You should thank me for keeping Lawrence away from you. He wanted to pimp you out to international men who would pay an obscene amount of money to be with you. I’m talking about powerful men, royalty, but I told him to leave you alone. You’re my niece, and despite what happened between your father and me, I care about you and Grayson.”

Thank him?I want to kill him.

I squeezed the charity pin in my palm so tight, the needle pricked my skin. Too drained, I had nothing left to say to Derek. I needed to preserve my energy to escape.

Glanced at his watch, Derek stepped closer to me and pulled out a black gun, pressing it to my forehead. “How much do you think your life is worth?”

CHAPTERFIFTY-FIVE

REMINGTON

I rushed in.

The sight of Derek holding a gun to Audri’s head brought out the wrath of hell in me.

I’m going to fucking skin him alive, dip him in acid, then burn whatever is left of him.

---