Page 108 of The Mastermind

Mallory shrieked from the table, looking more nervous than I’d ever seen her.

I met Audri’s eyes.I’m here for you. You’ll be okay.

She looked worn and beaten. The side of her face had a red mark. Did Derek hit her?

I whipped my gaze at Derek. “Did you put your hands on her?”

“I’m not into hitting women. Your stepbrother is.” Derek smirked and jerked his head toward the laptop beside Mallory. “Wire one hundred million dollars to my offshore account right now, and I’ll let her live.”

That’s right, keep talking.

“You own half of Wu Real Estate Solutions. That’s worth millions of dollars. You don’t need my money.”

Derek skimmed the gun down the side of Audri’s face. I couldn’t tell if it was fear or hatred in her eyes for him. “You should know, you can never have enough money. And it’s not your concern what I do with it. Wire the money, or I kill her.”

A man who wore a mask all his life had just tossed it aside, revealing the cruel character beneath. Was Derek relieved he didn’t need to hide anymore?

“Itismy concern if you wantmymoney to support your sex trafficking ring. You’ve already used two properties owned by Wu Real Estate to host lavish parties for your rich buddies. I didn’t know you liked abusing women and underage girls.”

“H-How—?” Derek widened his eyes.

Something passed over his face, probably trying to figure out how I knew about his side business. I had my suspicion about Derek the day I went over for wonton soup with Audri. He told to the person on the phone to scour “Touro.” Touro was a street in the shopping area where Audri had been attacked. I began my investigation on him that night.

Sometimes the people closest to you wield the deadliest weapon because your guard is down.

What my PI had discovered about Derek was horrendous. Grayson didn’t take the information too well. No one in their right mind could. His uncle had killed his father and paid off city officials to cover up the evidence. Then Derek snuck into their lives and took on the father-figure role as though nothing had happened. Grayson, Audri, and their mom had trusted a vile man all these years. The knife of betrayal had slid deeply into them. I understood his pain because, for the longest time, I saw my dad as the enemy.

“It’s a successful business that I started on my own.” A muscle ticked on the side of Derek’s face. “It’s my empire.”

“Not anymore.” I walked closer, needing to be within arm’s reach of Audri. “The FBI has men at your discreet locations right now.”

Looking frantic, Mallory barked at me as though I should fear her. “Where is Brian?”

“In custody. Where he belongs . . . withyou.”

“Derek! Do something! This wasn’t the plan! You said everything would be fine!”

“Shut up.” Losing his cool, Derek shifted to stand behind Audri, the gun against her temple. Mallory rushed over to stand beside him.

“Let her go.Give.It.Up,” I said, the code for the men surrounding this building.

Audrey lifted her right hand, whirled around, and stabbed Derek in the neck with something. He screamed, stumbled back, and yanked a sharp item from his neck. Rushing over, I kicked the gun from his hand and slammed my fist into his face, knocking him to the ground. Then I grabbed his gun and aimed it at him.

Derek scrambled to his feet, blood dripping from his crooked nose.

“You make one move, and I will scatter your brain on the floor. Try me.”

Grayson rushed in with armed men dressed in black, who I’d hired for this operation. Over the years, I’d become acquainted with people who offered help at the right price. It was beneficial to keep a wide range of skillful men and women around me.

“Derek!” Mallory shrieked when two men approached. “Help me!” The men didn’t touch her.

Grayson charged at Derek, gripping his blazer with both hands and pushing him against the wall. Derek fought back, and I lifted a hand to keep the armored men away. Grayson needed to release his anger. This was something that would affect him for a while, so I let my friend unleash his steam.

Like me, Grayson was adept at martial arts.

“I hope you rot in prison. My dad loved you!” A fist flew into Derek’s face, and a tooth clinked to the floor as blood dripped from his neck where Audri had stabbed him.

“If your dad loved me, he wouldn’t have ruined me!”

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