Page 103 of The Mastermind

I raised you better than that.Her imaginary voice bounced in my head.

Though the fragile-looking man sleeping in the bed hadn’t been the best father, he was still mine. The doctor said that he’d been poisoned with antifreeze, which they found inside several bottles of his Gatorade. His organs, especially his liver, had been damaged. They needed to do more tests on him, and his recovery would be a long one.

He’d woken up last night a few times when the doctors and nurses checked his vitals. Though coherent, I was still worried about his mental state. He had given his statement to the police. They’d been tracking Mallory, but she’d taken off with all the cash in their joint checking and savings accounts.

I was headed to the door when I heard a muffled sound. “Remi . . .”

Whirling around, I met my dad’s tired eyes, walked over, and dropped into the chair beside the bed. “Yeah, I’m here. How are you feeling?”

“Like shit.” He tried to push himself up, and I assisted by pressing the reclining button on the bed.

Tears welled in his eyes. “I . . . I don’t know what to say other than I’m so sorry . . . for everything.” He swallowed, and his lips trembled. “I . . . I failed you. I’m so sorry. I didn’t know Mallory could . . . I should’ve known . . .”

Nightmares had woken him up several times during the night, and he’d cried in his sleep. I’d never seen him completely helpless. He was just a man who had made huge mistakes and was living with the consequences.

“Your mom would’ve been so disappointed in me. I failed her.” Dad reached over and touched my arm. “I failed you too. I deserve this.”

The silence billowed in the room, becoming something else. Instead of awkwardness, the silence cleansed something within me, removing the resentment, anger, and regrets that hid in the dark spaces between my father and me. I felt them falling away bit by bit.

He looked over at the heart rate monitor that beeped and beeped. “I deserve to die.”

The panel that kept my emotions from my father shattered. I didn’t realize that it would take thosemorbidwords to make me feel something for him again. On any other day, I kept my emotions contained, but right now, something changed in me.

“Nobody deserves to die from fucking antifreeze and Gatorade.”

“You warned me about all the sugar in it.” He let out a laugh that shook his shoulders. “I’m a fucking idiot. I can’t believe she took all the money from the bank. Is my company gone too?” He sighed and his expression turned serious. “Your mom is probably cursing me from her grave. I know I don’t deserve a second chance, but I hope you’ll forgive me one day. When you’re ready, maybe we can start a normal father-son relationship.”

I pressed my lips together tightly. No response came from me. I never expected to hear him say those words.

Could I forgive him? Maybe. Being open to it and actually doing it were two different things. Before returning to Providence, it had been a big no for me. My relationship with him had solidified into a massive iceberg comparable to Antarctica: cold, isolated, a place no man wanted to be in. Today, I felt it thawing.

“We’ll talk about it when you’re better. Get some rest. Stay in the hospital for a while for them to do more tests. I have to go now. I have work to do.” I rose from the chair and looked at him. “By the way, I bought Starke Financial. The company was going bankrupt. Mallory drained company money to finance her lover’s side business and paid for her plastic surgery.”

It had explained why Brian kept trying to blackmail me for money. Their well in Starke Financial was empty.

The sadness in my dad’s eyes turned hopeful. He blew out a sigh, and I could almost see the stress leave his body. “You deserve that company, Remington. It was yours from the beginning. Your mother’s legacy. I let two horrible people into our family, and they almost destroyed it.” Tears filled his eyes as he shook his head. “I’m too tired to work anymore.”

I wasn’t sure what I’d do with Starke Financial, but at least now I had full control of what belonged to my family.

I left my dad resting and told the guard outside the door to stay put. I didn’t want to risk Brian and Mallory sending someone in there to hurt him. Precaution was better.

As I exited the hospital, a heavy weight lifted from my chest. I could start the forgiving process because my heart had already been opened. The darkness that had once dwelled there didn’t have the same power . . . because of Audri. Her love was stronger than any darkness.

My love for her was stronger too.I love you, Remi.

I should have said those words back to her. Her powerful admission transformed me, and for the first time in my life, I was terrified. Even more terrified than being stabbed, witnessing a murder, or having the faceless man haunt me in my dreams.

I was afraid I wasn’t good enough for her. She knew parts of me, but she didn’t know all of me. I had made people “disappear.” In other words, I had them killed. It didn’t matter if my enemies would have killed me the first chance they got. The point was, I had blood on my hands. Would she still love me if she knew what I was capable of?

My fear had stopped me from telling her how much I loved her. I’d rather have her love me than hate me.

She should have been back from the show. I checked my phone, half-expecting her to send me a message. Why would she, though? She had been adamant about me leaving her alone.

I had to fix this.

Did you get back okay? I need to talk to you. Please.

My phone rang, and Howard’s name flashed on the screen. I contacted him yesterday, requesting his presence in Providence. Though I had told Slash I’d postpone the garage project—which I did for two days. I wasn’t going to let someone determine how I ran my business. Why wasthis “organization” stopping me? How could I be sure they would leave my company alone? Everything was just assumptions. I had to see this project through. Threats only made me want to complete the project faster.

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