Page 130 of Until the Day You're Mine

Only the lights in the grand open-floor-plan kitchen are on. Rian follows Harris there, finding Margarita sitting rigidly at the kitchen table with Lincoln on the other end. He is resting his hand on the dark oak surface, still holding his gun.

Lincoln grins at Rian once he reaches Margarita. The woman is trembling, and tears are silently running down her face. She seems shaken but otherwise unharmed. Rian gives her shoulder a light grip.

She leans into the touch. They share a long look.

I’m okay.

I know you can get us out of here.

I believe in you.

Rian gives her shoulder another squeeze, and she moves her attention to Bran. Smiling through her tears she’s murmuring her hello to him quietly.

“How did you know where to find us?” Rian mutters, looking at Harris intently.

His husband is pouring himself a glass of whiskey from the small bar between the kitchen and the living room. His shoulders tense at first, but at this point, he is so sure he has Rian right where he wants him, he lays his cards on the table.

“I knew you would never leave Cyril behind. Even if you left with nothing, you would never forget him.” He’s pointing to Rian’s carry-on bag, and it dawns on him finally that the tattered old photo album is there. Ty hadn’t checked it because Rian had been holding it close, not even considering it was possible to hide a tracking device into something so old. Something that was barely held together by old glue and bits of yellowing plastic.

Harris knows his stuff. He knows Rian so well, that had Rian been on his own he would have never stood a chance. Had he gone through with his first attempt to leave all those months ago, he is sure he would have been killed. The way Harris is looking at him now, sipping on his whiskey, confirms that. His eyes are cold and although he looks less put together than he normally does, he is still very much the menacing monster from Rian’s nightmares.

“I’ve known where you were for months. I knew you were trying to bait me with your antics – running around with that useless scumbag, pretending to be a couple.” He takes a long swallow from his drink. “After your medical, I realized that perhaps you weren’t pretending at all. The thought of that fucker dumping his seed in you, fucking drove me mad. You’re mine, damn it! I own you! No one can fucking touch you unless I say so.” Harris briefly glances to his faithful security guard.

Harris has lost his mind completely, this much is obvious. This is it. It’s Rian’s chance to drive him over the line, giving his usually unwavering confidence one last solid kick, then take a step back and watch this lunatic set fire to his own empire of deceit.

Rian is trembling all over, as he turns his attention to Lincoln. The bodyguard has chosen to taunt Margarita with his creepy little glares.

Ri cocks his head to Lincoln and says, “This your new thing? Something to add to the resume, perhaps? Threatening elderly housekeepers at gunpoint. It will look nice, right below ‘dishonorably discharged from the Army for sexual assault’.”

Lincoln’s head snaps to Harris who doesn’t acknowledge him in any way. Perhaps he is surprised his boss has chosen to share with Rian this “fun fact” about his past. Whatever the case, at the end he thinks better of disputing it with Harris. His eyes return to Rian, dark and menacing. He bares his teeth when he speaks next. “That bitch was asking for it! She came on to me! She was a fucking whore. No wonder she died of the poison. She was probably fucking for cash even then. Don’t pretend like you care! You got what you wanted – her kid is yours now.”

Harris is by Lincoln’s side in an instant. If this thug thought he was there to support him, he’s badly mistaken. When he looks up to his boss, Harris backhands him hard. The slap is so loud that both Rian and Margarita wince.

“Shut up!” he screams. “Shut. The. Fuck. Up.”

Lincoln grits his teeth, then lowers his head in submission, returning his attention to Rian and Margarita. He looks pissed and desperate all at the same time – he can’t say shit to Harris, but being treated like a dog is wearing him thin. One of these days, he might actually bite back.

Rian doesn’t care about Lincoln’s inner struggles, as long as he can use them to serve his current plans. This is good. That’s what Sullivan is hoping to achieve with this bold move – to fracture the bonds in his husband’s inner circle. He wants his people to betray him and sing their testimonies all the way to the courthouse.

Bran cries out in Ri’s arms, and he tightens his hold on him, kissing his forehead.

I need your strength, my love. I’m doing this for us. So we can be free.

Margarita reaches for the little one, cupping his face, telling him soothing lies through her tears. Rian hands him over to her and tries to ignore the worried look in her eyes.

He gets up, takes his light jacket off, and walks over to the kitchen counter, further away from her and deeper into the kitchen. He starts digging in the cabinets, seemingly looking for something, feeling several sets of eyes on him as he is trying to compose himself and iron out the kinks of the plan fast forming in his head.

Rian turns back to face the room, as he leans on the kitchen counter. He takes a sip of the iced tea he has grabbed from the fridge and stares down at his husband.

“Rape, drug abuse, procuring and distributing drugs, domestic abuse, child endangerment, murder, conspiracy to cover murder and rape. Hacking into my personal devices…not just mine as it turns out. I’m sure they have the right term for it. Your lawyers are expensive, they’ll enlighten you once all the charges against you are raised. Funny how your list is longer than Lincoln’s. Yet he is likely to land in jail much sooner than you. Sure, you could hire him an expensive lawyer, but how would that look to the public? The media will eat you alive. I can already see the headlines – Philanthropist Harris Kelly defending a rapist and a murderer.”

Rian cocks his head to Lincoln, who suddenly seems quite pale, “You’ve got a lot of catching up to do, buddy. But first, you need to make sure ––”

Rian doesn’t get to finish his sentence. Harris has crossed the room and has his hands around his neck. Rian shoves him back. His husband stumbles, yet again with a surprised look on his face. He still can’t comprehend that Rian won’t take his shit any longer.

Lincoln shifts at the table. Of course, that fucker doesn’t care what crimes Harris has committed in his lifetime. They are both scum. Lincoln knows his employer well enough to understand that Harris Kelly won’t let anyone jeopardize his assent to success. If Lincoln suddenly becomes a problem, he will be eliminated.

The situation is now more complicated, considering Harris himself is responsible for a long list of felonies. But Harris going down for so much shit will most definitely drag Lincoln straight to jail, and he ain't going back there. Certainly not, if Joe is right there waiting for his ass to land right smack in the middle of his criminal empire.

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