Page 37 of Insidious Truths

Kitten…

My sweetheart…

My fucking world…

God damnit I should’ve blown that bastard’s brains out when I had the chance!

After needing a desperate minute to get myself together, I breathed in deep and told myself I had to move fast so I could get to her.

IthinkI knew where she was going. Since she’d chosen not to come by the club first and was maybe two or three miles ahead of me… There was only one other place she’d go. It was the one place she’d expect me to be if I weren’t at the club.

Home.

She was going to my apartment.

I started back inside the building, pausing mid-way toward the main stage when my phone started buzzing again. It was all I could do not to shatter the fucking thing when I glanced down at the display.

“You son of a fucking BITCH,” I shouted, letting my rage flare despite how much I fought to stop it. “Where the FUCK are you?”

“Mind your tongue, boy,” Father sneered right back at me. “What is it now?”

I wanted to scream how much I hated him, how I knew exactly what he’d done, and how I couldn’t wait to hack him up and boil his body until he was nothing but human stew for the fish to feast upon. I, too, had a role to play though and in order to guarantee I’d remain alive so I could get to Samara, I had to bite it all back and swallow it down.

His time was coming.

If it was the last fucking thing I did, I was going to butcher his sorry ass.

“Five waitresses called in. Three are sick and two didn’t even bother coming in. I had to pull three of our security guys and put them on the floor to help serve tables. Our delivery truck didn’t come in today and other than beer, we’re minutes away from being SOLD OUT of all of our liquor.ANDthat same goddamn speaker is acting up again.”

“Jesus fucking Christ,” he spat, no doubt baring his teeth at me through the other side of the phone. “I gave you one job, Jace. One fucking job!”

“I’m not a fucking speaker mechanic!” I growled deeply, trying awfully hard not to let all my frustrations out right here and now. “I told you to replace that fucking thing over a month ago andyouchose not to listen to me.”

“I’ll replace the damn thing,” he said after a moment. Then he paused, cursing low under his breath. “Finn was the one in charge of filling the liquor orders. Since he’s gone now, I was supposed to do it and forgot. That’s on me, Son, and for that, I apologize. Gregory, turn around and head to the liquor store for me.”

“Right away, Sir,” his driver replied.

“I can understand why you’re stressed, Jace. I should’ve checked in sooner. I’m finished with all of my meetings for the night, and I’ll be there soon. Once I get there, I’ll put in the orders and show you how to do everything so that you can take over those responsibilities. After that, you can go home. I’ll handle the club from there.”

“How long?”

I needed it to be soon because all I could think about was Samara.

“We’re pulling up at the liquor store now. I’ll be there as soon as I can.”

He hung up.

Beyond my restraint, I couldn’t help but clench my right fist and pound it into the dumpster until it was dented, and my knuckles were bleeding.

One hour.

One hour later and I was just now leaving the fucking club.

Please be there, baby.

Fucking PLEASE!

I’d run off to my car and texted her from the burner after I’d finished talking to my father, telling her I was coming as fast as I could, to please wait for me at my apartment, and not to leave. She never replied, and I hadn’t heard anything else from Rhett or the other Ravagers since then either. Part of me hoped maybe Kitten had reached out to them, but I doubted it, highly. Rhett told me what Phantom did to Samara’s phone and how they’d heardeverythingthat sick fuck did to her.

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