Chapter 25
Chapter Twenty-Five
Paige
“I’m here, Uncle Jerry. Now let Parker Hamilton go,” I said with both guns raised.
“You’ve gone soft, Victoria.”
“It’s Paige. You shouldn’t have taken him. He has nothing to do with this.”
The corners of his mouth slightly curved upward.
“Untie him,” I demanded.
A soft chuckle erupted from him. “That’s not how this works. You know better than that.”
“I know what you did. How could you? You were my father’s best friend. You were like a brother to him.”
“Your father was weak. You weren’t supposed to be in the car that night. But when I got word you were and barely alive, I had them bring you to me. You were our first, Vic—Paige.”
“You had no right!” I shouted.
“Oh, please. I can do anything I want. I honestly thought we perfected you. Then, after a few years, your old memories started to resurface, and I couldn’t have that.
It was the one thing we realized we hadn’t perfected yet.
The others were successfully eliminated.
I thought you were, too. Imagine my surprise when I saw you standing in my gallery.
Clever girl, leaving some of your teeth scattered amongst the ashes so the medical examiner could identify you. ”
“You built and taught me to eliminate threats. You were a threat to me,” my voice was steady.
“I taught you control!” He shouted, his fist slamming against the wall. “What you’re feeling right now, this need to protect him,” he pointed at Parker, “that’s a flaw. You were almost perfect. Unbreakable. And then you let something as weak as emotions compromise you.”
“Say that again,” I said.
“I said—”
I held my gun up in the air and fired. The bullet hit the metal beam inches from his head.
“I’m not the same person you created, not anymore. And you don’t get to stand there and pretend you still control anything.”
His hand reached inside his suit coat pocket, and I fired a bullet into his right leg. He screamed and dropped to the ground, gripping his leg.
“You think walking in here, alone, driven by emotion, is control?” He muttered.
“Yes, I do. And now I’m going to end you and all traces of Hearthstone and Project Nightfall. Nobody will ever do again what you have done,” I spat through gritted teeth. “You took my life, my family, everything!” I shouted.
“I gave you safety!” he spat. “I turned you into a weapon so nobody could ever hurt you again.”
My brows furrowed. “What are you talking about?”
“Ah, those memories never resurfaced, did they?”
“What memories?”
“The one where your father snuck into your room in the middle of the night.”
“Shut up!” I shouted.
“It only happened once because he told your mother what he had done. She was distraught and told me what had happened. She begged for my help. Any man who could do that to a child, let alone his own daughter, didn’t deserve help.
He deserved to die. Unfortunately, your mother was caught in the crosshairs of my decision.
She wasn’t supposed to be in the car that night, and neither were you. I was saving you from that monster.”
“You’re lying!” I gritted my teeth.
“I can assure you I’m not. You were dying. I had no choice. There wasn’t a doctor in the world capable of saving you, not like we did.”
“That wasn’t your choice to make!” I shouted, jamming the gun into his forehead.
He breathed out a laugh. “Don’t you see, Paige?
I made it so you wouldn’t relive that horrible moment again and again over the course of your life.
At least I removed what would have destroyed you.
I took that from you. The memory. The pain.
I made sure you never had to carry it around.
But when I learned your memories were starting to resurface, I became worried.
So again, I had to make sure you never remembered what happened. ”
“Bullshit!” I shouted. “You were only worried for yourself and your operation. You wanted me dead so I couldn’t talk or tell anyone what you were doing.”
“I could see why you would believe that,” he said. “But you’re wrong. I’ve always loved you like a daughter. I was there when you were born. I attended every birthday party, Christmas, and every other damn holiday.”
As I stared into his eyes, something wasn’t right. And for the first time, I saw him for who he really was. Not the man who built Hearthstone and Project Nightfall. Not the man who controlled everyone and everything. His eyes showed me a different man.
“Oh, God.” I placed my hand over my mouth and stepped back, keeping my gun pointed at him.
“Paige?” Parker spoke.
“You see it,” Uncle Jerry said.
“Shut up!” I shouted.
“I always wondered if somehow you always knew as a child,” he said.
“You’re trying to distract me, and it’s not going to work. You made me better than that.”
I couldn’t stop staring into his ice-blue, cold eyes. The longer I stared, the more undeniable it became. He had the same eyes that had stared back at me in every mirror my entire life.
“Your mother was weak,” he quietly spoke.
I knelt and jammed my gun into his forehead. “Don’t you dare talk about her.”
“It was always the plan that Mark would raise you as his own, and you’d never know. Hell, he didn’t know. It was a well-kept secret between your mother and me.”
“Stop! You’re lying.”
“We had an affair—”
“No,” I whispered. “Shut up!”
“She and your father got into an argument over his drinking a year after they were married. Before you were even conceived, she came to me for help. She didn’t know what to do. She was broken.”
“So you took advantage of her?” I snapped.
“It was mutual. She wanted it just as much as I did.”
“You think you can break me with this? With your lies? Your supposed control?”
“I’m not breaking you. I’m telling you the truth. And when she came to me and told me what Mark had done, I couldn’t let it go.”
My mind raced. My head ached. Fragments, pieces of my childhood, were trying to push through. The way Uncle Jerry always watched me. His interest. His obsession. The extravagant gifts he gave me as a child, laughing it off when my father questioned him.
“Jerry, that is way too expensive. You shouldn’t have given her that.”
“Oh, come on, Mark. She’s like a daughter to me and the only one I’ll have. Let me spoil her.”
“You are NOT my father!”
“Yes, Paige. I am. You were always mine.”
Something inside me snapped. I stood up and turned so I was facing Parker.
“You’re weak, Paige. I made you better than that,” Uncle Jerry said. “Take your control back, woman! With you at my side, we can do anything. Just think about—”
I quickly turned around, and without hesitation, I fired both guns, emptying them into his chest.
“I am in control, asshole. And I’m far from weak.”
I ran to Parker, untied him, and tightly wrapped my arms around him.
“Are you okay? I’m so sorry.”
“I’m fine.” He held me.
“Are you sure?” I cupped his face in my hands.
“Simon?” Parker said, looking over my shoulder.
Turning around, Simon stood at the door, staring at the man who lay dead on the concrete floor.
“I guess you don’t need me after all.” He smirked.
“How did you know I was here?” I asked.
“Roman called me. After listening to your and Gabriel’s conversation this morning, I knew this is where you’d be. I was supposed to be your backup. Parker, are you okay?”
“I’m fine, Simon.”
“No, he’s not,” I said.
“I’ll call Grayson and have him meet us at Parker’s house,” Simon said. “Let’s get out of here.”
“Take him to my car,” I told Simon. “There’s something I have to do first.”
As soon as Simon helped Parker out of the gallery, I grabbed my black bag, took out multiple devices, and placed them underground.
Then I moved up to the gallery's main floor and placed more.
Each device was placed strategically. If this place were going down, it would go down completely.
No evidence, and no trace of anything else inside this place but an art gallery.
Placing my hand in my pocket, I walked out of the building and pressed the button on the detonator. I slowly counted to ten in my head as I walked to my car.
“Get down on the other side of the car,” I shouted to Simon and Parker.
“Why?” Simon’s brows furrowed.
“Do it!” I ran to them.
The first blast tore through the streets, setting off car alarms. Then came the second, and then the third. The building exploded, and the blast could be heard from miles away.
“Jesus Christ.” Simon looked at me.
“There can be no evidence of what really went on here,” I said.
Within seconds, the building collapsed, reduced to nothing but ash.
“Let’s get out of here.” I helped Parker into my car.
“Grayson is on his way to your house. I’ll meet you there,” Simon said.