Chapter Twenty #2
“We were friends once.” Her eyes rise to meet mine, and she glances back to the men, but no one is paying attention to us. “I’d like to think you’d return the favor if the roles were reversed.”
“We were kids,” I respond. “That’s hardly worth getting ostracized by your family.”
I don’t like the thought of Jennifer putting herself in harm’s way, but there’s little I can do about it without arousing suspicion.
I have enough on my plate without confronting the Harrisons.
“It was only a matter of time, anyway.” Jennifer shrugs and offers me a sad smile. “Might as well go down on my terms.”
I press my lips together and say nothing.
“There’s someone on the inside, someone high-ranking in the inner circle,” Jennifer says quietly. “He’s the one pulling the shots. You need to be careful.”
“Is there anything else you can tell me?”
There’s a dull thud in my ears as I realize what she’s trying to tell me.
It has to be Oliver.
He’s decided to stop dragging his feet and face me head-on.
You should’ve taken care of him when you had the chance. Now you have no one to blame but yourself.
Brother or not, the son of a bitch will not put one over on me.
It’s time for me to figure out a way to deal with Oliver permanently.
Jennifer looks like she might say more, but notices my father and the mayor looking over at us. I offer them both a small smile and clear my throat. “Thank you for telling me.”
“For what it’s worth, I would’ve told you, too,” I add in a quieter voice. “I won’t forget this.”
Carlisle finds me a short while later. I pretend to show him around the docks and wait until we’re out of earshot. “What’s happening with Oliver?”
“Nothing new.”
I look at my right-hand man and frown. “I just received intel that something is happening. I’d hate to discover that Oliver gave you the slip.”
Carlisle stiffens. “Who gave you the intel?”
“Someone I trust,” I reply. “Is there something you want to tell me?”
“No, nothing has changed, boss. He’s doing the same old boring things.”
I stare at Carlisle for a while longer before I turn away to see my father and the mayor approaching, red-faced and smiling. They keep talking until we reach the car.
I slide inside, drum my fingers against my thighs, and resist the urge to reach for my phone.
Katia will get to the bottom of things.
She has to.
I will not let Oliver stage a coup on my watch.
Who are you kidding? Isn’t it better if Oliver takes over, anyway? At least you’ll be able to leave and start over with London and the baby. Oliver isn’t like Mathew or your father. He won’t come after you.
Or at least that’s what I tell myself as I sit there and mull over my options. My father gets into the car, raps on the roof, and the car comes to life under us. When we pull away, I pour us both a drink and hand him a glass.
Jack takes a sip, his smile immediately replaced by a scowl. “Arrogant piece of shit. He likes to hear himself talk.”
“He does.”
“Still, having a man like that in our corner has its uses.”
“I know.”
“I’m glad to see you’ve still retained a thing or two,” my father says. “With everything happening the past few months, I was beginning to wonder.”
“Enough to try to have me removed?”
Any trace of my father’s good humor is gone in a blink, replaced with cool calculation. “If you’re going to make an accusation like that, you’d better have the balls to back it up, boy.”
“It’s not an accusation, just a question.”
Jack stares at me for a while longer. “Who have you been talking to?”
I lift the glass to my lips and eye him over the rim. “You’re not going to deny it?”
He sets his glass down and turns to face me. The look in his eyes is the same one that scared me when I was little. “I made you, boy. Everything you are is because of me. I’m not letting you ride off into the sunset with your little whore, no matter how much you wish I would.”
I grip the glass tighter. “Let’s get one thing clear. You might have made me, but I made the empire. Without me, it wouldn’t be half what it is today.”
Jack lets out a low, humorless laugh. “She’s been filling your head with ideas, hasn’t she? Trying to convince you that there’s a better life for you out there. I’ve underestimated her, it seems.”
“This has nothing to do with London.”
He grunts.
“I know you brought Oliver and Olivia back for a reason, and it’s not to make sure they’re safe. You don’t care about that. They chose to walk away.”
His expression darkens, and his hands clench into fists. “I will not allow my children to be used against me.”
“So, that’s why you brought them back? You didn’t want them to be used as bargaining chips.”
Something isn’t right.
My father isn’t the sentimental type, not even when it comes to his children.
Whatever piece of the puzzle is missing, I can’t put my finger on it, and the harder I try, the more elusive it becomes.
Goddamn it.
Jack lifts his gaze to mine. “Is that so hard to believe?”
“Yes.”
“Let me make it clear for you then: You owe me for everything you are and everything you’ve accomplished. I will not waste my time looking somewhere else until I get my money’s worth.”
He has no reason to lie to me, but Jack Payne is nothing if not resourceful.
And I know he likes to stay one step ahead.
Oliver, Olivia, and Mathew are part of the bigger picture, but until I can connect the dots, I’m not sure pursuing this further will do any good.
Jack reaches for his drink and takes a long swallow. “I expect you to be on your best behavior during the meeting. This war has already cost us. I have no intention of dragging it out any further.”
“I’m the head of the Empire. They need reminding of this.”
“You’ve taken this as far as it can go,” Jack replies flatly. “It’s time for me to step in and do what you couldn’t.”
“And if I refuse?”
“You’ll wish you had asked me to shoot you that day I caught you in bed with her.”
This isn’t the battle I want to fight, not when I know where it’s going to end up.
The Everetts and Fitzpatricks are stalling, and I’m going to find out why, even if it means facing off against my father.
“Oh, and one more thing,” he says. “I expect you to take care of the little problem.”
I toss him a bored look. “What problem?”
Jack turns the full force of his gaze on me. “You know damn well which problem I’m talking about.”
Fuck.
Does he know about London?
Is he trying to trick me into confessing?
Don’t give him anything to hold against you or her. He’s just fishing.
“It’s one thing for me to tolerate the girl, and I’m only doing that for now.” Jack’s expression is chilling. “But I will not tolerate any brat she brings into the world.”
“I don’t know who you’ve been talking to, but London isn’t pregnant.”
Jack studies me.
“Are you lying to me?”
“Why would I lie to you? You know how I feel about children.”
Fuck me.
I pray to whatever God is listening that he buys the lie. It sickens me to realize that my enemies won’t be the only ones after the baby.
I can already picture Jack snatching him out from under our noses and locking him away.
He’ll try and mold him into the heir he always wanted.
I’m suddenly even more terrified for London and the fate of our unborn child.
Jack gives me a slow, cruel smile. “Good. If I find out you’re lying to me…”
“I’m well aware of what would happen, yes.”
“We have alliances to secure and a war to win. Now is not the time to get distracted.”
“I agree.”
The car comes to a stop, and Jack gets out first. “I’m glad we understand each other,” he says.
Once he’s through the doors of the manor, I breathe a sigh of relief. My heart is pounding as I hurry inside and race up the stairs. London is in my room, sitting in a chair by the window, a bowl of soup in her hand, and a few wisps of hair escaping from her bun.
I pull her to me so suddenly that the bowl falls to the floor with a clatter, soup seeping into the carpet beneath our feet.
“What’s wrong? Are you okay?”
I swallow several times before I can speak, heart still thundering uneasily. “I think my father knows you’re pregnant.”
London stills and draws back to look at me. “He told you?”
“Not only does he know, but I just found out Oliver is making a move to have me removed. They’re gunning for us, London, and I have no clue how I’m going to stop any of it.”