18. SHADY #2
“That Dyson hey? It doesn’t surprise me at all.” Gus shook his head, clearly proud.
“That’s him all right.” I shrugged, trying to remain calm. “Always has a new startup in the pipeline. Well, I’m off to bed,” I said as I walked away. “Night Gus.”
“Night, mate,” he called out.
I hurried to my bedroom, locking the door behind me and leaning against it. My head was spinning. If BioBuild continued in this direction, it would solve my cash flow problems and take me closer to my goal of escaping my father.
And closer to being with Ivy.
***
I could have sworn my head had barely hit the pillow when my phone buzzed on the nightstand beside me. But the sun shone brightly through my window; it was morning already.
I reached for my phone, a rush of excitement filling me at the thought that it could be Ivy.
KELVIN: We need to talk. Meet me at the park at the end of your street in thirty minutes.
That was quick, I thought groggily, closing my eyes briefly before they flew open and I sat bolt upright. He must have found something if he wants to meet.
Leaping out of bed, I stretched my arms into the air and let out a yawn. I plodded into the sunlit bathroom, brushing my teeth as I gazed out of the window and over the top of the trees at the still blue ocean.
Please be something big. Please. I needed something solid if I was going to take him down.
I splashed cold water over my face, dried off, hurried over to the walk-in robe, and threw on my faded blue jeans and worn-out Nirvana T-shirt before taking the stairs three at a time to the kitchen.
I glanced at my fake Cartier watch—purchased to avoid my father noticing the original was missing. Twenty minutes until I met Kelvin.
Gus was outside, sipping his morning coffee in the sun. He listened intently to the radio, taking in the latest insights about some obscure insect that only inhabited the Galapagos Islands.
I grabbed a croissant off the bench and demolished half of it in one bite. Shoving in the other half, I helped myself to a second one and slid open the glass doors. “Gus!” I yelled over the radio. “As fascinating as this show sounds, I have to interrupt for a second.”
“Make it quick!” He raised his chin and stared at me. “This is my favorite show.”
“I’m taking a walk to stretch my legs. I won’t be long,” I said flatly, disguising the fact that this could be a breakthrough moment.
“All right, all right. Go,” he said, wiggling a finger at me, “but don’t be too long or your father will string me up by my feet.”
“I won’t, don’t worry. Enjoy your show,” I said, heading for the door.
Arriving at the park a few minutes early, I wrung my hands together, tapping my foot impatiently.
What if he doesn’t show? Has he found something? Maybe he’ll just tell me there’s nothing to see and my father’s an asshole.
If Karlos found out I’d been digging around… it was game over. He’d use his usual tactics and threaten Kelvin, and who knew what he’d do to Ivy and her father.
Shit. Maybe this is a mistake! My stomach clenched.
A powerful rumble filled my ears, intensifying to an ear-piercing level, until Kelvin pulled up and cut the engine on his motorbike. Tugging his helmet off, he swung his leg over the seat and put the helmet on it.
With a quick scan around the park, he strode directly toward me. “It’s a good thing you hired me to do some digging into your father’s shady deals when you did,” he said, smoothing his hair down. The bored look he’d worn the last time I’d seen him had vanished.
“Morning Kelvin.” My gaze didn’t shift from him. “What’d you find?”
“One. I can confirm your father truly is a prick. And two…” He stopped and shook his head.
“Kelvin, come on, just tell me,” I demanded, hungry for answers.
“He’s a liar, but that’s the least of your problems.” He paused, drawing in a breath before meeting my gaze.
“He’s set up a pyramid of shell companies, all in your name.
Tens of millions of dollars are passing through them.
And the encryption… it’s some of the most sophisticated I’ve encountered. That’s all I’ve got for now.”
I took a step back, my lips parting as I rubbed my aching forehead. Kelvin’s right… he is a prick. Tens of millions of dollars passing through dummy companies in my name. What the hell is that bastard up to?
Any hope I’d had that it might be innocuous evaporated, like a wisp of smoke. I was empty, like termites had hollowed me out from the inside.
He’s poisonous.
I knew this, and yet… I still couldn’t comprehend his actions. He was my father. But here he was, threatening people, destroying lives, lying and deceiving. He was a criminal.
My skin burned as if flames had reached out and scorched it. Everything he touched turned to ash. But I wouldn’t let him burn me, or the people I loved, to the ground.
I had to stop him. I need to end this—
“This is a lot. Are you all right, man?” Kelvin frowned. “Should I keep digging or not?”
“Hell yes, find out everything you can. And I mean everything.” I checked we weren’t being watched by one of Karlos’s goons. “I’ve got a bad feeling about this. Get it done as fast as possible. And Kelvin, be careful. He’s dangerous. Fuck only knows what sort of game he’s playing.”
He gave a brief nod. “I’m on it.”
“Thanks,” I said gratefully. “I owe you big time.” I leaned closer and shook his hand.
He strode back to his sleek black Yamaha, swung his leg over then tore away.
My fists clenched so tight my knuckles turned white as I headed for home. My mind reeled as I checked my phone on the way; a message from Ivy said she couldn’t talk tonight.
My limbs felt suddenly heavy from disappointment, but maybe it was for the best. I could barely think. Whatever he was up to, it made me sick to my stomach.
Scrambling down the stairs, I charged into the gym and smashed the punching bag, visualizing his face.
“I have plans for you, Karson, that don’t include dating some nobody.”
His words hit. Again and again. Like fists driving into me…
“I won’t permit you to degrade yourself.”
Bashing my fist into the bag, I then landed a sharp jab with my elbow.
“If you don’t comply, there will be consequences. You wouldn’t want anything to happen to the nobody, or her father, would you?”
I shook my head violently and spun around, driving one foot into the bag as I landed on the other…
“Comply, then your little nobody can continue her meaningless existence uninterrupted.”
“…you can be the reason she attends her father’s funeral.”
Kicking at the bag as it swung, I regained my footing, landed another round of punches to the center, then finished with one final kick, driving my weight through the target.
I doubled over, spent, my hands on my knees, gasping as sweat streamed down my forehead.
No more, you toxic bastard. I was going to take him down.
For everyone he’d ever hurt. For everyone he’d ever threatened and controlled. And for me, because I deserved to be free.
I wasn’t him. Following his instructions down a path that would destroy me was not an option. But mostly, I was going to end it for the one I loved. She was worth a thousand of him.
Pulling myself up straight, I took in a steadying breath before a sense of calm washed over me.
This is it, the final straw. I’m going to expose him.