Chapter 25 #2
“Shut up,” I snarl, pressing the blade even harder. A thin trickle of blood flows as the blade pierces the top layer of skin. “Erase her name and herself from your memory.”
“I can’t do that, Ryker. You gave me that gift yourself. She’s your weak spot, you fool. Now we both know it.”
There’s no point in denying it. That he sent me that picture proves he saw through me.
Should have been more careful. Should have watched her more closely. Should have done a lot of things differently.
“I’m here for one reason only. Make no mistake about it. If a single hair falls from her head, if any of your goons appear within a hundred yards of her, I won’t hesitate to end your fucking life. Do you hear me?”
James keeps smiling. God, I have an irresistible urge to carve a smile on his face from ear to ear with my knife. “Clear and simple, except you don’t have the balls to do it, otherwise you would have finished me off long ago.”
“Don’t push me. We both know a desperate man is like a feral animal. Your life means nothing to me.”
“I’m your father, and it’s only because of me that you are who you are,” he states. “God knows, if it weren’t for me, your mother would have turned you into a pussy, not a man.”
My self-control slips through. “Shut the fuck up, old man. You’ve destroyed everything in your life that was worth anything. You destroyed our family, and one day you’ll beg for forgiveness for all your sins.”
“Speaking of family, by the way, I’d like you to hear a hello from one more person. May I?”
He points his thumb at the phone lying on the bedside table. When I don’t react, he takes that as consent.
The glow of the screen illuminates his face, and he squints. The red blood running down his throat looks damn tempting. I can’t wait to see it gushing like a fountain one day.
The sound of my father’s voice pierces the silence of the room on the recording. “Say hello to your brother, Aisling.”
His words freeze my blood. All the muscles in my body tense up, and my heart pounds in my ears.
For the first time in years, I hear my sister’s voice, “Fuck off!” followed by a series of screams, shrieks, and squeals. Images of what he might be doing to her immediately flash through my mind. Is he beating her like he used to beat me? Like he used to beat Mom?
The recording goes on and on. It feels like it lasts forever, though it’s probably only a few seconds. Until the very end, however, my sister’s screams continue, and James’s smile grows wider.
He’s enjoying it. He’s enjoying my agony. I’ve never hated him more than I do now. My hand is shaking like it has a life of its own and wants to finish the job on his neck.
“I hope you enjoyed that,” he huffs, still smiling.
Is this an old recording? Is he holding her again? Is she still alive?
So many questions, but I can’t ask any of them. Can’t give away that I know anything about her. Any information he gets is another weapon.
“Do you understand now how much depends on you, Ryker? Not only Ash’s life but Aisling’s is in your hands too. You know what I mean. You have a week to close the senator’s case. Now, be a good boy and get the fuck out of my bedroom.”
There’s more I want to say, but I clench my teeth.
I remind myself that I’m not playing a quick game here, but a long one. It doesn’t matter who won this battle; what matters is who will come out victorious after the entire war. And I promised myself a long time ago that it wouldn’t be him.
So I get up and head for the door, taking my knife and his gun with me.
Sirens begin to wail in the distance. They’re getting closer and closer.
“I came to tell you, Father, that every single hurt you cause Ash will cost you. Do you hear those sirens?” I wait a few seconds for dramatic effect. “Right now, your main drug warehouse is burning to the ground.”
“What the fuck?” My father jumps out of bed and runs to the window. In the distance, the beautiful golden glow from the fire is already visible. “What the fuck did you do?”
Suddenly, a muffled boom pierces the night sky. It’s not close enough to shake the house, but it’s not far enough away that the explosion can’t be heard.
“What was that?” James asks.
“That? That’s just a reminder that I’m not kidding. Your warehouse full of smuggled weapons just blew up.”
He turns to me, takes two powerful steps forward, but suddenly stops. “You’ll pay for this! Fuck! You just burned hundreds of millions of dollars! You’re a dead man, Ryker!”
“That’s nothing compared to what I’ll do if you touch Ash again.
You’d better never forget that. This isn’t an empty threat,” I warn, looking at him over my shoulder.
James is still standing motionless, but the smile is gone from his face.
“Oh, and I forgot to add, you’re a few morons short guarding this fucking hole. ”
All my life, he stood over me with a knife or a gun. Today, for the first time, he has realized that I’m the one with my finger on the trigger.
I have to admit, this is the first time that meeting my father has given me so much satisfaction.