17. Grayson
GRAYSON
Asshole. Stupid, thoughtless asshole.
My foot pressed heavier on the gas pedal than before, like I could outrun my guilt. Leaving her there like that when there was so much hurt and sadness in her voice was a choice that haunted me. Her image hovered in front of me—the slumped shoulders, the trembling chin.
What was the alternative, though? Holding her? Making sure she felt things for me she shouldn’t feel? I couldn’t let it get any worse. One day, she would understand.
I’d be damned if I ever would. The last thing I should have done was fuck her.
All it took was one touch, the way her eyes flashed, or the faint scent of her shampoo lingering in the air after she took a shower.
I was a helpless, hopeless wreck for her.
Before I knew it, I was balls deep, holding her still so I could fuck her brains out.
And then it hit me. Inspiration struck, and I couldn’t ignore it. I wasn’t lying when I told Scarlet I wouldn’t be able to sleep if I didn’t pursue the idea that flashed across my brain like a breaking news ticker.
What a shame I hadn’t thought of it before, but then I would have laughed it off before now. After two weeks of dead ends, questioning tight-lipped assholes, and cracking a few of their bones, I was running out of options on where to find Dominic and how to get the upper hand.
He had fallen off the map once word got out of how many people were tired of his shit.
Fingers were starting to point, and they were all trained in his direction.
The added heat put on not him, but every family after Jack’s murder meant old resentments and rivalries were starting to bubble up to the surface again.
People were getting desperate, brutal, trigger-happy.
The worse it got for them, the better for me.
Tonight, I had the pleasure of beating the shit out of a guy who, according to police intel, had shot up a bar last night. The bastard refused to explain who said what and who was involved in the fight that went too far. He was more obliging after coughing up blood and a handful of teeth.
He even gave me a familiar name. One I had avoided thinking about for as long as I could.
I didn’t want to go to him unless there was no other choice.
Gripped by lust and Scarlet’s tight pussy, I realized the time had come.
Either I dragged her deeper into my darkness, or I put an end to things once and for all by asking Dad for help.
Talk about post-nut clarity.
Closing in on the modest house I’d grown up in, a million memories came rushing back.
I’d kept them locked away for so long that their return threatened to drown me.
My parents hadn’t moved even once Dad started making more money, probably because he spent it as soon as it came in, though Mom likely swore she wouldn’t want to leave, anyway. She had always excused his bullshit.
The man was a creature of habit. He wouldn’t be asleep yet—he never slept more than four or five hours a night. Sure enough, I pulled up in the driveway to find his study light burning, the other windows dark.
One promise Mom had kept—she made sure the locks were never changed so I could come home anytime.
Until tonight, I didn’t imagine that time ever happening.
Now, I pulled out my keys on the way to the front door, finding the one I hadn’t used but was unable to take off the ring.
I slid it into the lock, hoping this wasn’t a mistake.
The alarm hadn’t been set, making me wonder if the old man was slipping. Either that, or he believed himself untouchable, which was probably the case. Pride had always been his weakness.
It was all the same. I could navigate the first floor by heart after sneaking in so many times in my teens, walking confidently in the dark.
The only thing slowing me down was the possibility of Dad taking my sudden entrance as a threat.
I should have called, but then would he have answered?
Taking my gun from my waistband, I held it by my side as I closed in on the study.
The door stood partway open, allowing light to leak into the hall.
Along with a familiar voice, even after all this time. “Come in and get it over with. You think I didn’t see you pull up?” With a snicker, he added, “I’ve been waiting for you to come crawling once you figured out you’re in over your head.”
So much for the element of surprise.
Tucking the gun in my waistband, I rounded the doorframe and eased open the heavy door to find Dad seated at his desk, a laptop open in front of him, a glass of scotch in one hand.
He wore a robe over pajamas, but his rigid posture made up for his casual attire.
That and the scowl hardening his expression as he looked me up and down.
“It makes sense you’d want to slink in here while your mother’s asleep, though she’s the only reason I’d allow you in here,” he grumbled, sipping his drink but remaining watchful.
“I didn’t want to make a big thing about it,” I explained, stepping slowly into the room. It still smelled of leather and held the faint aroma of the cigars he occasionally indulged in. “Believe me when I tell you, this is the last thing I planned to do.”
“Why are you here?” Still eyeing me warily, he asked, “What did you fuck up?”
What a question. My snide laughter only narrowed his eyes further.
The lines around them were deeper now, the silver that had begun touching his temples years ago taking over for the dark brown I’d inherited.
“There’s that paternal support you were always so good at.
” I chuckled without humor. “I’ve come here on a matter of business. ”
Snorting, he took another sip of his drink, smacking his lips once he did. “What business could I possibly have with you? You made sure we would never have business together a long time ago.”
He would see it that way. It didn’t surprise me, though I couldn’t help feeling slightly disappointed in him. You have to meet people where they are—one of Jack’s favorite sayings. I couldn’t expect more from Dad than he was capable of offering.
He didn’t have it in him to put things together without having them spelled out. He would never have concluded that whatever brought me to him must have been serious if I were willing to step foot through his front door again.
I took in the room around me, which had not changed much since I was a kid—the same heavy furniture, all rich wood and leather.
The exact same books lined the shelves. I doubted he’d ever read any of them.
They were purely decorative. “I used to love this room,” I mused, heading to the bar tucked among the shelves opposite the long, mahogany desk.
His gaze burned holes into me from behind while I poured a drink for myself without asking.
“It made me feel closer to you, being in here. Listening to you take phone calls, handling issues. I used to hate it when you would send me out of the room because there were things I shouldn’t hear. ”
“What is your point?” he asked, sounding bored.
“You might not have known it… to tell you the truth, I’m not sure I understood until just now.
You taught me over the years that certain things must be done for the good of everyone.
” I swirled the liquor in the glass, making the ice cubes clink musically while heading across the room.
He stiffened further with every step I took, betraying his anxiety.
“Making alliances with adversaries, for instance. There are situations that require a leader to put aside differences if it means doing what’s best for everyone. ”
“What are you saying?” he demanded. “Stop wasting time. Or didn’t you learn it’s best to always get straight to the point while you were picking up these lessons from me?”
He was rattled. That much was painfully obvious. The more rattled he was, the harder he pretended otherwise. Dropping into a chair to the right of his desk, I sighed. “There’s a problem, and it needs to be taken care of. I’m sure you know what I’m talking about.”
I caught his smirk from the corner of my eye while taking an experimental sip of his scotch. “Finally, you’ve come out with it. Yeah, everybody knows about your… friend, and how Dominic took care of him.”
My friend. What an understatement.
I swallowed back my rage along with a mouthful of liquor. “Do you know why he did it?”
“Word gets around. He asked you for a favor, and you turned your back on him.” With a sneer, he added, “It’s a skill know well.”
“I turned my back on an abuser who only wanted me to find his woman so he could get back at her for leaving him,” I snapped.
“Well, I don’t know what your little detective pal taught you, but we don’t get involved in shit like that.”
“Who is we? I don’t know why you would wear that as a badge of honor,” I added, more than slightly bitter at his attitude. “If you had a daughter who was getting the shit kicked out of her by a boyfriend, don’t tell me you wouldn’t tear off his head.”
Unmoved, he replied, “This isn’t your daughter we’re talking about.”
A bolt of pure disgust slashed through me, tightening my jaw and diction.
“No, I’m talking about a defenseless woman who managed to escape.
” A woman I could still smell on me. “I’m talking about someone who manipulated me into searching for her, pretending she was running from someone else.
And when I gave him his money back and told him I couldn’t be any part of it, he declared war on me.
” Pausing, I watched him process this. “Now.” Crossing one ankle over the other knee, I rattled the ice in my glass, leaving my gaze focused on him.
I wanted him to squirm. Maybe I needed to see it happen.
“Before any other innocents are killed, I’m going to put him down. He is not going to stop searching for people who matter to me and taking them down one by one to send a message. Jack Meadows is not going to be the last. You have to know that.”