19. Grayson
GRAYSON
“Idon’t think I’ve ever been in your office.” Aiden leaned back in one of Vaughn’s chairs, sipping his drink, looking around the room with an eyebrow arched. “It’s nice. Maybe a little dated.”
“Do you have an opinion about everything?” Jackson asked with a snicker from the window, where he’d been gazing down at the lights on the Strip.
“Everybody has opinions,” Aiden pointed out.
“Not everybody has to express them constantly.” Jackson chuckled, along with Vaughn and Sebastian. Even Aiden had to laugh at himself a little, one thing he was always able to do.
I didn’t find it so easy to laugh. Not when I knew the woman whose heart I had broken was downstairs in her suite, probably still weeping.
Alone. The way she had been for so long.
And here I was, one floor up, having a drink in Vaughn’s office, knowing what was about to happen, battling the desire to go down there and throw myself at her feet, begging for mercy, begging for her love.
That wouldn’t do her any good. I would only hurt her in the end.
The only way to love her was to let her go.
I had to be strong.
“Thank you for going out of your way to meet up here.” I finished off my bourbon, savoring its smoothness, willing myself to focus on that and not on what I had done to Scarlet.
I didn’t mean to tell her that way, but it was the only way to make her understand how completely wrong I was and always would be. I had to get through to her.
If I ever again considered darkening her doorstep, all I had to do was remember the pain that leaked into her eyes when I told her the truth and know that was all I could ever offer. She would understand this was for the best. She would look back one day and thank me for what I was about to do.
“What’s with all the secrecy over why we had to meet up here tonight instead of downstairs in the lounge?
” Sebastian asked me. Suddenly, four pairs of eyes turned my way, full of curiosity.
Vaughn knew the basics of Scarlet’s situation if only because I owed him the truth after asking him to shelter her.
Otherwise, my friends were almost salivating for details.
“Maybe I wanted you guys all to myself,” I suggested. The less they knew, the better.
Even Vaughn didn’t have any specifics on what was happening tonight. Only Dad knew about that. Checking my phone, I confirmed I had around half an hour before the meet-up he’d scheduled.
“Are you sure everything's okay with you?” For once, Aiden wasn’t fucking around. In fact, he looked downright concerned as he set his glass aside. “Do you need help with something?”
“It’s all business. After tonight, everything will be settled. I’ll be able to tell you more about it then,” I promised. “And I’ll be able to catch up on everything I’ve missed lately. I’m sure Jackson has fired at least five dancers by now,” I added, smirking his way.
“It’s only been two,” he retorted. “It’s not my fault everybody is full of promises of how hard they’ll work until the time comes to put the sweat in.”
“I remember back when you used to be fun,” Aiden grumbled, inspiring Jackson to give him the finger while we all laughed. He had a point, though, but I couldn’t bring myself to care very much at the moment. Later. Maybe when it was all over.
And no matter how things turned out, it would be over. One way or another.
“Speaking of fun.” Jackson checked his phone, scowling. “I’m having a late dinner with my mother. Don’t start,” he warned Aiden, who held up his hands in mock surrender.
“Give her my love.” Aiden made kissing noises, ducking a playful punch from Jackson as he passed on his way to the door.
Sebastian made a move to follow Jackson’s lead. “I’d better go too. The restaurant calls.” He eyed Aiden in passing, then jerked his head toward the door. “Come on. I’ll see if I can dig up something for you over there.”
“Since when am I the homeless dog that wanders around getting little scraps from people?” Aiden asked as he stood, returning his glass to the bar in the corner of the office.
Sebastian stopped dead in his tracks. “You consider my food scraps?”
“It was a figure of speech.” Their good-natured bickering faded as they left the office, leaving Vaughan and me on our own once the door closed. While I appreciated their banter and the sense of certain things never changing, their presence had exhausted me.
Now, I could drop the jovial act, though I hadn’t exactly tried hard to maintain it. “You got the information I sent you?” I asked Vaughn as he sat behind his desk. “The bank account, passwords, all of it?”
“I did.” He could drop the act, too, frowning in concern. He still didn’t know exactly what I planned to do tonight, but it didn’t take a genius to read my attitude and instructions for what they meant. “Are you sure you’re doing the right thing?”
“I’m doing the only thing I can.” It was all I knew for sure as I handed him one last thing—an envelope containing a final message that I’d written out earlier.
“I’ll let you know when it’s over. Give her this letter before giving her all of the other information.
And if I don’t call you… give it to her, anyway. ”
“Don’t talk like that,” he warned with a firm headshake. “I won’t accept it. I'll see you later.”
“Do one more thing for me,” I asked, standing in front of him, buttoning my jacket. “Don’t tell her. She doesn’t need to know what’s happening tonight.”
“I don’t know what’s happening tonight.” When I scowled, he shrugged.
“Whatever you say.” It was obvious from his choice of words and the look on his face that he didn’t agree with my choices, but I wasn’t asking him to.
I didn’t need his approval. Only I knew the full story and everything that was at stake. It was better that way, safer for him.
Everything was in place according to a text one of my guys sent as I took the elevator down to the first floor.
My weak, traitorous heart urged me to stop one more time, to say goodbye to Scarlet, but I didn’t dare.
The idea was to spare her future pain, and I couldn’t do that if I couldn’t manage to leave her alone.
She’ll understand one day. I had to be okay with that. It had to be enough.
In less than twenty-four hours, I took the familiar route to my parents’ home for the second time.
It was the only place Dad could suggest where he knew Dominic wouldn’t be spooked.
He’d let his guard down, assuming there would be no violence under my mother’s roof.
Of course, he didn’t know Mom was away on a surprise, last-minute trip to visit family in New York.
At this very moment, she was probably thanking her lucky stars for having such a generous husband who would surprise her like that.
By the time she came back, it would all be over.
If, of course, my father didn’t betray me tonight. He could double-cross me, but I could only hope he was trustworthy. That was part of the reason for the urgency, getting him to go through with this without giving him time to second-guess anything.
The lights were on throughout the house when I arrived, pulling into the garage as we planned, parking where Dominic couldn’t easily find me.
Three of my most trusted guys were already waiting inside, having parked a few blocks down before walking the rest of the way.
Pete, Karl, and Vincent were among the few men I could rely on for more than intel and security.
They weren’t afraid to get their hands dirty, and I wasn’t about to go into this without backup.
I had already seen for myself how fickle my father’s loyalty could be.
“Everything is going smoothly,” Vincent assured me before we entered the house through the garage door.
I led the way down the hall to where Dad was waiting in his study, nursing a glass of scotch when we arrived.
His eyes widened a little when he took in the sight of who I’d brought with me.
The three of them could have been linebackers or bouncers.
“It’s about time,” he announced, standing, wearing a sour expression as he ran a hand over his hair like he was making sure it was in place. “He’s due any minute.”
“This is the right thing,” I reminded him, echoing what we’d discussed before he broke down and agreed to work with me. “This is the only way. He’s out of control and pulling everybody into his personal vendetta.”
“I know.” Downing the rest of his drink, he set the glass aside. “If you know what’s best for you, you’ll go down to the basement now. He’s due any minute. But one of you stay up here in case he’s got anybody with him,” he suggested.
“Good thinking.” I nodded to Pete. “Take care of anybody who hangs around outside. Text me when it’s done.
” He took my orders silently, returning to the garage while I led Vincent and Karl to the basement door.
Dad had explained he was in the middle of having the basement finished as a recreation room, meaning most of what was down there had been moved out before new flooring was laid.
By the time Mom got home from her trip, all evidence of this night would be covered up.
This was what Dominic had done. He’d turned me into the man I’d always sworn I would never be.
“I want you to stay back and let me handle this on my own,” I told the guys, handing Vincent my gun. This couldn’t be a quick kill. He needed to suffer. For Scarlet. For Jack. “But take the fucker out if he gets me somehow.”
It wasn’t another minute before Dad’s voice rang out upstairs. “I want you to see how I’m laying it all out. I ordered the pool table, a bar, and everything. It’ll be a real guy’s club down there.”
“Make sure I get an invitation.” Dominic’s voice found its way down to me, heating my blood. The two of them chatted as they drew closer. My phone buzzed—Pete’s confirmation. He had neutralized Dominic’s driver.