I texted Ellie and warned her what was going on and what we were worried about. She told me it was fine and ASH could handle it, thanking me for the heads-up and she would handle the legal logistics. I was relieved when a portal opened and some of our North American Police came through shocking the European ones.
There was a quick, quiet conference and they played nice together.
I was eternally fucking grateful for that because three portals opened not long after and all hell was about to break loose… Because Andrew Graves stood there with a man I assumed to be Aurora’s father.
“Corruption at its finest,” I said with a snort. “You sell and buy children as well. Really, evil always has the same fucking stick.”
“Do not speak in my presence, dog,” the man sneered, not even cutting me a glance.
I shot the cop a glance that I hoped she understood, basically to hurry up and I was going to give a distraction. “I’m a lion,idiot. And actually soon to be your daughter’s mate. Should I call you ‘Dad?’”
The horrified look he gave me while others gave me an array of amused or disgusted ones was fucking hilarious. But it worked. My distraction cut through what could have exploded before others could have jumped in.
The police from North America had time to identify themselves and why they were there with their warrants… Which Mr. Graves hadn’t counted on. He had something about revoking the paperwork the European police had and using the media with him to try and stuff it all back in the bottle.
He did a double take when he saw Theresa, thinking it was Aurora, but then the rage was replaced with something sick as he figured it out. I took a step to block her.
“Maybe I was wrong about you after all,” she said as she moved her hand to stop me. “But I don’t need your protection, Creed. Not against one impotent bully who is used to only women he breaks or abuses standing before him.” She looked him up or down. “You’re shorter and uglier than I expected, Grandfather.”
Dayummmmn!
“Probably smaller too, right? That’s why you get hard beating women? Abusing and selling them?”
“How dare you think you can speak to me like that or in my presence without being spoken to first,” he seethed.
“Well, thelawsays so, and while we all know you don’t follow those, you’re not king or a god, so you don’t have authority over anything,” Theresa said, gesturing out to the land we were standing on. “Not even this property at the moment.”
“What madness do you speak of, wench?” Andrew demanded.
“Oi, have some fucking respect of your niece, asshole,” I snapped. “Or do you need another lesson?” I snorted. “Onepunch and you were out.” I turned to the cops next to me. “You should have seen it. Just out. I didn’t even hit him full out. I just wanted him away from—”
“Enough of your bragging of your brute strength,” he seethed, focusing back on Theresa. “What madness do you speak of?”
She only had eyes for her grandfather. “Following the law matters. Thinking you are above them causes problems that not even your power and money can get you out of.” She reached into her briefcase and pulled out a sealed file folder, tossing it at the man who easily caught it. “Like paying your damn taxes.”
“Oh fuck,” I whispered, several of the cops around me going tense and realizing she was about to light the fuse.
Rage built in his eyes and emanated from him so fast it was like a damn volcano going off as he opened the file and looked at what was there.
“I paid the last ten years of property taxes on the estate,” Theresa purred. “As is my right to do privately as a legal descendant before the land went to public auction. It’s now allmine. Every acre. Every building. Everything.” She chuckled darkly. “You have thirty days to vacate or I’m sure we can come to some rental agreement asfamily, Grandfather.”
“You will die for this!”Andrew screamed.
“You won’t even make it to her,” I warned him, letting him see in my eyes that I was ready and willing.
“That’s for torturing my mother,” Theresa told him, only having eyes for her grandfather. “For selling her to a monster even if it led to me being born. Fortorturing herwhen she wouldn’t lure me in to be sold. The courts might have ‘punished’ you and made you pay, but I wanted you to never forget the cost of your evil.”
“This will never stand,” he bit out and tore the papers.
Theresa rolled her eyes. “That’s not the only copy, duffer. And yeah, it will. It’s signed by our president and the new Minister of Finance, not your corrupt buddy.” She gestured around. “All of this was bought and funded by selling Graves women. I find it fitting that it’s now owned by a woman of the bloodline instead of rapists, criminals, and abusive men.”
That was when the males of the family snapped. Andrew lunged for Theresa and I kept my promise that he wouldn’t reach her, grabbing him by the hair and flinging him away. I turned and saw Mr. Graves was on Theresa… And she was kicking his ass.
That had to be better than years of therapy. Seriously.
I honestly wanted to pull out my phone and film it for Aurora, but someone jumped on my back and I was a bit busy.
The fight didn’t last long and Theresa got the last laugh, walking past Mr. Graves with a smirk. “What animals that they couldn’t even hold their tempers and had to resort to physical violence.” She turned and smirked at me. “Don’t you agree, Creed?”
