“The worst part of being locked in a pitch-black room without food or water, naked and cold, is that eventually the voices in your head start to scream. If you think a survival trip in the woods with your friends was bad, you know nothing about isolation, son.”
The way he’s speaking so casually and flippantly makes my stomach turn with unease.
Another sip of whiskey, and he chews on crunchy ice. “Eventually, the voices claw at your brain, and you begin to hallucinate. Terrible, terrible things,” he adds, almost as an afterthought, as he swirls his drink. Then he tips back the last of it and wipes the back of his mouth with his hand. “Say no to Beverly again, and it won’t be you that I lock up in the dark.”
I stay perfectly still as he places the empty whiskey glass on the shelf behind me and straightens his tie. Sniffs.
A true psycho.
Always playing mind games designed to make men cave.
His hand shoots out, and he backhands me. “Say no to Beverly, and it’ll be your mother I lock up in the dark.” He gets in my face as I cradle my burning cheek. “Think she can handle it, son? With her fragile mind, she’ll break, and there’ll be no fixing her.”
“Go to hell.”
He ignores me. “But she’ll still be good for one thing, at least.”
Furious, I charge at him, and we collide with the desk, sending items crashing to the floor.
“Don’t you fucking touch her, you sick freak.”
A sickening chuckle escapes him as he shoves me away, then signals his men to stand back. His hair is ruffled, his tie askew. He’s clearly satisfied as hell for provoking such a violent reaction from me.
“You know the rules. You belong to the Society, and to me. If you want the people you care about to stay safe, you’ll follow orders.”
My chest rises and falls faster as I watch him straighten his tie. I wouldn’t hesitate to kill him here and now, tear out his esophagus, but he holds too much power. All the founding families do.
And we’re the next generation of puppets, destined to one day rule this country. Until then, we bide our time.
“I’m glad we’re on the same page,” he says, taming his hair. “You want your mother sane, and I want to protect our best interests. As long as you keep Beverly happy, I’ll continue to ensure your mother receives the best therapy money can buy.”
“What’s in it for you?” I ask, tilting my head sideways. Something doesn’t add up.
For the first time since I entered his office, his demeanor falters. Brief, sure, but I caught it, and now my interest is piqued.
“You talk about connections. Allies. The senator is a powerful man to have on our side. Believe me, Father, I understand. But all of that serves the Society’s best interest, not yours personally. So why do you care so much about his wife? What does she have on you?”
He approaches slowly, his features sharp, cold. “Careful, son. I like your fight because it reminds me of myself when I was your age, but curiosity has fatal consequences, and not just for you, but your loved ones, too. Don’t learn it the hard way.”
I raise a brow at his threat, and he claps my arm twice.
“A word of advice from your old man,” he says. “Don’t stick your nose where it doesn’t belong. You have your mother’s best interests at heart, don’t you? Because you’re a good son. It’d be a shame to see anything happen to her.”
He retakes his seat behind the desk, then pulls out a file from the drawer, and I turn to leave, not wanting to stick around. I need to get out of here before I fucking snap and kill him. But one look at his men, and I force myself to go.
My girl is in the next room, unaware of the danger I’ve put her in by bringing her here. What the hell was I thinking? I wasn’t. I acted recklessly because she scrambles my fucking brain.
I still won’t let her go. So I guess I have more in common with my father than I’m willing to admit.
Jessica’s laughter drifts into the hallway as I lean against the doorframe, watching her in my space.
In my world.
Cut from the same cloth, I’m no different from my father. I realize that now as my chest swells with unfamiliar emotions. Because even if I suffocate her, I still won’t set her free.
Not anymore.
It’s too late.
