That question struck me like a dagger to the heart, forcing my expression to turn dark. “Like you care.”
He faltered, shoulders dropping in dismay. “I do care.”
I shook my head, my heart burning with fury. “You never did before. Why start now?” My voice was low and even but dripping with venom.
He let out an exasperated sigh, fingers rubbing his tired eyes. “I know you have a lot of questions—”
“Like hell I do,” I cut him off, my eyes blazing with fury. “But let’s start with the obvious: Why? Why did you abandon me all these years?”
Pain and regret flickered in his features, but I wasn’t going to back down now.
I continued, “Was I so terrible as a baby—so monstrous that you decided never to be a part of my life?” The words tumbled out of me in a rush. “Why did you hate me so much?” Tears stung my eyes.
“I didn’t hate you, Scar—never have—”
“Then why did you leave me!” I snapped, my voice ringing out louder than I intended.
He paused, his expression soft, eyes blinking as he managed to stare at me. “I’ve done things that I’m not proud of, Scar—horrible, horrible things.” He looked right at me, his voice dripping with regret. “And the worst of them still haunt me every single day.”
He didn’t have to explain further for me to understand what he meant by that. As his words hung in the air, I felt my anger slowly dissolving within me.
“I didn’t ask to see you because I wanted to fight,” he said quietly. “I just wanted to see you. To be with my daughter.”
My jaw locked, chest heaving with uneven breaths as I struggled to fight back the tears that welled in my eyes. His words, his tone, and the look in those eyes touched my spirit. I couldn’t bring myself to press on any longer—at least not yet anyway.
There were still many questions I needed answers to. But it didn’t seem like he was in the right frame of mind to provide me with what I so desperately craved.
He looked lost—confused and miserable.
With his head lowered, he coughed vigorously, his body shaking with the effort. I watched him in silence, a hollow ache swelling within me. Honestly, I hated being around him, especially because he left me with nothing but this lifelong pattern of half-truths and closed doors.
However, despite my pain and resentment, I could ignore the fact that he was in agony. Whether I admitted it or not, it broke my heart to see him like that—broken and alone.
Did he deserve it for what he did to me?
Maybe.
Maybe not.
Chapter 6 – Roman
The door opened, and Sergei got into the backseat of the car. “He’s in there,” he said to me. “I saw the bastard with my own two eyes.”
We’d traced Mercer’s location to this small town at the outskirts of town—a shabby apartment where no one would think to look. Or at least that’s what he thought.
But we found him.
I sat in the car, eyes fixed on the apartment building outside. Sergei, who had just returned from surveying the environment, said that Mercer’s living room window was the one directly across from us. On the second floor.
“We have him now,” Sergei said. “Just give the order, and we’ll take him out.”
My eyes narrowed, creases forming between my brows as I stared out the car’s window. “No one is taking him out but me,” I said, my voice low and venomous.
He didn’t respond, although his silence was a clear indication of his confusion about why I hadn’t made any moves yet. Sergei was more than ready to get the job done at any given time—all I had to do was give the order.
He’d been my right-hand man for ages, and over time he’d proven his loyalty to me. He felt my pain as if it were his, fought my battles without hesitation, and had more than once taken a bullet for me.
Sergei’s earned my trust. Because I considered him more than my lieutenant, Mercer’s betrayal had cut him almost as deeply as it cut me. He was willing to bring the man to his knees and make him pay for his crimes.
