Just when the burn of my emotions got too much to handle, I spotted a door that had “STAIRS”printed on it in large letters. Surely, a stairwell would be empty.
Ducking inside and hoping like fuck no one followed, I let out a choked sob as soon as the door closed behind me. The stairwell was empty, and I gave myself the moment I’d needed for hours now and broke down, all the way down, as I fell to my knees and sobbed so hard my chest hurt and my eyes burned.
Rhett had been through so much in his life, more than most people would ever experience, and to have it all resurface in such a heartbreaking way like this, right when he was getting therapy and healing himself, just felt too horrible. Too much.
What would be left of my Zepp when this was all done?
No matter what it was, I would be there for him, and I would fight every fucking secon—
“Appropriate to find my son’s whore on her knees.”
My head jerked up at that dark voice, shock rocking me since I’d been so sure I was in here alone. Even worse, it was a voice I fucking knew. Giovanni Ricci stood on the landing, less than two feet from me.
Jumping up immediately, the pain I’d been releasing was replaced by fear so fast that my head spun. “What are you doing here?” I whispered, taking a minute step back, even though there was only a wall behind me and no chance of escape.
Giovanni smiled, and even in the dim light of this stairwell, I could see that he looked tired and more disheveled than normal. “I’m here to take away my son’s life, since he decided to take away mine.”
Jesus fuck. He sounded completely unhinged, and considering I’d already thought he was unhinged before, that was terrifying. “I know it was Angelo,” he continued conversationally, and with it, he stepped closer to me, until I was backed against the wall. “No one else could have procured the documents they’re using to put me away.” His voice trembled as rage lifted it higher. “There was no one I trusted more than my own flesh and blood, born of my fucking bloodline.”
There was no reasoning with someone like this, and I had stupidly put myself into a place with no witnesses, security, or the chance of being discovered. Even if Rhett eventually came looking for me, it’d take him so long to figure out where I’d gone.
I had to save myself.
“You want to kill Angelo?” I queried, since he’d said he was going to take away his son’s life.
Giovanni’s off-kilter smile grew. “Ah, women are so stupid it’s almost amusing. No, you dumb bitch. You are his life. You’ve been his fucking life since he met you as a child, and I wish I’d followed through on my desire to drown you in the backyard pool. I came close a few times, but back then you were more of an annoyance than a threat, and I figured it was easier to keep you around as leverage to get Angelo to do whatever I wanted. Worked for a long time.”
Now I wanted to drown this asshole. One evil fuck had died here today; it was time to make it two.
Before he could say anything else, I leapt into action, heading down the stairs, since he stood between me and the door to this floor. If I could just get down to the next level, I’d get out into the main hospital and scream for help.
Giovanni was quick, though, and he must’ve anticipated my escape route. He lurched forward and wrapped his hands around my biceps, jerking me back so that I landed hard against the steps, my ribs screaming in protest as they took the brunt of the impact.
Adrenaline was on my side as I got back up just as fast, this time lashing out at the older man. Fuck, he had to be nearing sixty. Surely, I would have a shot at making this harder for him. No way would I go down without a fight, not when I had so much to live for.
Not when I had everything to live for.
Used to submissive women, he was shocked by my willingness to fight, and he stumbled back a step, which gave me another chance to scramble to safety. This time I went up, back to the door I’d entered through, and I got my hand on the handle, a scream on the tip of my tongue, when he fisted a full hand of my hair and jerked me almost off my feet.
He expected me to struggle against it, so based on some weird fucking instinct, I went with his momentum, getting my feet on the door to push off it and really smash into Giovanni.
It was a huge risk because I was going down the stairs with him, and all I could hope was that he broke my fall somewhat, giving me a chance.
We went backward in slow motion, and that scream I’d been holding onto finally tore free from my throat, Giovanni’s shouts joining in. It took us so long to fall, and the whole time, I was praying. Praying and thinking of my boys, their faces crossing my mind one by one, surrounding me with so much love that if this had been a fantasy world, I’d have floated down the stairs filled with the power of our bond.
Unfortunately, this was no fantasy world, and in that regard, our slow fall finally came to an end when Giovanni hit the stairs under me, and then we rolled and tumbled until everything went dark.
thirty-five
GRAYSON
As soon as Billie called, letting us know that Rhett’s grandfather was dead but that Rhett couldn’t leave until his mom was looked after, we jumped in the car to drive out there. To Townsend Community, the creepiest town in the country and not somewhere I’d ever have willingly ventured. Everyone knew it was a cult-owned, cult-run town, where law enforcement casually looked the other way.
Jeremiah Townsend had somehow amassed a staggering number of powerful connections in his lifetime, meaning he ran the community like his own little empire.
Picturing Rhett growing up in that toxic, abusive environment made my chest ache. The fact that he’d come out as kind-hearted as he was blew my mind.
“Where’s our girl?” I asked Rhett, after giving the little shit a hug. A manly hug. He’d just exited his mom’s hospital room to greet us in the hall and frowned at my question.
