Hunt shifts, his eyes narrowing. Dude never misses a thing. “What don’t we know?”
“Atticus killed our mom,” I say, forcing the words out of my mouth. “It wasn’t Hearst; although, he set the whole thing in motion.”
“What the fuck, bro?” Jackson’s jaw slackens.
“What are your plans for him?” Drew asks, his gaze dancing between Rick and me.
“We haven’t worked that out yet. We’re still processing.” Both our initial instincts were to end him, as soon as possible, but neither of us will do anything to jeopardize the main plan.
“Good.” Drew straightens up, adopting a grave expression. “I know what you’d like to do, but you need to hold back. Your father is a necessary cog in the wheel. We need him to continue to exert pressure on my father. He’s stressed with the upcoming vote, so let’s give him something else to worry about. We need him distracted enough not to pay attention to us so we can get to his board and get into the vault. If he’s preoccupied with other shit, we should pull it off.”
“You want us to play Atticus,” I surmise, and he nods.
“In what way?” Rick asks.
“You need to manipulate him. He thinks he’s square now with Hearst because he’s given him back everything he stole. You two need to convince him it’s not enough. There should be compensation. He should suffer for all the years you’ve suffered.” He smooths a hand over the top of his head. “Make it clear that Atticus has not gone away as a threat, so Father is looking over the other shoulder. I’m sure you get the gist.”
“We know what we need to do.” Rick and I exchange a knowing look. I’ll enjoy screwing over my father. He’ll think we’re completely on his side. When we’ll be setting him up for a fall.
And when the day of the vote arrives, he’ll see what happens when you cross family.
He will regret killing our mother.
And if he thinks he lost everything before, he’ll realize it’s fucking nothing compared to what we are going to take from him now.
Because he will have nothing and no one once we are through with him.
And D-day can’t come fast enough.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Abby
I tiptoe into my bedroom, holding my breath, almost collapsing with relief when the sweet, soft rumbling sounds of snoring tickle my eardrums. Charlie is still passed out on top of my bed, oblivious to the fact I’ve been gone for hours.
I sneak into the bathroom, shed my clothes, and grab a quick shower, trying to pretend like my heart doesn’t feel like it’s been cut up with a machete.
I love spending time with Kai, and I was relieved to see he was okay, but it was painful too. Because every time we part, it gets harder and harder.
The truth is, Kai makes me weak.
Because I can’t shield my emotions around him. He knows me too well. Plus, I want to give in to them when I’m with him. I want him to cradle me in his strong arms, whisper reassurances in my ear, and let him carry some of the burden. But that is a luxury I can’t afford to indulge, and it’s the sweetest form of torment.
The other truth is, being with Kai makes me stronger. When I’m with him, I feel invincible. Like I can achieve anything with his hand in mine. With his infallible belief in my abilities.
And then he’s ripped away from me, and doubts creep in again, when I can’t allow them to. One false move is all it will take to bring everything tumbling down around me. And then we’re all up shit creek.
So, in a way, it’s best we’re apart. Even if it feels like I’ve lost half of myself.
Until we win this battle, I need to act like I’m a lone island.
It’s the only way I can harden my heart to do the things I need to do.
Doesn’t mean I won’t miss my husband like crazy, because I will. School doesn’t start back for a week, and it will be at least that long until I see him again.
Turning off the shower, I get out, dry myself with a large, fluffy white towel, and slip into my sleep shorts and top. Then I brush my teeth, clean my face, and comb my hair back into a ponytail, staring blankly at my reflection in the mirror as I prepare to face my first test.
I tap out a quick text to Kai on my burner cell, confirming I got home safe, telling him I love him. I switch it off before he can reply and conceal it in the hidden bottom panel of my bag. Then, I ease out of the bathroom like a sneaky thief in the night.
