“Michael should have learned to either shut the fuck up or cooperate. I offered to let him in on the business, but no. He had to be a goddamn saint.” Contempt twisted Gene’s face. “He made his choice. So I made mine.”
His words were sharp. Cruel. Like Michael’s murder was less important than the weather.
Grace’s face crumpled. Her shoulders shook with raw, guttural sobs that tore at Heavenly’s heart. She slapped her hand over her mouth, trying desperately to hold in her grief, but it broke through in jagged gasps.
Hot tears stung Heavenly’s eyes. She’d never met Seth’s father, but she nearly cried with Grace. The woman had spent sixteen years mourning her beloved husband, believing he’d been gunned down in the line of duty by the criminals he’d sworn to stop.
And it had all been a lie.
His best friend—his partner—had killed him for a buck.
“I’m trying to think here,” Gene snapped. “And I can’t do it with you blubbering. So shut the fuck up or I’ll do it for you.”
Hudson tensed, fists clenched. His whole body coiled in fury.
Heavenly caught his eye and shook her head. Subtle but firm.
Hudson’s jaw worked, rage and helplessness warring across his face. Finally, he cursed under his breath and sulked against the back of the sofa, crossing his arms over his chest.
Heavenly sighed raggedly. Beside her, Grace’s sobs had quieted to shuddering inhalations. Tears still streamed down her face as she rocked, clearly trying to hold herself together and failing.
Every cell in Heavenly’s body hurt for the woman. The shock. The pain. The utter betrayal…
Then she realized… If Gene had killed Michael, he’d also ordered Autumn’s and Tristan’s deaths. He must have. Seth had been investigating his father’s murder, and he’d gotten too close. So Gene had blown away his wife and infant son, then left him to drown in guilt and grief.
Did Seth know? Had he figured it out? Would whatever Michael had left in the storage unit prove how evil Gene was?
Seth must know by now. He had to. Or else…why wasn’t he back?
Heavenly felt the screws of danger tighten.
The monster was waiting for Seth to return so he could clean up the last of his loose ends. If he managed to silence Seth, he’d kill them all without a second thought.
She couldn’t let that happen.
A whisper of a plan began forming in Heavenly’s head, fragile and desperate…but the best she had.
“Gene.” She was surprised by how steady her voice sounded. “Can I go check on Beck? Help stop his bleeding?” Maybe sneak out the basement window and get help?
Gene snapped his head in her direction, his expression vicious. “Don’t fucking move. Your other boyfriend is just fine.”
She blinked, his words a paralyzing shock. He knew?
Heavenly’s heart stuttered as she whirled to Grace, whose brows furrowed with confusion on her tearstained face.
“You didn’t know, Gracie? Priceless.” Gene shook his head, somehow mocking and pitying at once. “But I’m not surprised. You’re just like Michael, too good to see the bad in others.”
Grace’s lips parted, but nothing came out. Then she turned her questioning stare on Heavenly.
Dread filled her. Humiliation followed. What should she do? Say? If she wasn’t careful, she could mess up Seth’s relationship with his mom—if they lived long enough for that to matter.
“Oh, your face… Look at all that guilt.” Gene laughed before turning back to Grace. “Bet you don’t know that your golden boy is a class-A pervert. Always has been. He used to belong to Graffiti, that kink club in the city. The one where people wear leather and chains and call each other Master. And Autumn wasn’t just his wife; she was his slave. Seth controlled her. She couldn’t so much as put on a goddamn sock without his permission. The whole precinct knew it.”
Grace flinched as if he’d struck her. Then she shook her head in denial, her mouth in a flat, mutinous line.
Heavenly wanted to scream at Gene, but her throat had closed up. Her hands shook. Besides, begging him for any sort of mercy was a waste of breath.
“I didn’t think the bastard could get any more depraved.” Gene sounded almost conversational now. “But I underestimated him. When he rolled into town with this bitch and the doctor? Beck couldn’t take his eyes off her. At first, I thought he just had a stiff cock for her. Made sense—she’s young, pretty, and fuckable. But then…” Gene paused dramatically, like he was savoring her destruction. “Then I realized she was eye-fucking him right back—in front of Seth. And instead of losing his shit and beating in his pal’s face, Seth smiled, like he was excited knowing another man wanted to rail his fiancée.”
