Harper’s eyes flicked to mine—even in the darkness, he found me easily. He nodded.
Leon turned, the rage on his face faltering as I stepped into the light. A moment later, Matthew did as well.
Leon looked between us, his face paling as he caught on to the situation he was in. “How did you get into the building?”
“Your staff betrayed you,” Matthew answered. “No loyalty these days. Can’t imagine why.”
When his eyes flicked to the doorway, I anticipated his next move before he made it. My arm shot out as he attempted torush for it, and I threw him back with enough force that he landed on his back, wheezing for air.
Matthew approached first, crouching over him. The crack of the open-palm slap probably stung Matthew’s hand, but he didn’t seem to mind. “I gave you twenty-two years of my life. I want to thank you for that, because even though you are a vile human being and a disgrace of a father, you gave me my sons. Harper is mine. And Logan too. I’m going to find him, if it’s the last thing I do.”
Leon attempted to get to his feet again, but Harper’s foot to his chest kept him on his back, where he belonged. Beneath him.
“You almost destroyed me.” Harper’s voice wasn’t calm anymore. Emotion long buried was bleeding out of him, and for once he didn’t shield it from the monster on the ground. “Even before I met Benny and you did all the terrible things you’ve done, I was almost ruined. Because you didn’t love me, and you made me think that was because I wasn’t worthy of it. That no one else could either. But you were wrong, and so was I. Because peopledolove me.”
His eyes glassed over and my chest ached. I wanted nothing more than to pull him into me and tell him how proud I was of him, but it would wait, because he wasn’t done.
“Matthewlovesme. Bennylovesme. Rachel… and Ma, theyloveme. And I deserve that.” He nodded, a silent tear falling.
I couldn’t stop myself from stepping forward to catch it.
Harper turned to look at me, and the hurt in his eyes melted into love as he looked at me. He smiled.
“I’m not afraid anymore.” He turned back to Leon. “Not of you. Never again. You’re going to die here, and I want you to know that nothing you have can stop it. And when you’re dead, everything you spent your life building will be for nothing. Your company will be consumed by your competitor, your nameremoved from the building. You’ll be forgotten. And none of your money can change it.”
Leon’s hands closed around Harper’s leg, nails biting in. Harper shouted in pain. I kicked him in the head on reflex and his body slumped in unconsciousness.
“Are you alright?” I asked Harper.
He nodded. “Yeah. Let’s get this done.”
Leon’s eyes fluttered open again only moments later, but it was already too late.
My arms strained from holding him up, over the edge of the empire he’d built.
“Wait!” His hands clasped around my wrists. “I’ll leave you alone. I’ll give you money. I’ll give you everything.”
“I don’t want anything from you,” Harper said from beside me.
“I’ll give you Logan! I know where he is. He never left. I sent him away. I can bring him back!”
Harper was silent for a moment, and Leon’s eyes sparked with hope as he continued. “That’s right, I pushed him away, but he wants to come home. He’s always wanted to come home. I’ll let him. Only if you let me go.”
I turned to look at Harper, his expression strained at this new information.
He turned to me. “If Logan wants to come home, we’ll find him ourselves. Do it.”
“No!” Leon protested.
“You hurt my ma,” I told him through clenched teeth. “You hurt my family, and the man I love most of all. You won’t hurt anyone else.”
“I told you, Leon, that it would take six seconds to reach the ground. Let’s see if I was right,” Harper said, then nodded at me.
Leon continued to babble his worthless pleas and protests.
I dropped him.
His nails bit into my hands, but it wasn’t enough to save him.
