Page 116 of Unbalanced

He gives me a wicked smile.

“A scandal like that will only hurt your mother and your brother. How do you think she will feel when she can’t walk into a store without whispers and rumors tearing her down? Your brother is still away at boarding school. Do you think the kids who go there will be kind to him if they believe his father is a monster?”

“You don’t give a fuck about them.”

“No, but you do. I wanted a young piece of ass. She’s fifteen, and her mother sold her to me fair and square. The company and my reputation will take a hit, but all too soon there will be another scandal. Everyone will forget and move on. It’s the way of the world.”

He steps back, rolls his shoulders, and gives me a cocky grin.

“Face it, son, you’re weak. You’ve always been soft, but Rob has potential.”

“Keep your sick games away from him,” I growl.

“Why? What are you going to do about it?”

My fist flies before he can say another word. Father stumbles, trying to get his hands out of his pockets, but I’m faster. Without any hesitation, I kick him hard in the gut. The blow throws him backward, and I watch as his eyes go wide in shock and terror as he tumbles down the stairs.

He hits the stone steps with a sickening snap and slides to the bottom in a heap. The driving rain soaks me to the bone as I descend.

Father’s eyes stare up at me.

“Son…can’t move.”

I return his vicious smile as lighting flashes overhead.

“Such a shame that I didn’t see you fall.”

“P…please…”

The storm rages, trees bend in the harsh wind, and my coat billows out around me, but I just stand there watching him die.

I’ve no idea how much time has passed. His eyes go dull, he coughs up some blood, and then his chest stops moving. Relief is all I feel. He’s dead. He can never hurt anyone again.

Another hour passes before I pull out my cell phone and make a panicked call to 911. When they pull through the gates, I get down on my knees and pretend to care that my father is dead.

I snap the lid shut on the ring and the memory.

My eyes linger on the note before I unplug the computer, tuck it under my arm, and march out, pulling the door down with a bang. I put the padlock back on and walk to my car. I hop in, drop the laptop on the passenger seat, and put the ring in the cupholder. A normal person would call the police, but I’m not normal, and no one is getting in here to examine anything until I have the chance to do it myself.

How the fuck does this asshole know about Dunlow?

No, there’s no way. I’ve been careful. But where else can they mean? I’m being lured to my own damn kill zone.

I pull off my mask and snarl just as the first cracks of lighting flash in the distance.

A storm is on the way.

CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX

EMILY

Jen is parked in the alley beside my building. When I take out the garbage, I spot her car. She’s going to ruin all my plans.

I’ve just changed into my tight black outfit and pulled my hair up into a ponytail when my phone goes off.

My computer at the warehouse is being tracked.

Alden…you’re too fucking smart. You couldn’t wait until after our romantic weekend together?