Sweet Retribution, page 7
“It wasn’t long after Mom passed,” I say, because I remember workmen traipsing in and out of the house for months on end.
“That’s right. I’ll talk to Xavier and see what we can dig up. But what then?”
“Then we need Xavier to locate the security software and hack into it. And we physically need to get down there to study the layout and the guard rotation.”
Drew’s brow puckers. Kai glances over his shoulder at me, and I mouth, “I love you.”
“Love you too,” he mouths back before returning to calming his brother down.
I glance at my cell, frowning at the time. I won’t be able to stay much longer, and I need some alone time with my guy. I check the tracker app, emitting a relieved sigh when it confirms Charlie is still at the house, hopefully snoring happily on my bed where I left him.
Drew rubs his temples. “You don’t mean that—”
“I do,” I cut my twin off. “I have to attend one of the events in the basement.” My stomach sours at the prospect, but there’s no way around it.
Even if Xavier hacks into the software system and manages to disable it so we can sneak down in the middle of the night, we can’t walk in blind. We need to have studied the layout in advance. Figured out the guard rotation and whether they patrol down there when the space isn’t in use and if there could be any number of traps we fall into it.
Father cannot know we have those tapes until the day of the vote.
“Hell will freeze over before I let you go down there.” Drew’s tone is loud, and it’s enough to capture the Anderson brothers’ attention.
“Go where?” Kai asks, shuffling toward me in obvious pain.
I draw a brave breath. I don’t want to fight with him, but I need to put this out there now. “I was just informing Drew that I need to attend a function in the basement so I can do some snooping.”
“No fucking way,” Kai snaps, maneuvering awkwardly onto the couch beside me. “I know you can handle yourself, Abby, but it’s too dangerous.”
“I’ll have Drew.” My tongue darts out to wet my lips. “And Charlie,” I add in a quieter tone of voice.
Predictably, Kai’s eyes burn with intense loathing and a muscle ticks in his jaw. “No, no, no.” He shakes his head repeatedly. “This isn’t going down like that.”
“It is, Kai.” I jerk my head up. “I know this is hurting you, but I have to convince Charlie our marriage is legit and that I’m willing to give the idea of us a try.”
“No. Fucking. Way!” He grips my shoulders firmly. “I know you have to go back there. I can just about tolerate that, but that’s it. It fucking kills me you have to do that because of me.”
“It’s not because of you!” I bark. “It’s not your fault. It’s his and my father’s, but I must toe the line, Kai, or they. Will. Kill. You.”
“They won’t get near enough to try.” Rage flickers under the surface of his skin.
“So, you’re going to drop out of school and move away from Rydeville? Go into hiding?” I ask, “because that’s the only way you can protect yourself from them.”
“Abby’s right,” Drew reluctantly agrees. “And it’s more than just protecting you. The whole plan impinges on Charlie being suckered in. He’s obsessed about Abby for years. And it’s reached a crisis point. He betrayed his father so he could have her. To him, she is the love of his life and his only salvation. If he doesn’t have Abby, Charlie will self-destruct in a big way, and he could seriously fuck with our plans.”
He shoots a sympathetic look at Kai. “I get that you hate it. Fuck, man, I hate it too. But he needs to believe she’s falling for him. It will help keep him distracted, so he doesn’t see what we are up to. It won’t take her long to convince him, because he is blind when it comes to her.”
“And he’s mentioned that he will be graduating early and dropping out of school to run the family business,” I add, hoping to soften the blow. Tentatively, I thread my fingers in his, relieved when he curls his hand around mine. “He’s going to be crazy busy with the business, supporting his mom and sister, and elite stuff, so I won’t see him that much, and at least we’ll get to see each other at school.”
“He’ll never tolerate that,” Kai grits out. “He’ll put some asshole guard on you. Or have spies at school reporting to him.”
“I’ve got it in hand.”
Kai arches a brow.
“I’m going to remind the students at school of the shit I have on them. If any of them blab, I will fucking ruin them. I’ll remind them what happened with Rochelle and Wesley, and that should put them in their place.”
“And what about the bodyguard?”
“He put a goon on babysitter detail, but I’ve already gotten him removed. I’ve told him we have the tape from Christmas Day and that he needs to back off, and give me my freedom, or I’ll show it to his mom. The last thing he wants is her discovering he sold his soul to the devil and got his father killed.”
“Your mind is a devious place, Abby,” Rick says, grinning. “But I fucking love how you think.”
Kai growls. “Only because she’s not your wife, and you don’t have to worry about her being in the line of fire. Or picture that asshole touching the woman you love.” Kai pulls his hand away, dragging it through his hair.
“I won’t let him take it too far. I promise.”
“God-fucking-damn it.” Kai yanks fistfuls of his hair in frustration. “I can’t do it.” His tormented gaze guts me, and I understand, because even the thought of our roles reversed makes me want to hack up my dinner. “We’ll find another way.” He grabs both sides of my face. “We’ll fucking run. Let’s do it. Let’s just go now and forget about all this.”
Pain spears me, making mincemeat of my heart. “We talked about this before. We can’t. He’ll go after everyone we love.”
Thick silence engulfs the room.
“Abby is right, Kai.” Rick sighs, scrubbing a hand along his smooth jawline. “We need to take both those bastards down. And the only way we can do it is by playing them at their own game.”
CHAPTER NINE
Kaiden
I need to fight. To release the tsunami building to epic proportions inside me. Except, I’m in no fucking condition to fight. I’m only in control because I don’t want Abby to see the murderous intent racing through my mind.
I want to throttle my father until he’s blue in the face.
And I want to punch Charlie Barron until he’s a bleeding, broken, lifeless piece of shit at my feet.
I scan every inch of her beautiful face, vowing to do everything in my power to protect her. Not for the first time, I don’t feel worthy of her.
How she is still standing, still fighting, is beyond me.
After everything that’s happened, most women would, understandably, be a shell of themselves.
But the more her father pushes, the more determined my wife gets.
With every calculated move, he tries to break her spirit only to reinforce it. Abby is one of the strongest people I’ve ever met, but I see what she’s doing too.
She’s throwing herself into this battle full force so she doesn’t think about the ultimate betrayal.
Murderous intent returns with a vengeance when I think back to Christmas Day. When he told her he’d stolen her womb. Stolen the experience of her carrying my child from both of us. I’ve spent the last few days in and out of consciousness, but any lucid moments were consumed with thoughts of Abby and all that we’ve lost.
Michael Hearst is going to suffer for the pain he’s inflicted on his daughter.
I will fucking die to ensure it if I have to.
But he is not getting away with it.
Which is why I know I need to agree to this.
My ribs are on fire, and my body fucking aches, but it’s nothing compared to the pain in my heart at the thought of what she’ll have to do to save us.
I could live a million lifetimes and never be worthy enough of her.
I’m a lucky son of a bitch that she loves me. Still don’t understand why. But I won’t ever take it for granted. The only way I can get through this shit show is to remember all we have to look forward to.
“Okay.” The word is like poison as it slips out of my mouth.
Abby’s shoulders slump in relief, and I know I’ve done the right thing. Even if it will kill me every second of every day. I won’t add to her burden. Especially when she’s doing it to keep me safe. But we will be having words in private, because there are some lines she cannot cross.
“And that’s the only reason we’re not going to strangle Atticus with our bare hands,” I add, giving Drew and Abby a glimpse into Rick’s and my conversation.
“You’ve made the right call,” Drew says, thanking me with his eyes.
“Abby and Kai are the only reason I’m not on a plane to New York already,” Rick admits. “I want to hang that bastard by his balls from the rafters.”
“He’s going to get what’s coming to him,” I say, as my hands clench at my sides.
Abby unfurls one fist, leaning down to press a kiss to the back of my hand, and I want to grab her into my lap and hold onto her for eternity.
But I know we’re on borrowed time. She needs to leave soon. And I need private time with her. “I know we have a lot to discuss, but I need to speak with Abby alone,” I tell Drew and my brother.
They stand. “Of course.” Drew leans down and kisses the top of his sister’s head.
I’d worried the elite and Parkhurst had changed Drew permanently, but it’s obvious how much he still cares. Sending his woman away killed him, and I admire his strength. I’d like to think I’d do the same in his shoes, but when it comes to Abigail, I’m a selfish prick. I can’t last five minutes without her, so there’s no way I’d consider sending her away for good. Drew sent Jane away to protect her the only way he knew how, and he’s going out on a limb for his sister, double-crossing his father even though he knows he’s a dead man walking if he finds out.
I don’t know how Drew has managed to hold on to himself in the midst of all that carnage he’s grown up with, but he’s certainly fared better than Charlie and that douche Trent, both of whom seem corrupted by the excesses of the world they inhabit.
I bite the inside of my mouth to stifle my painful moan, as I climb slowly and awkwardly to my feet. “Come lie down with me.” I want to feel my baby in my arms, but my ribs are fucking throbbing like a bitch, and I need to be prostrate.
We clamber into the bed, and I pull her up tight alongside me, ignoring the stab of pain that shoots through my side with the motion. “Talk to me, baby. How are you feeling?”
“I’m fine.” Her protest is too quick and too practiced to be real.
I tilt her stunning face up and drown in the depths of her gorgeous brown eyes.
Abigail Anderson is the most beautiful woman to walk the face of the Earth. Her natural beauty clings to her like a visible aura, and I’m in awe of her lack of awareness as much as I’m in awe of her inner strength.
But my girl is hurting.
Oh, she’s hiding it well. But I see behind the mask, and she’s in a world of pain. “Baby, it’s me. You don’t have to hide. I know it’s killing you because it’s killing me, and I—”
“Stop.” She stiffens in my arms, and panic washes over her face. “Please don’t go there, Kai. Please don’t say it.” Tears pool in her eyes, and her lower lip wobbles. I feel utterly helpless as I watch her struggle against her emotions.
Overwhelming pain shears a line right through my heart, and the physical pain of my injuries pales in comparison. My wife is in agony, and I’m fucking injured and can’t do anything to help. I can’t even fuck her to take her mind off it.
I dust kisses all over her face, holding her close, offering silent words of comfort, because the truth is, this is a minefield and I’m terrified of stepping in the wrong place. I don’t know what to say. I can’t force her to talk about it. I won’t. Even though I want to talk about it. Because it impacts me too. But she comes first.
Always.
And I will always put her needs above my own.
“I love you, firecracker.” I press a tender kiss to her lips, and I’m reminded of the first moment we met. When she was a broken, beautiful stranger prepared to end it all on a beach. She brought out a side of me I didn’t know existed that night. And I need to reveal that side right now.
What I wouldn’t give to be able to make love to her now like I did that night. But I’m physically incapable of it, and I won’t do anything to jeopardize my recovery, because I need to be firing on all cylinders. I can’t work behind the scenes to protect her if I’m only operating at half capacity.
“I love you too, caveman.” She sniffles, burying her face in my shirt. I smooth a hand up and down her back, dotting kisses all over her hair, trying to ignore the fact she’s bottling her grief inside, and just enjoy the feel of her in my arms, because I know she has to leave soon, and I don’t know when I’ll get to hold her like this again.
After a few minutes, she lifts her head. “I know we need to talk about it at some point,” she whispers. “And I know it impacts you too, but I can’t talk about it now, Kai, because I will self-destruct. And I can’t lose this battle. I can’t lose you.”
“I’m worried about you.” I brush hair back off her face. “You’re so fucking strong, Abby. But you’re human too. And you can’t shut off your emotions forever.”
“I know that.” She plants her hand on my chest, and I feel her touch in every part of my body even through my shirt. “When we have dealt with our fathers, then we can deal with that.”
I take a risk. “Can I just ask you one thing?” Rick put this idea in my head earlier. “What if it’s not real? What if he just said that to mess with your head? What if—”
“It’s true,” she blurts, and I mentally kick myself in the butt when more tears appear in her eyes. “Apart from a little bleeding after the abortion, I haven’t had a period.” Her face pales, and I want to take a gun to Michael Hearst right this fucking second and end him for putting that anguished look on her face. “I should have had one. I … I stupidly thought that…” She shakes her head before burying her face in my shirt again.
“What, babe? You thought what?”
“That I might still be pregnant,” she sobs. My eyes pop wide. Could she be? My brief euphoria dies as fast as it appears.
There’s no way she could be.
Her father wouldn’t allow it to happen because the vote is too important to him.
But hang on.
My heart thumps painfully behind my sore rib cage. What if Abby is right? What if she is still pregnant? What if Michael thought they could pass the baby off as Charlie’s? He would also be guaranteeing himself her shares because he’d have stopped her from marrying her baby daddy.
Except we are married, and he’s not getting his hands on those shares either way.
But that’s of little consolation given our current situation.
“Rick says he can organize an ultrasound. That will—”
“No!” She jerks out of my arms, bolting upright, shaking her head vigorously. Panicked eyes latch on mine. “No tests.”
“But, baby.”
“No, Kai.” A more determined look appears on her face.
“Don’t you want to know if you are?” I want to place my hand on her stomach, to relive the experience even if it is a lie.
“And what if I’m not?” she whispers. “What if it’s all true. The abortion and the hys—other thing.”
Fuck. She can’t even say it. She’s in complete denial.
“Isn’t it better to know?” I softly ask.
“No.” She shakes her head repeatedly again. “It’s not better to know if it’s true. I will be a basket case. I will be a sobbing mess. Broken, damaged goods. I won’t be able to drag my body out of bed, let alone do what I need to do to take these bastards down.”
She runs her nails through my hair, and my cock twitches to life behind my pajama pants, as my libido fully wakens.
“Please don’t take my revenge from me, Kai. Because I need to do this. I need to make them pay. Fooling Charlie and then revealing the truth will destroy him. My deceit and the reality of what he’s done to his family is enough payback in his case. Taking everything from my father and putting him behind bars is what I really need to begin the healing process.” She kisses my cheek. “Then, and only then, can I think about dealing with this.” She peers deep into my eyes. “I know you’re hurting over this too, and if you’ve changed your mind, if you—”
Now it’s my turn to halt her. I clamp my hand over her mouth, trying to leash the rage pouring through my veins. “Do not fucking say that, Abby.” I don’t want to lash out at her, but she’s making it hard. “I said my vows, and I meant them. I will love and cherish you every day for the rest of my life. That’s all that matters to me. The rest we will figure out as we go along.” I grip her chin hard, trying and failing to tone down my glare. “Nothing has changed. Nothing.” I press a hard kiss to her lips. “You are still the fucking air that I breathe. The blood pumping through my veins. The only reason my heart beats in my chest.”
I loosen my tight grip, relaxing my facial features. “You’re the center of my universe, Abby. You. Only you. You hear me?”
CHAPTER TEN
Kaiden
She clings to me, and I wrap my arms more firmly around her. I can’t say goodbye. I can’t let her leave to go back to him.
But I must.
And she needs me to be strong.
Reluctantly, I ease her out of my arms, kissing her deeply one final time. “Go, baby. Be safe, and message me when you get there.” Now that she has a new purse, and Xavier has confirmed her room and her burner cell are clean, we’re going to start up our nightly calls again.
Unless that asshole Barron gets in the way.
The thoughts of him sleeping beside her, holding her in his arms, brings every murderous intent to the surface again.
