I WALK UP behind my father and Linc, my gun raised at the back of my father’s head. “Hello, Dad.”
He spins around, face turning white when his eyes meet mine. “Easton—what the hell are you doing?”
“Protecting my wife.”
His jaw sharpens. “What the fuck is going on?”
“We set you up,” I say honestly, getting to the point of his visit. “Today in your study. Our conversation, my plans with Amelia. All a lie.” Well, my phone call with Amelia was real. I called her and canceled last minute this evening. She hung up on me. I hope that means she gives up on us being together.
“What?” Linc cries, his hand still on his bleeding arm, and he kicks out a barstool to sit down. “I don’t understand.”
Looking over at my wife, I see her still holding the gun at Linc. It shakes in her hands, but she’s watching him like a hawk. I wasn’t one hundred percent on board with this idea. I felt too much could go wrong, but her father reminded me that we’d both be here watching over her. I figured my father would call and warn Linc of my plans for tonight, leaving Elli alone and vulnerable, but I didn’t expect my father to come with him. Two for one.
“What do you mean your wife?” my father snaps, as if his brain is slow at processing the situation he’s found himself in.
“We’ve been married for weeks,” Elli states, lifting her chin. I’ve never been prouder of her.
Linc softly cries, “Shit.”
“Shit is right, you son of a bitch.” I push the end of my barrel into the back of his head. “You fucked my wife in her bedroom. And you know what happens to a Lord who touches a Lady that doesn’t belong to him?”
He whimpers and I smile.
“Just wait…” my father snaps. “Just wait a second. I didn’t sign off on you marrying this fucking whore.”
I slam the gun into the side of his head, knocking him to his knees. “I didn’t need your permission,” I growl.
“Laura wanted her to marry him,” Linc states, watching my father get to his feet, blood now running down his face. “You said no.”
“I didn’t want him marrying her,” he snaps at Linc.
“Because you wanted her,” I add.
My father turns to face me, eyes narrowed. “Why would I fucking want that trash?” He points over at my wife and I hit him again, knocking him back into the side of the counter. “Fuck, Easton—”
“I know about your house,” I inform him. “The one you and James took her to.”
His face pales and I hit him again. “Did you rape my wife?”
“No.” He spits out blood onto the white marble countertop.
“Don’t fucking lie to me.” I hit him again and he stumbles back. “Tell me the truth!” I’m screaming, blood rushing in my ears, heart pounding. I know the answer, but I want to hear the bastard admit it.
Hitting him once more, he falls to his knees. I walk up to him, grab his hair with my bloody knuckles, and yank his head back, making him look at her as she stands by the island, gun still in her hand down at her side. I hold mine to his head, pressed into his temple. “Tell me the fucking truth,” I demand.
He sucks in a deep breath before spitting out blood. “The truth?” he growls. “The truth is that she had the tightest fucking cunt—”
I slam his head into the edge of the counter while watching him fall to the floor, now coughing up blood. I kick him in the stomach, making him curl up into the fetal position. I stomp on his side.
“Easton?”
“What?” I shout, turning to see my father-in-law now standing in the kitchen. Linc stares at Nicholas wide-eyed as if he’s seen a ghost.
“What the fuck is going on?” Linc whispers to himself. We both ignore him.
“Elli,” he says softly, nodding behind me.
I turn to see her sitting on the kitchen floor, arms wrapped around her legs, staring at my father while tears run down her face. Walking away from my father to let hers deal with him, I go to my wife.
I drop to my knees in front of her and she lets go of the gun as it clanks to the floor. She lunges for me, wrapping her arms around my neck, and I pull her into my lap to where her legs wrap around my waist. I grab the back of her head and wrap the other around her waist and begin to rock her back and forth while her cries fill the kitchen.
“I’m … so sorry.” She sobs into my neck.
I hold her, my chest tightening. I needed to know. I wanted him to confess, but I never thought what it would do to her. Was she better off not knowing? Maybe, maybe not.
“I’m so sorry,” she goes on.
“Shh.” I run my hand down the back of her head. “You have nothing to be sorry for, Elli,” I remind her. “You did good, little demon.” I kiss her hair. “So good.” I’m glad it’s over. There’s only one more person that we need to take care of and then I can spend a couple of days with my wife before I have to leave her for good.
ELLINGTON
I STAND IN my parents’ house, staring up at the balcony where I found my father nine years ago. There are no flowers, or candles lit today. Just a cold chill. There’s been one ever since that day. I’m not sure if it’s in my head or if it’s real but it still lingers.
I stare at the man hanging from the second-story balcony. He’s not dead. Not yet anyway. His feet barely touch the chair that’s underneath him. His arms are tied behind his back, a rope around his neck.
Looking up at Linc, I feel a sense of calmness wash over me. After Sin forced his father to confess an hour ago, I cried. Sobbed my eyes out on the kitchen floor in my husband’s lap. It was therapeutic. I understand I can’t change the past, but I’m also very thankful that it doesn’t change his love for me.
I belong to him. Now and forever. No matter what has or will happen, I’m his wife—a Lady.
“Elli, what are you …?” My mother’s shrill scream doesn’t even make me flinch. I’ve been expecting her.
“Mother,” I say calmly, turning to face her.
Her hands are up covering her face, eyes wide as she stares at her husband hanging from the balcony. “I thought it seemed fitting,” I say, turning to look at Linc again.
Blood has dripped from the bullet wound in his arm where I shot him. Now I’m glad I missed. This is much more dramatic. I wanted to prove a point and I think this did it.
“Laura—”
“What—” she gasps, interrupting him. “What have you done?” Her wide watery eyes meet mine. “Let him down. Right now.”
“I did it.”
She spins around and her legs give out before she stumbles backwards into the round table, knocking it over and shattering the glass top on the bloody floor. “No…” She reaches up, covering her face as if that will make my father disappear.
“Hello, Laura,” he says, coming to stand next to me.
“What have you done?” my mother screams at me before looking at my father. She turns to run out of the room but comes to a quick stop when she sees Sin leaning up against the door, arms crossed over his chest. His father lies at his feet, barely conscious from the beating Sin gave him earlier at our house.
I’m surprised he’s still breathing. We loaded them both into the car and brought them over here. We had one more person we needed to take care of. One more that knows my father isn’t really dead. I wanted to see the look on her face when she realized she was caught. It did not disappoint.
“Why?” I ask, stepping toward her but my father grabs my arm, stopping me from getting too close. “Why did you do it?”
She turns to face me, makeup now smeared from her tears. They’re not sadness, or regret, it’s anger. She’s been caught. Her fate sealed. Reaching into the back pocket of her skinny jeans, she removes her cell.
I charge her, knocking my body into hers and we both go crashing to the floor. She’s screaming at me, hands slapping at my face as I’m yanked off of her. Sin wraps an arm around my waist, keeping my back to his front while my father grabs my mother.
“How could you do this?” I shout, fighting Sin to let me go. “How could you do this to us. To me?”
“To you?” She screams as my father holds her to him as well. “To you?” She repeats. “Nothing was done to you, Elli. Your father was worth more dead than alive.”
He shoves her forward and she falls to her knees. Looking up at me through her lashes, she gives me a cold smile. “You, however, were worth more alive.”
Sin let’s go of me and steps into her. “What the fuck does that mean?” He demands.
Her injected lips thin, refusing to speak and Sin wraps his hands around her throat, squeezing while lifting her to her feet.
“What the fuck did that mean?” He let’s go and she drops to her knees once more coughing, rubbing her redden neck.
“Asher Corp.”
It’s Linc who speaks, lifting his head trying to relieve the pressure of the rope wrapped around his neck.
“Shut…up.” My mother’s voice is hoarse, and she rubs her throat.
Sin walks over to the chair; he grabs the back of it acting like he’s about to push it over when Linc speaks quickly. “With Nick dead, Asher Corp needed a CEO.” He swallows, wiggling his shoulders. “Liam took it over. He requested it through the Lords and they approved. They didn’t see an issue with it since he and Nick were friends. Laura vouched for him.”
“What’s that have to do with my wife?” Sin demands.
“Laura was re-gifted to marry James. He found out that Laura had Liam kill Nicholas.” His eyes drop to look at my father still confused how he’s alive. “He threatened to go to the Lords, but Laura offered up Elli to him.”
“You bitch.” My mother gets to her feet and runs toward Lincoln, but Sin let’s go of the chair to turn and grab a hold of her before she can get to her husband.
Sin spins her around, wrapping his arm around her neck, holding her back to his front. “Keep talking Linc.” He commands, choking her out.
He licks his lips. “Laura went to Liam and told him what happened and how she gave up Elli to him. Your father wanted in on the action. So he blackmailed James, forcing him to let him have a piece of Elli. It worked for a while. But James wanted Asher Corp and your father refused to hand it over. So James threatened to go to you. Show you the videos and pictures that had proved your father had been fucking the one you were supposed to marry.”
My mother’s eyes roll back into her head and Sin let’s her go; she falls to the floor unconscious. “So my father had him killed.” Sin sighs, his eyes on mine. “That part was true.” He nods to himself.
I’m shaking. My breathing erratic. I take a few steps backwards needing some space. She sold me for a company? My innocence meant nothing to her. You, however, were worth more alive.
“You fucking ruined it.”
We all look over to the Liam on the floor, getting to his feet. His eyes narrowing on his son as he wipes the blood from his face. “The Lords were supposed to find the pictures of Elli on his phone. Not only was she a slut, but she was also an addict. They would have deemed her unfit to be a Lady.” His eyes meet mine. “She would have been tainted. Nothing more than a whore for us to use.”
“So she couldn’t inherit my business.” My father adds. “Leaving it to you to run and control.” He takes a step closer to Liam. “You knew I wanted Easton and Elli to marry. You knew I wanted Easton to help Ellington take over Asher Corp.”
“He didn’t fucking deserve it.” Liam shouts.
“We had a deal.” My father growls.
“Deal?” Liam gives a rough laugh. “I was supposed to be your partner and you cut me out of everything.”
My father’s jaw sharpens. “You wouldn’t have known that until after I died.”
“How did Nathaniel get involved?” Sin wonders.
“Who is that?” Linc asks and no one answers him.
“He had reached out to Laura. Needed money. Knew you wouldn’t help him out because you’d been bailing him out for years. It was the perfect opportunity.” Liam spits blood out onto the floor. “She slipped something in his drink, and I strung him up.” he smiles proud of himself.
My mother starts to come to, groaning and rolling around on the floor. Sin walks over to her, grabs her by the hair yanking her to her feet and making her face her husband. “Say goodbye.” He tells her.
“No. No.” Linc begins to panic stomping on the chair and my mom starts crying.
Sin nods to my father who walks over to Linc and kicks the chair out from underneath him while we stand around and watch.
