IF SOMEONE WOULD HAVE TOLD me a week ago that I’d be luring my dad to his own demise, I would have laughed in their faces. It’s the middle of the night and I’m standing outside the gate at Boulder Cove Academy, alone. He’s on his way from the hotel he’s been staying at in the city and, hopefully, none the wiser to our plan.
I know me, Riley, and the guys agreed that we were in this together—no more secrets and all that shit. But this is something I have to do on my own. I need answers and if Ridge and Lev are here, they might kill him before he gets a word out.
All my life I’ve bent over backward to appease this man. I’ve cried. I’ve sweated. I’ve bled. I did everything in my power to gain his approval to the point that it broke me. It’s a sad day when you learn the person you admire most is nothing but a worthless scumbag. It’s almost empowering in a way, though, knowing I no longer have to live up to his expectations. I feel like a new man.
A pair of headlights come into view, illuminating the snowflakes that are falling. I stick my phone back in the front pocket of my jeans and walk toward it.
The car comes to a stop as I approach the driver’s side door. Dad rolls down the window and I fold my arms and lean into the open window.
“Where the hell is she?” His tone is laced with both anger and eagerness. Of course his first words are about her, instead of asking if I’m okay, or if I’m safe. She is useful to him; whereas, I am not.
Selfish fucking prick.
I reach through the window, my expectant eyes never leaving his as I hit the button to unlock the other doors. Without a word, I circle the car and pull open the passenger side door, then I plop down on the seat.
“Head east,” I tell him. “We need to park the car and walk.”
His fingers white-knuckle the steering wheel and his teeth grind. “Where the fuck is she, Maddox?”
“I told you I’d take you to her, but we can’t drive. We need to ditch the car somewhere safe and walk.”
“It’s three o’clock in the fucking morning and you wanna go on a goddamn hike?”
Fighting the urge to lash out, I draw in a deep breath and hold my composure. “It’s a short walk.”
Dad slams the car into drive and whips a sharp turn, traveling the opposite way he just came.
While he’s distracted by the drive, and his anger issues, my eyes dance around the car, looking for any proof that Riley was in here. It’s possible he didn’t even use his own car to kidnap her, but I find myself looking anyway.
There’s nothing out of the ordinary, except something that keeps rolling into my feet. I reach down and pick it up nonchalantly, taking care not to draw attention. It’s hard to see what it is, but the buttons on the side and the speaker on the front lead me to believe it’s a recorder.
I sit up and casually slide the object into my pocket. If by some chance it is a recorder, it may come in handy when I get his confession. Could use my phone, but it’ll be more of a slap in the face when I use his own device to bring him down.
A minute later, the warehouse comes into view. “Take a left.”
“What the hell is this place?”
“Just do it.” He’s really grating on my nerves, but if I don’t keep it together, I’m sure to raise suspicion. I’m never disrespectful to my dad, but I’m finding it really hard not to be right now. Knowing what he did to Riley, and possibly Lev’s family, has me ready to end him now. If only I didn’t need answers first…
Without even flicking the blinker, he turns down the gravel driveway to the warehouse.
“Drive around the back,” I tell him. “There’s a pole barn back there.”
The car bounces over mounds and rocks, making its way down the beaten path, Dad huffing and puffing the entire way.
He steers the car to a stop in front of the pole barn and I hop out, instructing him to stay as I open the door. Once it’s high enough for him to get in, I wave him through, directing him to park right next to the car I keep here.
A second later, he’s growling as he slams his car door shut. “This better be worth it, boy.”
“It will be,” I assure him. “I’ve got her secured somewhere and she’s willing to confess everything.”
I grab a couple flashlights off the mantle in the barn, handing him one. We walk out and I pull the door down, hiding the vehicles inside.
It’s a good twenty-minute walk to the cabin where Riley and I were a couple days ago, and it’s not a pleasant one. During our short hike, my father doesn’t hesitate to tell me what a screwup I am. How I’m the worst Guardian in The Society, and how I will basically fail at everything I try to accomplish.
What he doesn’t know is, those words don’t hurt me anymore. He’s worthless in my mind, a piece of shit player in a fucked-up game. My respect for him went out the window the second he laid his hands on my girl. It only got worse when I found out he hurt people I loved—and children, at that.
So instead of lowering myself to his level, I don’t respond. I just take it all in, knowing that before long, he’s going to eat his words.
I slow my steps as we approach the cabin and Dad gives me a sideways glance. “This is it?”
I nod. “Yep. She’s inside.”
He picks up his pace, heading straight for the front door of the cabin.
“That girl has been a fucking thorn in my side. Running and hiding while I have the whole goddamn Society on her ass. This ends now.”
“That’s right,” I say as I follow closely behind. “It ends now.”
Dad rips the front door open, exuding confidence and authority as he enters the cabin. His light skates around the room, but what he’s looking for isn’t here. “Where the hell is she?”
My fingers grasp the edges of the trapdoor, feeling the wood’s splinters under my skin. I flip the adjoined boards up and they hit the floor with a thud.
I look over my shoulder at my dad, eyebrows raised. “She’s down here.”
“I’ve heard of this place,” he says as he kneels beside me, peering down into the hall.
“And now you get to see it.” In one fell swoop, I give him a shove, sending him down the hole and into the underground room.
Surprisingly, there isn’t an ounce of remorse as his body crashes against the concrete floor. Even his grunts and groans don’t faze me.
I grab the trapdoor and steady it against my shoulder, so it closes as I go down.
When I reach the bottom, I see my dad curled over, babying his shoulder. “What’s wrong with you? I need a paramedic, son. I think it’s broken.”
“Good,” I huff as I crouch over him. My right hand trembles as I reach into the inside pocket of my coat and pull out my dad’s pistol. His eyes widen, body stiff, as I press it to his temple. “Maybe it will motivate you to answer my questions.”
“Son,” he chokes. “Wha…what are you doing?”
“What I should have done a long time ago.” I give him a swift kick to the ribs and it’s so satisfying that I do it again. “If I’d known then, what I know now, you bet your sorry ass I would have. Now get yourself off this fucking floor and stand up like a man.”
He curls into a ball like a little bitch, moaning and crying.
“I said get up!” I shout. I reach into my pocket and pull out the recorder while still pointing the gun at him.
“I can’t. I think my shoulder is shattered,” he sputters and whines as he tries to push himself up to no avail. “I think my leg is broken, too.” Hopeful eyes peer up at me, as if he thinks I might actually help him. “Call an ambulance, son. I need help.” Then he cries out even louder. “God, help me!”
A devilish grin spreads across my face. “No one can save you here. Not a paramedic, and not even God.”
I kneel beside him, knowing there’s no way in hell he’s getting off this floor. I press the gun back to his temple and grit out, “Is this yours?” I show him the recorder. “Is this what you planned to use when you kidnapped my girlfriend and tried to scare a confession out of her for something she didn’t do?”
“She did do it, though. She shot Governor Saint and she needs to pay for her sins.”
“And who the fuck are you to play God with her life, or anyone else’s, for that matter?” I hit the record button on the side of the recorder. “What was your connection with Governor Saint, anyway?”
“I…I barely knew the guy. He was a Blue Blood, just like all of us.”
“You’re lying.”
“Son, I need help.”
“You’re gonna need help when I’m done with you. I’m just not so sure anyone will care enough to save you.” I dig the gun deeper into his temple. “Tell me what he has on you? Is it proof that you killed the Pemberley family?”
His eyes widen in surprise, bottom lip quivering. “No. No, I didn’t do that.”
“What if I told you I have those files that you so desperately wanted to remain sealed, and I know everything?”
“That’s not possible. Those records won’t be handed over for two more days. And even then, the contents remain classified for months, maybe even years.”
“Do I look like a guy who follows the rules, Dad? I mean, after all, I did learn from the best.” He doesn’t respond, just lies there trembling while pleading with sorrowful eyes. “I know you did it, and soon, everyone else will, too. The question is, why? Why the fuck would you murder that poor family? Those sweet girls?”
Suddenly, there’s a shift in his demeanor. He breaks into a sob as he tries again to get up, only to fall right back down on the concrete while letting out an unrestrained whimper. “I didn’t wanna hurt those little girls. His family was in the wrong place at the wrong time and it will haunt me for the rest of my life.”
It’s true. He did it. My eyes brim with tears at just the thought of what he did to Lev’s sisters, or any of them, for that matter. But I push the sadness away because I can’t dwell on that at the moment.
“What the fuck, Dad? How could you?”
“He fucking took her from me,” he cries out. “Donald killed the woman I loved.”
My gut wretches at his confession. All these years I’ve been living with a complete stranger. A man I looked up to. I would have cut off my arms for my father, if that’s what he asked me to do. I would have done anything for his approval.
I’m completely dumbstruck. At a loss for words. “Mom’s alive and well. What the fuck are you talking about?”
“Not your mother. I love her dearly, but our love was no match for what I had with Helen.”
“Helen?” My voice squeaks. “Ridge’s mom?”
His eyes well with tears, his cheek pressed to the cold concrete. “She was everything to me, and Donald was assigned to take her out. I begged him not to do it, but he did anyway.”
“Are…are you saying you and Ridge’s mom were having an affair?” I can hardly believe what I’m saying, let alone what I’m hearing. “You’re fucking married to Mom!” I can’t control the jerky movements of my head or my shaking hand as I grind the gun into his skull. “How the hell could you do that to her?”
“Love, son. It makes you do crazy things.”
“But you love Mom?”
“I do. Very much.”
None of this explains why the governor was helping him, or protecting his secret. He killed members of The Society for no reason other than sheer anger and hatred. It was unprovoked and not part of an assignment or punishment.
My head is spinning and I need to get a grip if I want to get the rest of his confession. I need it all to clear Riley’s name. Somehow, I need to make it look like he killed the governor to protect himself.
I inhale a deep breath because I can’t crumble right now. “How did the governor find out what you did?”
“I messed up. Didn’t cover my tracks, and I cracked. Told him everything and we struck a deal…”
“What kind of deal?” Fuck. I don’t even know if I wanna hear this. A deal with Governor Saint can’t be good. “What else did you do, Dad?”
“I…” He sputters and cries, but continues as if he’s confessing his sins to a priest in search of forgiveness. “I killed his wife for him. Hit-and-run. It was easy and quick.”
I nearly topple over as the words leave his mouth. He speaks as if he’s talking about a history test. Easy and quick? Who the hell is this guy?
“You killed…” My words get lodged in my throat, my voice barely audible. “You killed his wife?” I set the recorder down while it’s still going and run my fingers through my hair, feeling dizzy and off-balance. “You’re a fucking monster!” I spit out. “The worst of the worst.”
My entire life I’ve been living with a serial killer. And not the kind who killed the bad guys. He killed the good ones.
Mustering the courage, I ask the question weighing heavy on my mind. “Does Mom know?”
“God, no.” He sobs. “She doesn’t know any of this. Please, son. Please don’t tell her. I’ll do anything. I’ll…give me that gun. I’ll end the madness right here and now. Or you do it. But please, you can’t tell her.”
“Oh,” I force a laugh, “she’s gonna know, and so will everyone else.” My head shakes in utter disappointment. “You’re nothing but a fucking worthless scumbag, you know that? Now I have to go and break my mother’s heart while I tell her what you did. I hope you rot in hell.”
I stand up, letting the gun drop to my side as I swing my leg back, body tensing with anticipation. With a grunt, I thrust my foot forward and deliver a barreling kick right into his ribs.
I reach into my pocket with a jerky hand and pull out my phone. Tapping on Ridge’s name, I then press the phone to my ear. He answers after the second ring. “Get Riley and Lev, and get to the room in the underground tunnels beneath the cabin owned by Scar’s parents. I’ve got him, and I’ve got the confession.”
“Are you fucking serious?”
“No, I’m lying, dipshit. Yes, I’m serious. Hurry your asses up.” I end the call and drop my phone back in my pocket.
“Maddox?” He says my name as a question. “You don’t want to do this, son…”
“Don’t!” I stammer. “Don’t you dare call me son. I am no longer your son and you are no longer my father!”
“But I love you, Maddox.” He bawls and sniffles. “You’re my flesh and blood.”
This man who treated me like a pawn my whole life, who just a few minutes ago was telling me how worthless I am and how I could never live up to who he wants me to be, is now trying to tell me he loves me. I call bullshit. If this is what love is to him, I don’t want it. “Well, I fucking hate you. I wish I could kill you. Unfortunately, I think someone else deserves that justice. So instead, you get to live for a few more minutes.”
