Total pages in book: 109
Estimated words: 101985 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 510(@200wpm)___ 408(@250wpm)___ 340(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 101985 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 510(@200wpm)___ 408(@250wpm)___ 340(@300wpm)
“Head of security?”
“As of right this minute, yes.” His smile reminds me so much of Mia’s that it’s uncanny. “And with that comes a raise. You deserve it. You’ve done well. I’ll want you at school with her in the spring, but I’ll keep you abreast of matters as they come up around here, so you’ll be up to speed by the time the semester is over, and you transition back to your role with me.”
I know he wants me to thank him, and ordinarily, I would do so without thinking. This is a big promotion, something I thought I wanted before everything I wanted flipped on its head. I can’t even enjoy it. I don’t know if I’ll be able to enjoy anything again. Not with the fact of another man taking what’s mine hanging over my head all the time.
She’s not yours. She never was. And I was nothing but a fool to think she would be.
I hear her running down the hall before I see her. How I know it’s her, I can’t say. I only know it doesn’t come as a surprise when she runs into the room.
Her tears, however, do surprise me. I stand, as does her father.
She glares at him, shaking. “How could you? How could you lie to me? What have you done?”
28
MIA
It’s all been a lie. All of it. And I was stupid enough not to see it.
“Sweetheart, what’s happened?” My father makes a move, walking around his desk, but the idea of him touching me is enough to make me want to throw up. I back away, shaking my head.
“No,” I sob. “Stay there.” And there’s Zeke, holding a glass of liquor. What were they doing, sitting around and having a toast? “Did you know? You’re a part of this, aren’t you?”
His face falls, one of the rare times I’ve managed to catch him off guard. “Part of what? No, I didn’t know exactly—”
“Save it. I don’t want to hear any more of your lies.” I swing around, turning back to Dad. “From either of you. How could you lie to me? All this time.”
“You did say she would get emotional, didn’t you?” Dad glances at Zeke.
“You were talking about me? Planning how to deal with it when I found out what really goes on here? What you do for a living? How you’ve made all this money?” I’m shaking so hard it’s amazing I haven’t shattered into pieces. Even my teeth are chattering.
All those articles. All those hints, allegations, payoffs to keep the Morelli name out of the courts. My father, the man whose DNA I carry, is responsible for death, misery, horror. Sex trafficking, drug trafficking, money laundering. All of it. Dean found all of it when he was researching, and that’s what he didn’t want me to know. That’s what he tried to shield me from.
Because unlike the men standing in front of me, he actually gives a damn.
Zeke blinks rapidly, his head snapping back like he’s surprised. “Wait a second. What are you talking about? The business? The family?”
“What else would I be talking about?” I scream. It feels good to scream, but not good enough. It doesn’t ease the pain in my chest. Is it possible for a heart to literally break?
“Just take it easy.” He sets his glass down and holds his hands out like he’s not a threat. What a joke.
“I can put two and two together, you know. How many people have you killed for him?” Tears drip from my chin onto my shirt, and my nose is running. I run my sleeve under it, not caring how it looks. I don’t care about anything anymore. “I can’t even look at you without wanting to be sick.”
“Mia, sweetheart.” At least my father has the decency to look pained. “I never wanted you to find out, but especially not this way. Not until you could be eased into it. Nobody expects you to have anything to do with that side of the family, not ever.”
“I sure as hell hope not!”
“But this is the sort of thing you’re going to have to learn to deal with once you’re—” He’s cut off by Zeke, who violently clears his throat. They exchange a look that can’t mean anything good.
“Once what?” I bark. “What else haven’t you told me? What else do I have to be the last to know?” I have to get out of here. I can’t even look at them. How could I have been so blind? Of course, the man makes his money in all kinds of shady, immoral ways. Why else would he keep it from me? Why else would he have so many powerful, wealthy friends? Not to mention the security. How often have I deliberately turned a blind eye because I didn’t want to know?