Page 44 of His Master

Victor tensed, rage pulsing through him, but also deep guilt.

Strangely, I was barely affected by the mention of Hayden, or the fact that Vincent Woodbury knew I was with Victor and that I was his slave. We already knew Vincent was aware I was with Victor, and I didn’t care if he knew I was a slave, which came as a huge surprise to me.

“You’re not the only one who doesn’t approve of decisions that have been made of late,” Victor fired back at his uncle, not taking the bait of his questions. “Victory Holdings is and should remain a legitimate company. I won’t let you drag it into mafia business.”

“Mafia business?” Vincent laughed. “My dear boy, you’ve been watching too many suspense films.”

“Are you trying to tell me you’re not funding mafia operations on the East Coast, that you’re not trying to become some sort of kingpin yourself?” Victor asked, but with a clear message that Vincent couldn’t fool him.

“Why bother with petty criminals when there are far greater things that can be achieved with money and power?” Vincent answered.

I squirmed a little, new ideas beginning to form in my mind. Vincent might be telling the truth. There were bigger things than the mafia when it came to controlling people and institutions. Politics, for example. Although everything that happened last spring out in the mountains had uncovered the fact that Mayor Keller himself had been involved with the mafia, so maybe it was a little of both.

“I don’t care what you’re trying to do,” Victor said, “it needs to stop. I want nothing to do with whatever sneaky power-grab you’re attempting. Money of the sort our family has should be used to make the world better, not to corrupt it. Those projects of mine that you disapprove of? They’re designed to help people, to make the world better.”

“There’s no profit in helping people,” Vincent scoffed. “People don’t deserve help anyhow. They’re all a bunch of filthy slaves, whether they know it or not. That pretty piece you have with you is a million times more deserving than the majority of the population. At least he knows his place and how to serve.”

Victor looked ready to murder someone, but all he had was his uncle’s image on a phone.

“You’re wrong,” he snapped. “Not only that, you’re abhorrent.”

Vincent laughed. “You have changed,” he said, as if it were an insult. “I should have taken you from my pitiful brother and his wife earlier to stop thisnoblestreak in you.” He clearly didn’t think much of his own family members either.

“What will it take to make you stop this miserable course you’re on?” Victor asked, shifting back to business decisively.

“I’m not going to stop,” Vincent said, incredulous. “I’m going to stop you, stop you from wasting my legacy.”

“You can’t,” Victor said.

“Oh, I think you’ll find I can.”

“I won’t?—”

“You will sell your shares in Victory Holdings to me before the end of the day,” Vincent cut him off. “All of them. I want you completely out of the company in every way.”

“First, I won’t. It’s my company, too,” Victor said. “Second, if I sell, Victory Holdings as we know it will disintegrate. You’ll lose me and you’ll lose your prize.”

“We can’t let that happen,” Vincent said teasingly. “So I guess you’ll either have to comply with my wishes and resume business operations to my specifications, or other contingencies will need to be explored.”

A rush of dread from Victor nearly bowled me over. I didn’t need to ask what that was about, just as neither of us needed to ask what Victor meant.

We were in danger. Real, terrifying danger.

“This is madness,” Victor said, scowling at his uncle on the phone. “After everything we’ve done together, you can’t possibly be saying that you’d have me killed just like that.”

“Just like that?” Vincent asked, a smile in his voice. “Oh, no, my boy, it most definitely wouldn’t be just like that. It would be long and involved. Other people might get hurt in the process.”

Victor’s eyes snapped to meet mine, which might have been a mistake, considering his uncle was watching him. But then, it was fairly clear Vincent already knew I was important to Victor.

“I’m going to stop you,” Victor said, completely convincing. “I won’t let you get away with any of this. And I won’t let you hurt anyone else, do you hear me?”

“Oh, I hear you,” Vincent chuckled. “I just don’t believe you. Best of luck with that.”

“If you think?—”

The screen suddenly went dark as Vincent ended the call.

Victor blew out a frustrated breath, then flopped hard against the back of the sofa, throwing his phone aside.

---