Page 156 of Rules

“Where the hell is she?!” I roar in his face, slamming his limp body into the wall once again for good measure.

I was done with his stupid games and lies.

“Andrew…”

“If the next words out of your mouth don’t give me any information on how Brook got away or where to find her, you’re going to regret it. I’m not even joking,” and to show him I’m serious, my grip on his throat tightens.

“Okay, okay, okay! She came to me.” His Adam’s apple bobs in his throat. “A few weeks ago.”

My eyes narrow at him. “She knew, didn’t she?”

“She knew.” He nods. “Brook saw Josephine and me once. Fighting. Josephine wanted more money. When she got pregnant, she came to me, asking for help. I gave her money and told her to take care of it, but she never did. And now with me running for mayor, of course she saw a perfect opportunity to get some more money.”

“What did Brook want?”

John laughs. The fucker actually laughs.

“Money, what else? Like mother, like daughter.”

Dammit, Brook.

“Did she tell you why she needed the money?”

She wouldn’t …

“She wanted me to ‘help her disappear’. Her words, not mine.”

“And did you do it?”

“I gave her a couple thousand bucks. I offered more, but she didn’t want to take it, then she was gone.”

“And you didn’t even think to ask where she was going or why she needed the money?”

“I wanted her gone, that way I’d ensure that Josephine couldn’t do much damage to my campaign. It would be her word against mine, and we all saw her. Nobody would believe her even if she tried, not without proof.”

Unclasping my hands, I let him fall out of my grasp without finesse. Turning on the balls of my feet, I look at Jeanette standing behind us, her mouth hanging open and tears in her eyes. Her arms are wrapped around her like she’s trying to protect herself, and she doesn’t even know the worst part.

“This is for the best, Andrew. If Brook stayed here, it only would have ruined our family reputation and put the campaign in danger. We’ve worked too hard for all of this to be ruined by some low life.”

“Do you even hear yourself?!” A second, that’s all it takes for me to be back at his throat. “What reputation? What family? You threw away mysister. You let her live with that nutcase, and now you paid her off to go away. She’s a freaking teenager, and she’s somewhere out there all alone and pregnant and you just let her go!”

Jeanette gasps softly, but I don’t turn around. This time, even God wouldn’t be able to stop me. Swinging back, I let my fist connect with his face. The cracking sound and my heavy breathing fill the otherwise quiet room.

“You’re going to hire those fancy-ass private investigators to find her, and you’re going to do that NOW. And if something happened to her, I swear to God, Iwillruin you. You already have no family, and when I finish with you, your reputation will be shattered to so many pieces, there will be nothing left to glue back together.”

He looks at me from the floor, his nose bloody and bruised. “Is this a threat, boy?”

“No, Dad,” I spit. “This is a promise.”

* * *

“This is all so crazy,” Jeanette says yet again when we’re finally back in my room. She picks up the little fluffball that was waiting for us in the middle of my bed and hugs her to her chest tightly.

She tries to put on a strong face, but I can see her breaking underneath the surface.

“Welcome to the family,” I say dryly. Sighing, I go to her, wrapping my arms around her and pulling her closer. My lips brush against the crown of her head, finding comfort in her familiar smell.

“What are you going to do?” she whispers softly.

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