Page 121 of Sapphire Sunset

“That sounds like what you chose to see,” Connor said.

Rodney shrugged, then his eyes glazed over and suddenly hewas searching Connor’s face for something he seemed to desperately want butcouldn’t find. “What did he say, Connor?”

“Who?”

“Your dad. You said he left you a letter. About me. Aboutstuff I did. In the past. What did it say?”

Connor had never seen his uncle so wide-eyed and afraid, asvulnerable as a young boy. But when he thought of his father’s letter, itscombination of sentiments seemed hopelessly tangled, and sharing any of thatwith Rodney made this hostage scene feel like even more of a violation.

“Step away from the door and I’ll tell you,” Connor said.

“Come on, Connor. Just tell me,” Rodney said.

They both heard it at the same time. Three fast knocks,followed by two slower ones. On the suite’s entry door, a few yards away but agalaxy of distance in this moment.

“This place will eat you alive, sport,” Rodney said. “Youdon’t have any idea what it’s like to run a family business this size. There’sno corporate office. No parent company to support you. The bank isnotyour fucking friend, and don’t you ever forget it. If you screw up, they have afiduciary responsibility to sell the place right out from under you.”

The thought of stumbling into a firefight he wasn’t preparedfor made Connor’s throat feel like sandpaper. “Rodney, tell me the truth. Doyou have any kind of weapon on you?”

“Sell it, Connor. Every problem our family ever hadcamefrom this hotel. Your grandfather only knew how topromote it and make everyone feel like they were part of the family. Sell it.If you try to run it, mark my words, you’ll have no one left in your life.”

“Connor!”Logan’s voice boomed.

As scared as he was for his own safety, no way could Connorlet Logan burst into the room without warning if Rodney had lied about not havinga gun or even a knife.

“Do you have a weapon, Rodney?” Connor asked.

More of Logan’s special knocks, thunderously loud this time.Loud enough to wake Orange County.

“Connor! Open the door! Now!”

“He’ll break it down if I don’t answer,” Connor said.

“We’ll see. You’re cute, but you’re not that cute. Andbesides, word on the street is Murdoch’s more of a hit it and quit it kind ofguy.”

Crash wasn’t the right word for what they heard next. It wasa solid, resonant collision, like a pair of two by fours being struck together,followed by a series of crackling sounds that sounded like a dragon was takinga bite out of the nearest wall.

Rodney jerked upright, stunned by the symphony ofdestruction.

“Sounds like he just hit it,” Connor said.

The bathroom door flew inward from an incredible force, smashinginto Rodney’s face and sending him skittering backward into the counter.Suddenly Logan was filling the doorway in a shooter’s stance, the Sig’s barrelinches from Rodney’s bleeding nose. The bathroom’s marble walls turned it intoan echo chamber of their shouts. Logan’s sounded furious, Rodney’s desperate.But Logan was shouting the same words over and over again.

“On your fucking knees!” Logan bellowed.

Rodney sputtered, word salad coming from his mouth.

“On your fucking knees!”

Rodney complied, hands going up in a fateful, familiar pose.But he was still sputtering, and the only word Connor kept hearing was relax.Bigmistake.

“I’ll relax when you’re in jail, asshole. Connor?”

“Yes.” Connor was surprised by the stammer in his voice.

“Are you okay?” Logan asked. “Did he hurt you?”

The protectiveness in Logan’s voice, the surging concern,broke through the dam Connor had been using to hold his fear back. The realityof what he’d endured swept him from head to toe, and it felt like every bone inhis body had started to shake. He’d been alone and trapped and half naked withhis drunken, criminal uncle. And if Logan hadn’t come back, there’s no tellinghow it would have ended.

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