Page 45 of Culmination
But he continues. “Just think of all you could’ve had, all you could’ve achieved if you’d been in your rightful home.”
“Or maybe I turned out the way I did because I was nowhere near you.”
Theo’s eyes blaze, and he’s about to retort when the sound of a far-off doorbell breaks the silence. A knock on the door prefaces its opening and a guard pokes his head in.
“Sir, she’s arrived.”
Theo’s eyes gleam as he nods. “Fantastic,” he says, with far too much glee in his voice. “I believe the party is just about to begin.”
I start to rush forward, but something hard comes down on the top of my head and the last thing I see before it all goes black is Theo’s mouth twisting into a sinister sneer.
When I awaken next, Helene is sitting up on the bed, her hands tied in front of her. A guard blocks the door, and when he sees I’m awake, his hand moves to the butt of the gun in his holster.
It doesn’t matter. I won’t risk Brie’s safety by starting a fight up here.
“Are you okay?” I whisper, searching Helene’s face.
She swallows hard then nods. “Rafe…you have to stop him.”
A snort comes from the direction of the door. The guard is glancing back and forth between the two of us. When he sticks his head outside the door then closes it quietly, confusion sets in.
“If either of you are going to make it out of here alive, you do exactly what I tell you.”
Helene gasps as if she’s seen a ghost. “Frederik! What are you doing here?”
The man—Frederik, apparently—takes three quick strides across the room until he’s standing on the side of the bed. He unfastens the rope around her wrists, rubbing the skin with a gentle affection that is far too intimate.
Helene throws her arms around his neck and peppers kisses along his jaw. “I should’ve known you’d come.”
“My darling wife, I will always come for you.”
Ah. So now, on top of it all, I get to meet my dear stepfather. Fan-fucking-tastic.
“As joyous as this reunion must be, we don’t have time for this,” I say through gritted teeth.
“We must hurry and leave this place before another guard comes,” he insists.
“I can’t,” I reply with indignation. “I won’t leave here without Brie. Get my mo—Helene—to safety and tell any backup you may have on standby to wait. If we spook Morningstar now, there’s no telling what he’ll do. So, until Brie is safely out of here, do nothing.”
Helene crosses the room and places a hand on my cheek. Her eyes shine with unshed tears. “I am so proud of the man you’ve become. I only pray that it isn’t too late for us to truly get to know each other. If we survive this—”
“You will,” Frederik interrupts, his voice gruff.
Helene straightens her shoulders. “When this is all over, when it’s all behind us, I hope you’ll give me the chance to right all the wrongs I’ve done. I don’t expect to take your mother’s place, but a place in your life I would like very much.”
I nod. “One day, Helene. One day. I promise.”
She holds my gaze for a brief moment, and then in a flash, she and Frederik are gone.
Wasting no time, I slip through the door and take a few steps down the hall. Then a click sounds behind me, stopping me in my tracks.
I turn slowly, my chest swelling with relief when I see the man standing here, a gun fixed on me, aimed directly at my chest. I blow out a hot breath of air as he lowers it to the ground, then scans the hallway before putting it back in its holster.
“What the fuck are you doing here?” I hiss, both grateful and perplexed at his unexpected presence.
“We don’t have time to discuss that right now. You have the book?”
“Not on me, but it’s in a safe place.”
