Page 18 of Crave
“I should’ve known.” Disgust rolled through my voice.
“You misjudge.” Alexi shook his head. “Lincoln is here to ease my fears, to show me you can be trusted.”
I didn’t believe him.
“We’re family.” Lincoln stepped closer, grabbing my arm gently. “I want us to be family.”
That distrust wavered as Alexi urged. “Lincoln told me about your father’s wishes. That you two should work together, building something more powerful and bigger than your father dreamed. You know how I feel about family. I want this for you. Clean the money and work together. You do that and you’ll have my support.”
The sonofabitch railroaded me…
I stared at Lincoln, even as Alexi nodded, glanced at the both of us, then gave a nod before he climbed back into the limousine. The rear door closed with a thud. Still, I never looked away, not even when Alexi’s car rolled forward, turning sharply before it headed back out into the parking lot, leaving us behind.
“This is my legacy.”
“It’syourlegacy.” Lincoln repeated.
“You don’t own the majority.”
He shook his head.
“Nor doyougo behind my fucking back.”
He stilled.
“I don’t like you.” I snarled. “I never have. But it seems as though I’m forced to work with you, to keep what my family has. What little I have left.”
“What is that supposed to mean?”
I shook my head and turned away, staring at my car.
“I haven’t been around a lot, I get that. But I’ve always been here, working in whatever capacity your father allowed. But if you or the others are in trouble, Silas…I want you to know you can come to me.”
“Did you know?” The words slipped out before I knew.
“Did I know what?”
I turned around. “Did…you know my mother was having an affair, and whoring out my goddamn sister?”
He froze, his eyes widening. I knew surprise when I saw it. Maybe some part of me deep down suspected he was in on this. But this look said the opposite.
He shook his head instantly. “That’s a lie.”
“No, it isn’t.”
The muscles of his jaw flexed as he strode close and grabbed my arm, hissing. “Your mother loved Dante.You know that!There’s no way in Hell she’d even look at another man. I should fucking know. God knows I tried my best to get her to notice me when she first started dating your father. She was the most beautiful, dynamic woman I’d ever met in my life. But she never even gave me a second look. Her eyes were for Dante. She fucking worshiped him and there is no way she’d throw that away.”
“But she did.” I answered coldly. “And I have the recordings to prove it.”
Lincoln unleashed a low tortured moan and turned away, running his fingers through his hair. But then he stilled as slow resignation overtook his anger. But he didn’t believe me completely. Instead, he turned, met my gaze with that pain filled stare and said. “Show me…show me and we’ll find this bastard and murder him in his sleep.”
Chapter Five
ANGELICA
I neededto get out of here. Now that it was late I’d slip away and no one would know until at least morning. By then I’d be long gone. I punched my duffle jacket into my pack, pushing it down as hard as I could. It was the largest bag I could find, still it barely held the essentials: a pair of jeans, three pairs of clean underwear, socks, t-shirts and what jewelry I had after Silas destroyed my room.
The necklaces and rings I’d pawn to get out of here. The thought of that hurt, especially parting with the tiny gold angel pendant on the expensive chain mom gave me for my eighteenth birthday. You’re my angel, her words still rang in my head. The daughter I was meant to save.
