Page 22 of Vow of Revenge
She ruined him.
She fucking murdered him.
I can’t breathe.
My palms slammed onto the tiled wall as I tried to regulate my breathing. Lowering my head, I let the swell of my newfound guilt consume me. I brought her here, to my home. I repented for my sins and shook off the one memory that still haunts me, the one and only memory that really matters.
The truth.
My father was butchered before my young eyes. It wasn’t a business partner or even a robber, it was an evil calculating bitch who stole my family, my flesh and blood, right from under my nose.
As a result of her heinous crime, I will always be in control of my emotions, paying particular attention to the underhanded intentions of women. I’m a master at switching off emotions, making them think they could have more, only to cut them off without mercy.
I thrive on their subordination and take pride in my manipulation. It helped me keep my father’s legacy alive, by avenging his death in my own way.
Now I had to finish something I foolishly started. Freya Beamount was running out of time. Tying up those loose ends would ensure she couldn’t come knocking on my door in nine months’ time with a devious plan and a lifetime of fucking paternal expectations.
With only a few minutes to spare, I dressed in a casual black shirt and torn jeans. My tongue had dried up even though I’d drank a litre of water already, and my jaw felt stiff. The aftermath of drugs had darkened the crescents under my eyes and left me feeling on edge.
I heard the doorbell chime as I rolled up my sleeves to the elbows and took the first step to my descent downstairs. Luca opened the door. That was his job, and I made sure he never let a female past the front step. With one exception – Tilly.
“Hiya!” Her voice was gentle. Champ rushed the door and skidded to a halt at her feet.
As my foot landed on the last step, she pushed past Luca and stared up at me with big wide eyes. Bouncy curls draped her pretty face and big chestnut eyes sparkled like a polished penny in the sunlight. “Are you sick?”
My arms folded across my chest, mirroring her stance. “Nope. Just tired. I was up late.”
“Do you have a girlfriend?”
“Why do you ask that, Tilly?” Her questions never failed to surprise me.
“You look different today.”
Did I? I sure as hell didn’t feel any different. Hunkering down to face the scatter of pale freckles across the bridge of her button nose, I carefully tucked a curl behind her ear. “I hit the bag harder. Perhaps I have bigger muscles?”
Tilly’s cute giggle was like a whisper of joy. “Uncle Kaleb, you’re weeny, not like the Hulk.”
“How about you take a few jabs at the bag and we’ll see if you turn into the Hulk, Tills?”
Her toothy grin lit up the reception hall and her tiny clappy hands found mine. The softness was a contrast to my coarse skin. Tilly’s gentle contact made me hold her hand to my lips. I lightly kissed my cousin’s daughter on the knuckles like the innocent little sweetheart that she was.
“I’m starving. How about we have breakfast?” Champ snuffled her legs and nudged his head closer.
“Popsicles?” She batted her lashes. This little girl knew how to work her cuteness and would always win.
“Tilly, your guts will freeze if you have ice lollies at this time of the morning.”
“Daddy lets me have them.” She threw me a doe eyed mischievous grin and rubbed the stubble on my chin against her nose. “Please, uncle Kaleb.”
In a twist of my reality, this was the only female who I would willingly let manipulate me. Her prospects were not of cruel intent or for divisive purposes. She only wanted a fucking lolly, and I would give her whatever she wanted.
* * *
The huge complex housing Freya’s 7thfloor condo was fronted with glass, ugly steel beams and a cream rendered façade. It was slap bang in the heart of Dublin city, amidst history and culture, but the building itself was an architectural monstrosity, sticking out like an ugly tumour.
Entering the soulless lobby made me wonder if she was just as bland in the light of day too.
Unfortunately for her, I knew all the right people, making it easy to gather intel such as the address of her city apartment, her cleaners name and even the time she left for work each day.
