Page 25 of Broken Discipline
But she had more power than she realized.
I zipped myself up, then went to the bathroom and splashed water on my face. The cool liquid brought me to my senses. I quickly grabbed an oversized shirt and pajama bottoms from the man’s bedroom and threw them at her. They wouldn’t fit, but they would get her home.
I needed to get the hell out of there.
Her eyes were round, holding me in shock. Her teeth nipped her bottom lip like she still wanted me, like she was completely confused. She opened her mouth to ask, but she stayed silent.
I didn’t blame her. Why would she admit that she wanted me?
I walked back toward the front door, passing the corpse. I didn’t give a second thought to what others would think of his death. He didn’t matter; his purpose had been fulfilled.
In the cargo van, I waited at the edge of the parking lot, waiting for her to exit. Once I followed her home and made sure that Chip was watching her, I got back on the road. Gore Bloom, the director of the Marked Blooms Syndicate, had ordered a contract on his daughter’s life coach. The coach had been snooping, and it was time for Carter Care to take care of business.
I had to remember that too. Ramona wasn’t simply mine. She wasbusiness.I needed to treat her like a contract.
CHAPTER 6
Ramona
A few days passed like that. There was always someone close behind, watching after me. The tiny cut on my chin from the blade healed rapidly, and it was like it had never happened. Yet things were different. Finn kept his distance, and for some odd reason, I almost wished that he was closer, reminding me of his presence.
One morning, after I dropped off the twins at the academy, Finn’s second-in-command, Chip, followed behind me. In a way, I was relieved that someone was there after Upchurch had broken into the Carter Compound, especially now that I knew that Finn and his men were trained professionals, but at the same time, I knew that there was more to the story than what I had been told. Finn had manipulated me into following him, knowing full well that the stranger would attack me. What if Finn had done something similar to Bruce?
Would I actually care if he hurt Bruce?
Finn and Bruce were two different men. Two different beasts. Two different evils. All I wanted was the truth; after that, I could figure out what this meant for me and the twins.
Once Chip saw me pull up to the Astley Mansion, my old home with Bruce, he turned down the next road, parking and giving me distance. My throat tightened; did Chip not care about Bruce because Bruce was no longer a threat?
The stone-siding and the rest of the exterior were rich in earthy tones that seemed bright compared to the Carter Compound. I parked Tank in the driveway, glancing at the parking area to the side of the main building. I recognized a few cars, but Bruce’s town car was missing.
I knocked on the front door. The estate manager opened it, fixing her button-up shirt as she addressed me.
“How may I help you, Mrs. Carter?” she asked.
I blinked my eyes, gawking at her. She held her chin straight like she didn’t know me, as if I hadn’t lived in that same house with her for the last four and a half years.
I leaned back. “Where’s Bruce?”
“I’m sorry, ma’am?”
I cleared my throat. “Has Sir been around here lately?”
“Not since he sold you, ma’am.” She bowed her head slightly. “Is there anything else I can help you with?”
I lowered my eyes to the maroon rug under her feet. I shook my head. “Thank you, anyway.”
The door closed. Everyone, even Bruce’s own estate manager, thought that I had been sold to Finn. And yet, Bruce was gone. Completely gone.
I had almost expected Bruce to be here, ready to boast about how much money he had made off of me. Maybe he was on a business trip.
Or maybe Carter Care had…
A matte black car with a red racing stripe pulled into the driveway. I held my breath. I recognized that car, but I couldn’t remember where; my memory was such crap. Too many concussions from the Masquerades. But one thing I knew was that a car like that didn’t come from Opulent Gates, or even Fairview.
It came from my hometown, Oakmont.
Blister.
