Page 68 of Brutal Knight

“Are you at home?”

Lachlan’s words ring in my head. I know immediately from his tone that this is serious.

It figures. I knew I wouldn’t be able to just ignore the world and stay in with Willow forever. Still, I’m not happy that this has to happen now. If it could have waited an hour or two, it would have been better.

But the world won’t wait for us. It never has.

“I’m home,” I reply shortly.

I can almost see Lachlan nodding, curt. “Edward has made a move. Just like he said he would.”

“What?”

I sit up in bed, a storm broiling in my chest. I knew it was a possibility, but I didn’t want to think too much about Edward being the problem. I should have guessed it would be him.

Of course he’d stir up trouble. The man clearly doesn’t know when to quit. I just hope whatever he’s done, he gives up on it soon. I’d hate to start married life by having to kill the father of the woman I just wed.

But I’d do it if it needed to be done. Especially knowing what I do about him.

“We’ve been watching out for him,” Lachlan says. “Alert for anything he might try. But he still managed to pull it off. He’s fucking with us.”

I swing my legs out of bed. The anger at having to leave Willow is compounded by the fact that it’s her father causing issues. I know what a bastard he is now, know what he did to abuse her. There’s nothing I’d like better than an excuse to bring him down.

“And? What was it?”

I throw the closet open and snatch clothes with one hand. I hate to think of Willow waiting in the bed for me, but I need to focus. Whatever is happening, it may be a chance to bring Edward down.

Or maybe it’s just another twist that’s going to put her in danger if we’re not careful.

“One of our businesses was raided. By the cops.”

“Shit.” I almost snap the button off my pants as I pull them on.

Our family has a few fronts for laundering money. They’re all carefully protected, all well-kept. We keep good track of everything and our shit is always locked down. For one to be raided means someone pointed the cops in the right direction.

There’s no way it wasn’t Edward.

“It was based on an ‘anonymous tipoff,’” Lachlan adds, sarcasm thick in his words.

“Shit. How bad?”

“No one was inside, so no arrests. But the cops got a stash of cash.”

“Fuck.”

I slam the door to the bathroom open, phone still in my hand. I cuff my sleeves as I walk, phone held between my shoulder and ear. I don’t want to waste time.

I want Edward to pay.

“Yeah, I said the same thing,” Lachlan replies darkly.

I can tell he’s pissed. But he’s not pissed the way I am, because of what I know.

I know what Edward did to Willow. I know he hated her from the moment she was born, blamed her for things out of her control. I know he peddled her off to his associates like a monster, then threw her away to the highest bidder.

His only care in the world is himself. He didn’t give a shit about Willow, and I’m sure he doesn’t give a shit about anyone else, either.

I want him to pay—not just for fucking with my family, but for everything he did to Willow.

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