send men into his home to shoot him?”
“Bait.”
It was all the explanation my father offered. Fortunately, I understood, and the realization made my palms sweat. “For Crow or Fox?”
“Both if I’m lucky. It’s why my men didn’t use your best friend for target practice instead. Ever wasn’t incentive enough for Nathaniel to crawl from whatever hole he’s hiding in. I could have popped them both, but then Crow would get suspicious and disappear again.”
“You really think Fox will show up to finish the job himself?”
“Right now, Harlan’s easy enough prey sitting in that hospital wounded, and I’m told that woman of his has enough evidence to put Nathaniel in prison for the rest of his life. I know he’ll show.”
“And then what? You’ll turn Blackwood Keep into a war zone? What about your anonymity? Do you really think you’d be safe hiding out here after that?”
“I’ve been living in the shadows for too long, son. When Crow and Fox are dead, there will be no one to challenge me.”
“You mean no one to hide from.”
My father’s gaze cut to me, and I almost smirked at the obvious nerve I hit. Franklin Rees may have been a cunning man, but he would be a sitting duck without the men he paid to protect him. A warrior he was not.
“Careful, boy. Now that you have a son, I no longer need your little slut to keep you in line. The security at Susannah Blackwood is pitifully lax. It will take little effort for me to slip into her room during the night…again.” Hearing that my father had gone near Tyra had me dangerously close to gutting him. “I admit I enjoyed more than just watching her sleep. She has the softest skin. I can see why you thought she was worth your career.”
I lost it then.
Forgetting about my son, my plans, and my vow to free my friends from my father’s grip once and for all, I plowed my fist into my father’s withered face. Feeling bone crack and wanting more, I didn’t stop. My knuckles were screaming, my hand and shirt covered in blood, and my father slumped in his chair. He was unconscious by the time I was pulled away. I couldn’t see or hear anything. I couldn’t feel the rough hands holding me hostage. For a while, nothing got through the murderous rage that made me throw my life away. Even as I was forced to my knees with a gun pressed to my skull, I knew I’d do it all over again.
My only regret was not telling Tyra I loved her without fear forcing me to take it all back.
Closing my eyes, I pictured them both, somewhere safe and happy. I almost forgot about the bullet seconds away from ending it all.
A moment later, it finally came.
And then several more as the bodies around me began to drop. I kept my eyes closed, focusing on that image of Tyra and River until the shooting finally stopped. It seemed to last a lifetime. I was just glad I’d emptied my bladder before coming here. Peeking one eye open, I looked around, and when I saw everyone except my father lying bloodied on the ground, I stood and whirled around.
Jeremy casually stepped out from the tree line with a rifle slung over his shoulder as he yawned.
“It fucking took you long enough!” Fear had my voice sounding high-pitched to my own ears.
“Shut the fuck up. I had urgent business,” Jeremy replied, his American accent laced with his Russian one. He sauntered the rest of the way across the expansive lawn until he stood beside me.
“More urgent than this?”
Shrugging, he stared down at my unconscious father. “When you gotta go, you gotta go.”
I shook my head and wondered how desperate I had to be to ask Jeremy Antonov for help. The dude was a certified sociopath. Who else would have stopped to take a piss while I was on my knees seconds from biting a bullet?
“Help me get him inside.”
Jeremy looked like he was going to decline, but the look I gave him had him rolling his eyes. He moved to stand near my father’s shoulders, so I bent to grab his legs.
Without warning, however, Jeremy slapped the shit out of my father.
I was surprised when my father actually awoke—disoriented but awake. Jeremy looked at me then, and seeing my bewilderment, he snorted. “You hit like a bitch,” he said, referring to a few days ago when I knocked his tooth