the win. And at this rate, he’s going to get it.
If I could crawl into bed and stay there until today is over, I would. My bedroom being completely obliterated isn’t the only reason why I can’t. My father would haunt me for the rest of my days if I didn’t show up at his funeral.
I fix my black tie in the mirror, wriggling it from side to side until it’s perfect. Then I make my way to my office and have two straight Scotches, one after the other, before opening the top drawer of my desk just a fraction. I stare at the serpent ring, the emerald eyes glowing in the darkness. They could be my father’s eyes, sharp and accusing. I ignore the ache in my stomach that tells me he’s disappointed, pulling the drawer open the rest of the way and picking up the ring. I turn it between my fingers for a few moments. Then slide it into my pocket, unable to put the damn thing on my finger.
I look up when Brad enters, his black suit as crisp as his hair. “You find Adams yet?”
“Yeah.” His eyebrow hitches, and for a moment I wonder whether he’s going to tell me that yeah, they’ve found him. Washed up on the shore. Splattered on a sidewalk. A bullet in his head. “He’s taken a last-minute vacation to the Hamptons. One of the men is on his way to offer him a ride back.”
I laugh out loud, the sound unstoppable. He thinks he can leave the state and his problems will go away? Stupid fucker.
“You ready?” Brad asks.
“No,” I admit, forcing my feet forward.
We walk together out of the office and down the corridor to the entrance hall, and Brad opens the front door for me. I pull the lapels of my jacket in, and then smooth my hand through my hair.
My skin heats, and everything tells me not to seek out the source. But I still turn, finding Rose standing at the top of the stairs. Our eyes meet, hers soft, mine hard.
I look away, refusing to be drawn into their dead depths. “Let’s go,” I say, even and strong, feeling anything but.
Brad gets into my car with Ringo, and two of my other men take the Range Rover behind. I watch them pull away, taking a left when they pull out of the mansion. I slide into the other Merc alone, wait five minutes, and then leave.
The entire drive to the quiet cemetery on the west side of town, I can hear my father voicing his displeasure, his ego dented by my intentions. I ignore him, keeping my hands firmly on the wheel. When I pull up at the ancient churchyard, the priest is waiting, my father’s coffin laid by the side of a grave. I swallow and get out, making my way through the headstones to the spot I chose by a beautiful rose bush. The pink pompoms bursting from the green are the only flash of color in the cemetery, and the very reason I picked this spot.
“It’s never too late to have some color in your life, Mister,” I say quietly, reaching the edge of the pit that I’m about to have my father lowered into. The priest and the grave diggers remain a good distance away, leaving me to myself for a while until I give them the nod. I stare at the top of his coffin. “Don’t be mad,” I say to him, lowering to my haunches and resting a hand on the edge of the shiny wood. “I have an assassin on steroids after me. This was the only way.” I fight down the expanding lump in my throat. “I know you wanted a show, to go out with a bang, but this time I’ve done what I wanted. Just me and you, Pops. How it’s always been. Just me and you.” My damn fucking eyes sting, and I reach up and roughly wipe them. “Things are changing, Mister. Power is harder to keep, people are harder to control, and my determination is getting harder to maintain. I just wanted you to know that.” I stand and slip my hand into my pocket, finding his ring and feeling it. “Everything is uncertain, except one thing.” I swallow and move back, nodding to the priest. “I miss you.” It’s only now I realize, all these years after he found me, that this moment was always in his thoughts. Because the reality