To Die For - Davidson King Page 0,18
me in your home. You treated me like a thing, had no regard for my feelings or my thoughts. Didn’t you once tell me I was to be seen and not heard?”
“You never argued with me about how I treated you.” He made to move toward me, but I pivoted to the side and over to the podium.
“Argued? Are you serious? Anytime I disagreed with you, or said something you didn’t like, I paid the price, didn’t I?” With the podium between us, I felt more in control. “Well, in the end all that abuse, all that torment, cost you seven hundred and fifty thousand dollars.”
“Abuse?”
“Oh, right.” I chuckled darkly. “It’s only abuse if you say it is, and you never do. I was done. I did my time. I got what I needed from you, and you took almost my entire soul. And what, you’re back for your money now?”
Dorian’s hands clenched, fists I’d felt pound into my body too many times. “As if you have it. No, I know you don’t. Not with you keeping your mommy all cozy in that facility upstate. Hefty price tag to keep her there. Plus this studio, your apartment, that purple shitbox you call a car. No, I doubt you have enough with all the interest you’ve accrued.”
“Interest? What the—”
“Yeah, I did the math, Lane. Let’s see, you’re up to two million now. Do you have that in your safety deposit box?”
Hearing him talk about my mother, the safety deposit box, knowing he had his hands in my whole life, was like a bucket of ice water being dumped on me. He knew I didn’t have it. He came here to take what he could.
“You can’t get blood from a stone, Dorian.”
He smiled, and it wasn’t charming, no. It was a look I’d seen many times. Usually right before the pain started. “No, you can’t, but let’s see how hard I can squeeze you until there’s nothing left. Leave you feeling how I did.” I stood closer to the podium. “When I’m done with you, I’ll let you know.”
“What do you want from me?”
“Everything. And I’ll have it or your mommy, your studio, your workers, even all the people in that apartment building you live in, will lose everything right along with you. Make no mistake, Lane, if you thought you lived in a world of torment back then…” He leaned closer and whispered, “you ain’t seen nothing yet.”
He pushed away, and the chimes above the door were the only thing indicating he’d left. I was frozen in place. I had no idea what Dorian would do, but it wasn’t going to be good. Even if I had the money for him now, he wouldn’t take it, no. I mean, he’d take it, and then he’d destroy me. I did more than steal from Dorian Birch, I humiliated him—and that was not something he’d ever let go.
When Nolan returned, he had breakfast sandwiches and coffee. I took them and went into my office, but I couldn’t eat anything. My stomach churned at the thought of food. I made a call to the facility my mother was at, letting them know if anyone came to see her, they were not permitted. I wouldn’t let Dorian near her. If I could do anything about this, I could at least do that.
I tossed the sandwich into the garbage and stared at my computer screen. I had no fucking idea what to do because I had no fucking idea what Dorian had in mind. It wasn’t like I could call the police and say, “The guy I stole from is bothering me.” I’d fuck myself in the process, and if I couldn’t make the payments, my mom would be tossed into a state-run facility. Alexandra and Nolan would be out of their jobs, but I’m sure they’d find work. But I was also sure Dorian would burn my apartment building to the ground with the people in it if I got him arrested.
No matter how I cut it, I was fucked.
Chapter Eleven
Max
I watched that douche walk out of Sparkles’s studio and climb into his car. After he drove away, I got off my bike and went inside to make sure Sparkles was okay. The entire time I waited outside, my skin felt too tight, like I needed to be in there or I was going to come apart. When I saw Nolan leave shortly after I’d come to sit on my bike, knowing Sparkles was in