Page 74 of Desperate Victory
“If you wanted him found,” Milo said abruptly. “You could have saved us all a lot of time and grief by just telling us about him.”
“Tell you?” King challenged him. “Your sister can barely look at me. She refuses any kind of relationship because of you. No, I wasn’t telling you. At least with…” He mopped at his face again.
The bloody nose seemed to be getting worse. Had Doc broken it when he punched him?
“No, I would not give you the access to deny me another child.”
“You’re insane,” Emersyn said abruptly. She was on her feet and right at Liam’s side. The anger practically rolled off of her. “Milo didn’t turn me against you. You did when you abandoned us. Don’t tell me that was different. I was a baby, you didn’t want me, and now you do? Why? Because I look like the woman you abandoned? No, it’s not about me at all. It’s about giving you access to change Milo’s mind. You don’t give a damn about family. It’s always about power.”
“Family can be power,” King argued and he lurched to his feet only to sit again.
He stared down at the handkerchief then at his legs. The pain on his face wasn’t manufactured.
“Family…” He panted out the word, then frowned as he looked at all of us. Blood began to trickle from the corner of his eye. “What is this?”
“It’s the end of the road,” Lainey told him. “You see, we needed some answers, but we also need you gone. Em and Milo don’t deserve the pain of having to be the one who did it. The boys couldn’t really decide between them.”
She glanced at her watch, then lifted her chin.
“I’m afraid I took matters into my own hands,” she continued. “Sorry, Pretty Boy.”
“Nothing to be sorry about,” he told her and the hint of awe in his expression wasn’t lost on me. Yes, she continued to awe me too.
King coughed, the handkerchief to his mouth was soaked in crimson. “How?—”
“Cognac?” Lainey reminded him.
“You poured both glasses from the same bottle. I watched you…”
“I poisoned the bottle.”
I snapped my head toward her and I wasn’t the only one.
“When you finished your drink, I took the antidote.” She patted her purse.
The mints.
Holy shit.
“You see, I’m very done with you, Mr. King. You won’t hurt anyone I love ever again. I am afraid, however, that the poison is going to be a rough way to die.” Not that she sounded remotely apologetic. If anything, it was coldly practical. A fact she offered him so he could get used to it now.
King’s shocked stare turned furious and he lurched forward like he had a hope in hell of getting to her. Bodhi closed the distance and got there first. One hand on his throat, he shoved him backward until he hit the wall.
Once he had him pinned to the wall, he stripped the man of his weapons. Twice, King tried to fend him off. On the second attempt, Bodhi slapped him across the face. The crack of the blow echoed in the stunned quiet of the room.
Blood from King’s face splattered on the wall. For his part, Bodhi inspected his own hands. Not even a speck of blood. The man really did have his talents.
“No easy ways out,” Bodhi informed him.
“Agreed,” Lainey said, drifting over to take a seat on a chair of her own. She leaned back with a kind of casual grace and patience. She looked ready to settle in for the day. Head tilting back, she glanced up at Milo. “I won’t tell you what to do, but neither you nor Em needs to watch this.”
“But you do?” Milo asked, the frank wonder in his voice found its match in me. Just when I thought she couldn’t get sexier or more attractive, she proved us wrong.
“Oh yes,” she murmured, one corner of her mouth curved upward and she glanced at King. “I’ve waited a long time to see justice served for you, Pretty Boy. I’m not going anywhere until his cold dead corpse is on the ground and ready for disposal.”
The words hung there, suspended in the air, and they held every ounce of the promised malice in her voice.
“We’ll have to gut the house, I’m afraid, but I didn’t think you were particularly fond of it.” She lifted one shoulder and let it drop as if, what could you do?