Page 93 of The Mastermind
I calmed the fire within me. Action without thought would end horribly. I couldn’t mess this up. I needed proof.
Though I didn’t get along with my father, he was still family.
“Melba, can you do something for me? I promise you won’t get into trouble. You’ll be saving my father’s life.”
When they agreed, I gave Melba a tiny camera about a quarter of an inch in diameter. “Put this where Mallory makes the drinks. You can put it on a cabinet, or hide it somewhere to capture her in action. The next time you see her put anything in his drink, you dial 9-1-1, then you call me, okay? I need proof.”
“Okay.” Melba nodded, looking nervous, and her mom rubbed her back.
“It’s the right thing to do,” Lorna said.
I didn’t know if they’d go through with it, but I had to try.
CHAPTERFORTY-FIVE
REMINGTON
Focusedon resolving the issue with Mallory and Brian, I put everything else on hold to deal with this personal matter. Howard oversaw the pending business issues for me. I had to concentrate on this situation and look at the complete picture from various angles, like a detective, making sure I had the facts and necessary details to piece everything together.
Who were all the players? They’d all pay for hurting my family and me.
Walking to the window, I glanced out at the purple sky. In contrast to its beauty and serenity, a storm brewed inside me. A dangerous storm. One that had sucked in Audri.
Was she in danger because of me? Did these people want to hurt her because she was my weakness? Where did Audri’s uncle fall into the scheme? What would prompt Derek to abandon his niece when he saw her in need? Did he try to help his brother? I had to discuss this matter with Grayson, who was still in Europe.
So much information crammed into my mind as I tried to figure out how best to protect Audri from Derek and keep tabs on my dad’s health situation. Even though he hadn’t been the best father, I couldn’t abandon him. For me, familial ties ran deep.
The more I thought about what Mallory and Brian did to me and my father, the more I wanted to kill them with my own hands. My fists clenched as I envisioned piercing a knife into their chests and twisting it slowly so they understood what it felt like to bleed to death. I wanted them to experience the penetration of the sharp blade cutting into their flesh. I would revel in how their bodies trembled from the pain. Mallory and Brian were vultures that wanted to take what didn’t belong to them. They deserved to suffer for forcing me to take a stranger’s life and for ruining my family.
It would have been fucking easy for me to have them disappear, but the situation had gotten more complicated. I needed to dig everything out into the open. I didn’t want my actions to hurt Audri inadvertently. She’d been doing well with her hypnotherapy.
Something occurred to me. Until now, I wouldn’t have cared if my actions hurt anyone else. Until now, I didn’t give a damn about making those who wronged me disappear or even wanting to kill them myself. Audri had changed me. I had her to think about now.
She healed me too. My chest tightened, and I placed my palm over it. She had taken residence inside my heart, burning a fiery flame that made me see the surrounding darkness.
I swung my thoughts back to my dad’s health. He might have listened to my reasoning if his condition had been better.Maybe.But even then, I wasn’t sure how much he’d believe. He would probably take Mallory’s side as he always had when I was young. Our relationship had been torn a long time ago and was holding on by a single thread—my mother.
Tension throbbed, and I pinched the space between my brows. Audri and I were going to see the WaterFire this evening, and I shouldn’t let anything distract this special moment for us.
She had been busy working on her jewelry collection for next week’s upcoming fashion show. Today was a breather for both of us, so I didn’t want to share anything distressful. What was the point in worrying her when there wasn’t anything she could do about it? I wanted to protect her and would share everything with her as soon as I got a good grip on the situation.
When I came back to Providence, my intentions were to deal with Brian’s blackmail and the acquisition of Lafayette Marketing, which became Starke Vision in no time at all. Keeping the company was a big step.A huge healing step. The garage renovation was like a personal renovation of myself. I couldn’t let the past trauma deteriorate. The messed-up family life, the witness to a murder, killing someone in self-defense, and the countless acts of making people “disappear” had formed into a monster inside me. The longer it sat at the back of my mind, the more it grew. Eventually, everything around it would crumble. The stakes were too high to let that happen.
I returned to my desk and was turning off my computer when Audri entered the office, beaming with excitement despite the discovery about her uncle. She had pushed away all anxiety for tonight so I would as well.
“I’m ready.” She walked over and patted the ultrasoft T-shirt she’d gotten me weeks ago. “I like the soft yellow on you. It brightens your face.” She bought me a new wardrobe in an array of colors. My closet now looked like a crayon box . . . well, at least one section of it.
When I had first put it on, I stared at myself for a while.A long while. Before now, I’d mostly worn clothes in black, white, or gray, but as I looked at myself, I didn’t mind this fresh change in me because it suited Audri. She was the bright, colorful spectrum that gave me hope, and I was immersed in it.
“What do you think?” she asked, running a hand over my shoulder and down my arm.
“It’s okay.” I smiled.
She pinched my cheek lightly and ran her finger across my lips. “If you say so, my Dangerously Loaded Smile.” She rose to her toes and kissed me. “I love the look of you in colors. It makes you kissable.”
“You’re kissable.”
Wrapping my arms around her,my hands massaged her back and traveled down her buttocks. “And squeezable, loveable, lickable.” I swallowed as images flashed in my head. “I’m in the mood for some innovative ways to use barbecue sauce tonight. What do you think?”