Page 77 of Crimson Love

I’m up and out of my chair just in time.

Reed swipes everything off the table between them and comes after Lennon.

I push in front of her before he can touch her. I have him by the collar of his wine-stained dress shirt and shove him against the glass wall. “Touch her, I dare you. You’ll die. I’ve got no problem making sure you never breathe again.”

Lennon isn’t crying anymore. She’s outraged. “If you did something to my mother, I’ll come after you and make sure you suffer tenfold. And I’ll find out, Dad. I’ll never stop searching until I find her.”

Reed proves he’s better at running his mouth than staying in shape. He grasps at my forearms and tries to push me away. Despite the fact I haven’t been cleared to lift a weight after surgery, my grip on him tightens, and I press him into the glass harder. His face turns the shade of Lennon’s wine she just threw at him as he sputters and spits. “Fucker ... let go.”

Andrei does nothing and proves he’s not used to getting his hands dirty. He stands and tosses his napkin to the table. “I’m disappointed in you, Lennon. This is your last chance to make things right.”

That’s when a familiar British accent sounds from behind me. “What’s going on in here?”

“I’m sorry,” Lennon bites. “You can show these two out. They’re no longer welcome at the manor.”

“Stay the fuck away from Lennon.” I deliver one last warning and slam him into the glass before letting go.

Reed barely rights himself as he gasps and swipes the wine from his face violently. I shift Lennon behind me as Andrei moves around the table and motions for Reed to follow. “There are consequences for not cooperating, Lennon. And since you worked for me for so long, I know you understand what that means for your future. We will meet again. Until then.”

And with that, he stalks out of the private dining room with Reed on his heels. Devon spears us with a what the fuck look. Which who can blame him? Tonight didn’t go at all as it was supposed to.

Andrei walked out of the manor a free man.

And Lennon’s father is alive.

Talk about a failed operation ... other than one thing.

I walk back to the table, pick up Reed’s cell, and toss it to Devon. “I’m sure this will be a rave for your buddies who like to toe the line of legalities.”

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

HOSTAGE

Lennon

A nd here I thought it would all be over by now. We didn’t meet with Devon’s sister and friends after Andrei and my father left the manor. I was too upset.

It’s weird to think this, but I can handle being around Andrei. But my father showing up was a blow to my soul in so many ways, I couldn’t deal. And that’s saying a lot. I think I’ve been through more than any twenty-five-year-old deserves and lived to see the other side.

It wasn’t pretty. Proof was in the surveillance video of me killing a man for my freedom. Besides bruises and cuts that didn’t scar, I did it unscathed, which is even more of a miracle.

But my dad...

I thought he was dead. I grieved him all those years. The alternative was too painful. Who wants to live life knowing their father willingly traded off their daughter for a gambling debt and went off to resume their life as normal?

Yes, I needed my dad to be dead.

So when he walked into that room last night, I lost my cool, what little bravery I had mustered, and my ability to deal with reality. I won’t get into the emotional rollercoaster they put me on with the mention of my mother. I refuse to believe she’s alive until it’s proven otherwise. I can’t go down the road of thinking that she’s out there waiting for me to find her.

Or, that she suffered a fate like mine.

Hell, it easily could have been worse.

Devon disappeared with my dad’s cell, and Jett whisked me straight to the elevator. He said he knew my dad would be back when he realized he left the device. He said that was a party we didn’t need to be present for.

Apparently, Bella has smart friends who know their way around a computer in a scary way. I take it that means we can learn what my dad has been up to all these years, and if he’s telling the truth about my mom.

Jett led me into his room, unzipped my crimson dress, and pushed it to the floor. Standing before him in just my panties, he barely touched me. He opened a drawer, grabbed the softest T-shirt I’ve ever felt in my life, and pulled it over my head. It’s long enough to hit the middle of my thighs and pays tribute to Willie Nelson on the Fourth of July. I’m not sure what to think about that, but it is Willie. Who doesn’t love Willie?