AllFreeNovel
Share Us
My body jumps when I hear a noise at the door, and George pushes through it, panting like he has run a marathon. His eyes land on me, where I am curled up on the floor, and he is by my side in an instant.
“I did what you asked. I signed the damn papers. Now you need to leave,” George says as he tries to pull me up by my arm, and I whimper at the pain that radiates up to my shoulders.
“Good, now transfer that ten million dollars to me,” Jeremy says as he takes another bite like he’s at a work meeting. He is cool, calm, and now I know what he was waiting for. He was waiting for the money.
“What?” George asks, his eyes bugging out of his head. “You didn’t say that before I left. You just told me to sign the papers.” I can hear panic in George’s voice as it rises an octave.
“I don’t fucking have to explain myself, Dad. Give me the fucking money,” Jeremy yells as he stands, pushing back the chair in the process, which slams hard onto the floor.
Dad? Did he just say Dad?
“I owe you nothing. I signed the school away, and that money is now gone to charity. I don’t want it, not one penny. Now you need to go and leave us all alone,” George says, but my head is scrambled.
Did George just say he left ten million dollars to charity?
“I am not fucking leaving without that ten million dollars,” Jeremy seethes, his temper now escalating. His shoulders draw back, his hands clenching into fists by his sides. He is winding up like a toy, the pull cord getting tighter and tighter, waiting to let loose and explode.
“You don't deserve it. Not after all that you have done,” George spits, holding me closer.
“I am your fucking son!” Jeremy screams as saliva flies from his mouth. My head whips to George in fear and question, and he looks at me. His lips thin, and I see sorrow clear on his face.
“You are no son of mine. You hurt people; you steal; you left your mother and me years ago with nothing. You took our whole life savings!” George says, and my stomach sinks.
“You ignored me. You and Mom put all your time and energy into that fucking school. So what if I stole your money? It was money I was owed.” Jeremy heaves out his words. I have never seen him so angry, even when he was taking it out on me.
“You were never interested in the school, in the community. You have only ever been interested in yourself, not what you can do for others,” George says subtly, now pushing me behind him.
“Others? Others? What about me?” I feel like the windows are going to rattle with Jeremy's voice getting louder and louder. He is a bomb ticking. I can feel it.
“Your mother and I gave you a stable home, a loving home. We put you through college, and then you trashed our home, took all our money, and left. I never saw you again until you turned up in Emily’s life,” George says, his voice almost pleading now. I am light-headed, feeling fuzzy, most likely from a concussion, but my hearing is working perfectly. Jeremy is George’s son?
“What… What is going on?” I ask, looking between the two of them.
“Didn’t he tell you that? Didn’t he tell you that he is my poor excuse for a father?” Jeremy bites out, their dislike for each other obvious.
“I thought I raised you better. For years, we looked for you. And then while your mother and I were searching every shelter in the city for you, upset that our son left and we had no idea where he was, whether he was alive or dead, imagine our surprise when we met Emily and slowly connected the dots. You are now living like a millionaire, all the while, your girlfriend catches you fucking your secretary in your office and runs from you. So you chase her and push her down the stairs!” George roars. “That little girl in there is blind because of you and your actions. And even now, you can’t let them go. Even now, all you want is money.” George is vibrating with rage, and I am struggling to remain upright. My head is filled with a mix of disbelief combined with waves of nausea that thrum through my body.
“It is too late for you. I have given the money away. I have given it to foundations that can try and make amends for your poor behavior. Money is evil, it makes you evil, and you need to leave before I call the police,” George says, pulling his cell phone out from his pocket and beginning to dial.
“Don’t do that, Dad,” Jeremy sneers, and I hear the distinct sound of a gun clicking, aimed right at my head.
“You get that gun away from Emily, and you run out that door, son. That is the only way you are going to survive this,” George warns, and my body shakes as I stare right at the barrel. Is this the last thing I am going to see?
“Her death will be on your conscience, old man. Not mine.” Jeremy smiles, his eyes firmly on his father while the gun rests on me.
Suddenly, I am pushed to the side, my body slapping onto the hard floor, my head hitting it hard. I look up and see the two of them struggling against each other. There is yelling, flesh pounding, crashing. My chairs and table are now scattered as I scramble away from them and across the floor. George is old, but he is still fit; however, Jeremy is overpowering him. My eyes rest on George’s cell phone, which flew over to the corner of the room, so I pull myself closer to it and out of the way, one arm not working as well as the other, my legs heavy and feeling like Jell-O. I reach George's cell phone and pick it up, dialing 9-1-1 immediately.
“9-1-1, what’s your emergency?” the voice on the other end says.
“I need the police,” I say, just before the gunshot rings out. I scream and drop the phone, as blood pools on the cheap flooring, circling my feet.
CHAPTER FORTY THREE - BEN
I am furious with myself as I pull up to her apartment block less than forty minutes later, after breaking every speed limit from the city to the suburbs.
Police swarm the streets. Harrison was straight onto the police chief the minute Rosie called, Tennyson already had the car waiting, and Eddie has been trying to contact our mother for information, to no avail.
I jump out of the car and run toward the apartments and am stopped by officers.
