“Fuck you, punk.” My father eyes his tattoos with disgust, and suddenly, I can’t wait until he hears my news.
He’ll disown me for sure.
Either that or bury me ten feet under.
“I sent the note to Christian,” Atticus says, and shock splays across Kaiden’s face. Atticus smiles at my father. “I needed to distract you so you wouldn’t notice what was going on right under your nose.”
“I didn’t know,” Kaiden blurts, staring at me with pleading eyes, as if that atones for it.
The more I hear, the more I’m sure everything that happened with us was all part of the strategy. I glare at him, holding onto Charlie’s arm tighter.
“We have copies of the documents you and Christian falsified to get me thrown off the board of my own company,” Atticus continues, stepping right up to Christian and my father. “It’s taken me years, but with Wes’s help, I have enough to bury you, along with the evidence proving you orchestrated Emma’s murder,” he adds, pointedly staring at my father.
“It’ll never hold up in court,” my father says with false bravado.
“And we’ll tie you up in legal wrangles for years,” Christian adds, his voice dripping in arrogance. Trent stands beside his father, smirking.
“We’re even better connected than we were years ago.” My father shoves Atticus back. “So do your worst. It’ll come to nothing. We’ll still win.” He steps forward, shoving Atticus back another step.
Keeping his arms around me, Charlie retreats toward the edge of the stage. “Things will turn nasty soon,” he whispers in my ear. “When I tell you to run, I want you to run toward the back door, and get the hell out of here. Oscar is manning that exit point, and he’ll see that you’re taken to safety.”
Atticus smiles. “I thought you’d say that, which is why I have insurance. You taught me that, Michael. I guess I should say thanks.”
“Okay, I’ll bite,” my father says, not looking too bothered now he thinks he has his ass covered because he has so many cops, lawyers, and judges in his back pocket.
“We have a copy of Olivia’s will. I didn’t realize she’d changed it just before we were planning to escape. I know it wasn’t the version produced at the official reading of the will, but I’m guessing few know a new will exists.”
My father looks like he’s about to keel over, and I’m silently cheering Atticus on even though I’m also cursing him, because he hasn’t been nice to me.
“And I’m certain neither of your children know the terms.”
“I might’ve known,” Drew says, “if your asshole son had furnished me with a copy of the paperwork like he promised.”
“That was necessary, son,” Atticus says, attempting to placate Drew.
“What does the will say?” I demand.
Atticus is gloating at my father as he turns to me. “In the event of your mother’s death, all family shares in Manning Motors pass to her surviving children once they turn eighteen.”
Drew and I lock eyes, each as surprised as the other.
“There was one caveat in the small print that the lawyer advising her overlooked. It’s an old family will that was modified, and he mustn’t have noticed. If your mother were alive, she’d hate she missed it, because it’s the one clause that sealed her fate.” He touches my cheek. “She’d be appalled if she knew you were being forced into an arranged marriage too.”
He looks at Charlie, but there’s no malice in his eyes. “If you marry,” he continues, refocusing on me. “All your shares pass to your husband.”
My eyes dart to my father’s and I see the truth he’s trying to hide. “You son of a bitch,” I roar. “That’s why you were trying to force me into marriage! All so you could hold on to your precious company!”
He must’ve been afraid the real will would become public knowledge, and he was covering all the bases. Clearly, this was part of the deal with the Montgomerys. He obviously agreed to something with Christian, which meant Trent would sell his shares back to him so he could keep control. And the same deal must apply now with my new engagement. I try to break free of Charlie’s hold, but his grip is firm, and I wriggle and writhe to no avail.
The irony is, if my father had asked for my shares in exchange for my freedom, I would have readily agreed.
But not now.
Now I want to take everything from him.
I slide the engagement ring off my finger and throw it at my father’s face. “You can keep that as I won’t be needing it now.”
“Careful,” Charlie whispers in my ear. “The game’s not up yet.”
I will myself to calm down, because I know Charlie’s right.
“You’ll pay for this,” my father says to Atticus in a low voice that promises evil deeds.
“You’re not calling the shots here,” Atticus shoots back.
“I fail to see how this revelation gives you any bargaining power,” Christian says.
I glance over at Charlie’s father, curious, because he hasn’t said one word. He’s watching everything going down with a sober face, standing protectively in front of Charlie’s mom and sister, not missing a thing.
“That’s the beauty of this plan.”
I’m momentarily distracted by the sound of urgent whispering. Maverick is frantically spouting stuff in Kaiden’s ear, gesturing wildly with his hands. It’s how I happen to be watching the instant the look of horror overtakes Kaiden’s face.
Atticus rubs his hands together. “There’s another clause in the will.” He glances at me. “Abigail’s shares in Manning Motors will ultimately be mine the moment she marries my son.”
Everything locks up inside me as I watch him remove something from his inside jacket pocket.
Nausea swims up my throat as realization dawns.
My head whips around to Kaiden, and tears are rolling unbidden down my face. There’s a blank expression on his face, and I can’t read him. Pain grips my heart in a vise grip, and I wonder if it’s possible to physically rupture your heart, because that’s what it feels like right now.
“I’ve had about enough of this,” my father says. “Guards.”
The unanimous clicking of guns echoes around the room as my father’s guards descend from all corners with their weapons raised. Atticus’s men surround the perimeter of the stage, pointing their guns at the approaching guards, and my breath hitches in my chest.
“Get ready,” Charlie whispers in my ear.
“Call your men off,” Atticus coolly replies. “Your daughter doesn’t need this stress. Unless you want to be held accountable if anything happens to our grandchild.”
CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX
“What the fuck have you done, you stupid cunt?!” my father roars.
“Your daughter has been in a relationship with my son behind your back. You know,” he taps a finger off his chin. “I think they might be in love.” He winks at me as he hands the printout to my father. “It’s kind of poetic. A little like history repeating itself. Only this time, Kaiden will be the one to get the girl. The will says Abigail will forfeit her shares in the event of an unplanned pregnancy unless she marries the father.”
My knees threaten to go out from under me, but Charlie keeps me upright. If what Atticus is saying is true, and I want to keep my shares away from my father, I have to marry Kaiden, only then I’ll be handing the reins to his father. But if I don’t marry him, then my father wins.
I’m damned if I do and damned if I don’t.
Atticus looks wistfully at me. “You look so much like Olivia, and you’re every bit as beautiful as her. My son is a lucky man.”
Father takes one look at the page in his hand and crumples it in his fist. I’m sure it’s a copy of the document I got at my doctor’s appointment yesterday morning confirming I’m three weeks pregnant.
“You whore!” Trent shouts as Christian holds him back with a smug grin. “And sleeping with the enemy to get back at your father is pathetic. I’m glad I kicked you to the curb.”
&n
bsp; I shut Trent out, mentally swatting him away like an annoying fly instead of correcting his mistruths.
More tears leak out of my eyes as I stare at Kaiden in disbelief.
I didn’t want it to be true.
I wanted to believe it was an accident, but at least now I know exactly how I got pregnant.
He deliberately sabotaged my birth control, and I was the stupid bitch who let him have sex with me whenever he felt like it.
I’ve been so naïve. Believing he felt something for me. I should’ve known better after all the shit he did to me. This has just been a different form of bullying and now an innocent child is caught in the mix.
I vow to extract retribution. I don’t know how or when, but one day, I’ll make Kaiden Anderson pay for all the ways he’s betrayed and humiliated me.
Shock splashes across Sawyer’s and Jackson’s faces, and I’m glad to know at least they weren’t in on the pregnancy part of the plan. Charlie’s dad is holding Drew back, and he’s shouting all kinds of threats at Kaiden from across the stage. Slowly, Charlie moves us again, a small step at a time.
“I’m prepared to make a deal,” Atticus says. “I won’t strip you of everything like you did me. I’ll give you enough to enjoy a reasonable standard of living.”
“If you think I’ll broker a deal with the likes of you, you really don’t know me at all,” my father says. An evil grin spreads over his face as he quickly pulls a gun out of the back of his dress pants and shoots Atticus in the chest.
Bedlam ensues as everyone on the stage—except for the women—extracts guns and starts shooting. Jane screams as bullets whizz over our heads.
“Abby!” Kaiden shouts, firing his gun indiscriminately while shoving his two younger brothers over the other side of the stage toward his father’s bodyguards. He looks conflicted as he stares between them and me.
“Run now, Abby,” Charlie says, blocking Kaiden from sight as he shields me with his body. He pushes me toward Drew while dialing nine-one-one on his cell.
“Don’t let anything happen to Kaiden,” I beg, clutching onto his arm. I hate him, and I’m planning to get revenge, but I’m determined my child won’t suffer because of my mistakes. Kaiden is still my baby’s father, and I don’t want my son or daughter growing up without having both parents in his or her life. I know what that’s like, and I wouldn’t wish it on any child.
“Don’t worry. He knows how to look after himself, but I’ll watch out for him,” Charlie assures me.
“I love you both,” Drew says, shoving me and Jane toward the steps at the side of the stage. “Get to safety.”
I want to argue. To grab a gun and join the fight.
But I can’t.
Because this baby growing inside me is innocent, and it’s my job to protect him or her. It doesn’t matter how he was conceived or that he’s already a pawn in the despicable game our fathers are waging, I already love him, and I’ll do everything in my power to protect him.
“Stay safe,” I shout at Drew and Charlie, taking Jane’s hand. We fly down the steps, flattening our backs to the wall behind Charlie’s mother and sister as we inch out of the room.
Everyone is too busy firing at the enemy to notice our escape. Some guards are trading fists now, having emptied their rounds. A few men lie on the ground. Some are unmoving. Others lie in pools of blood that are growing wider.
“Quick,” Oscar says, racing forward to meet me as Benjamin, another guard, ushers the Barrons out to safety. “You need to get out of here.”
“Abby!” Kaiden’s frantic shout reverberates behind me as Oscar ushers us out into the corridor, pulling the door shut behind us.
“We need to split up.” Oscar jerks his head at Benjamin as we run. “Take Mrs. Barron and her daughter and Jane and drive them to the Barron residence. I need to get Ms. Abigail as far away from here as possible.”
I want to stay with Jane, but I trust Oscar. We hug quickly. “If anything happens to you or Drew, I’ll die,” Jane sobs, hugging me again. “Don’t take any risks, Abby.”
“I promise I won’t. It’s not just me anymore,” I say, placing my hand on my tummy.
I know she’s dying to talk to me about it, but this isn’t the time. “Go. I’ll call as soon as I can.”
Benjamin takes the three of them out the front of the house while Oscar brings me out the back. “I have my car stashed in the woods,” he says. “Are you able to run?”
I yank the Jimmy Choo sandals off my feet and throw them away. “I am now.”
We take off running through the grass, and I hope the guards are too preoccupied to notice us. I push my limbs harder than I’ve ever pushed them to keep pace with Oscar. I’m breathing so heavily I don’t hear the footsteps chasing behind us until the last minute. “Someone’s running after us!” I pant.
“Go, Abby.” Oscar flings his keys at me. “Keep running, and don’t look back. No matter what you hear.”
Tears stream down my face as I keep running and Oscar hangs back. Blood is pumping through my veins, and sweat coasts down my back as I run for my life. Sounds of a struggle emanate from behind me but I don’t stop.
Not even when the gunshot rings out.
Adrenaline flows through me as sobs wrack my body, but I push on, empowered by this new life depending on me.
I enter the forest, barely feeling the pain as my bare feet race over debris on the forest floor. The pounding of footsteps chasing me spurs me on, and I run faster, swiping tears from my eyes as I pray like I’ve never prayed before.
Oscar’s car appears in my line of vision just as someone jumps me from behind.
I go down hard, landing on my stomach, and I scream for help as a solid body pins me to the ground, smooshing my face into the muddy earth. I yelp in pain as a sharp sting pricks my upper arm. My eyelids grow heavy and my veins move sluggishly as whatever he injected me with works its way quickly into my bloodstream.
“Don’t hurt my baby.” I sob before darkness swoops in and claims me.
TO BE CONTINUED
The story continues in Twisted Betrayal, coming August 2019. Available to preorder now.
Want to read some scenes from Cam/Kai’s point of view? Check out RUSE, a bonus short story, only available to newsletter subscribers. If you already subscribe to one of my newsletters you will still need to click this link and subscribe again to access the bonus content. Click here to download your free copy or copy and paste this link into your browser: https://claims.prolificworks.com/free/JXWYABMB
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About The Author
USA Today bestselling author Siobhan Davis writes emotionally intense young adult and new adult fiction with swoon-worthy romance, complex characters, and tons of unexpected plot twists and turns that will have you flipping the pages beyond bedtime! She is the author of the bestselling True Calling, Saven, and Kennedy Boys series.
Siobhan’s family will tell you she’s a little bit obsessive when it comes to reading and writing, and they aren’t wrong. She can rarely be found without her trusty Kindle, a paperback book, or her laptop somewhere close at hand.
Prior to becoming a full-time writer, Siobhan forged a successful corporate career in human resource management.
She resides in the Garden County of Ireland with her husband and two sons.
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Books by Siobhan Davis
TRUE CALLING SERIES
Young Adult Science Fiction/Dystopian Romance
True Calling
Lovestruck
Beyond Reach
Light of a Thousand Stars
Cruel Intentions Page 33