“I know that now,” he agreed, shaking his head with disgust. “I spent half my life not realizing I was being played by my father.”
Rachel just looked at him.
“Why? Why would he say something so horrible when it never happened?”
Damien drew in a breath, before trying to explain the whole sordid, ridiculous story.
“Our fathers were supposed to merge companies back in the early 2000s and something went south. I’m not sure who was at fault for the deal falling through but I guess that would really depend on who you asked.”
“That fucking company,” Rachel muttered. “It haunts me everywhere I fucking go.”
“My father ended up humiliated by the whole thing, so of course, he made it his life’s mission to end Vaughan Industries, or at least to hurt all the Vaughans that he could reach. I’m not sure how, in his convoluted mind he expected that to work, but my father…well, he’s not always sane.”
“I can relate to having a father who’s more than a little off,” Rachel muttered. She looked at him warily. “Did you ever have feelings for me, Damien? Or was I always just… a part of your father’s plan?”
“That was the entire problem,” Damien said gruffly, raw emotion making his voice even deeper than she remembered. “I had feelings for you from the minute I met you ... honestly ... even before you ripped me a new one, that first day at the hospice. My loyalties were so split. On one hand I was coming to care so damn much for you, but on the other hand, I really did believe my sister’s life had been ruined by Luke and your family, and that she needed avenging.” His gaze was piercing. “I had no idea everything was a lie.”
“The things we do for family,” Rachel sighed, understanding seeping into her slowly.
“I don’t expect that you can understand this or forgive me for anything that’s happened,” he sighed. “But I do want you to know that I want to be a part of this baby’s life. Fuck, I want to be a part of yours too, but I understand that what I did to you was…reprehensible.”
His jaw clenched with the strength of his emotions. He glanced down, then met her gaze once again. “Please know that I’m sorry, Rachel. So very sorry. You never should have been hurt – I never should have hurt you. It makes me sick to think of what I did to you, those things I said to you – fuck! I still can’t believe I said all those horrible things.”
Rachel’s heart ached. She could hear the sincerity in his words, but then again, she thought she had heard sincerity before too. She just couldn’t get past that.
“I do want you in both of our lives,” she replied softly, finally accepting that she should have come to face him herself. They were both being jerked around by their families. “Even though I’ve hated myself, every single time ... I haven’t been able to stop thinking about you since we were together.”
“Me neither…” he sighed again. “Jesus Christ, I could have avoided all this if I’d just talked to my sister before believing what my father told all those years ago.”
“I guess this is what can happen when we let other people influence our decisions,” she conceded, thinking about how her family had been making her decisions these past weeks – without telling her the truth either. “Classic Othello syndrome here.”
“No. It was my fault – everything. And I’ll never forgive myself for what I put you through.”
“I agree that you were an ass. Complete and utter, really. But I could have talked to you – I was fairly certain that you were being manipulated by your father. I was just too scared that you’d…hurt me again.”
His flinch at her blunt words actually made her feel a bit better. At least he truly regrets…
She lifted her head to stare into his eyes before she continued.
“Maybe we should start all over again—sans the “dying” father and all the secrets.”
A relieved smile touched his face and he nodded.
“Are you sure, Rachel? I can’t believe you’d give me that chance. I swear – I will never hurt you again.”
A small glint in his eye warned her a moment before he leaned forward to whisper in her ear. “Okay, so I have this restaurant in New York called Yeti. Maybe you’d like to see it one day – after all, we seem to have a special connection in… dining rooms.”
A shiver of desire slipped down her spine.
Then she grasped his hands and placed them over her belly.
“God, Rachel, we’re going to be parents. You have so much to tell me. But first, I need to just hold you. Just for a moment – until I know you’re real again.”
She chuckled at his abrupt turn-around, from sexual dining room references, to babies and cuddling. “You’re incorrigible,” she breathed.
“You bring out the best in me,” he replied, brushing his lips over her cheek.
Rachel tilted her head to catch his mouth with hers. For the first time since meeting him, there was a certain freedom to the happiness she was feeling. No reservations, no suspicions. She realized that she had always felt that something was “off” in their early days. The nagging sense of caution had weighed down their romance a touch – not enough to halt it, just enough that a tiny piece of her was always a little skeptical.
Now she felt that piece lifting away, and the lightness and sense of fulfillment was…exquisite. The feel of his skin against hers felt exactly as it should, not clouded by doubt or worry, and Rachel knew she was finally home, in Damien’s arms.
Epilogue
“I really think I should stay at the hotel,” Damien insisted. “Luke’s been just waiting for a chance to start a fight with me for months.” He sighed dramatically. “And I’d feel real bad if I hit your brother.”
“He’s not going to hit you,” Rachel groaned and rolled her eyes. They both knew that Luke’s professional MMA fighter status would mean that Remy would be lucky if he got a shot in - if the anticipated fight ever actually happened. “Just trust me. Anyway, we need to tell them we eloped sooner or later.”
“Let’s say later,” Damien suggested as she blew him a quick kiss before she exited the car. “Let’s not give him another reason to kill me.”
“You’re the father of his nephew,” Rachel reminded him. “He’s not going to deck you in front of Jayden. Is he, little man?” she said, cooing to the infant.
“Anyway, the family meeting is being hosted by Olive, who doesn’t seem to despise you nearly as much as everyone else,” Rachel continued with a grin.
“Olive doesn’t count—she’s not really family yet.”
“I wonder when those two are finally going to tie the knot?” Rachel said. She knocked on the door to the loft and instantly, Olive’s head poked out, her eyes glittering with excitement.
“Finally!” she said. “Get in here. Hi, my sweet, sweet baby!”
She kissed Jayden on top of his head and ushered the couple inside where Luke and Meredith were already seated in the living room.
“Sorry. Our flight got delayed because of the weather,” Rachel explained.
There was a murmur of “hellos” as Luke stood to hug Rachel and the baby. He deliberately snubbed Damien, of course.
“You’re going to have to stop with this shit,” Rachel muttered to her brother, but Luke didn’t respond. The two men had not warmed up to each other in the least, although Rachel was pretty sure it was all just becoming an act for both of them.
“Sit down,” Olive encouraged. “We have something to tell everyone.”
“You’re pregnant!” Meredith cried excitedly, clapping her hands together. The noise startled Jayden, who began to cry.
“Oh! Sorry!” Mer apologized, reaching for the child to soothe him. “Sorry, cutie. Shh. Auntie Mer was just too excited that she’s going to be an auntie again! Well, an honorary one, at least.”
Rachel turned to Olive.
“Are you pregnant?” she squealed, instantly happy for the pair.
Jayden would have a friend close in age—
“I’m not preg
nant,” Olive groaned. “Why does everyone want to put a baby in my womb?”
“What’s this about then?” Luke asked, a note of confusion in his voice.
“We’ve finally set the date ... we’re getting married this Christmas!” Olive exclaimed, reaching for Remy’s hand. He pulled her into an embrace, surprising all of them by how tender it was.
“Oh, how wonderful! A Christmas wedding will be beautiful. Congratulations to you both.” Rachel exclaimed. “Imagine that ...” she trailed off meaningfully, looking around at her closest family and friends before she continued.
“Who would have thought we’d all be hitched by the time next year comes along.” She reached out to Damien, who just grinned at her, shaking his head, knowing she couldn’t pass up this opening to finally announce their elopement.
“What are you talking about, Rach?” Luke and Remy growled, nearly in unison. “Don’t tell us you two have set a date, too?”
“Nope ... we’ve already signed the papers. We eloped right after Jayden was born!” Rachel explained proudly, not at all alarmed by the fact that all of them, excluding Damien, were staring at her, as if she had suddenly sprouted a second head. The silence in the room was deafening.
Luke was the first to rise and come straight toward Damien.
“Luke ...” both Meredith and Rachel spoke his name in unison and with the same intonation of warning.
“What? I figured I would be the first to congratulate my nephew’s father for FINALLY getting his head out of his ass. It sure took him long enough.”
And with that insult, the silence was finally broken, the air filling with shouts of congratulations and well wishes.
Each couple had learned tough lessons, some by getting hit with them harder than others. And they knew that these siblings and friends were always going to be there for each other.
For a Preview of Luke’s story, check out Revenge Unleashed
“Sweetheart, do I look like I scare easily?” he growled, his bemusement gone. “I served in the army for five years—in the action. I’m an MMA fighter. You might want to take a different approach if you’re trying to come at me.”
Meredith cocked her head to the side.
“Fear comes in many forms, Mr. Vaughan,” she replied quietly. “It doesn’t matter how physically strong one might be, everyone has their weaknesses. Any good comic book will tell you that.”
His lips parted for a moment and Meredith was suddenly worried she had gone too far.
Screw it , she thought, might as keep going. In for a penny, and all that crap…
“You graduated suma cum laude from University of Michigan. You’ve been groomed to take over your father’s company. Isn’t that why you went to one of the best business schools in the country?” she asked quickly, trying to change the subject.
“You think you know me so well, don’t you, Ms. Maddox.” The scorn in his voice changed the sentence from a question, to a sarcastic statement. It took her aback and she just barely stopped herself from replying snidely. He was a conundrum of opposing emotions beneath a stark, composed exterior. It was no wonder that his presence couldn’t quite be captured in a photograph.
“I didn’t come here to fight with you, Mr. Vaughan,” she told him softly.
He scoffed and sat back, the glimmer of anger fading from his eyes.
“Then you might want to start calling me Luke and not ‘Mr. Vaughan.’ I despise that name.”
“Luke,” she agreed.
Understanding how he felt about his father might come in handy later.
“Call me Meredith.”
Begrudgingly, he nodded and Mer smiled at him.
“Let me try this again,” she offered. “I don’t know what my father said to you to turn you off of the idea of taking over the company which your father left you, but I want to explain some of the more humane aspects of what’s at stake here.”
“And what makes you think I give a shit?” Luke asked conversationally, finally flopping back comfortably. He folded his arms over his chest, drawing Meredith’s eyes toward his hard pecs.
Stop it! It’s not like I can run my tongue over those right now. But if I did, would it shock him? Or would he just guide my head down along the ridges of—
“That’s what I thought,” Luke snorted and Meredith realized with great humiliation that she had been gawking at him without answering.
“You don’t care about your father’s company? I mean, it was something you had all around you growing up, something—”
“Meredith, you’re beginning to remind me of your father,” Luke barked at her. “Did you come here to say something different or—”
“Did my father tell you what would happen if the company dissolves?”
“Oh no! You mean I won’t get my mitts on the billions that Carter squirreled away? That sounds awful. If only I had learned some way to take care of myself without his help all these years!”
Meredith almost smiled at the mock horror in his tone, as she looked around the elegantly decorated living room.
“You don’t seem to be failing, Luke, but surely you can always do better. I know you live for a challenge.”
“Lady, you really are not coming at me the right way,” Luke growled and Meredith realized he wasn’t lying.
I need to change tactics. I need to disarm him, but how? He’s so fucking hostile.
“Forget about your money,” she said quickly. “Maybe you don’t care about that, but what about the thousands of people who are going to lose their jobs when the company gets dissolved, Luke?”
“Not my problem. Maybe they shouldn’t have worked for such an unholy bastard.”
Meredith scoffed.
“Really? You think that people who need jobs are busy investigating the CEO of the company they work for? Seriously? Did you thoroughly investigate the US Army when you took a job with them because, have I got news for you—”
“Enough!” Luke barked, his jaw clenching hard, and Meredith saw that she had struck a nerve, pointing out his callous statement.
“Thousands of people are going to be displaced, Luke,” she told him simply. “I don’t know what the beef was with you and your father, but he’s gone now. Whatever the bad blood was about, it shouldn’t affect the employees and family members who have nothing to do with this feud.”
Luke was quiet for a long moment, staring at her almost accusingly for several seconds.
I’m getting through to him. I did it! Without seducing him! Her libido started to write a letter of complaint, but inside her mind, she was proud that she was making headway on her own...wasn’t she?
She was growing hotter and hotter under her clothes, each glare he administered making Meredith want to feel his strong body over hers, pinning her down.
Breathe. Focus on your breathing before you orgasm right in front of him.
“Your five minutes are up.”
Her breath caught in her throat and she stared at him in shock.
“What?”
“Your time is up,” he told her flatly, rising from his place on the sofa. He extended an arm for her to go and she gaped at him, unmoving.
“You’re not going to consider it even?” she asked in disbelief. “You don’t care about those people?”
He sauntered toward her and paused, towering over her to cast a shadow on her curvy frame.
“I care about my people,” he spat. “That’s why I make efforts to take care of my people. If Carter couldn’t be bothered to take care of his own, why should I have to clean up his mess?”
The bitterness in his tone pierced through her and regret flooded her body as she slowly stood. She couldn’t be sure if it was his nearness or the devastating blow that he had delivered, but suddenly, Meredith was finding it difficult to focus.
“I’m going to leave my card,” she mumbled, defeat sweeping through her as she reached into her Prada handbag and scrawled her cell on the back of her business card. “You can call me any time if y
ou change your mind.”
“I won’t,” he assured her, turning away. But before he could move, she reached out to grab him, pressing the card against his palm.
He flinched as if she had struck him and started back, dropping the card on the floor.
“I-I’m sorry,” she mumbled. “I-I was just giving you my card.”
“You should go,” he told her flatly, stalking away quickly and leaving Meredith no choice but to follow him.
She paused to pick up the card off the floor and leave in on the coffee table. When she caught up with him in the foyer, he was standing at the door with it open, his eyes fixed on her.
That’s it? That can’t be it!
But Luke didn’t say another word as Meredith walked toward him and she was at a loss for something to say.
“Luke—” she started to say, an apology ready to spring from her lips. She couldn’t be sure why she felt like she needed to say sorry.
“Nice meeting you, Meredith,” he told her but he did not meet her eyes. And then the door closed.
She stood in the hallway, feeling like she had the female equivalent of blue balls somehow.
REVENGE UNLEASHED, by Chloe Fischer
Also by Chloe Fischer: the Mafia Series
Taking My Mafia Princess
Breaking the Law
Taken by the Mafia Boss
And check out Chloe Fischer’s collaboration boxsets with Jacey Ward.
In the first generation, there are four alpha brothers with superpowers, separated as children. A soldier, an assassin, a thief, and the holder of the baddest superpower of all.
To connect with me, you can sign up for my Readers Club. In the club I notify readers of upcoming new releases, post contests and giveaways, and sometimes I vent a wee bit.
Everyone needs an outlet, right? Lol
I also ask for plot advice and new character names. Every now and then I need suggestions on strong hero and heroine names. (Thanks to all my readers who have named their own heroes in my books.)
Revenge Revealed Page 13