Fixate is probably more accurate.
She fascinates me and that’s become a problem. It’s a weakness and I can’t have any, not without jeopardizing everything Granddad has built and is giving to me.
When my father dumped me on him, my grandfather taught me that the only things in life worth having are those that are the hardest to come by.
His respect and love were two of the hardest. Keeping Olivia would be another.
Because I’m going to be responsible for her father’s downfall. Hell, if I give Vincenzo the okay, he’ll kill Maloney.
And if that happens, she’ll want to take me down just as hard.
“Let me rephrase.” I pull back and reach for her chin, tilting her head back to look at me. “I think you should stay here for tonight. Whoever tried to grab you tonight knows where you live and will probably be waiting for you.”
Her gaze is steadier now and she takes her time responding, though she doesn’t answer my question.
“Did you hire that man to kidnap me?”
At least I can answer that honestly. “No, I didn’t.”
“But you are responsible for the shit situation my dad’s in, aren’t you?”
Tricky question. “Your father is responsible for his situation.”
And now it’s awkward, because she’s still sitting on my lap, completely naked, my softening cock still inside her body.
Without warning, she slides off me, getting to her feet and turning to find her clothes.
“I have no idea why I came here.”
I rip off the condom and toss it on the cushion then stand and haul up my pants so if she runs I can catch her. But once she has her clothes on again, she stands in front of me with her hands on her hips, eyes staring directly into mine.
She’s not afraid of me and that’s the biggest fucking turn-on.
“Don’t start lying to yourself now. You know exactly why you’re here.”
She swallows hard and her gaze narrows. In anger. She’s getting good and pissed. “I’m here because you’re blackmailing me. I don’t know who the hell you are and I don’t know why you’re doing any of this.”
“I had nothing to do with your attempted kidnapping. Are you sure it doesn’t have something to do with your father?”
She pauses for several seconds and that quick brain of hers is coming up with answers to questions she hasn’t asked. “You’re using me, aren’t you? To get to my dad. What I want to know is why.”
I can’t tell if she’s angry or upset. I don’t know if she’s just figured out what’s going on or if she’s fishing for information.
I do know it’s time to change the rules of the game because the game’s been turned completely on its head.
When I don’t answer right away, she takes a step backward. And then another.
My jaw clenches because I don’t want her out of arms’ reach but I force myself to stand still.
“Are you really sure you want the answer to that question?”
“Are you telling me I’m right?”
“Do you know your dad as well as you think you do?”
Her gaze never falters. “I know everything there is to know about my dad. He’s done what he needed to do to provide for us. He fought to keep the five of us together when it would’ve been easier to pass us off to someone else. He loves us unconditionally.”
“He raised you to be a thief. Your brothers are just as bad.”
Her eyebrows rise and she laughs. “You know nothing about me or him if you think that. Who the fuck are you? You live in this mansion, in the richest area of Philadelphia, but you don’t seem to have a job. You’re playing with people’s lives like they’re expendable, and maybe to you they are, but to me, you’re fucking with my life, with my family. You’re fucking me. And what’s worse is I let you.”
I hear the anger rising in her voice, hear the fury. She’s not wrong, not about any of it.
And for the first time since I started down this road, I wonder if I’m wrong. If the revenge I’ve been chasing for the past ten years is going to be worth it.
Six months ago, Liv had been a pawn. Nothing more.
Now she’s…
Standing right in front of me and I have to restrain myself from reaching for her and pulling her back into my body. Kissing her and making her agree to stay for the night.
And if she doesn’t agree, well, I know that if I kiss her, I stand a better chance of getting her to change her mind.
It’s time for her to find out just what kind of monster her father truly is.
And then I should have no problem convincing her to stay with me.
“You father is not the man you think he is.”
Her expression turns snide. “And how do you know that?”
“Because he murdered my grandmother.”
Chapter Six
Olivia
I blink and my mouth opens to say…something.
But I close it because I don’t know what to say. Except that he’s delusional.
And he obviously has no idea of the man my dad is. If he did, he’d know that was the biggest bullshit he could have spouted.
The one thing guaranteed to make me want to take off someone’s head is to accuse my family of something I know they didn’t do.
And I know my dad. My dad is not a murderer. That’s not who he is.
So for Aiden to accuse him of killing someone, I’m ready to rip his throat out and laugh in his face.
Which is confusing the hell out of me because my internal muscles still quiver from the sex we had minutes ago.
This thing between us can only end badly. I know that in my brain but my body is mesmerized by the sex.
It can’t be anything else. I don’t know him. Not really. The hours we’ve spent together haven’t been like any first or second dates I’ve ever been on. There haven’t even been many of those.
Nothing about this situation is normal.
Maybe that’s why I’m drawn to him. He’s mysterious, dominant. An alpha male who knows what he wants and goes after it.
But I should know better. Am I really stupid enough to fall for a man like this? Especially one who blackmailed me into having sex with him?
Finally, I shake my head. “You’re wrong. It’s not true. Whatever you think you know, it’s not true.”
Aiden has kept his mouth shut while I stood there staring at him, my mind racing. I see absolute conviction in his eyes. He believes every word he’s said.
“He didn’t pull the trigger. But the information he stole led directly to her death. In any court of law, he’d be liable.”
Now my blood chills because, yes, that’s entirely possible.
“Then why didn’t you turn him over to the police if you’re so sure?”
“Because we take care of things our own way. Your family takes care of each other. I take care of mine.”
“So fucking me has been your revenge?” And just that fast, I realize. “No, the revenge will be when you tell my dad you’re fucking me. You’ve been the one pulling Vincenzo’s strings. You set this all up.”
I’m chilled to the bone at the extent of his plans. And I’m sure I don’t know everything yet.
“So why send the goon after me? You already have me on a leash. Why the fuck do you need—”
“I told you. I didn’t send him. I don’t want you hurt.”
Huffing, I sneer at him. “Until I don’t do what you want, right? Until I’m not under your thumb anymore.”
“You were never the target, Olivia.”
“No, I’m just the pawn.” Furious hurt eats away at my guts like acid and I’m so pissed off at myself. “Jesus, I’m so fucking stupid. How the hell did I not see this coming?”
“Because you’re blind to your father’s faults. He raised you to be a thief, brainwashed you—”
“You don’t have the first idea of who my dad is. Or who I am. I became a thief because I get off on the thrill. And because I’m fucki
ng good at it. I get paid damn good money to take back things that were stolen in the first place. Did you know that? Or don’t you give a shit? My dad’s gone legitimate. But I’m sure you know that, too, right? No, he wasn’t always on the right side of the law, but when you have four children and they’re starving, you do what you need to do to feed them.”
“You don’t need to justify Patrick Maloney to me. I don’t care. He’s responsible for my grandmother’s death and that can’t go unpunished.”
“What exactly are you accusing him of?”
“The file you tried to steal, he recognized it, didn’t he?”
I nod because he already knows the answer to the question. He’s still one step ahead of me.
“That file contained information that a competitor used to strike back at my grandfather. Your father stole that information for a man with far fewer morals, and he used that information to try to destroy my grandfather. He sent men after my grandfather. My grandmother was caught in the middle. Their car was run off the road in the middle of the night. My grandfather was paralyzed from the waist down. My grandmother was caught in the wreckage. The gasoline spilled around the car caught fire.”
My gaze drops to his hands and he lifts them, turning them so I can see. “I tried to get her out. I got away with a concussion and third-degree burns. Police got there in minutes. And it still wasn’t enough. She lingered for a few weeks and finally she just gave up. She died because someone thought they could take what my grandfather had built.”
I don’t know what to say or even if I should say anything. His voice is toneless, as if he’s reciting someone else’s story. But his gaze burns.
The urge to comfort him makes my fingers curl at my sides. Compassion and anger batter me. Confusion makes me stupid, apparently. For all I know, he’s lying.
But looking into his eyes, I see conviction. Belief.
And doubt creeps into my mind.
“I’m sorry, Aiden.”
His expression doesn’t change at all. “I don’t want your pity. I don’t need it. What I want is to close the books. Your father is the last piece to fall.”
“Your grandfather… He was behind the deaths of the others involved, wasn’t he?”
A muscle jumps in his jaw. “My family takes care of its own.”
“So does mine. Do you want to know why my dad took that job? Or do you just want to kill him?” I don’t wait for him to respond because I’m not sure I want to hear his answer. “We were barely surviving. My parents were trying to make ends meet but they couldn’t. We were squatting in an abandoned building. Dad said he wasn’t going to watch his kids starve so he took a job. A job that paid well. The man who hired him never expected him to actually be successful. He thought my dad would die trying and they’d use his failure to learn more for the next time. But he didn’t fail.
“My dad did what he had to do to make sure his kids survived. Your grandmother’s death was horrible and cruel and never should’ve happened. But you’re blaming the wrong person. Dad said the file he stole looked like two sets of books. Maybe you need to ask your grandfather why he would have a second set of books.”
“There was no second set of books. Your father’s lying.”
His voice holds absolute conviction.
But I’ve been a thief for a very long time. I’ve seen more underhanded shit than anyone could possibly imagine.
“For what purpose?” I shake my head and stare straight into Aiden’s eyes. “You need to ask your grandfather if it wasn’t his greed that killed your grandmother.”
To be concluded…
Stephanie Julian
Stephanie Julian has been a daily news reporter, a freelance feature writer and a movie, theater and music critic but what she loves most is writing heat with heart. She’s happily married to a Springsteen fanatic and is the mother of two sons.
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Devastated (Aiden & Olivia Book 3) Page 5