by K. A. Linde
“Clearly, I have no idea to which you are referring.”
“How about we start with the Ireland deal?”
“The deal that you managed to lose for the company?” my father asked. “Doesn’t seem like the place you’d want to start to gain my goodwill.”
“Oh, I’m well past wanting anything from you. You lied to me. You lost the Ireland deal and then blamed the entire thing on me to save face. You lost the company millions and wouldn’t even own up to it.”
“I have no idea where you’re getting this.”
“From the person who ended the deal,” I told him. “The deal that I saved by following up with him. He’s coming into the city next week to close it. You’re welcome.”
My father’s face contorted into one of rage. I’d gone behind his back. This was a matter of pride.
“I think the board might be happy to hear about that, don’t you?”
“Are you threatening me?” he snarled.
“Yes.”
My father cleared the distance between us. “How dare you go behind my back for this deal. You’re even more worthless than I thought. The board is going to hear none of what you said. None of it.”
“Oh, really?”
“Yes, because, effective immediately… you’re fired.”
I laughed. I couldn’t help it. I laughed in his face.
His cheeks turned a bright red. Not from embarrassment. Though he should be embarrassed. But it was that Percy fury. He was offended that I’d laughed at him.
“What are you laughing at?”
“I’m not fired,” I told him. “I already emailed the board about what happened. Actually, I’d be shocked if you weren’t let go.”
“I can’t be let go from my own company.”
“Beg to differ.”
My father grabbed the collar of my tuxedo. I was still in the damn thing. Rumpled and smelling of cigarette smoke, but still dressed to impress. He nearly tore the damn thing off.
“Carlyle!” Elizabeth said. “Let him go!”
But we just stared at each other. I saw my father for what he really was—a coward. He didn’t stand up to his foes. He ran. He didn’t make others feel bigger by the force of his personality. All he cared about was making everyone else smaller. And I wouldn’t back down. Not from him.
He finally released me, pushing me backward. “You’re bluffing.”
“Ah, you know so little about me.” I angled my head down and stared him squarely in the eye. “I always follow through on my promises.”
“You’ve never had the spine.”
“That’s where you’re wrong. For a long time, I let you walk all over me,” I told him confidently. “I let you have your tantrums and your bullshit negotiations. I let you blame me and push me. I thought you were trying to make me a better man.”
“And I see, that was hopeless,” he said, trying to cut me down.
“Then I found out what you did to my mother.”
My father stilled completely. Preternatural stillness. Death. “What did you just say?”
My anger was a supernova, ready to consume everything in its path. He stood no chance. None against me.
“You’ll pay for what you did to her.”
“Your mother abandoned you,” he snarled.
“That’s the lie you have to keep telling yourself? You beat her!” I crowed. “You left her no choice but to flee your presence. When she tried to take me, you used all your influence and money to keep her from getting custody of me. Just to punish her.”
“You have no idea what you’re talking about.” He lost his conviction. His face went pale.
“I would have let you get away with it. But not her,” I snarled. “Not her.”
“Your mother was a low-class whore. She was running around on me. You’re not even my son!”
I clenched my fists at my sides to keep from punching out his teeth. “She said that you’d say that. That you’d accused her of that when she ran away. But we both know it’s not true.”
“How did you find her?” he demanded. “Where the hell is she?”
“Far, far away from you.”
My father snapped. He grasped me by my lapels again. There was more than anger in his eyes. He was totally mad. I’d never seen him like this. Even when he’d been horrible when I was younger, he’d always had this calculated control to him. But now, he was just that bully that I’d painted him as.
“Carlyle,” Elizabeth cried. I could hear the pain in her voice. She was witnessing his deterioration, too. And I was sorry for that. I could tell she cared for him, but I didn’t put it past him not to do the same to her.
“Violence is all you know,” I told him evenly. “You divorced and abandoned your first wife. The second ended up dead. The third was annulled, but there were bruises on her. I remember them now. Did you kill Candice’s mom? Is that why she isn’t here? Was my mom the lucky one who got away?”
“Camden, stop!” Elizabeth cried.
And then my father lost it completely.
I watched in slow motion as he pulled his fist back. I didn’t think he’d actually do it. Even as it was happening, I didn’t believe he’d hit me.
Not until his fist connected with my jaw and I was thrown backward, my head snapping sideways.
My hand came up to my busted lip and touched the blood now running down my chin. I looked back at my father. I saw nothing living inside him. Just the monster I’d always known was there.
“You’ll pay for that,” I told him. “That’s a promise.”
38
Katherine
I screamed.
There was no thought to it. Just fear.
Carlyle had punched Camden. Oh god! I couldn’t even imagine what had provoked that. What had made him do it. I had known he was horrible, but I’d never thought that he’d hit Camden. Not in a million years. And from Elizabeth’s horrified expression, neither had she.
Lark gasped in shock. “Oh my god.”
“The police,” I told Lark before rushing forward to pull them apart.
My scream must have drawn a crowd. Suddenly, there were nurses coming out of doorways, ready for whatever new horror awaited.
“The police,” I shouted as I passed one. “Get the police. This man just assaulted my husband.”
I didn’t wait around to find out if she listened. I had to get there now. I didn’t know if Camden was going to retaliate. I didn’t know if it was going to turn into a full-out brawl. And it couldn’t.
I knew his father. I knew how manipulative he was to Camden. If Camden threw that punch—and I was sure he wanted to throw it—then his father would use it to his advantage. No matter how mad at Camden I was for what had happened in my life, I didn’t want his father to hurt him again.
“Stop! Carlyle, stop,” Elizabeth cried out, wrenching on her husband’s arm.
But the two were immovable.
Then I was there. I pushed myself between the two men. “What are you doing? Are you out of your mind?”
But Carlyle didn’t look at me. His gaze was fixed on Camden. He grabbed me as if he were going to throw me out of the way to get to his son. I wrenched away from him and toward Camden
“Tell her,” Camden taunted behind me. “Tell her why you assaulted your son.”
“You are no son of mine,” Carlyle snarled.
I retreated in disgust. What the hell was he talking about?
But I didn’t even have time to ask that question, because the hospital police had arrived. They barreled down the hallway, right for us.
“He’s the one,” I said, pointing at Carlyle.
His eyes widened slightly in shock. That I’d actually called the police. That they’d actually arrived. Maybe he was finally realizing his mistake. He should have realized it long before he threw that punch.
“Sir, you’re going to need to come with us,” the first officer said, reaching her hand toward him.
“Don’t touch me,” Carlyle sa
id, wrenching his arm out of her grasp. “Do you know who I am?”
“Sir,” the woman said calmly, “we’re going to have to ask you to leave.”
Carlyle glared at the police officer. He looked like he wanted to throw a barrage of curses her way. Instead, he straightened his suit. “My daughter is giving birth right now.”
“I understand, sir,” she said. “But you were reported, assaulting this man.”
“It was… an accident,” he lied through his teeth.
“It was assault,” Camden growled.
The woman nodded at Camden. “Would you like to press charges?”
“No, he would not!” Carlyle spat.
“Yes,” Camden said flatly, “I would like to press charges.”
Carlyle’s eyes narrowed. “You wouldn’t. You know how that would look to the company. You know what it would do to you.”
“Sir, please come with us,” the woman said, grabbing his arm now and directing him toward the exit.
“You taught me to never back down from a fight,” Camden said, lethally calm. “If no one else can stop you, I will.”
Carlyle shook off the police officer and started toward the exit. He looked like he wanted to yell back a cartoonish, You’ll never get away with this. But instead, he raised his chin and strode out confidently. As if he had nothing to fear from his son. He was so very wrong in that regard.
When he was out of our sight, Camden’s hand finally moved to my waist. “Hey, what are you doing out of bed?”
I turned in his grip. “Me? Why the hell did your father hit you? Why did he claim you aren’t legitimate?”
“It’s a long story. Maybe you should sit down,” he said gently.
“I don’t need to sit, Camden. I’m fine.”
I heard sniffling behind us and looked to find Elizabeth had collapsed into a chair nearby, crying. Lark sank into the seat next to Elizabeth, and absently patted her back. Lark looked at us in distress. I sighed. I wanted to deal with Camden first, but Elizabeth seemed to need us both now.
I took the seat opposite Lark. “Hey, are you okay?”
She looked over at me with raw emotion in her eyes. “I just watched my husband assault his son and then get arrested. No, I’m not okay.”
“Right. Of course. Is there anything I can do?”
“No.”
“We’re here for you either way,” Lark said gently.
“We are,” Camden said.
“I’ve… been there,” I admitted reluctantly. “Not exactly the same. But I was there the day my father was hauled away, and I know the trauma of watching someone you love turn out to be a liar.”
“I don’t know what could have possibly prompted him to do this. He’s such a kind, caring man,” she said. Her eyes lifted to Camden’s, who stood by silently. “Was what you said true? Did he… hit his other wives?”
Camden solemnly nodded. I braced against that revelation. Carlyle Percy was an abuser. Fuck that man.
“I don’t know what to say,” Elizabeth said.
“You don’t have to say anything,” I assured her. “You don’t have to do anything today either.”
“There’s plenty of time to figure out where we all go from here,” Lark told her.
Elizabeth brushed the tears from her cheeks. “No, I won’t be the woman who claims he’s never done it to me. Because, one day, he will.” She looked at Camden wistfully. “One day, he will, won’t he?”
I wanted him to lie for her benefit. She was already hurting so much. But Camden wouldn’t.
He just nodded.
She swallowed hard and then seemed to steel herself. “Well, that’s unfortunate.”
And I saw her make her decision. She didn’t tell us that she was going to divorce Carlyle over this, but I saw the resolve in her expression. She’d been single, living her best life as a designer for long enough to know she didn’t need a man to be happy. And that she couldn’t live with a man who acted like this. Eventually, he’d come for her. Elizabeth Cunningham wasn’t a victim.
We were all clustered around Elizabeth that we didn’t even see Lars appear until he said, “It’s a girl!”
We straightened ourselves the best that we could and followed Lars to the room they’d been transferred into. Lark waited outside as we all entered. Candice held a tiny bundle in her arms. She looked so young and so happy in that moment. As if her entire world had been flipped on its axis.
“She’s precious,” I told her.
“Isn’t she?” Candice said. “We named her Carrie… after my mother.”
“That’s beautiful, dear,” Elizabeth said.
“A good tribute,” Camden agreed.
“Carrie Sparrow,” Candice added. “So that she can have wings.”
I laughed softly. That was so Candice. But somehow, it was perfect. Fitting.
We all needed wings right now.
Candice and Lars were simply exhausted. We couldn’t stay long but promised to come back later to see Carrie more. She was the cutest, squishiest little ball of joy that I’d ever seen. A part of me actually hoped that Candice stopped traipsing around the universe long enough for me to get to know my niece.
As soon as we left, Elizabeth rushed out of the hospital. I didn’t know what her plans were, but I was sure she’d figure it out on her own. Lark squeezed my shoulder once we were outside the hospital and gave me a hug.
“I see you’re in good hands,” she said.
Camden nodded at her. “Thank you.”
“Anytime.”
She squeezed me one more time. “I love you.”
“I love you, too,” I told her before she left.
Camden bundled me up into the limo and took me home. We had a lot to discuss, and I was exhausted. I’d barely slept a wink the night before in the hospital. Too much anxiety. Now, it was all catching up with me.
I couldn’t sleep yet though. I needed answers.
“So, tell me what happened,” I told Camden once we were inside the penthouse.
He gestured for me to follow him upstairs. “I want to get out of this tux first.”
“Why didn’t you change last night?”
“It’s part of the story.” He stripped out of his tuxedo and left it in a heap on the floor. Then he pulled on jogging pants and a T-shirt. The whole thing seemed to completely transform him.
He sat on the edge of the bed and told me everything. About Hank’s and his mother and her confession. About her fear of telling him who she was and losing him again. How he’d confronted his father and his claim that he wasn’t his son. All of it up until the punch.
Halfway through, I’d dropped into a chair and stared at him in shock. “That’s… crazy, Camden.”
“I know. I’ve been looking for her for years, and she’s been there all along.”
“And your father…”
“He’s a bastard,” Camden swore. “A right bastard.”
“Are you actually going to press charges?”
“I’ll do whatever it takes,” he said honestly.
“Good.”
He assessed me then. “You’re not frightened that I’d do that?”
“Frightened? Me?” I laughed. “You know who you married. Let’s take him down together.”
“God, I love you,” he said, sweeping me to my feet and planting a kiss on my lips. He pressed his forehead against mine and sighed. “Katherine, I’m sorry.”
I froze at those words. “You… you don’t apologize.”
“I know.”
“Why now?”
“Because I was wrong, and you need to hear it. I’m sorry for taking you to the hospital the way that I did. I shouldn’t have done it.”
“Oh, Camden,” I said, bringing my hand up to his jaw.
“I almost lost you. I did it, knowing I might, but I just couldn’t imagine life without you anymore. I’m so sorry I hurt you.”
“It’s okay,” I told him, drawing him in for another kiss. “It’s going to be ok
ay. I still hate that I was in the hospital at all, but I realize now it was your only option.”
He nodded. “It was. Or it felt like it was.”
“My mother came to see me in the hospital. She actually… expressed emotions and told me about the first time I went. I realized her fears were the same as yours. I hate that I put you in a position to even have to worry about me like that. And I’ve agreed to go back to therapy.”
“I’m so glad, Katherine,” he told me. “And shocked by your mother.”
I laughed softly. “Me and you both.”
“I want to see you healthy. I don’t want to lose you.”
“You’ll never lose me,” I told him confidently.
And I meant it.
He gently tugged my ponytail out, and my hair spilled down around my shoulders. Our eyes connected. I knew that we had a long way to go from here. That neither of us was completely healed from the ordeal of this weekend. But this was a promise of moving forward. That we’d do this together from now on.
His lips met mine. His tongue delved into my mouth. Tasting me, touching me, claiming me. I wanted this from him. I wanted to relinquish control to the man who I knew would catch me when I fell. Even when I didn’t want him to.
We peeled our clothes off, taking our time to savor the feel of each other’s skin. We were the villains of everyone else’s story. We were the hardened, darkened core that did whatever we had to in order to survive. To come out on top. But here, together, we were something else. Something more.
Together, we could move mountains.
Camden’s fingers slid between my thighs. I gasped as he slicked through my wetness and circled around my clit. My body trembled. He eased me back on the bed and then crawled forward after me. I crooked my finger at him. He took both of my wrists and pinned them over my head. I laughed. No control for me. And I didn’t need it.
Then he pressed his cock against my opening. I moaned at the feel of him there and tried to push him deeper into me. He retreated, and I opened my eyes to give him a pleading look.
“Ask me for it, love,” he said.
It was a command that I’d never agreed to before.
“Fuck me, Camden,” I breathed out.