Treachery

I should know, I’d written it that way on purpose. I needed an insurance policy should this ever reach the point where he decided to admit what I’d done.

Clayton wasn’t intelligent enough to read over the fine print before signing, but then, he’d always been a subpar student at Yale.

What he doesn’t know is that I’d drafted it in other ways specifically for Luca’s benefit.

It was a dick move on my part to fuck with her life by tossing Clayton at her. The least I could do to make it up to her was ensure she’d walk away with millions once I have what I want.

Clayton sneers in my direction, half anger and half his need to answer nature’s call.

“I don’t give a fuck. You want her for something. You wouldn’t have set me on her if you didn’t. If you don’t finish this, I’ll fuck up whatever game it is your playing. I’m done.”

My fingers play over a pen on the desk, the steady click click click as I flip it end on end counting down the seconds until I can boot this idiot from my office.

“Luca’s out of town,” I lie, my chair squeaking as I pull my feet down to rest my forearms on the desk and stare across at him. “Finding her might be an issue.”

One way or another I’m going to end this a

“Which is why I even allowed you back here in the first place. Let me remind you of something, Clayton. There’s a food chain out there and you’re sitting at the bottom of it. Meanwhile, I’m on top. It’s why I’ve controlled your life for as long as I have. Unless you want your Senator father to get dragged into the mud because you’ve pissed me off-“

“He’s already getting dragged,” Clayton interrupts, his face a bright red shade. “He wants this divorce finished. It’s fucking up his campaign.”

I sit back. Twiddle my pen between two fingers and stare at a man who has no idea what will eventually happen to him.

“Back to what I was saying. I need more information on Luca before I can move forward. What’s does she own back in Georgia? I need to know all of her assets.”

He fidgets, squirms, his bladder dangerously close to letting loose. It only serves to knock him off his game. Right now, he’s not worried about the true predator in the room. He’s too concerned with his bodily functions.

“She barely owns anything, just what was left behind of her father’s business.”

“Which is?”

“A small warehouse, if you can even call it that.”

Interesting. It makes me wonder if that’s where she was going.

“Where is the warehouse?”

A shake of his head, his teeth grinding, but not from anger. More like discomfort. I take a sip of my water just to fuck with him.

“I have no idea,” he groans.

“Who would know?”

Another wiggle in his seat, his hands balled in his lap. “Her father’s former partner. But that’s all I know.”

I’m familiar with Jerry Thornton, although the name doesn’t carry too much importance. I’d learned about him while researching the tech firm, but haven’t considered him a player when it comes to whatever information my family is after. If he had anything to do with it, he would already be dead as well. My father would have made sure of it.

Behind Clayton, the door pops open and Lacey peeks her head in. Right on time, I might add.

“Your father is on video conference, Mr. Caine.”

My eyes slide her direction.

“You can escort Mr. Hughes from my office now. Be sure to point him to the nearest bush outside so he can relieve himself before pissing his pants.”

He shoves to his feet and points a finger at my face. “Get this done. I’m not playing around, Ta

Neither am I, but he should already know that.

The only thing he’s managed to do by threatening me is dig his hole deeper. But I don’t have time to deal with that at the moment because another problem awaits me.

Once Clayton is shown out the door, I swivel left, grab the remote and flick on the video screen to see my dad’s angry mug staring back at me.

“It shouldn’t be this hard to get ahold of my son.”

“Sorry I’m not at your beck and call anymore, pops. I grew the fuck up.”

Sitting back in his seat, my father holds a cigar in one hand and a whiskey in the other. Three women lounge around in the background, none of which are my mother.

But then, mom was never after his dick. Just his wallet.

I have no desire to have a lengthy chat, so I cut to the point.

“The only reason I scheduled this call is to tell you I have Luca Bailey cornered. It would help me out a lot if you’d call off your cleanup crew and stop trying to kill her.”

A puff of smoke covers his face, his body shifting over his seat as he sips from his glass and sets it down on the table next to him with a soft click.

Slowly spi

“I haven’t set anybody on Luca yet. But it’s good to hear you finally stopped being a dumbass and got the bitch under thumb. When can I expect her to owe us something?”

My brows tug together, and I drop the pen I’ve been toying with.

“What do you mean you haven’t set anybody on her?”

“Just what I said. I haven’t dealt with it yet.”

One of the women behind him walks up to run her hands down his chest, her robe falling open to reveal her bare tits. She leans down to nuzzle her face against my father’s neck and I resist the urge to vomit.

“Take care of the problem, Ta

The video ends, and I’m left in a silent room wondering if it’s possible that what happened to Luca today was just a fucked-up coincidence.

I’m also wondering if I’d abducted her for no fucking reason.

Pushing to my feet, I swipe my keys from the bowl where I’d dropped them coming in and storm out of my office.

The only way I’ll know for sure if her life is at risk is to talk to the grease monkey that wrecked her car.