Having decided I’m telling the truth, he nods. “It’s good to see you obeying my orders, Sophie. I’m pleased to see you making an effort.”
I’m so glad my actions please you, asshole, I think to myself, but outwardly I just smile like his admiration makes me happy, like I live to do his bidding and achieve his praise.
“In that case, you will hopefully be pleased to know I’m hanging out with them again this evening,” I mention casually, not seeing any point in hiding it from him.
“Tonight? Unfortunately, that won’t be possible,” he states absently, making my eyebrows draw together in confusion. “I was speaking to Charles earlier. He mentioned in passing that Preston was going to visit family.”
That makes no sense at all. Why would Preston be going to visit family, now of all times, and why would he demand a meeting with me tonight if he’s going to be out of town? There is something more going on here.
Not wanting to give away my suspicions though, I’m careful to keep the tone of my voice casual and unconcerned when I respond to my father, “Oh, I didn’t realise. He didn’t mention anything today.” Needing to try and gain more information in the hopes of working out what is going on I question, “Do you know how long he will be gone for?”
“Quite some time, I’m afraid. I don’t believe he will be back before graduation. Now, I’ve work to get back to. That will be all.” He finishes dismissively.
Getting up from the chair, I hurry out of the room, every cell in my body screaming that something is wrong. Flashing back to the conversation I overheard between my father and Mr. Donaghue the night we held the party here, where Mr. Donaghue told my father that Preston was becoming a problem, I have this sick feeling that Preston has done something that requires my father’s skill set in order to remove him from the playing field. Permanently.
He may be an arrogant tool and I am definitely pissed as all hell at him, but that doesn’t mean he deserves what is about to happen to him.
I need to find a way to get to Preston, to let him know, before it’s too late.
Epilogue
PRESTON
Sophie doesn’t come to school the next day. I can’t blame her for needing a day off after what I did to her.
Fuck, just thinking about what I put her through has guilt slamming into me.
As Sophie unwillingly spilled her life story to us, words that couldn’t be anything but the truth, I realized how wrong I’d been. I was so caught up in trying to get rid of her and her father, so busy assuming she must be involved in some way, that I never really considered the possibility that she was innocent in all of this.
That reality is now slapping me in the face like a wet fish.
Barrett is furious with me. He stormed off as soon as Sophie and the two men working for her father left. Not that I can blame him. I’m furious with myself.
However, despite the guilt, I still maintain we needed to know for sure that she was innocent. We have spent so long gathering evidence against my father, we just couldn’t afford for anyone to screw things up for us now, least of all a spunky little brunette with an attitude problem.
Now we know the truth. In hindsight, I should have listened to Barrett, gone about finding out what I needed to know in a different way, but there’s no point in dwelling on that now.
No, now I need to meet with Sophie, find out what she knows. She’s clearly close with those two thugs that work for her father, which makes no sense. How can she hate her father but be friends, or whatever they are, with those gangsters? Can she even trust them? For all she knows they could be spying on her, getting close to her and reporting back to her father.
There are too many unanswered questions and everything is even more complicated now. I just need to talk to Sophie, sooner rather than later.
I’m on edge, my body overflowing with adrenaline, waiting to find out what she knows. I need this shit with my dad dealt with so I can move on with my life. I can’t stand the thought of him walking around like he’s invincible, using my mother’s death for his own gain and hanging everything and everyone I care about over my head so I’ll do his every bidding. I need it to stop. Now.
I know there is more going on than what little I have managed to dig up on him. I don’t know what he’s involved in, but I know it’s something big, something important. If I could only find out what it is then I would have the ammunition necessary to get rid of him, once and for all.
Thankfully, Sophie was back at school today so, before I left for the day, I stuck a note in her locker, telling her I’d pick her up tonight for our meeting. I can’t let another day go by without getting some answers.
The only way to distract myself while I wait for the meeting is to burn off some of this adrenaline coursing through my body. Usually, I’d exhaust myself in the gym, but my body is still fatigued from the extra hours of training I put in the other day after the fiasco at the warehouse. So, today, I decided to take my baby girl, my beautiful black and red Stingray Convertible out for a spin.
I’m driving aimlessly along the mountain roads, taking the corners faster than I should, but I love the feeling of freedom that I only ever feel when I’m behind the wheel of this car, with the wind blowing all around me, and the possibility of death staring me right in the face.
Rounding a particularly tight corner, I prepare to drop down a gear and gun it as I approach a large straight through the valley, however, once I’m around the corner, I notice a black SUV parked across the middle of the road, blocking both lanes. What. The. Fuck?
I quickly slam on the breaks in an attempt to stop before I smash into the car. I was doing over a hundred miles an hour when I flew around the corner, for fucks sake; what idiot just abandons their car in the middle of the road?!
As my car comes to a screeching halt, the back door of the SUV opens, and out steps none other than my bastard of a father. Fuck, this can’t be good.
“Son, we need to talk.” He demands, loud enough to be heard clearly over the engine of my car. I can practically feel the anger radiating off of him.
“Most people just pick up the phone. I’m busy now, we can talk later.”
My insolence pisses him off, causing him to grind his teeth even more than he already was.
“No. Now. It won’t take long. Arnold will drive your car back to the house for you,” he says as three men built like brick shit houses step out of the car, not so subtly pushing back their suit jackets and showing me they are all armed. I’m outnumbered and outgunned here.
One of them walks over to me, while I try to work out how to get myself out of here, opening my door and leaving me with no other choice but to get out of the car. He better get my girl back in one piece. If there is even a single scratch on her, he’s going to regret it.
Not having any other plan, I head towards my dad and his two goons. Since he started his re-election campaign for Governor, he has hired some private security that follows him around whenever he’s outside the house. Seems a bit strange to me, it’s not like he is running for President or anything, and I did suspect they did more than just provide security. Now, I know I was right.
Without saying another word, one of the goons opens the back door and ushers for me to get in, while the other walks around the back of the car and climbs in the other side.