Page 190 of Adam
Like this isn’t a setup.
Levi and the rest of the men who held our weapons toss them on the ground and parade around with what they took from us.
“Mitchel!” Father claps his hands once. “Such a disappointment to have you back. Unfortunately still alive.”
“Miss me that bad, old man? I might start blushing.”
He hasn’t changed at all. Some twisted part of me still hoped he’d missed me. I’d kept this stupid, buried hope that maybe he regretted treating me like shit my entire life or trying to sell me. Maybe he regretted cutting me open just to plant a tracking device inside me.
But he didn’t. Not even a little.
People don’t change. They just get better at hiding what they are. And my piece of shit of a father was never the type to hide it.
“I’ve got to thank you for dragging my daughter back here,” Father says, not even looking up, just sawing into his steak. “You just saved me the trouble of wasting time on something that barely matters.”
Figlio di puttana!Son of a bitch!
“You know, ever since you dug out my little tracker, keeping tabs on her has been a real inconvenience,” he says, folding his hands on the table, that disgusting, satisfied smile stuck on his face. “But you walked her straight back into my house, and that makes tonight very productive.”
I take a step forward, my teeth already clenched. “I’m going to kill you myself.”
Father widens his eyes in mock surprise. “Bold. Did you at least give her a treat every time she tried to be brave?” he asks Adam.
Heat crawls up my spine so fast it makes my hands shake. This … violent, choking rage that makes my jaw ache from how hard I’m grinding my teeth. I can feel my pulse in my throat, in my wrists, behind my eyes. All I want to do is launch myself across the table and tear his face apart with my bare hands.
After all, maybe I am the damage he left behind. He just needs to see what he’s created.
Adam hums quietly, eyes on Father and Alaric. “I still don’t understand how you two became a couple. That’s a stupid plot twist, by the way.”
Father gives a small nod to his men. Two of them grab Adam from behind and wrench his arms back hard.
One of them slams a boot into the back of his knees and forces him down. He hits the ground with a rough grunt.
At the same time, four others grab Cain and Judas and shove them down too. It’s clear they don’t see me as a threat, so no one comes for me. That might work in my favor.
Adam grins.
“You better hold me tight, because the second I get loose, I’m tearing through every useless fuck in this room.” He leans forward, eyes locked on my father’s. “And I’m starting with the one who thinks he’s in charge.”
“To answer your question, people talk if you know who to threaten, who to kill,” Alaric says, slow and smug, enjoying hearing himself. “Poor Michael’s family. Two kids, really sweet. He cried the second I said their names. I didn’t even need to touch them.” He chuckles sharply. “He gave you up the moment he got scared. Started whining and begging, like a little bitch.” He rolls his eyes. “Pathetic fucking coward. He went to find them in the ditch.”
Fucking bastard.
“Fabio always knew where the hell you were, but he didn’t care, as long as the money kept flowing and his throne stayed warm.” He drags a hand over his mouth. “I tracked him down and offered him more killers, trained to tear problems apart without whining.”
His grin turns nasty.
“He threw money at me and opened his doors, because working with me was a lot safer than ending up buried under his own fucking empire.”
I narrow my eyes at him. “That sounds like a lot of effort for someone you don’t respect.”
He smirks, eyes full of amusement as he shrugs. “More killers in one place means control, power, and enough hands to bury problems. You were never special, cupcake. You were just expensive.”
Father exhales, like he’s already bored with the conversation. “Alaric’s pathetic little leech—Michael, wasn’t his name? He couldn’t wait to sell you out. He handed over every detail about you and your undercover work.”
Silence falls upon us all.
Fucking pieces of shit. They threaten families, kill innocent people, kill kids. It shouldn’t surprise me anymore, but it still does. It still makes me sick.
