Page 48 of Corruption
“He killed my son!”
“Your son was a pathetic addict, hardly missed by the world,” Vince remarked, making me turn to him and silently warn him with my eyes not to get us both killed. But he wasn’t paying any attention to me. “Besides, you have a lovely daughter.”
Vince gestured to the woman beside the older wolf. Her hair was so blond it was almost white, and she had one leg crossed over the other, exuding an air of superiority. She was accustomed to being regarded as someone of significance, yet when her eyes landed on me, a smile spread across her lips, which I hadn’t anticipated. I had, after all, killed her brother. She elegantly smoothed a hand down her skirt, deliberately drawing my eyes to the motion. I quickly averted my gaze, but the smirk on her lips only grew wider.
“My daughter is not my son,” her father replied.
“Thank goodness for that, or you’d have two addicts in the family,” Vince quipped.
“Vince,” I hissed quietly, but he still didn’t focus on me. However, the daughter was intensely fixated on me, her eyes conveying strange promises that made me uneasy. To dispel the discomfort, I reached for my drink, taking a sip.
“Now, since it’s evident that you do need a man to lead the family business, I suggest the oldest method of forming alliances—marriage!”
I choked on my drink, coughing and quickly lowering my glass as I stared at Vince in disbelief. But he was smiling at the wolves, extending his arms in a friendly and open gesture. I turned to the others but couldn’t decipher their expressions, other than seeing looks of shock on most of their faces. I turned back to Vince, rose from the couch, and walked to the other end of the room, keeping my back to the group.
“Vince, a moment,” I told him.
“We’re in the middle of—”
“Now!” I insisted, and he approached me, leaving our guests behind.
I turned to him, feeling angrier than I had been in a long time.
“I’m guessing that when you mention marriage, it’s not between you and that young woman beside her father that you’re referring to,” I snarled.
Vince held up his trembling hand. “Of course, it’s not.”
“Then I really hope there’s a punchline or you have a secret love child I don’t know about,” I retorted.
Vince sighed, reaching out and placing a hand on my shoulder.
“Son, we both know who I’m talking about,” he said calmly.
“Then I think it’s time we check you into a mental institution. An arranged marriage? Are you a king or something?” I growled.
“Just listen,” he urged.
“This was your plan all along? This is why you didn’t tell me what was going to happen?”
“I knew you would protest,” he admitted.
“No surprise there! Why are you selling me like a cow in a market?”
He smiled a bit at my metaphor, but I was not in a joking mood.
“Vince! I’m in the middle of something,” I reminded him.
“I know, but do you remember what we talked about? After?” he asked.
“After?”
“What happens when it’s all over, when you need to step away to avoid being consumed by your revenge? We both understand that even after all this time, Alison still holds power over you,” he observed, and I brushed his hand away.
“That’s not true. I hold the power now.”
“Not entirely. Until you truly let her go, I don’t think you’ll ever wield all the power. You’re too entangled with her. You want to hurt her so much that you want to own her for the rest of your life because only then will that beast inside you be truly satisfied,” he reminded me.
I looked away, hating that Vince seemed to be hitting a nerve I didn’t want him to touch. Something within me almost nodded in agreement with his words. Perhaps my inner desires yearned to possess Alison completely, so she would always belong to us. Yet, I despised even entertaining that thought. Hadn’t I established who was in control during our encounters? Hadn’t I reduced her to a pleading mess this morning? Hadn’t I made her obsessed? Why had Vince planted this idea in my mind that I couldn’t let her go when the time was right?
