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Ledger shrugs. “He figured out who dumped the evidence for you. I didn’t want to risk having to kill more than one person. So, the fucker had to go. Besides, I’m out now.”
“Aurora Grey does have an amazing ring to it.” David hums.
“I’m not a Grey. I’m a Dawson.”
“Well, you were born with the Dawson name, but your blood is Grey.” He walks toward my mom. “Lisa, Lisa, Lisa. Did you really think we wouldn’t find you? And it was so easy! You got lazy without Jonathan around. Slipped up. And you were so hardup to get some dick the minute Aaron came around you couldn’t wait to spread your legs for him.”
“What the fuck do you want from us?” I yell in disgust.
“So much. But we will start with simple things,” David drawls with a sneer.
“I just want in this pussy,” Damien laughs, and the other guys follow.
My body trembles at what’s to come. I look over at my mom, seeing her eyes are filled with tears. She looks so defeated. But I need to know what the fuck happened.
“See, here’s the thing, Aurora, sweetheart. Your dad was on his way to becoming an amazing architect. I was on my way to becoming a proud owner of some land in Atlantic City. I just so happened to have people in the right places to get me a license to operate a casino. A casino I wanted your father to help me design.”
David reaches out and caresses my hair, and I jerk back immediately trying to get away from his touch.
“Ledger here was going to run it with his crew. We’d have a nice little money laundering ring going on. It was going to be perfect.” David frowns. “And then your mother and father had to go run and tattle on us.”
“Oh, boo hoo. Big bad guy didn’t get his money laundering business up and running. What the fuck does that have to do with me?” I narrow my eyes at him.
“Well, at first, I just wanted you all dead. Drugging your father was fucking easy. The man had a routine. Same coffee, same place, same time. Such a shame that he got behind the wheel and drove after. And that poor truck driver who hit him. Just a horrible situation.” David runs a hand down his face. “Your dad should be more careful about who’s handling his drink.”
“You drugged him?” Tears trickle down my face. There’s a pain slicing through my heart at the thought of my father. He should still be alive. He should still be with my mom and me. But he was taken from us.
He nods. “Well, not me personally, but yes. And wouldn’t you know, the car just went up in flames. Burning your father alive. GHB is a hell of a drug. Man, by the time it kicked in, he didn’t stand a chance. Poof! Car was a goner, along with your father inside.”
“You’re a bastard,” I growl. I try to push the thought of my father burning alive to the back of my head, the mere thought of it making me feel nauseous.
“Wow. I’m so shocked you think so!” David places a hand on his chest like what I’m telling him is shaking him to the core. “You know, I did want you all dead. But I changed my mind. Can’t be that much of a bastard now, can I?”
My lips curl. “You almost killed me in my dorm room! And I’m gonna take a stab that it was you who set my dorm on fire.”
He chuckles. The man actually laughs at that. “No, wasn’t me directly. And also, sorry about that. You weren’t supposed to be caught up in the flames. Just wanted to scare you enough to come back home. So in a way, it worked out! You still came running. Well,” he pauses, “we had to get those whores involved to send you those videos. But a win either way.”
“What? What whores?” I gape at him.
“Oh, those friends of yours. The sorority sluts. You wouldn’t believe how much they jumped at the chance to fuck with you. You really should be friends with nicer people, sweetheart.” David laughs.
“First, fuck off with your sweetheart. Second, they are far from friends. Third, fine! You have me back here. What the fuck do you want now?” My knees are hurting under the hardness ofthe floor. My arms are sore as I try to wiggle from the handcuffs. Of course, my effort is futile.
“What do we want? Well, I wanted to know my family!” The three of them break out in howls. “Okay, okay. Well, see the plan was to get the money your dad had from the accident and the life insurance. Enter in your stepdad. But to our surprise, it was all only in your name. I’ll give Lisa and Johnny Boy credit for that. But how stupid to put you in the middle of all of this.”
That’s all this is for? For the money? All of this for just money?
“Take it,” I tell him. “You can have it all. I don’t give two shits about it.”
“There’s where the problem lies. There were provisions in there. Did you know you don’t have access to all of it?” Aaron speaks up.
“What? No. I never really looked. I’m sure I can just sign it over and it’s yours.” Please let it be this fucking easy.
Aaron shakes his head. “You don’t get full access to everything until you graduate college or get married. You get a little bit every month that you have barely touched.”
“Then take it. Just let me and my mom go!” I beg. I try to stand from the kneeling position I’m in, but Damien just shoves me back down. I grunt as my knees hit the floor.
David drawls, “Won’t work. So we have a better idea.” His lips tilt up, and a fear shoots through me. “We are in Vegas, so how about we throw a wedding?”