Page 67 of Where He Ended

“You should,” he says, his voice grating. “It's not just myself, or your mother, or the share holders who will be under investigation for this mess. Don't you get it, son? You'll go down with the ship. You knew all about the hacking, the forced closures of our rivals, the kidnappings. You're as dirty as the rest of us. If we go down, you'll fall, too.”

My reflection stares back at me in the doorknob. My image is warped; it seems fitting. “I figured it would end this way. I've made my peace with it.” Prison or Hell, it's all the same without her by my side.

“No!” he shouts. When he knocks his books off his desk, then his nameplate, I stare at him. I've seen my father upset, but this is something else. His skin is crimson, shading towards purple, spittle clings to his chin. “I won't allow this! I've worked too hard for too long to just—” He bends over, clutching his mouth. The cough that shakes his whole body goes on for a few seconds. It's the sort of sound that used to make me sweat anxiously.

It has no affect one me now.

Exiting the study with his wet coughing echoing over my shoulder, I don't look back. I'm still barefoot. The carpet caresses my skin, welcoming me like an old friend I once trusted with my secrets. It reminds me of Laiken so damn much that I'm struck by a new wave of anguish.

What my father and I talked about has given me a cold dose of reality. Leaving the estate means I can't stalk my parents' every move and ensure they stay away from Laiken. But I can't just call the feds on them. If they go to jail, I go, too.

There's no future in which I get to be with Laiken.

None.

My whole head throbs from the pressure of clenching my jaw. The roar of white noise, of blood flowing through my veins, drowns out everything else. It's so loud. So fucking noisy.

Thewhooshinghum is endless. As I head aimlessly down the hallway past a window, the sound increases. Then I see it—black and glinting as it lowers towards my backyard.

The wailing buzz isn't just in my head.

It's coming from a helicopter.