Page 135 of Brutal Reign

As we approach the jet’s stairs, I cast one last desperate glance over my shoulder. The rational part of my mind knows it would be impossible to track us here, but some stubborn part of me still searches the darkness for headlights. For the slim chance that help might be out there.

Chen shoves me up the narrow steps. When we enter the cabin, everything else fades when I spot Kin asleep in a seat near the back of the plane. Every protective instinct I possess flares to life. He looks unharmed and his hands aren’t tied, which brings a wave of relief, but I can see Chen’s men positioned throughout the cabin.

I take one step toward him before someone blocks my path.

“Not so fast. Don’t you want to say hello to your fiancé first?” Simon’s voice drips with false pleasantry as he grabs me by the throat and slams me against the cabin wall.

The impact drives the air from my lungs. “Get your hands off me,” I manage to gasp.

“Did you miss me?” Simon looks older, harder somehow. His face is gaunt, his once-immaculate appearance now carrying an edge of desperation. But his eyes are as cold and calculating as always. “I’ve been so looking forward to our reunion.”

“Well, I haven’t,” I spit, struggling against his grip. “What do you want?”

“We have unfinished business.” His thumb presses against my windpipe. “You thought you were so smart, didn’t you? Reaching out to Chen behind my back, planning your little escape. Those pathetic messages about how miserable you were in your comfortable life... You just had to take your inheritance and run. Look how well that plan worked out, you traitorous bitch.”

“I’m the traitor?” My voice breaks with emotion I can’t contain. “You murdered my father! I know you called the Syndicate, gave them our location. You held the gun to his head yourself and staged it as suicide. Then you ran into the night and let all your men fight and die alone. There’s nothing lower than that.”

Genuine surprise crosses Simon’s features before his mask of indifference slides back into place.

“Aren’t you clever. Yes, it was time to get rid of your useless father, and the Syndicate provided the perfect opportunity.”

Fury wins over self-preservation. I gather what moisture I can in my mouth and spit directly in his face.

Simon goes absolutely still. Then his hand crashes across my cheek in a backhand that makes my ears ring and my vision blur, but it’s not enough to contain the rage that fills me like molten metal, white-hot and all-consuming.

“How could you live with yourself? You were like a son to my dad. He raised you when you had no one, took you in, and taughtyou everything he knew. And what—” my voice breaks, “You killed him to grab power early? The Black Company was always going to be yours.”

Simon’s laugh is sharp and bitter as he leans back, though his grip on my throat never loosens. “Is that what you think? He was going to leave me everything?”

“He trusted you completely. You were his right-hand?—”

“Father, come here and clarify something for Hope.”

Father?

Shock steals my breath. I watch in disbelief as Chen approaches us, his footsteps measured and calm.

“Surprise,” Simon says, clearly savoring my reaction. “His bastard, of course, but his blood nonetheless.”

Chen positions himself just to Simon’s left, and now I can see it—the similar bone structure, the way they both hold their shoulders. “An indiscretion from my younger days. I couldn’t acknowledge Simon publicly, not with my position and as a married man, but I made sure he landed somewhere useful. Having him as Lai King’s protégé was perfect until your father decided to develop a conscience.”

My mind struggles to process his words. All those years, Chen wasn’t just my family’s trusted lawyer; he was positioning his own son to take control of the Black Company.

“All that honor and tradition was keeping us from real profit,” Simon continues, his voice matter of fact. “King refused to expand into fentanyl distribution and human trafficking. Industries that would have made us billions.”

My pulse pounds in my ears. Chen had been using Simon to control the Black Company from within, and when that control was threatened, they eliminated my father.

Simon shifts his weight, pressing his full body against me. My bound hands are trapped between us, pinned painfullyagainst my stomach, and his cologne fills my nostrils, making me gag.

“I guess you understand now. Your father was beloved. Black Company supporters still believe in the King legacy. That’s why we need you so badly, Hope. Your inheritance, your pretty face, and your family name will go a long way toward getting our new operations running smoothly.”

The full scope of their plan crashes over me like a wave. They don’t just want my money; they want to use my family name, my face, and my reputation to legitimize a criminal empire built on the worst kinds of human suffering.

I can’t let that happen.

Chen glances at his watch impatiently. “We need to move. Enough conversation.”

Simon’s smile is all arrogance and cruelty. “After the firepower we sent to that club, there’s no way in hell they’re still breathing, let alone following us. And I’ve waited years to have this conversation.”