Page 117

THERON

After showering with Kaelin and showing her exactly what I meant by my words, I knew there was one more thing I had to do before I could put this all behind me.

Albatron.

My men had said he wanted to talk and that he had something of mine. I walked down into the basement where I’d put him in one of the holding cells. He was leaning against the back wall, calm and collected. I opened the door and stood in the entrance.

“You have two minutes,” I demanded.

Albatron met my gaze.

“I appreciate a man that is direct and to the point,” he said. “So I will be too.”

There was a pause and when I didn’t speak, Albatron continued.

“I have Gabriel Griffin,” Albatron said. “And…your daughter.”

Time stopped, then I was on Albatron, grabbing him by the shirt and shoving him back against the wall. He regarded me as calm as ever.

“If you’ve hurt her—” I snarled.

“I propose a trade,” Albatron said.

“You’re not in a position to bargain,” I growled.

His lips twitched. “You don’t want me as your enemy, North. I admire what you’ve built over the years. I will even admit to letting Vetticus have too much rein. But I am not so easily snuffed out and if you kill me—well, I don’t advise it.”

“Is that a threat?”

“I don’t deal in threats,” Albatron said smugly. “It is simply a fact. What I’m proposing is beneficial to all parties.”

All I was seeing was the suffering of the past decade. Of thinking my daughter was dead. Watching him pull the trigger and killing her so nonchalantly. As if he could hear my thoughts, he sighed and looked at me with a sympathetic, yet condescending look.

“I didn’t kill your daughter, North,” he said. “She is alive. Griffin is alive. You let me go, they get delivered to you still breathing and we both go on with our lives.”

“Why?” I ground out.

“I see opportunity and I capitalize on it—regardless of the means to get there. But, killing is messy and despite appearances, I’m a businessman first. Besides, I actually admire you—”

I scoffed and shoved off of him, stepping away.

“I do,” Albatron insisted. He smoothed out his jacket as though he wasn’t covered in dirt and blood. “You’ve overcome much and were quite innovative in your thirst for revenge. The dedication is staggering honestly. I prefer to keep men like you alive.”

“What’s the catch?”

“No catch,” Albatron said. “A simple trade. Me for them.”

I stared at him, but I already knew what I was going to decide. I pulled my phone from my pocket and held it out to him. “Make the call.”

“No need,” Albatron smirked.

Nyx appeared in the hallway.

“A car just pulled up. The driver is asking for you,” he said.

I looked at Albatron and headed towards the stairs.

“I hope you’re a man of your word,” Albatron called after me as Nyx relocked the cell. “You’ll find I’m a man of mine.”

I didn’t answer. Nyx followed me through the house and out the front door where a blacked out SUV sat idling. The driver got out and nodded to me.

“Courtesy of Albatron—” he said. “In good faith.”

He opened the door and Gabriel climbed out. He looked exhausted and a little rough around the edges but he nodded to me then turned back to the car and held out his hand.

A feminine hand gripped his and a woman stepped out.

Blond hair fell forward and she brushed the chaotic curls away from her face—the gesture sending me back decades. Those storm filled eyes latched onto mine, and I finally heard the words I’d been dying to hear for years.

“Hello, dad.”

THE END