Page 310 of Innocent

Ice fills my veins while my mind races for an answer that won’t entrap me. He loves me, but I can’t honestly know if he’ll turn me in or not for what I did.

I also don’twanthim knowing, because heneedsto be able to honestly say he had no knowledge. Conspiracy’s a thing, y’all.

I’m struggling to come up with an answer when he flips me onto my back, pins my wrists over my head with one hand, and grabs my throat with the other. His weight’s on my hips so I’m helpless to resist.

In the dark, his brown eyes look bottomless and black.

“Please…” I don’t know where to go with that.

“Pleasewhat, boy?” The sadist is in the house and Daddy’s sitting back to watch the festivities.

I gasp for breath not because he’s choking off my air but because fear has me close to hyperventilating. “Please don’t make me tell you, Daddy.”

The hand around my throat tightens threateningly. “You didn’t shoot someone.”

It’s a statement, not a question.

“No, Daddy.”

“Thenwhy. Did youtake.Mygun?”

I don’t even knowhowhe knows I took it.

His thumb and fingers rest right over my carotid arteries, pressing, releasing, making my vision fade in and out. “Boy, you’renotleaving here until you tell meeverything. You don’t have a fucking handgun permit. I’m a retired federal officer and work for POTUS. You work for VPOTUS, who’s going to become POTUS in less than twenty-four hours. Do you haveanyfucking idea how much goddamned trouble we couldbothbe in had you beencaughtwith it? What it could do to Shae and Elliot?”

He shakes me. “Tellme what was so fucking important you had to riskeverythingwe’ve spent the past decade building to do that? Was it about the damned drug deals? Did she find out about you and Elliot and blackmail you into buying drugs for her?”

My eyes must go wide, because the sadist smiles, chilling me. “Oooh, yes, boy. I watched you do it. At least three times. The only reason I didn’t confront you about it is that I also followed you to Grace Martin’s building and stood outside, waiting. You went there several times when you didn’t make a drug buy, but the first time was immediately after your first visit with her. I know you don’t do drugs, so I can only guess they’re related.

“I was there the night she died, too. I followed you to her building, then again when you left. Iheardyou giving commands to what I assume is the missing burner phone, even though I couldn’t hear everything and didn’t know what you were doing, at the time. When I realized you were heading back here, I raced to get home ahead of you. I needed to know what the hell you were up to.

“When I got here, I realized things in my closet were moved. I looked and saw my gun and one of the burners were missing. That’s why I was in the shower when you arrived, and, sure enough, you put the gun back while I was in there, before you joined me. I was trying to figure out what the hell you were up to, because you didn’t have any drugs on you. I fucking searched your stuff, and I could tell you hadn’t been taking anything.

“Then I checked your phone and found the texts from her. The next day, when the news broke she was dead, Iknew. Iknewyou had something to do with it, but I couldn’t ask you, because I was afraid it’d fuck your plan. I didn’t want to scare you into making a mistake. I wish I could tell you that you havenoidea how many strings I had to pull to make this go away, except Ididn’t. Either you really got away with it, or there are people far higher up than me who were glad she happened to drop dead.”

His grip eases just a little on my throat but he leans in, our noses nearly touching. “You got away with it, but youfuckingtell mewhyyou did it, andhow, and if it’ll ever come back to bite you or Elliot later.”

Crying, I confess everything about what I did.

Not about Elliot’s confession to me, though. That’s his secret to tell.

Leo immediately releases me and pulls me into his arms, consoling me. He buries his hand in my hair, stroking, rubbing. “Shh, you’re my good, perfect baby boy. I’m sorry I yelled at you. I’m so proud of you for protecting him.”

He kisses me, rocks me, and before I realize it, he’s going down on me and has pulled an orgasm from me that I didn’t even have time to process.

Other than my cock hanging out, we’re still dressed as he kisses me and I taste myself on him, but he cradles me against him again and holds me.

“You’re my sweet, perfect boy. I love you so goddamned much.”

“I’m sorry, Daddy. I couldn’t tell you. I couldn’t tell you what I had to do.”

“I know, baby. It’s all right. I couldn’t have done better myself.”

“Elliot would’ve let her do it to him.” I sniffle. “He would’ve married her. He’s not like us. He’s not strong like we are. He would’ve been too scared to stand up to her, especially with Stella helping her.”

“I know, I know.Shh, it’s okay.”

“It’snotokay. I didn’t want to kill her, but I knew if I didn’t, even if I took the evidence to the FBI, her friends would still try to find a way to hurt him. I couldn’t let them hurt him.”