Page 124 of Power

He laughed again, almost maniacally, like the wolf was finally, finally free from the charade of being on my side, of playing the role of my friend. The sound rippled across my skin like a disease.

“I tried to get you to drive,” he said, eyes wild. “I wanted to see the great Jace Lockwood with a mug shot on the news. Figured a DUI would knock you off your fucking pedestal.”

You were never my friend, I realized, the truth hitting harderthan any kick to the ribs.You’ve always been jealous of me and wanted to take me down.

“You were born with a silver spoon in your mouth,” he sneered. “I was born with food stamps.”

“I had always been good to you,” I said, disbelief coloring my words.

“You rich people always act like treating people with dignity makes you a superhero.” He coughed, spraying blood. “But your grandfather’s company put my grandfather’s company out of business. And cost my dad his job.That’sthe reason my family lost everything. Our home went into foreclosure. We had to move school districts, go hungry at times. Maybe if you had done due diligence on the friends you let into your life like you do with business, you’d have discovered that connection. I managed to get accepted to a prestigious university on scholarships based on hard work, not a handout from my daddy. And then there you were, the grandson of the man who ruined my family.”

“My grandfather was a good man,” I growled.

“You know how many small businesses died because of him?” Marcus snarled back.

“My grandfather offered employment to anyone that went out of business because of his growing success.”

“He just expected everyone to accept his crumbs with gratitude. My family refused to work for the guy who’d destroyed us, and we suffered because of it.” His eyes narrowed to slits. “So, there you were in college. And I thought maybe a DUI would be a nice little black eye for you and your perfect family.”

“I was devastated that night,” I said, memories flooding back. “I had just learned my mother was dying.”

“We all lose people. You billionaires act like your pain is more than ours, but it’s not.”

“Youwere behind the wheel,” I realized, the horrifying truth dawning on me.

“When you refused to get behind the wheel, I had no other choice,” he explained. “I guess I shouldn’t have had that fourthbeer.” His eyes widened in mock regret before his lips curved into a smile. There was no remorse in his gaze for costing a woman her life. He was the one drinking and driving, he was the one who hit her, and I helped this man get away with it.

My stomach rolled with bile.

But something didn’t add up … if the goal was to screw me, why did he take the fall?

“If you wanted me to get arrested for a DUI, why didn’t you claimIwas driving?” I asked, trying to make sense of his twisted logic.

“Surveillance cameras are a pesky thing,” he replied with a shrug.

“There were no references to security cameras in the police report.”

“Cops didn’t have a reason to doubt who was driving and pull the footage.” Footage he never told our lawyers about because Marcus tried very hard to get away with it, to tell my high-priced attorneys I was the one driving. “Trust me, I tried to recant my statement later. Didn’t work.”

“I kept you out of prison,” I said, incredulous. “I gave you a job.”

“There’s that superhero complex again,” he mocked.

“You’re so clouded by resentment,” I said. “But I have news for you. Your father might’ve lost his job, but plenty of people suffer hard times, Marcus. They don’t become sociopaths. That was all you.”

“Stop flattering me,” he drawled.

“Were you planning to try and steal my company all along?”

He chuckled, the sound dark and hollow. “I planned to use every opportunity that presented itself to take whatever I could from you. The more you confided in me, the more information I had and the more I could take from you.” His eyes gleamed with malice.

So, Marcus taking the blame was a power play on his part. Yes, he probably hadn’t counted on that woman dying, but he wantedme to owe him my loyalty. He wanted some kind of leverage to use down the road … which he obviously had over the years. All while playing the good, supportive, dutiful friend to my face while stabbing me in the back when I wasn’t looking.

“But that little girlfriend of yours ruined everything. I had a good thing going for me until she came along. Now, I’m going to ruin her for you. Make her pay until she’s screaming my name. I’m going?—”

My fist slammed into his temple so hard, he groaned. Suddenly, he bucked, and we were wrestling again on the ground. The elevator jerked as it began moving again, warning me we’d bumped the emergency switch back off, and my time to hurt him was coming to an end far too soon.

To my horror, Marcus gained the upper hand, straddling my hips, pinning my arms down with his knees as he held the jagged blade of mirror to my jugular again and said, “I’m going to take your company. I’m gonna destroy everything you built, and I’m going to kill that woman after I’ve made her pay.”