Page 51 of Silver Spoon Falls, Vol. I

THIRTY-SIX

AUTUMN

“Hey,” Andreas says, striding into my office. “Have you talked to Zane yet?”

“No. Why?” I glance at him through bleary eyes.

I haven’t gotten much work done today. My mind has been a million miles away.

Ever since Zane told me about Jimmy’s other victims, they’re all I can think about.

I know he said it isn’t my fault, and part of me believes that.

But another part of me wishes I’d said something a long time ago.

Maybe if I’d done more then, he wouldn’t have gotten away with it for so long.

I don’t know. I think I need to talk to someone though. A therapist, maybe. Someone who can help me make sense of the chaos in my head.

Andreas closes the door and leans back against it.

“What’s wrong, Andreas?”

“Nothing, baby sister,” he promises. “But you need to call Zane right now.”

I pick up my cell with shaking hands and dial his number.

He answers on the first ring, his deep voice instantly settling my nerves. “Hey, little rebel.”

Why did I ever hate that nickname? I love it so much.

“Andreas is in my office,” I say. “He said I needed to call you right away. What’s going on, Zane?”

“Jude and I are at the courthouse,” he murmurs. “I have news.”

I grip the phone with both hands. “Tell me,” I whisper.

“Judge Hamilton dismissed the suit with prejudice, little rebel,” he says. “He can’t refile the suit in this court.”

“Zane,” I whisper, a relieved sob bubbling up from deep in my stomach. “You’re serious?”

“As a heart attack, baby. It’s over. He isn’t getting a goddamn thing from you,” Zane rasps, his voice thick with emotion. “We have a meeting with the D.A. in an hour to hand over everything Jack dug up on him. With any luck, criminal charges will follow.”

I drop the phone, covering my face with my hands as I sob.

Andreas curses, and then I hear him moving swiftly across the room. A second later, he squeezes my shoulder, spinning my chair around to pull me out of it. He drags me into his arms for a hug, letting me cry on his shoulder like I did when I was a little girl.

"Zane? Yeah, I've got her, brother," he says. "You take care of shit there. Make sure they nail that motherfucker to the wall."

"T-t-tell him I l-love him," I whisper, trying to pull myself together.

Andreas pauses, clearly shocked. "She's in love with you," he growls, accusation in his tone. "When the fuck did this happen?"

I can't hear what Zane says, but judging by the sound of his voice, I'm guessing it's probably not anything Andreas wants to hear.

Surprisingly, my brother doesn't declare war between them. He just chuckles. "Fair enough. But I will haunt you to the ends of the goddamn earth if you ever make her shed a single tear."

"He makes me happy," I whisper, pulling back to look at Andreas. I want him to know that I mean it, and I want him to know that I'm going to be okay now. He’s worried about me for long enough. I've given him reasons to worry for long enough.

"Go take care of that fucker," Andreas tells Zane. "I'll make sure she gets home safely." He disconnects and holds my phone out to me, his expression soft. "He makes you happy, huh?"

"So happy," I whisper, wiping tears from my face. "No one has ever fought for me the way he does."

"That's love, baby sister," Andreas says, kissing me on the forehead. "Do you need me to drive you home?"

I roll my eyes. "I was crying, Andreas. I didn't just have an organ removed."

"I see he hasn't settled your ass down any at all," he mutters, smirking at me as he holds his hands up in surrender.

"Shut up." I elbow him in the ribs, smiling, and then I throw my arms around him in a tight hug. "Thank you," I whisper in his ear, squeezing him hard. "For everything."

Fifteen minutes later, I head for the parking lot, grumbling to myself about my dumb demand not to have any special treatment. I have a nondescript office and a parking space in the back forty. It's a long walk on a good day, and today isn't one of those. I'm mentally and emotionally drained.

But I feel free in a way I haven't in a long time. This town feels safe in a way it never has to me. My father is gone. Soon, Jimmy will be, too. He won't be able to hurt anyone else. Thank God.

I don't know how to thank Zane, but I'm going to spend the rest of my life trying to find ways to show him how much I appreciate him.

And how much I love him. He's given me so much, things I thought were lost to me forever.

For the first time, I don't feel lost. I'm exactly where I'm supposed to be, doing exactly what I'm supposed to be doing.

Footsteps echo behind me in the parking lot as I near my car. I ignore them, fishing in my bag for my keys. As my hand closes around them, a cold chill shoots up my spine, my instincts whispering that something is wrong.

I turn to glance over my shoulder, but someone grabs me from behind. The barrel of a gun digs into the small of my back, freezing the blood in my veins.

"Please, don't kill me," I whisper as panic surges through me. I taste it on my tongue, sharp and metallic.

"Get in the car and drive," Jimmy growls, pressing the gun deeper into my back.

"Jimmy, don't do this," I plead quietly. "You don't have to do this."

"I said get in the fucking car and drive," he repeats, pushing me to get me moving.

I lurch forward on unsteady legs, my knees trembling beneath me.

Bile crawls up my throat and tears fill my eyes.

He's going to kill me. He’s lost everything, and now I have to pay for it.

That's how men like him operate. It's never their fault.

They shift the blame for their misdeeds to someone else.

Always, someone else has to pay the price.

He marches me to the passenger side of the VW Bug Andreas bought me on my eighteenth birthday and forces me to unlock the door.

"Get in and crawl into the driver's seat," he orders, prying my bag from my hands.

He tosses it in the back, ensuring my phone and anything remotely useful is out of my reach.

"If you try anything stupid, I will shoot you.

" A bitter, mocking laugh cracks from his lips.

"My life is over anyway, thanks to you."

I bite my tongue, fighting back a hot retort. Even now, I want to argue. Even now, anger rises swiftly, called to the surface by his utter lack of responsibility for his own actions. If his life is over, it's the consequence of his actions, not mine.

I never asked him to sexually harass me when I was a teenager, and neither did any of those other girls. He chose to do that himself. He thought he could get away with it because he was rich and powerful and the rules didn't apply to him. He was wrong.

I'm not his karma. I'm just the one who helped Zane and Jude ensure it knew where to find his evil, predatory ass.

He shoves me, forcing me into the car. I bang my knee against the doorframe, crying out as pain ripples through me and I fall into the seat. I quickly scramble over the console into the driver's seat, praying to God that someone sees what's happening and calls the police.

Jimmy climbs into the car with me, slamming the door. He keeps his gun pointed at me, his eyes wild. "Drive," he snaps.

"Where?"

A psychotic smile twists his lips. "You know where."

My father's estate. Of course.

Please, God, I pray. Please don't let that place and this man be the last things I see.

I consider running us off the road or crashing into another car at least fifteen times on the way across town, but decide against it.

I don't want anyone else to get hurt. And Andreas will know something is wrong when the alarm system goes off at the estate. I promised him I would go straight to Zane’s apartment.

He'll call me. When I don't answer, he'll know something is wrong. God, please let him know something is wrong.

I park in front of the estate, so freaking afraid I can't breathe.

"Get out," Jimmy orders me. "Don't try to run, or I'll shoot you."

"I won't run," I whisper. "Please, just put the gun down. We can talk about this."

"Now, you want to talk?" He barks laughter, the sound devoid of humor. "You were too fucking good to talk to me at the airport, acting like a stuck-up bitch. Get out of the car. "

I climb from the car on wooden legs.

Jimmy exits from the passenger side, immediately swinging the gun to point it at me.

Somehow, he looks more like the man I know and nothing like him at the same time.

The mask he wears for the rest of the world is gone, leaving the real Jimmy to shine through.

The ugly monster. The hateful, selfish, evil man.

Did my father create him, or was he always this person? I don’t know. I don't think I want to know. But I have a feeling I'm going to find out before all is said and done.

"Let's go," he says, circling around the car to grab my elbow. He marches me toward the house, walking so swiftly that I practically have to jog to keep him from dragging me along with him.

He releases me at the front door long enough for me to unlock it, and then shoves me inside. I force myself not to glance toward the alarm, praying Jimmy doesn't notice it. Praying he doesn't read the signal codes flashing on the display.

"This should have been mine," he says. "All of this should have been mine."

"You want the house?" I turn wide eyes on him. "Take it, Jimmy. It's an albatross around our necks. We never wanted it!"

"I want what I'm owed!" he shouts.

"The company isn't mine," I say quietly. "My father would never leave his precious company to a woman, least of all to me."

"You think I want the company?" He laughs in contempt.

"I could have taken the company from Vincent years ago.

I'm not stupid, Autumn. I know exactly how he operated the company.

I know every illegal and back-alley deal he made.

I don't give a fuck about the company. I'm not spending the rest of my life cleaning up his messes. "

I lick my suddenly dry lips. "Then w-what do you want? What does he owe you?"

His eyes meet mine, shining with madness and lust, and I know. Before he ever says a word, I know.

Me. He's talking about me.

"He waved you in front of my face for years," he growls, spittle flying from his lips. "And then he took you from me. He poisoned you against me."

My stomach heaves, revulsion coursing through me. He's insane. Completely insane. My father didn't turn him into a monster. He was always that. We just didn't know it until it was too late.

"I never belonged to you," I say, my voice shaking with emotion. "And I never will. I was a teenager, Jimmy. And you were a sick, twisted psycho!" I yank my arm free of his hold, bringing my leg up at the same time.

My knee connects with his groin. He doubles over, crying out in pain. I elbow him in the face and then make a break for it. I know there's no way I'll be able to make it to the car and get out of here before he recovers, so I don't try.

I run for the stairs, hoping like hell the house that once felt like a cage will now offer a little bit of safety. I need it right now. Desperately. Because I refuse to let this man win. Not now. Not when I have a future with Zane waiting for me.