Page 31

CHAPTER 30

X ander

“However, upon further investigation of my own, I’ve learned Ms. Waldrop, while accepting the position of vice president of creations with Sindom, has also been vying for a highly coveted executive position with Blackwell. I must admit her game-playing skills are obviously better than my own. I wonder which side she’ll land on or if she hopes to build a following of her own.”

Reading the words for the third time created a burn deep within my soul. I pushed my iPad away, slowly turning my head to stare out the window.

Dorn would soon be dead by my hands.

And Jessica…

I curled my fingers, squeezing my fisted hand. How could she do this? Exhaling, the tension in the room was creating a lit fuse with everyone. How had I been so wrong about her? I couldn’t buy it just yet.

I’d experienced this exact behavior with reporters before. I was shocked the man hadn’t picked up the phone and contacted me, offering a retraction if I paid him handsomely.

Which I wouldn’t do. Anyone who knew me was well aware I loathed extortionists of any kind.

“I will enjoy ruining the man,” I said absently.

“You do understand the guy isn’t smart enough to put all this together. Right?” Elizabeth asked. I’d noticed the moment she’d walked in how ashen she was. The truth about the semi-crisis we were facing was that the single article could create irreversible damage for years to come. I’d seen that before as well, some of our competition reduced to rubble.

And our reputations were as brutal individuals and savage, merciless businessmen. It wasn’t a stretch to think we’d bought off or threatened anyone standing in our way.

“How in the hell did this happen?” Christopher asked, his deep voice shaking. “How in the fucking hell were we blindsided by a two-bit reporter? Let alone the fact we had no clue Merrick and Sindom were merging. I mean, come the fuck on.”

“Perhaps we should be asking you those very questions, Chris,” I told him, an edge in my voice. I wasn’t in the mood for any bullshit today. It had taken half the night and threats made to the editor of the gaming magazine to send us a copy of the full article before it had hit the streets at approximately eight this morning.

The phones had already started ringing, investors terrified of the ramifications.

Smirking, I shook my head as I wondered how long it would be before the FBI came knocking on our door.

He flashed me a hateful look as he jerked to a standing position, his entire body tense.

Christopher was usually a gentle soul, unless participating in the annual event. However, we were all on edge. When he lunged in my direction as if he was going to throw a punch, I stood to my full height, eager and ready to take him on.

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you,” I growled.

“You’re threatening me now?” he challenged.

“I don’t threaten, Chris. I take action.”

“Oh, the big fucking he-man. Yeah? Go for it.”

I laughed. He truly didn’t understand with a snap of my hand, I could render him unconscious.

Or worse.

The heat in the conference room was explosive.

“Calm the fuck down,” Wilder snapped. “We’ll somehow manage to use the freaking article to our advantage. Dorn is a pig and his reputation precedes him. However, I am curious how you didn’t have a hint regarding the merger, Chris. That’s not like you. You’re always on top of everything. Every issue. Jesus.”

We were all asking the same question. “I don’t know,” he answered. “What I do know is they did highly illegal activities prior to signing on the bottom line. I did a discovery run a month ago and there was nothing on the horizon. I did one last week. That’s when I found out about the game similar to ours, but nothing to indicate a merger of any kind.”

I laughed bitterly. “I do find it interesting you also knew very late in the game about Merrick’s new and comparable game release. No pun intended.”

Christopher appeared almost defeated. “They played us all. Okay? Tossing out crumbs we’d gobble up. They hid the merger as if their lives depended on it.”

A flash of murderous desire jolted my system. I glanced from Zach to Wilder and could tell they were both thinking the same thing. If only I’d been able to react more quickly with Joel Merrick, things wouldn’t have gotten out of hand. I certainly couldn’t go on a killing spree at this point in time, but goddamn if I didn’t want to.

Wilder pressed a few keys on his laptop, staring at the screen before spinning it around for all of us to see. It didn’t take a financial genius to notice how the company stocks had reacted since the market opening.

The article had already produced a solid hit. It was barely after ten in the morning and the stocks had started to fall.

“Whew,” Elizabeth muttered. “That’s terrifying. All the hard work we put into the game. Months of work.”

“We’re going to lose sales,” Zachariah said. There was no emotion in his voice, but I sensed his anger. “But I agree in that we’ll use this to our advantage.” He gave me an evil grin.

Hell, I was enraged.

Soon, the blame game would start and while I was angry that Christopher in his role as our attorney had been behind the eight ball for two major issues, the real truth about who was responsible for the heightened deception hit closer to home.

Or at least to my groin.

I’d been thinking with my dick instead of my brain and it could cost us.

It would seem the beautiful woman I’d been so taken with had held a hidden agenda close to her chest. Was all her innocence portrayed simply part of the game she’d played and done so with expertise? I’d almost gone on a rampage, demanding she talk to me. That would happen, but on my terms after I calmed down.

If that was possible.

However, if she was playing both sides, I would punish her. My cock twitched all over again.

She’d certainly played the game better than any opponent I’d ever met in my life. Only this was all about the real world.

Throughout the night, I’d vacillated from hungering for her even more than before and wanting to destroy her.

Longing to punish her with my belt.

My hand.

A tawse.

Then I’d fuck her in every hole, keeping her locked in a cage. Yes, that’s what I wanted. That’s what the twisted beast inside of me needed. But I couldn’t indulge in satisfying what I craved more than breathing air in order to survive.

At least not yet.

“The bigger news is the fact Sindom quietly merged with Merrick, the process already in motion prior to his untimely death,” Wilder stated as if we didn’t realize the other set of ugly ramifications. The three of us were doing our best to control the statements we made given both Christopher’s and Elizabeth’s presence. There were days that was difficult given our strong personalities. “With Sam Carter in control of both companies, if he’s a smart man, he’ll use Merrick’s assets while dropping any reference to Joel’s company. Sam will gain additional production sites, personnel, investment capital, and fresh minds.”

“But he doesn’t have the same technology we do,” Elizabeth reminded us.

“He might,” I threw out, mulling over the obvious employee treachery. I had a feeling whatever had been shared was just the beginning. “We’ve already had an obvious breach. What is there to say Merrick hadn’t paid someone extremely well to steal us blind?”

“Exactly,” Zach hissed. “He does have a point. A damn good one. We can’t rest on our laurels on this.”

Wilder looked at me and took a deep breath. “We’re still in a solid lockdown where we’ll remain as long as necessary.”

“I’m curious now that the shit hit the fan. How did we not learn of the acquisition?” I pressed for a second time. There was paperwork that needed to be filled out, filings at the courthouse. And in truth, most people couldn’t keep their mouths shut. Company employees always knew when significant changes were about to be made and given levels of anxiety, they talked to someone.

A part of me hated the horrific thoughts about Christopher running through my head, but he was certainly antsier than normal. My glare toward the man was met by his narrowed eyes. He had to know I would be watching him.

“Evidently Joel told no one about the upcoming merger but his attorney. Sam did the same.” Wilder looked as stressed as the other board members felt. I was on a different plane this morning, not one I’d likely come down from easily.

When I developed a hunger for violence and blood, very little appeased me. Killing someone might calm the beast, but I wasn’t into simple random kills. Although… A snicker rose to the surface.

Dorn was another subject altogether. However, I knew ending his life immediately after the article’s release would likely drive law enforcement in our direction. It was apparent I’d underestimated the bastard.

“They planned together to try and ruin us, hoping when we learned about their game and that it could be a rip-off of ours, we’d spend all our time rallying up a defense in our attempt to boost sales for Dark Nights. Brilliant if you ask me, very cunning. And we were fucking stupid enough to think we sat so high on a mountain that no one could touch us.” I laughed after making the statement. We were truly arrogant bastards.

“The changes are already underway for version two,” Elizabeth mentioned and I had a sense she was asking if the new edition should be placed on the market since Jessica had been the one to recommend so many of the updates.

“Keep going with it, I say. We’re not stopping our business practices because of one asshole determined to destroy us for some unknown reason.” Wilder nodded as soon as I issued the words.

“I agree.” Zach shook his head. “What a fucking mess, but the business must continue. If our competitors believe we’re rattled, they’ll have a fucking field day.”

My younger brother was absolutely correct. Appearances were everything. Well, almost.

“It could be worse. Dorn is known for embellishing the truth. The buzz will die down and another story will take its place. We’ll take a hit, but we can weather the storm.” Wilder made the statement more for Christopher and Elizabeth’s benefit.

“What about legalities? Can we sue Mr. Franklin for libel?”

Zach’s question was already on the tip of my tongue.

Christopher blew out a heated breath. “Yes, we could. But what do you hope to gain from it? He listed accusations, but in a way a judge might not see as being harmful. He used very careful wording, which likely means he was coached. Maybe this was planned just prior to the announcement of the merger.”

In other words, the man’s family would continue protecting him. I got it.

Zach snorted. “Yes, timing is everything. If the three of them were working together, it truly was a brilliant plan. You should check and see if Mr. Franklin has a sudden new crop of stock in either Merrick or Sindom. When the merger occurs, he could suddenly be a rich man.”

“A very good point,” Wilder said.

Christopher nodded and threw me a hateful glance. We’d never been on the best of terms. I thought he was a cocky bastard and he believed me to be the devil incarnate.

I thought we were both right.

What I was mulling in my jaded brain was whether Jessica had been used or if she was a part of the devious plan. Either way, at this point she couldn’t be trusted.

That didn’t mean I had any intention of letting her go.

“Then we go about business as usual for now,” I said, although my mind was elsewhere, my scathing desires bordering on psychotic. Dorn needed to pay for his sins. “That’s all we can do. Our customers and our employees need to see our confidence.”

“And if the stocks tumble?” Zach pushed.

“Then we deal with it. Let’s not allow our team to worry. We’ve weathered other storms. We’ll get through this one,” Wilder stated for a second time. He was turning out to be quite the corporate man. “I do want to find out where Dorn got his information. There was some proprietary business of ours listed. Find the damn leak.” He was directing his command to Christopher.

“That I will do,” Chris said as he moved closer to the door. “Did Ms. Waldrop learn anything while being a test subject of the Dark Nights?” He was also well aware Jessica was auditioning for a slot with the Obsidian Society. Only Elizabeth remained in the dark, although she was very calm at this point. I was beginning to wonder if she knew more about the Obsidian Society than she was letting on.

She was paying attention. That much I could tell.

“Anything? She knows her way around primal games. Part of that is the work she’s currently doing with Sindom.”

“You know what I mean, Xander. Was she provided with any proprietary information as pillow talk? Given your close relationship, I would deem it entirely possible.”

“You fucking asshole.” That was it, I had my hand wrapped around his throat in two seconds flat. I’d have lost my shit and snapped his bones if Zach hadn’t intervened almost as quickly.

Elizabeth gasped and jerked to a standing position.

Wilder exhaled, chuckling under his breath since he knew me better than anyone.

Christopher was already foaming at the mouth given my choke hold. At least the man knew better than to throw a punch at this point. He was terrified of what I might do given my nasty tone.

Plus, I was grinning as the adrenaline flowed through my veins, images of ripping out his throat playing the darkest reaches of my mind.

What irritated me was that he was directing the question to me, insinuating I’d gotten close to her in an inappropriate way. Well, I had, but he wasn’t going to learn just how.

“Just fucking stop it,” Zach snarled as he pushed one hand against my chest, the other against Christopher’s.

“It’s a goddamn valid question,” Christopher insisted, his voice tamped down by my suffocating hold.

Fine. Maybe it was.

I glared at him, the intensity of my emotions all over the place, which was something I wasn’t used to at all.

“She enjoyed the game and provided recommendations, Chris. Nothing more.”

He kept a hard look, but nodded in some level of acquiescence and I finally let go. Curling my fingers, I kept my fist in front of his face as a warning.

“I’m sorry. I think we’re all just reeling,” he said by way of an apology. “I know better than to think you’d betray your own company.”

Not good enough, but I’d let it go.

As I thought about how I wanted to handle Jessica, the hunger furled deep within my system all over again.

“I have work to do,” Elizabeth said, giving all four men in the room a damning look. Not that I blamed her. She’d found herself in a sea of sharks.

Christopher waited until after she’d left, raking his hand through his hair. “What about Friday?”

“What about it?” I shot back.

“Maybe we should cancel the event,” Wilder suggested. “The Obsidian Society can wait.”

“I agree.” Zach pulled away, studying me with his usual dark eyes.

“We don’t make that decision today. Period. We have far too much time and money invested in the event.” Was I still thinking with my dick at this point? I couldn’t be certain.

Wilder exhaled. “We do. We wait until in the morning to decide. Let’s see how the day is played out.”

Christopher acted disgusted and left the room without saying another word.

The tension remained in the room. Wilder glanced over his shoulder at the open door and walked closer. “Don’t do anything rash about Dorn.”

They knew me far too well. “I won’t unless he continues to push the point. If he does, I won’t be held responsible for what I do.”

Jessica

I’d soon learn to become an expert at being miserable.

I was getting there fast. At the moment, I was huddled under a blanket in the middle of June, the air conditioner turned down a couple of degrees so I could remain comfortable under the comfy throw while I polished off a carton of dark, decadent chocolate ice cream. I also had a glass of wine on my coffee table waiting for me as I binge watched whatever the hell the remote had landed on after turning to Netflix.

My concentration was shit, although I’d tried to process everything that had occurred in the last few hours.

I’d ceremoniously lost two jobs in the whirlwind of a few hours. Good for me. Evidently, half the world had seen the article given the number of phone calls I’d received and hadn’t taken. What troubled me was not one of them had been from Xander.

He was obviously ignoring the elephant in the room by deciding not to talk to me. Not that I’d found the courage to make contact with him either. What was I supposed to say to the man? I’m sorry? While I had nothing to do with the article, the information provided was too damning.

One thing had stuck in my mind during my misery. However Dorn Franklin had gotten the information, much of which was correct, it appeared someone wanted to take down both companies. But who could it be? I’d tried to put a name to my thinking. There were several rival companies out there, including in other countries, but they were all considered reputable.

Maybe looks were truly deceiving.

I wasn’t going to be the one to solve the mystery. I didn’t have the connections at this point in my career. But Xander did. I’d debated calling him so many times, or just driving by his house. Not that I could find it that easily.

“Oh,” I groaned and jammed the spoon into the last of the ice cream. This was a nightmare. I only had myself to blame. I should have gone to the police about Dorn even after the fact. Now it was too late. They’d never buy my story, especially since the bruise across my eye had almost faded into nothing.

And the man had good friends. Ugh.

Sighing, I pummeled my fist on the couch and wanted to do nothing more than crawl under the covers and sleep until it was a new year. My phone rang again and I was ready to pitch it against the wall. I peeked out from under the blanket, opening a single eye as I sat up trying to see who was calling. Maybe a part of me was hopeful it was Xander.

I might not trust the man completely and my earlier feelings lingered in the darkest part of my brain, but I hadn’t reached the point of being able to sabotage his company. The article had been a low blow, a hopeful hit that would send the company spiraling.

Who was calling instead? My father. Shit. Shit. Shit.

So much of me wanted to lash out at the man, yet I was still his baby girl. He’d suffered tremendous losses over the years and the little girl inside needing her father had wanted to help ease his pain along with my own.

But I was an adult, living on my own for far too many years to seek or find comfort in my father’s arms.

Without thinking, I snatched my phone off the coffee table. “Hey, Dad.” My head was throbbing.

His deep sigh was telling. He’d read the article. “What is going on, Jess?”

“I’m not entirely certain what you mean.”

“Don’t lie to me.”

“Everyone has been accusing me of that lately. I wasn’t raised to be a liar, Dad.”

“You’re involved with the Blackwell Group?”

I laughed. “Apparently, you didn’t read the entire article. No one in the gaming world will ever hire me after the sack of shit reporter made up the story, especially Blackwell.”

“I knew you shouldn’t have moved to Chicago,” he barked.

“Why, because you knew the lies you said over the years would come out? Or were you afraid they wouldn’t?” I snapped out the words before I had a chance to think about what I was saying or doing. I closed my eyes, leaning back against the sofa. The feeling of regret was as painful as everything else.

He didn’t make a single sound for almost a full minute, the tick-tocking in my mind matching my rapid rate of pulse. “I guess I deserved that.”

“No, you didn’t. I’m sorry. It’s been a difficult week. Taking it out on you isn’t fair. But I need to know the entire story regarding what happened with Xander.” I chewed on my inner cheek, trying to remember all the things I’d wanted to say to him. Sadly, most were venomous words that I would ultimately end up regretting. He was my only real family after all. I had a couple of cousins, and an aunt I rarely talked to living somewhere in California, but my dad had effectively shut her down after her nasty behavior toward him concerning my mother’s death.

We were a fucked-up little family.

“Don’t be fooled by Xander, Jess.” The stark, cold voice he’d used the few times he’d talked about the man had returned.

“Why, Daddy? Because he’ll be a bad influence on me like he was with Shanna? Only I remember the way she talked about him and about how good he was to her. They were very happy together until they weren’t. Suddenly, Xander disappeared. You insisted he simply stopped calling her and visiting her in the hospital. That wasn’t true. Was it?”

“You don’t know what you’re talking about.”

I could hear clear regret in his tone. “Maybe I don’t, but you’re right, I was intent on ruining the man because of everything I’ve been told over the years, the anguish I witnessed in you, Dad. Sadly, someone has already beaten me to it. Why did you force him to leave Shanna, Dad? Why? Was he not good enough to spend time with your dying daughter? Did he treat her with disrespect? Did he not care about her? What was it? I really want to know because I’m starting to believe that everything I thought to be the truth is a big lie. Whatever the case, it’s controlled my life. I don’t know who I am any longer.”

I’d never lost my patience with my father, at least not in this way. I’d never challenged him on his beliefs about something. Now I knew I should have.

“That’s water under the bridge, but you need to stay away from him.”

“Why?”

“Because he’s dangerous.”

I was on a roll, but I couldn’t stop. “Does that mean that you’re also a dangerous man? You were certainly very close to him. Weren’t you? And it’s not water under the bridge, Dad, when he’s still hurting after all these years. Did you know that? Of course not, because you refused to talk to him.”

“I had my reasons. That’s all you need to understand.”

“Not fair. Had or have?” I couldn’t believe I was taking up for a man who less than a week prior I’d wanted to annihilate. It was crazy. But my instincts told me there was much more to the story. “What really happened, Dad? Yes, I’m applying for a position with the Blackwell Group, but because of some deceitful behavior, I doubt I’ll get the job. I’m a game developer. I’m good at what I do. I know you don’t like or appreciate how difficult the coding process is, the creativity needed to keep ahead of the competition. I chose this life for me. Me! All those years you were suffering from the loss of Mom and Shanna, I was left alone. I had nothing else but games to play or I would have gone mad.”

His voice hitched again. “I’m so sorry, baby girl. I should have done better.”

“Don’t you think I was hurting too?” I knew he wouldn’t answer. The guilt and pain had changed both of us. “Either you can respect it or we’re going to grow further apart and that’s not what I want.”

Not in the least. I was exasperated, my head aching from the volume of information I was attempting to process.

“I’m proud of you, baby girl. I really am. You’re living your life the way you planned it,” he told me. “But I’m your father and I know what Xander is like. He’s not good for anyone.”

“Maybe not for you, but did you ever think he might be exactly what I need? No, I’m not saying I’m in love with him. Don’t get me wrong. Most of me can’t stand his arrogance and self-serving attitude, but he has another side, one that’s sweet and protective. Plus, he respected my skills. Yet I fucked it up because I was so busy seeking your vengeance along with mine that I became narrow-minded. I want the truth. Can you possibly give me that? It’s like we’ve been walking on eggshells since Mom died. Then when Shanna got sick, you disappeared from my life.”

“I didn’t mean for that to happen, Jess. I’m sorry.” I could hear the regret in his voice. It would seem it was going around.

The tension was horrible, jarring.

“I know, Dad. I feel it, but right now, that’s not going to matter. Please, just tell me the truth. Why did Xander leave? Did you beg him to walk away from Shanna and if so, did you ever stop and think about what doing so might do to her? She was devastated. I know because I was there at least for some of it. You weren’t. You didn’t see her tears. Did you?”

“No, I didn’t and it was because… I thought I was doing the right thing.”

This was the most I’d gotten out of my father since my sister had walked into the lake and hadn’t returned home. “What did you say to Xander to get him to leave? He’s a tough man, refusing to take no for an answer. That tells me how much he cared about you, respected you. And it seems you took advantage of it.”

“Perhaps I did.”

The ache in my heart continued to grow. For the loss of my mother and sister and the loss of my father at the same time. “Then what did you do? I deserve after all this time to at least know the truth. It’s not going to change anything. Nothing will bring Shanna back. Nothing will bring the lost years back. But I need to know if my hate is misdirected. I mean, this is crazy. To think I was stupid enough to take on an empire like the Blackwell Group. I obviously had a screw loose.”

And in doing so, I’d found a part of me that still confused me. The darkness. The hunger. The feeling of finally knowing who and what I was. I laughed softly and dropped my head into my hand, the mixture of emotions keeping me on edge. Even the rush of adrenaline created a wave of heat that I couldn’t control.

“Are you certain you want to know the truth, Jessica?”

“Yes, I do.”

He laughed and the tone was entirely different than I was used to. “Xander was my best friend, someone who taught me that always following the straight path wasn’t just boring, it was life sucking. So I ventured out into a rather depraved world alongside Xander. I’m not going into detail about things we did other than they were and still are a direct challenge to the oath I took when I became a doctor. I embraced the need to change when I had the diploma in my hand, but God, I loved the time the two of us spent in the darkness, two men believing they could right wrongs and remain invincible. So much so I almost lost the best part of me, the need to heal. When I witnessed the intense love Shanna shared with him, something snapped inside of me. Something dark and evil that to this day I regret.”

I sucked in and held my breath.

“We’ve all done things we’re not proud of, Jess. Every one of us has a secret, a moment in time they’d like to keep locked away. I’m no different. You once called me your hero. Well, that’s not what I am. I’m no different than Xander. He asked for her hand in marriage even though he knew she only had a few months, maybe a year to live.”

Really? I’d never known this. “And?” I whispered.

“I asked him to leave her alone, but he refused.”

“Because he loved her.”

“Yes,” he moaned.

“What did you do to convince him?”

There was another twenty seconds of hesitation and my pulse increased. “I threatened him, Jessica. I told him one day I would kill him if he didn’t leave my daughter alone. I threatened to go to the police because I knew things about him, terrible things. He still refused. He didn’t care about his own life. Only about her.”

“How did you convince him, Dad? Please tell me.”

“I convinced him she didn’t want to see him any longer. It was easier to do than you think. I’m not proud of what I did and had I known how despondent Shanna was, I would have done everything in my power to make amends, but it was too late.”

I wasn’t nearly as gutted as I’d thought when learning the truth. Somewhere in the back of my mind, I knew it was a messy tale I’d simply needed to buy into without asking many questions. “I’m sorry, Dad. Xander isn’t a bad man. Has he done some bad things? Yes, but as you said, everyone has secrets. I love you, Daddy, but this is my life. I only hope you can find a way back to yours before the regrets outweigh the joys.”