Mr. CEO(145)

“I don't think she'll be back.”

“You inconsiderate little shit,” Peter rasps, his voice quaking in fury. “I gave you a house, raised you, let you do what you wanted, and all I asked for was your loyalty. And you couldn't even do that.”

“No, what you did was give me money, nothing else. You never loved me, you never raised me, and the only example you gave me was how not to be a man. You wanted me to just spend your money and stay out of your way while you acted like a pig. Well, I found something more important than money, and you took it from me. So now I've got nothing to lose, and for the first time in my life, I'm doing the right thing. So fuck your money, and fuck you. I should kill you, but I won't. Enjoy prison.”

It's cathartic, saying what has been burning in my heart for years, and I feel strong as I stand up, walking past him. He stands up, and tries to grab my arm, but I turn and kick, my foot planting directly in his stomach and sending him stumbling backward onto the lawn, where he lies, groaning and holding his belly. “You broke my ribs, you little shit!”

“For twenty-two years, you broke my heart. I guess that makes us even,” I say calmly before I go to the door. Inside, I hear chaos breaking out as the remaining staff passes along Nathan's warning. I can hear the sirens in the distance, and I know we've only got a few minutes, five or six at most.

I see motion off to my right, near Peter's office, and I go over, finding Andrea inside. “What are you doing?”

“What should be done,” she says, opening the combination safe that has rested behind a painting on the wall for years. I didn't know she had the combination, but I'm not surprised. Andrea's known so much for so long.

Inside the safe, I see that there's two guns, a white baggie that is most likely coke, and four stacks of cash, along with a black bag. Andrea looks at me, and gestures in invitation. “What do you want?”

I reach in and take the guns, tucking them in the waistband of my pants. “I'll keep you safe as you're getting out. You're ready, I hope?”

She points, and I see the backpack already sitting on the desk. “I've been packed for a while, figuring you'd be moving quick.”

I nod and step back. “Leave the drugs.”

Andrea chuckles in agreement and reaches in, taking out the cash and the black bag, opening it. Inside are dozens, maybe hundreds of diamonds and other gems. Andrea pokes around a little, then reaches in and takes out a diamond and a sapphire, which I note is the same color as Katrina's eyes. She puts them in my hand, and folds my hand over them. “I hope you can give them to someone special someday.”

“Will I ever see you after today, Andrea?” I ask, and she gives me a mysterious smile.

“If fate smiles on us, I hope so. I had so much fun getting to know you better the past few weeks. I'd like to someday see that you've made it the rest of the way.”

Andrea puts the stacks of hundred dollar bills in her bag, and then tucks the bag of gems away. “I know some places this can be turned into cash,” she says, giving me a smile. “You ready?”

The sirens are getting closer, and I nod. “I love you, Andrea.”

“I love you too, oniichan.”

We leave the library, and in the foyer I see Nathan waiting for us. “The police are at the front of the driveway, waiting on the search warrant. I closed the gate to slow them down, but it won't stop them for long. I'd recommend not taking the streets to get out. There's some ATVs in the stable area, that'd be better.”

“Lead on,” I instruct, and Nathan's moving, his pistol out just in case, taking us out the side entrance, the three of us running over to the two quad runners and jumping on. We fire them up, Andrea hanging onto me as we haul ass out the back and up the fire road that leads deeper into the woods. “Where's Maverick?”

“A safe place,” Nathan yells back, the wind tearing the words from his mouth almost before I can hear them, pointing to the right as we reach a fork in the trail. We take it, roaring at top speed as the sun rises. We're approaching noon, but here, on the edge of the swamps, the mists are still rising from the ground and the visibility is diminishing.

Nathan holds up his hand, slowing his ATV as we reach another split in the trail. “Here's where we split up. The cops shouldn't be looking for us, but still... better safe than sorry.”

“Where are we?” I ask, and Nathan points to our right. “What's that way?”

“Two miles that direction is the Jean Lafitte Golf Course. I'd suggest walking in order to avoid attention. My path goes the other way.”

I look at the trail he's going to go, wondering where life is going to take him, and give him an appreciative look. “Thank you, Nathan. For everything.”