Deadly Illusions(57)

“It’s true, I am fonder of the male … form,” Pritchard said, an evil smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. “I made a special exception for my daughter, though. Someone had to teach her the basics of fulfilling a man. Lord knows no one ever taught her mother, and I was the one who had to suffer through her ineptitude. It’s really her fault all of this happened. I decided that Emma had to know from an early age, and I trained her to meet my needs, you know, to make sure she knew what she was doing.”

Finn’s heart was hammering so loudly all he could hear was blood rushing past his ears.

Pritchard, on the other hand, was clearly relishing his walk down memory lane. “You’ve got to get them when they’re young, son,” he said. “That’s when you can break them in and mold them to what you want. I bet Emma is molded really well now. I’m just sorry I don’t get a chance to break that mold.”

Finn was on his feet, his hand gripping Pritchard’s prison jumper, his face flushing with rage. “You’re sick!”

Pritchard’s eyes were filled with triumph. “I knew it. You are sleeping with my girl.”

“You shut your mouth,” Finn warned, ignoring the door to the interview room as it burst open and two guards proceeded to try and wrestle him away from Pritchard.

For his part, Pritchard never moved from his spot at the table. “The next time you’re inside of her, think of who got there first. The next time you bend her over the counter, think about who did that first, too. In fact, I’m pretty sure you’re never going to be able to touch her again without thinking of me and everything I did to her first. And son? I did everything to her. I did everything to her until she lost her voice from screaming.”

Finn growled, the sound low and dangerous in the back of his throat.

“When you see her, tell Emma I said hi,” Pritchard said, laughing. “When you dump her in the dirt, make sure she knows why. I can just picture her face now. I bet she cries.”

Finn’s mind was filled with a myriad of things: Pity, hate, anger, sadness, and, yes, revulsion. He let the guards drag him out of the building and deposit him outside. Finn was in a fog when he found his Escalade. Once the door was shut, and Finn was separated from the outside world, he let the fog lift.

And then the rain came – and Finn Hardy cried his eyes out.





Twenty-Three


Mandy saw Finn first. She was downstairs, sharing a flirty interlude with James on his office desk before returning to the upstairs apartment to entertain Ally and Emma, when she caught sight of him.

His shoulders were slumped, his face ashen. That’s when realization smacked her in the face: He knows.

Mandy exchanged a panicked look with James, who read his brother’s battered countenance even though almost two complete rooms separated them. “Shit,” he muttered. “Shit. Shit. Shit.”

Finn didn’t say a word to his brother and Mandy. Instead, he just turned, pointing his body toward the stairs. Mandy cut him off, stepping in front of him quickly. “You can’t go up there.”

Finn glared at her and tried to push her out of the way. “What are you doing?”

“You can’t go up there,” Mandy repeated. “Just sit over there and … calm down.”

“You’re not the boss of me,” Finn growled, grabbing Mandy’s shoulders roughly as he tried to bodily lift her out of his path. “I have to talk to Emma.”

“Don’t,” Mandy warned. “Don’t go up there, Finn. Not looking like you do; not thinking what you’re thinking.”

“And how do I look?” Finn asked, his tone weary and blank. “Tell me, how do I look, Mandy?”

“You look upset,” Mandy said, refusing to back down despite the anger in his eyes.

“Where did you go today?” James asked, moving in behind his girlfriend so he could yank her out of Finn’s reach if it became necessary. Given her penchant to mouth off, James was worried it might actually become necessary.

“Jackson State Prison,” Finn said.

Mandy sucked in a breath. “You went to her father? Oh, Finn, why?”

“Why do you think?” Finn seethed. “I wanted to talk to him. I wanted to see if he had any idea who was after Emma. I was trying to keep her safe. That’s why I went.”

“What did he tell you?” James asked, already knowing the answer.

“Well, he told me a lot of things,” Finn said, laughing in a voice completely devoid of mirth. “He told me that Emma’s mother paid him a hundred bucks to sign divorce papers. So that means she went to him to get what she wanted, but didn’t bother to try and see her kids.