“Why?”
“Do you have to ask so many fucking questions?” he drills. “Just do it.”
Though I’m suspicious, I do as he requests, waiting for him to provide an explanation.
He points to the large ship anchored away from the piers. “See that? It’s mine. We’re leaving as soon as Parker arrives. You can come with us if you want.”
I’m expecting him to be lewd, to add how he needs fresh pussy on his ride to freedom, but he doesn’t. He simply nods with a genuine expression, giving me something of a forlorn smile.
“I can’t run,” I tell him. “I have too much to do here.”
“Suit yourself. The offer stands, Alexandra.”
My mouth parts, but nothing comes out. What do I even say to that? This is the same man who wanted to make me his sugar baby. Now he’s offering me a way out the way Lev did. It’s confusing to think he’s the guy that would have raped me senseless under his roof—and maybe he would even have made Parker watch.
The things that could have happened to me in that mansion haunt my nightmares.
And thankfully only my nightmares.
“The Persian is cold and ruthless,” he explains in a low voice. “The cold truth is that he won’t stop until he gets back at all the families.”
My eyes widen. “I’m still not running.”
“You’re either very strong,” he praises, “or very stupid.”
“Parker would likely say the same.” I glance to my right, waiting for his familiar form to appear in the parking lot. When it doesn’t, I turn back to Osmond. “How did my father die?”
Osmond sighs wearily, describing in great detail the ambush, the hail of bullets, the rivulets of blood. It’s such a dark yet satisfying thing to hear, to finally have those images pieced together in my mind.
My voice is so low that I almost don’t hear myself ask, “Who did it? Who killed my father and Lev?”
“I’m convinced it was one of the Persian’s henchmen, Bobby Sanderson. He and his twin, Simon, are relentless and twisted.”
“God, I finally have names.”
He shakes his head. “No time for emotions, Alex. Please, consider coming with us. Macedon is about to experience the kind of plague that even God wouldn’t release, no matter how angry His children have made Him.”
I step back, disappearing behind a wall of security. I’m sure that things won’t go well once Parker gets here. My phone buzzes in my pocket, inspiring me to whip out the device and glance at the screen. A text from Parker confirms he’s here.
When he marches up the boardwalk, he confronts his father with a shove, fury evident in his motions. “You fucking coward.”
“Parker, you have to understand,” Osmond insists while hugging the fedora to his head. “I did all of this to protect you.”
“You abandoned us—in the middle of a fucking attack!”
Osmond growls. “If you would have just done as I asked—”
“To hell with what you asked, old man. This ends today.”
“Watch your words, young man. We have to make haste. We don’t know how much time we have here.”
One of my guards gives me a questioning look. I shake my head, silently letting them know not to intervene. This is between father and son. I don’t need to get in the middle of their argument. That would just make things a thousand times worse.
“We will all be picked off one by one,” Osmond continues, “until we’re all dead. Do you hear me?”
Parker shoves his father. “You ran off like you were the scum of the fucking earth, crawling back to where you came from.”
“Parker, there’s no time. Get on the boat. We have to leave now.”