We own this street and we own you. I’m not signing the papers, Dad. Tessa said. Her voice was shaking but strong. I’m not letting you use Hunter’s name for your shell companies. He’s a soldier. He’s honorable. I won’t let you drag him into your filth. Honorable. A new voice scoffed. It was Dominic.
I recognized the sneer. He’s a grunt, a paid killer. We’re just giving him a reason to retire. Grab her, Victor commanded. The recording dissolved into the sounds of a scuffle, a chair scraping, Tessa’s screaming. Not a scream of fear, but of fury. Get off me. Get off. Then a sickening thud. The first hit. I flinched in the dark dining room as if I had been hit myself.
Hold her legs, Mason. Grant, get her arms. Don’t let her move. I paused the tape. I couldn’t listen to the rest. Not yet. I had heard enough to know the truth. The police report was a lie. The robbery was a fairy tale. This was a family meeting. I put the recorder in my pocket. I stood up.
