Beyond Ransom (The Ransom Series) by A.T. Douglas Read Free Book Online

understanding.  “I was doing what I had to in order to preserve my family’s legacy .  I did what was necessary to survive, to pay my bills, to take
care of the men most loyal to me.”  He gestures behind him to the men seated on
the other side of the room.
    I don’t know what the hell he wants me
to say, so I stick to the truth.  “I never looked at it that way.”
    “Of course your father never told it to
you that way.  All he ever cared about was finding me.  He wanted to take my
family’s legacy and everything I’ve done and crush it
within his palm, and he almost succeeded.”
    I don’t dare say a word.  I’m an
unwilling participant in his game, and I don’t know the rules or goals.  I
don’t know if there are rewards or punishments, and I’m not sure I want to find
out.
    Mark readjusts himself in his chair. 
“Do you know what happened after he caught me?  After I ended up in prison?”
    This I don’t know.  Dad tried to
shelter me from the media coverage as much as possible, from hiding me away
from the news crews to disconnecting the TV and
internet for a few months until the story died down.
    I pray that I’m not about to lose this
game.  “I don’t know what happened to you.”
    “Not to me,” Mark growls back.  I can hear the escalation in his tone as he becomes progressively angrier. 
“To my family.  Do you know what happened to my family when I was no longer
there to protect them?”
    “You lost them?”   My choice of words wasn’t meant to be perfect for vague
interpretation , but it plays to my benefit.
    “Exactly.  I lost my fucking family. 
My daughter–my beautiful, sweet Stella–was taken from this world.”
    For a brief moment I forget the monster
that lurks inside the man in front of me and see him for what he truly is: a
grieving father.  “What happened to her?”
    Mark twists his hands around in his lap, his anger seeming to find its outlet there.  “She was waiting
at the end of the driveway outside our home for a ride.  A truck driven by one
of my enemies plowed into her, ramming her into a parked vehicle.”  He pauses a
moment before speaking again.  “She was crushed between the car and the truck. 
Her neck snapped from the force of the impact .  She
died instantly.”
    I look down to my lap for a moment,
conflicted by the feelings within me.  “I’m sorry,” I offer, quickly returning
my gaze to Mark’s face where he instructed me to keep it.
    “My wife Elise saw the whole thing out
the kitchen window.  I couldn’t even be there to comfort her.  I couldn’t be
there to grieve with her.  I was separated from the only love I had left in
this world, all thanks to your fucking father.”  Behind his lips I can hear his
teeth grinding.  He’s more upset about discussing this than he’s even showing
on the outside.  “She didn’t even make it long enough for the funeral.  She
took her own life two days later, and in the end I buried them both.  I buried
my entire family.”
    I don’t even know what to say.  It’s
tragic and awful, the worst possible pain I can imagine going through, but
their deaths weren’t directly caused by my dad.  Mark’s placing blame where he
shouldn’t.  He’s finding a scapegoat to put this on to make himself feel
better.
    My face whitens.   Leo’s words reverberate in my mind.  This is about revenge .
    He’s going to kill me.
    “Of course your father never told you
any of this,” Mark continues.  “You see now why I have to do this.  I can’t let
such actions go unpunished.  I must get justice for my
family.”
    I can’t sit in silence.  He’s looking
at me, expecting me to say something, so I do.  “I’m truly sorry for your
loss.  I’m so sorry.”
    “You’re such a sweet girl,” he says,
inspecting me and smiling at me.  He runs his hand through the strands of my
hair, and I can’t help quivering slightly at his touch.  “It’s a shame your
father had to ruin