Chapter 28

TWENTY-EIGHT

W hile my girl was busy working, I hunted down the man who used to manage Electric Giants and found any source of blackmail I could against him. I know he won't give in easily, hence the need for information. I want to make this as easy for Fallon as I can. Sitting in my car outside of the studio, I check the tracker on Fallon's phone to see where she is—not to rush her, but to make sure I'm ready for when she comes down. The paparazzi are also waiting, the blinding flashes almost burning my eyes as they take pictures of me.

Let them.

When she gets closer, I get out of the car and meet her at the door, my arm out to stop the surging crowd. Ignoring their shouts and questions, I push them away as she moves closer to my side, sparing me a worried look. "It's okay, sweetheart. We can outrun them, come on." Keeping one arm around her, the other outstretched, I push the paparazzi away as I escort her to my car and shut the door, then I hurry around to the driver's side.

I rev the engine and creep forward, warning them that I will hit them to get out. They get the message and finally move from the road so I can pull away. I see some getting into their cars, but before they can chase us down, I slam my foot to the pedal and peel away, weaving through traffic to escape them.

When we finally do, I glance over to see my girl watching me, open-mouthed. "That could have been bad. They get like that sometimes, probably because they saw you as well."

"I'll never let anyone hurt you," I murmur as I reach over and thread our fingers together, laying our hands on my thigh as I look back at the road. "Are you ready for this?"

"As I'll ever be."

The once bustling office is now run-down and out of date, without any security and only a few cleaners working at this time of night. It's easy enough to sneak into the office building and ride the elevator up to the correct level. Once there, we simply open the double doors and head right into his office.

His head jerks up from where it was pressed against the desk—probably sleeping if the confusion and wrinkles in his cheek are anything to go by.

"Who let you in here?" He starts as he sits up, straightening his tie and puffing out his face in an attempt to intimidate us. Blinking, he grabs some glasses and slides them into place. He jerks back, his face pale. "Fallon," he whispers.

"Glad to see you remember me," she remarks as she heads over to the ragged black sofa and sits delicately on the edge, a glass coffee table before her reflecting her beauty as her eyes run over the office. "I remember this being . . . well, more. I guess times are hard." She looks back at him. "Which is why you're doing the docuseries, right?"

"Well, um, Fallon, you see?—"

She holds up her hand, and he stops stuttering. "I'm tired, and honestly, being here makes me feel a little sick, so I'll get right to the point." She leans forward, her eyes pinning him into his chair as he gulps. "You are going to pull from the docuseries. You will say you feel it's in bad taste and you want nothing to do with it. After that, you are going to do everything I say. You are going to admit to everything when I tell you to. You will corroborate my stories and others' of the abuse, rampant drug use, and rape within that band. You will be apologetic, you will be sincere, and you will bring the evidence I know you kept." When he goes to deny it, she raises an eyebrow. "You are sleazy, but you aren't a fool. You knew it would come back to bite you on the ass one day, so you kept evidence so they could never turn on you. I want it all." She stands. "I'm going to destroy them, and you are going to help me."

"Why the hell would I do that?" he snaps as he surges to his feet. "That would be implicating myself and ruining my career."

She holds out her hand, and I pass over the folder she looked through before we came up here. Slapping it on his desk, she leans into him. "Because I'm smarter, I'm stronger, and I'm a hell of a lot more powerful. I found this all within a day, so imagine what I could do with two, a week, a month, or a year. You don't want me as your enemy. You can choose to go down with grace or I'll spill all of this and the truth anyway. Either way, you are ruined. You choose how." She steps back, letting him open the folder that details every bank transfer and money laundering he has done in the last two years. It seems he's been a busy boy, profiting from his stars without them knowing, not to mention the shell companies I found, and that was without digging too deeply.

He stares at the paper for a moment before his eyes meet Fallon's. "Why are you doing this, Fallon? Why now?"

"Because I fucking can," she sneers. "Because I want to. Because I'm so fucking tired of all of you playing the victim, and maybe because I'm sick of hearing my father's name on their lips like he is their savior when he was my damnation. You were there. You might not have taken part, but you facilitated raping and drugging as well as abuse of not only me but every woman at those parties. You don't get to get away with that and have a happy life."

"Happy? Look at me." He throws his arms wide.

"It's not enough," she warns him. "Not nearly enough. I want you all to feel every inch of the pain we did. I need it. Now, make your decision. Do I keep digging and ripping your life apart until you can't stand it anymore and have no choice but to come forward, or will you work with me and destroy yourself?"

He looks from her to me, feeling both lost and trapped. He knows he would lose if he stood against her. "I never should have fucking taken that job as their manager."

"But you did, and you did nothing to stop what happened. You made a choice, and you don't get to play the victim now. You have two seconds." She flips up two fingers and slowly lowers one. As she starts to lower the second, he grabs the file and slumps into his seat.

"Fine, fine, whatever you want, I'll do it."

"Good boy." She shoves her shades down. "You can keep that. We have copies. We have to make sure you are behaving. Isn't that what you used to tell me?"

He swallows, staring at her. "I'll do whatever you say."

"Good. Now where's the evidence? I want it. I don't trust you not to destroy it out of spite."

He laughs bitterly. "I'm not that dumb. I might have done stupid shit, Fallon, but I know better than to go against you. You are your father's daughter."

Unwilling to stand by and let him land a blow, I step around and smash his face into the desk as my mouth meets his ear. "If you say one more word, I will start cutting, and I know exactly where I want to begin. Do you understand me? You will be silent unless she speaks to you. You will wait for her every fucking call, and if you so much as look at her wrong, I will carve out your eyeballs."

He shudders under me, nodding rapidly. "Sorry, sorry, it's there." He points at an old cupboard in the back, and I press his face harder against the desk in warning.

"Go get it." Releasing him, I step back and watch with a sneer as he rushes over, not even looking at Fallon. She smiles at me in thanks and to let me know she's okay, but I see the hit landed.

She is nothing like him, no matter what she or anyone else thinks.

She might have collected fame, wealth, and power, but she did it all without hurting others—unlike her father .

We watch him scramble through the cupboard, uncovering a hidden safe. He quickly puts in the code and pulls out a black hard drive, handing it over to Fallon with a scared look.

She holds it up. "If this isn't what I want, I will come back. You might think he was crazy, but I'm much fucking worse. Do not test me."

"The whole family is fucking crazy," he mutters as she turns away. She stops, and I'm about to grab him when she holds up her hand, her eyes landing on him.

"You're right, we are, and I don't think I'm satisfied with just this anymore." His breath shudders out of him as he exhales. "Get on your knees, kiss my feet, and apologize until I believe you."

"What?" he whispers.

"Did I fucking stutter?" She arches a brow, one hand on her hip. "I'm waiting."

He looks at me, and I snort. "Trust me, you don't want to deal with me. I'd make you do more than apologize—I'd make you bleed."

He turns back to Fallon, and she taps her watch.

Heading around the desk, he steps toward her when she tuts. "I didn't say walk. Crawl like the animal you are."

He freezes, closing his eyes for a moment before he sinks to his knees, his shoulders round with humiliation, and then he starts to crawl toward her in his suit. She watches him with a satisfied expression, and when he reaches her shoes, he goes to touch them, and she lifts her foot. "Eh, this is worth more than your entire life. No grubby hands. Apologize now. Beg for my forgiveness."

His head hangs for a moment before his words come. "Fallon, I'm so sorry. I'm really so sorry. Please forgive me. I was a terrible person. I did terrible things. I deserve this and so much more."

"Hmm, I don't believe him. Do you, baby?"

"No," I reply with crossed arms. "Want me to motivate him?"

"No, wait, please! I'm so sorry!" he shouts. "I really am. I'm so fucking sorry." His body shakes as he begins to sob in earnest. The situation he's in must finally be hitting home. I can't help but grin at his pathetic sniveling. Fallon steps back in disgust. "I'm really so sorry. I wish I could take it all back. I wish I weren't so stupid and desperate. I'm just so sorry. I'll do anything, please. I'll do anything you ask. Please, please don't kill me. I want to live."

Leaning down, she tips his chin up so he looks at her. "Never forget this is where you belong. You are nothing, just a bug under my shoe to crush whenever I feel like it. You live and die when I say so. Now stay here, on your knees, where you belong."

She turns and strides from the office. I follow after her, only stopping to lean down and warn, "Remember what I said," then I follow my girl.

She stores the hard drive in her bag, and we both sit in my car, staring at it.

"What do you think is on it?" I ask.

"Nothing good," she murmurs before sighing and looking at me, a soft smile on her lips. "I'm glad you're here with me, doing this."

Taking her hand, I lean over and kiss her knuckles. "There is nowhere else I'd rather be." I slide my lips up her arm to her ear, where I bite down. "And watching you play with him? Fuck, baby, that was so sexy."

She laughs, smacking me away, and I grin. "You're such a psycho, Kage."

"Don't you forget it, sweetheart." I wink before taking her hand and kissing the back of it, then I press it against my very hard erection. "And just so you know, I'm not lying."

She laughs even harder, her eyes sparkling. I expect her to shove me off again, but she presses her lips to my ear, making me shiver. Her scent wraps around me, the softness of her touch driving me wild. "Then you better drive fast because it got me all hot and bothered watching you defend me."

She leans back, a smile curving her lips, and before she can react, I'm speeding away. Her laughter fills the car the entire time.

God, I fucking love this woman.

The entire world should be terrified because there is nothing I wouldn't do if she asked it.