Then I pause, questioning why I thought that—did I everseeany grades, or did he justtellme he got good grades and I trusted him?
Did he lie so I’d believe he was smarter than he was? So he could goad me into going along with his terrible plans all the time?
Oh my God, it’s been an act sincethe beginning.
When Bruiser turned out so smart, I thought it confirmed Z’s intellectual prowess. But no. Those were Caleb’s genes the entire time.
Oh my God.
I drag my fingers through my hair.
I’ve been kidnapped by one of the world’s biggest idiots. I’ve wasted ten years of my life on a Goddamn fool. And I let myself be locked in a bedroom closet by a mean motherfuckingliar.Because what does it say about me if I believed every whopper he told me, hook, line, and sinker?
“Who do you work for, Z?” I call. “What is this all for?”
“I work for very powerful men. That’s all you need to know. Some people in this world actually fucking respect me.”
I roll my eyes so hard they almost pop out of my head.
Respect. He’s going on aboutrespectagain.
I want to tear my hair out and scream so loud everyone in three counties can hear me. But I already tried that. Living out in the middle of a pasture isn’t so fucking great now, is it? The horses sure aren’t raising the alarm or calling for help.
On the opposite side of the door, a phone rings. I’ve heard that ringtone before. Z always says it’s work and then slouches outside to answer it. Frankly, I assumed it was a mistress on the other end.
But just as I’m preparing my lungs to start screaming my head off about how Z kidnapped me and locked me in a closet in my own trailer—Z’s voice drops in deference, “Yeah, yeah, boss. Yeah, boss. I got her right here.”
It turns out I had no idea just how fucking stupid Zedekiah Dawson actually was.
“Viper.I got it. No big deal. I’m coming through for you like I said I would.”
As the conversation goes on, it’s clear Z is all but squeaking in his excitement to give Viper whatever Viper needs from me.
Vipersounds like the perfect name for a guy fitting any of my three possibilities: gambling boss, gang or MC.
Part of me was sort of hoping Z was a little smarter than he was pretending. Like maybe he was pretending to work for somebody as a bluff to get the Dungeon in my name for some real estate scheme.
But nope. Shit. Heisactually working for criminals. The kind that can get you brought up on RICO charges. Fuckingidiot.
“Yeah, yeah,” Z says again, clearly trying to sound less jacked up and jumpy than he is from whatever product he’s sampled. “And this should totally clear us. We’ll be even.”
Peeking through the keyhole, I get a glimpse of Z’s face—pinched and nervous like I’ve never seen him—only for it to immediately relax.
“Awesome,” Z says, as Viper apparently hangs up.
“Who was that?” I call through the door.
“None of your business,” Z shouts. And as I’m looking through the keyhole, I see him pull out a small glass pipe and a lighter.
I pull back for a second, horrified. But then the hand he slammed in the door yesterday pulses with pain, and I force myself to lean forward again. He’s about to light it when he looks back toward the closet. “Look, I would have kept you out of it if you hadn’t fucked everything up. After it’s all done, you’re right, you and me and Bruiser can fix this?—”
That pisses me off.
I shoot to my feet despite my dizziness. That first step is a doozy. I sway into the hanging clothes and catch myself, blinking in and out of light-headedness before collapsing back to the floor.
I’m breathing hard as I gasp out, “Bruiser is not your son!”
“Oh, I’m sorry! Did you forget who’s in control here?” Z is suddenly up and pounding at my door with his palms like he’s just been juiced with a thousand volts of energy.