Dalton (Mistress & Master of Restraint) (26 page)

“Why?” My voice breaks. “Why would you go to Adelaide to get control over me?”
“Is that what you think? You’re a fool. Your father was an idiot, too. I did a better job picking out Spyder’s sperm donor,” she says arrogantly but doesn’t move away from the closed door.
“We’re your children,” I hiss. She shrugs at looks at me likes she’s saying
and?

“I treated you no differently than my father treated me,” she says in defense.

“Your father was a sociopath who got off on having his partner rape me while he watched, while he made you watch. What the fuck is wrong with you that you’d compare you childrearing skills to his?”

“At least your
parent
s didn’t rape you,” she screams back.
“I killed the bastard for you, so don’t pull that victim
bull
shit with me. I’m deaf to it from now on. They treated you badly and you didn’t like it, so why would you allow it to happen to your own children?”
“I kept Spyder from it,” she says as if that takes away the abuses I endured for her.

“I hate you,” I hiss.
“I know. I feel nothing for you, so were even,” she says flatly
and shrugs
.
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“I’m my father’s daughter. We’re more attached to things that people. People can hurt you, you own things and if you take care of them you can have them forever. People try to grow up and become independent. The moment you were married I knew I’d lost you. You were no longer a thing. You’ve been very helpful to me and I feel bad that I’ve lost you. But I don’t love
you
,” she says
in confusion. “Or at least I don’t think I do. I feel bad, but I don’t know why,” she admits.

My knees give out
and my ass hits the edge of the
bed. My mother is completely unhinged. My love and adoration of her completely blinded me. She and Pierre are one in the same. She never batted an eyelash as she watched my punishments. The shame I
’d
see
n
flash across her face was shame that she felt nothing and she knew she should.
“I don’t want to see you ever again,” I hiss at her in hatred.

“I live here now, Dalton. You’ve made my life extremely complicated. I’ve
never
seen anyone get a divorce so fast or sign their property over. You’re death does me little good now.”
“What?”
“Such a fool like your father. I
’d
ask
ed
Pierre to arrange my marriage to Anthony. I made you on purpose. I needed you as my tool. It was a waiting game. I fostered you to be exactly what I needed. I needed another child to keep you inline. An old friend sent someone my way and Spyder was conceived as a backup plan. It was foolproof, except you weren’t as foolish as I’d thought.”
She glares at me and walks around my apartment grumbling swear words in French.

“I had Pierre set up your marriage with the Greens. It made you even more valuable. You played into my hands perfectly. After twenty-one years of marriage I’d forgotten that Anthony was foolish in all things except money. You were to kill Pierre after he killed your father. That was flawless. You even took out your competition creating the largest organized crime syndicate that had money flowing in like water. The only problem was that my father’s body was never recovered.
”
She paces nervously like a caged animal and growls underneath her breath.
“It takes three fucking years. Three years for a missing person to be declared deceased. Finally I had his death certificate and I went to collect my inheritance, but there wasn’t one. While I was playing him, he was playing me. It seems that my son was the sole heir to my father’s holdings. Meaning my son owns Kink.
So I devise a plan to remove you.
Bruno
,
and Bianca’s father are very good at protecting you from the countless hits I placed on your life. It had to be an accident. I wanted my club back. If you died I would gain the Fontaine, Marconi, and Green holdings. I would have been set. As I said before, I want property, not people.”
“You want me dead and you just admitted it like you’re ordering a coffee. I’m your son. You carried me for nine months in your womb. You’re insane,” I hiss.

“I’ve never said I love
d
you and meant it, have I? What I love is Kink. It is my legacy.”
“Then why are you here?”
“Why do you think? That bastard child of your father’s kicked me out. The minute the death certificate was legal Bruno was on me and he took everything that was rightfully yours.
He brought that whore, Sandy, back to town to run Kink. I have no money, no club, and no need to be in Vegas. I came here to get my property back, but you divorced Bianca in a heartbeat. I was okay with that because I didn’t need her father’s holdings. Then I find out that you gave your brother everything. You gave that bastard Marconi
spawn
my club,” she screams in fury.

“I can’t hear anymore,” I grumble.
I want to cry, scream, and fight. I just feel numb. After the life I’ve lived I shouldn’t be
surprised. The members of Restraint are my family now. My mother, my Master, she wanted me dead to keep her precious club. She orchestrated the deaths of my father and hers to keep her club. Hell, I just found out that the asshole who scarred me for life is my brother. Yeah, we got along after I proved my worth, but…

I lean over the side of my bed and dry heave. The violence that erupts from my throat as my stomach contracts has me whimperin
g in pain. I sob and quiver while
the retchin
g
takes over my body. It lasts for long minutes.
“Why are you still here,” I wheeze out when I see that she’s leaning against the kitchen island.

“Are you f
inished with your theatrics? May
I continue?” She says grandly.
“Why not, I’m sure it can’t be any worse than admitting that you ordered hits on your                  first born,”
I say sarcastically. “Why have me do this stuff at Restraint?”
“For an old friend. Loyalty is important,” she says and I snort at the atrocity of her word choices.

“That tells me nothing, Mother,” I groan.
“I considered killing Marcus so that Spyder would inherit his fortune. But that wouldn’t work. No one knew she was his except for him and I. Plus I’d have to kill all the Zeitlers. It was just too much wet work. I never do the wet work. And I’ve become fond of my daughter. I wouldn’t want to take her life for monetary gain.
Besides, his wife should inherit the bastard’s money.
”
“You’re a fucking lunatic,” I say in mystification. “You need to be at WinterCrest with Adelaide Whittenhower.”
“Prove it. You’re my son and you can try to commit me, but you’d have to prove it,” she taunts.

She paces the room a few laps collecting her thoughts. I contemplate matricide for the billionth time, but I’m better than her. I will imagine it, but I won’t actively try to kill her, even if I’d enjoy every second.

“My plan at Restraint was perfect,” she praises herself. “It was my friend’s idea, really. The hits weren’t working so I tried a new idea. You were to create havoc and make them hate you so that when I needed your life to end it would look like an accident or assault. It would benefit my friend because how could Restraint say open after a murder occurred in its dungeon, especially with all those pesky riots.
It’s such a shame that Dexter Hayes is so moral. Pity,” she says heavily accented in French.
“Who’s the leak, Mother?” I demand.
“Ah… Yes, the ironic beauty of the mole. Poor Adelaide Whittenhower rotting away in WinterCrest. She was the perfect patsy for the books. She didn’t write a word of it. A Whittenhower wrote a few passages,” she laughs maniacally.

“Her Master wanted a clear divide between Adelaide and her enemies. Adelaide was always in the middle, much like
yourself
. Her name as the author solidified her pariah status. Sheer brilliance,” she praises.

“The mole, Mother?”
I remind her again.
“Ah… Yes, the ironic beauty of the mole,” she sings. “Having you investigate the mole was the most impressive part of it all,” she gloats.

“Why is that?” I ask wanting to get this over with so I can throw up, or get drunk, or beg for punishment because once she says the words I’ll want to kill myself. The majority of the people in the hall already know the answer to this question. They’ve known for days. I’m going to be sick…

“It was you, Son. You’re the mole,” she says loudly. She sweeps over and kisses my cheek and stalks to the door.

Twenty shocked gazes gawk at me from the doorway. They allow Olivia Fontaine to leave because of what they
’ve
just overheard.
I bow my head in shame. I pretend I’m not silently weeping.

“Roarke, escort Ms. Fontaine from the building. Take her to Edge and remove her possessions. You have one hour to vacate the premises. Do not go anywhere that I own. I will have you arrested for trespass,” Marcus declares as he holds my weeping sister. The expression on his face says he’s never letting her go. I wish I could burn the image of my sister’
s expression from my mind
.

I start to sob as realization hits me. My mother tried to kill me over and over. My mother is a sociopath.
My sister just heard it all. I’
m the mole that I was trying to protect us from. I leaked the information that ruined us. I had a hand in Restraint being shut down. I’d unwittingly fucked us all.

This is why Dexter and Regina wouldn’t tell me. They already knew and still they trusted me. They were waiting for me to see my mother for the twisted person that she is. The wanted me to join their quest by my own volition. I’ve never respected them more so than I do right now. I’ve never felt so ashamed and in pain as I do right now.
“I was the leak,” I sob. “I’m so sorry,” I cry.

“You didn’t know, Son,” Marcus says in comfort.

“I need punished,” I whimper.
“No, Son, you don’t. We all understand.” Marcus comes over to me and lays a heavy hand on my shoulder.

“Master, you know what I am. You trained me. I need it gone,” I plead.
“What does he mean?” Spyder asks in a panic.
“He’s a masochist, Itsy Bits
y
,” he says sadly.
“You’re not going to hurt him are you? That would make you as bad as them,” she accuses.
“No, I promise I won’t hurt him.” He rubs my shoulder and sighs loudly.

“Devlin, escort Bianca and Sebastian to Edge and make sure that Olivia is gone from the building, please.” Marcus takes charge of the disaster Olivia Fontaine left behind.
“
Katya, take our daughters home. Ezra will join you. I need Cortez for the evening.”

“No, I’m not leaving him,” Spyder cries and it renews my sobs. She clutches me to her.
“Little monster, please come and get her.” He says as he tries to pry my sister from me. I don’t want her with me while I’m like this. I don’t want her to see what I need.
“Itsy
, c’est pour le mieux. Rentrer
à
la maison avec votre famille
,” I whisper to her.

“You’re my family,” she screeches as Ava pulls her away from me.
“Niel, I want you to go get your sister and bring her to ShadowHaven. You will stay with the girls until Spyder is acclimated. Act like a man, do you understand me?”

“Yes, Sir,” Niel’s voice is thick with emotion. He tries to gingerly pull my sister away while I try to push, but she won’t let go. He finally gives up and yanks her. He tosses her over his shoulder and jogs away.

“Hold up, Ezra. Katya will drive Niel and the girls.” Marcus says as he stands from his crouch.

“
Ezra, if you’ve ever trusted me you will do exactly as I say,” Marcus warns.
“What? You know damned well that I trust you in all things,” Ezra replies in confusion.
“Get your mother out of my house before my daughter and Ella show
s
up. She can’t see either one of them. Trust me on this. Drive her to the jet and physically place her on it. Tell them to fly her to the Hastings. Make sure it goes to California.”
“Why?”
“Don’t ask,” he clips out.
“I’ll try my best,” Ezra says as he turns to leave.
“
Don’t
try- do it!” Marcus bellows and we all flinch.

“You know how she is. Saying I will do my best is the best you can hope for. What’s going on?”
“Your mother’s best friend was just escorted from this building. You better hope she’s still at ShadowHaven when you get there. Having the two of them plotting our demise will make what they’ve already put us through look like a walk in the park.
Hurry!”
He snaps.

Ezra bolts from the room at a dead run. His facial expression was the same one that Spyder wore- the same one as mine. I guess it’s the night to find out
that
your mothers are sociopaths bent on destruction.

“Cort and Alex will take your things to the Brownstone. You’ll stay with Alex. He isn’t there much since he’s always over at Queen’s playing with Kristal. Jamie will be pleased to have you nearby. Welcome home, Son. I’d have you come to ShadowHaven, but I know you’d be more comfortable with Jamie and Alex.
”
Marcus squeezes my shoulder a few times and leans down to kiss my forehead.