Brie Surrenders her Heart (After Graduation, #8) (15 page)

Maybe it’s for the best…

But Brie’s curiosity was too great. She continued to hack away until the envelope was free. She stared at it for several seconds before grabbing the scissors and carefully cutting off the top. She felt like a criminal, but there was no stopping now. She
had
to know.

Holding her breath, Brie drew out the folded note and opened it. It was smeared, but still legible.

Thane,

If my impending death means nothing to you, perhaps your father’s violin will. If you do not consent to meet, I will destroy the violin. Yes, that damn instrument that has been in the family for centuries. It will cease to exist, just like your father.

So you see, son, Mommy has you by the balls.

Time to play by my rules.

“What are you doing?”

Brie jumped, her heart threatening to burst at being caught. She put the letter down by her side and turned to face Sir. “I thought you were out…”

“I had a severe headache and decided to come home today to sleep it off. Little did I suspect my own sub would bang a worse headache into my brain. Now answer the question.”

“I… I—” The tears started to fall.

“Is that from her?” he stated in a deceptively calm voice.

She nodded, her throat closed too tightly to allow speech.

“I won’t even ask how it ended up in such a state.” Sir’s eyes bored into her with a coldness that stabbed her very soul. “You have betrayed me on a level I’d never thought possible.” Sir strode over and took the note from her, crumpling it into a wad before turning on the gas stove.

Brie managed to blurt out, “She’ll destroy the violin!”

He hesitated for a second before throwing the paper onto the flame. It took a while to catch fire, but soon the whole kitchen was filled with the faint smell of the burning paper.

He growled darkly under his breath after the note had burned itself out, and then turned on Brie. His gaze was clouded with anger. “I commanded you not to have any contact with her and yet I find you here, seeking out her correspondence behind my back. I have purposely disregarded every attempt at contact and then you do this…”

Brie was desperate to explain. “Sir, I wanted to destroy the note myself.”

“The fact you disobeyed my orders on something so vital speaks volumes, Miss Bennett.”

Brie whimpered, knowing the use of her surname was a bad omen. “Sir, she threatened Mary and Faelan for not delivering her message. I wanted to protect them and you from its contents. But before I destroyed it, I was overcome with hope that she wanted to make things right by you.”

“Things will
never
be right between us!” he shouted.

Brie fell to the floor, bowing in supplication. “I’m sorry, Sir.”

He asked, his voice as cold as ice, “Do you realize what you have done?”

She shook her head with her forehead still pressed to the floor.

“You have forced me to react. Had you simply destroyed it, I would be ignorant of her plan and unable to stop it. I thought she had gotten rid of the instrument years ago. Now I am obligated to liberate my father’s violin from the beast.”

She said in the barest of whispers, “You could pretend you don’t know.”

“No, Miss Bennett. That is something I
cannot
do.” She heard the flip of his phone. “Yes, it’s me. Simply state where and when. No, I will not.” He paused for a moment, then snarled, “If it is a requirement then I must acquiesce.” He slammed the phone closed and threw it onto the table.

“Get off the floor and clean up the mess you’ve made.”

The apartment was full of a black rage that hung in every corner; there was no escaping it, even when Sir retired to the bedroom.

After Brie had finished restoring the kitchen to order, she took the ice chest and went to the basement garage to throw it in the dumpster. It didn’t ease her misgivings, but she couldn’t bear to have anything of that woman’s near her.

She clearly understood Sir’s intense rage, now that she had read his mother’s hateful words, but it gutted her to know his anger was also directed towards her now.

As the rays of the sun disappeared behind the horizon, Sir emerged from their room. His haggard expression alerted her to the fact he was still suffering from a debilitating headache.

“Miss Bennett, I think it best that you find a place to stay tonight. Call me at noon so I can pick you up. You presence has been requested at the meeting tomorrow.”

“Sir, I never meant—”

He turned from her to return to the bedroom. “I will need to meditate if I am to survive tomorrow. Goodnight.” She heard him quietly shut the door.

With a trembling hand, she dialed and then sobbed into the phone, “Mary… I fucked up bad…”

Confronting the Beast

A
lthough she had been tempted to stay with Lea, it had been Mary’s no-nonsense advice she needed. She’d warned Brie not to take the letter, but naturally, Brie had refused to listen. Well, she was listening now.

Mary gave Brie no sympathy, even remarking that it would be good if Sir uncollared her. When Brie broke down in hysterical tears at the suggestion, Mary quickly changed the subject.

“All you can do now is prove to Sir you understand you were wrong, and do whatever it takes to earn his trust back. If he wants to be done, then be a woman about it and leave with dignity. After all, you’re the one who screwed up.”

Brie struggled to breathe, unable to bear the thought of losing Sir.

Mary took pity on her. “But if he knows you at all, he’ll understand that you were only trying to help.”

“I was, Mary! That was my only motivation,” Brie cried.

“Yeah, yeah… Good intentions or not, the simple fact is you disobeyed him on something deeply personal. He has every right to be angry. You have to accept what comes, Brie, and deal with it. Don’t be a whiny baby about it.”

But the idea of life without Sir killed Brie inside. “I can’t lose him! Don’t you understand that he’s everything to me?”

Mary stared at her without a lick of sympathy. “If he would be happier without you, would you really deny him that?”

Brie crumpled into a heap on the couch. “No…”

“Then rest tonight. Be strong for your Master tomorrow. He’ll need your positive energy, even if he dismisses you after the meeting.”

Brie looked up at Mary, a sureness of spirit slowly taking over as she sat up straight. “Yes, you’re right. I created this mess; it is my duty to see him through it.”

Mary nudged her shoulder with her hip. “So go to bed and make me proud tomorrow.”

Brie woke up, steeling herself for the difficult meeting. Ruth was a dangerous person—indifferent of others on a level that was terrifying.

She called Sir at exactly noon, afraid to hear the displeasure in his voice. It only rang once before he answered. His tone was formal and distant. “Where are you?”

“At Mary’s, Sir.”

“Expect me in twenty minutes.” He hung up before she could respond.

She looked at Mary. “He’s still pissed.”

“To be honest, Brie, he probably isn’t thinking of you. All of his focus is centered on navigating this meeting with the bitch. I only have to imagine how I would be if I was meeting my father to know how Sir feels.”

Brie found solace in that. “My job is to serve as his strength.”

“There’s no need to wish you luck, then. You will succeed in that, I’m sure of it.”

Brie felt only gratitude. “Thanks, Mary. You’ve given me exactly what I needed to survive this nightmare.”

“A nightmare you created,” Mary pointed out, in typical Blonde Nemesis fashion.

Brie waited for Sir outside. She had planned to jump into the Lotus when it pulled up, but Sir insisted on getting out and opening the door for her. It gave her some hope that he could find it in his heart to forgive her.

The ride was silent except for a few simple instructions. “Do not speak directly to her.”

“Yes, Sir.”

“Do not accept anything she says as truth. She is a master of manipulation.”

“Understood, Sir.”

“Keep out of my way.”

“I will say and do nothing, Sir, unless you ask.”

He turned to stare at her briefly. “I do not want you there. It is another power play I must endure, but it will not go unanswered.” He hit the steering wheel with a vengeance, but said no more for the rest of the drive.

Sir pulled up to a high-end hotel and threw the keys to the valet without a word. He helped Brie out of the car and led her through the doors robotically. The vacant look in his eyes alerted her to the fact that his mind was elsewhere.

Naturally, Ruth was staying at the penthouse suite. Sir grunted his displeasure when the bellman pressed the button. The ride up was tense—even the young man sensed the gravity of their mood and coughed several times to hide his discomfort.

The elevator doors opened onto a small hallway and a two-door entry. Sir put his hand on Brie’s back and guided her out of the elevator, then rang the doorbell without hesitation.

“Let yourself in,” Ruth called from inside.

Sir waited until the elevator closed before opening the door. “Stay beside me,” he commanded softly. They entered the spacious loft and he shut the massive doors behind them.

Ruth was lying on a red velvet couch in a flowing gown, looking every bit the part of a diva. “Right on time, like a good boy.”

“Where’s the violin?”

“No, son, not so fast. We need to talk first.”

“Produce the violin or I will leave.”

Ruth narrowed her eyes, studying him for a second before pulling herself off the couch and disappearing into the bedroom. She came back a few moments later, holding the violin away from her as if it were a piece of unwanted trash.

She laid it on the end of the sofa, placed a pillow over it and lay back down, her body a shield protecting the instrument. “Now we will talk. Take a seat,” she said, gesturing to a small couch opposite hers. “Both of you.”

Sir led Brie over and they sat down, facing Ruth, but Brie turned her head and stared at Sir’s chest. She concentrated all her energies upon his heart.

“She’s a mousey little thing, isn’t she?” Ruth complained.

“I’m not here to discuss Miss Bennett. Why don’t you just state your request and be done with the games?”

Ruth’s laughter filled the room. “Request? It’s a demand, son. Make no mistake about it. Desperate times call for desperate measures.”

Brie saw Sir’s lips twitch, but he said calmly, “Proceed.”

“It’s simple. I have plenty of cash overseas, but am temporarily unable to access it and I need it now. The only way I can survive this cancer is through non-traditional means. That takes money and lots of it, son.”

“Are we still imagining we have cancer?”

Her voice became low and harsh. “You are a heartless bastard. Yes, I’m dying! But I see that has no effect on you.”

When she got no response from Sir, she addressed Brie. “What kind of son treats his dying mother this way?”

Brie continued to stare at Sir’s chest, but she felt a slow, angry blush creep over her face.

“Now you can see what a ruthless man he truly is. But at least you believe me, Brie. You’ve been on my side from the beginning and even helped me meet with him today. You’re really precious to me, dear. You know that, don’t you?”