Chapter 14 - The Lesson
Gregory carried the bat to frighten me.
I refused to give him the satisfaction.
Howard entered the yard slowly.
No shouting.
No threats.
He looked like a respected grandfather arriving for lunch.
That was probably why men like him survived so long.
Samuel opened the door but did not invite them inside.
“Howard.”
“Samuel.”
Howard’s eyes moved toward Margaret.
“My love.”
Margaret recoiled.
“Don’t call me that.”
Howard sighed.
“You’ve been manipulated.”
I almost admired the consistency.
Every woman who resisted suddenly became confused.
Every witness became unstable.
Every challenger became dangerous.
Howard looked at me.
“You must be Ashlynn.”
“You know exactly who I am.”
“Yes.”
He smiled.
“My son chose well.”
“Did he choose?”
Howard’s eyes flickered.
I held up the photograph of him meeting my former supervisor.
His smile disappeared.
Gregory looked toward his father.
“What photograph?”
Interesting.
Gregory had not known everything.
Howard ignored him.
“A business meeting.”
“Nine months before Gregory met me.”
“So?”
“You targeted me because of the Hartman Maritime acquisition review.”
Gregory stared at Howard.
“You said meeting her was coincidence.”
Howard’s expression hardened.
“Not now.”
Gregory lowered the bat slightly.
That tiny movement mattered.
For the first time, father and son were not aligned.
I pressed.
“He used you too, Gregory.”
“Shut up.”
“He pointed you at me.”
“Shut up.”
“Because he needed access to my employer.”
Gregory looked at Howard.
“Is that true?”
Howard’s voice sharpened.
“Give me the bat.”
Gregory did not move.
“Gregory.”
“You told me she was perfect for me.”
“She was.”
“Because you researched her?”
Silence.
The son was finally seeing the cage his father built around him.
But realization did not equal innocence.
Gregory had still raised that bat.
Still forged records.
Still tried to have me removed.
He stepped toward Howard.
“You used me.”
Howard laughed.
“I made you.”
Then he said the sentence that destroyed whatever remained between them.
“You were always too weak to do any of this without me.”
Gregory’s face collapsed.
Rage replaced confusion.
He raised the bat.
Not at me.
At Howard.
I moved before anyone else.
I stepped between them, caught Gregory’s wrists, and twisted just enough to release his grip.
The bat hit the grass.
No strike landed.
No blood spilled.
Gregory stared at me.
“You protected him?”
“No.”
I kicked the bat away.
“I protected the evidence against you.”
Police sirens approached.
Samuel smiled.
Howard finally looked uncertain.
“What did you do?”
Samuel answered.
“The third drive.”
He pointed toward the road.
May you like
“Went to federal investigators.”
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