“I’m not your little girl,” I tell him firmly.
He gives me a simpering look like he’s just seen a small child try to take a bite out of a wax apple.
“Oh, sweetheart. I know it’s hard for you to understand. It’s so much for you to have to learn and wrap your head around,” he says, coming toward me.
“Stay away from me,” I warn him, my hand hovering to my holster.
“Please don’t be like this. I’ve waited so long to tell you the truth.”
“You’ve waited so long to tell me what your deluded mind thinks is the truth. I am not your little girl. You are not my father. You never have been. You are a rapist and a murderer and a terrorist who has lived your life obsessed with your brother’s wife,” I snap.
He looks almost stung by the comments.
“Did she tell you that?” he asks. “Or did he? He has spent your entire life lying to you and making you believe what he wanted you to.”
“All he wanted was to protect me. Ian Griffin is my father. You are nothing but a delusional murderer. You killed my mother,” I say.
Any fear I might have felt when I first saw him disappears and cold, angry defiance replaces it.
“No,” he says, shaking his head adamantly. “No, I did not.”
“It might have been another man’s finger that pulled the trigger, but every drop of my mother’s blood is your fault. She died because of you! Because you sent a man stronger than you to do a job. You might as well have slaughtered her yourself.”
“You don’t understand, Emma. I didn’t hurt your mother. I would have never hurt her. I loved Mariya. I was trying to protect her. Your father was standing in the way. It was always Mariya and me. From the very first moment we saw each other, we had a connection. We were meant to be together. Not her and Ian. He stole her and kept her away from me. Then he stole you. I had to free her. I had to take her away from that life and give her the one she deserved. The both of you deserved,” he argues.
“You were going to free us by having your henchmen murder my father? You were going to allow him to be killed while I was in the house. What was supposed to happen to me? How was I supposed to deal with that?” I snap.
“I was waiting. As soon as it was done, I was going to come take you. Then I could tell you the truth. With Ian gone, your mother and I could finally be together, and we would be able to be the family we were supposed to be. You wouldn’t have to keep struggling.”
“I didn’t struggle,” I correct him. “My parents never let me struggle. I had a happy childhood right up until the day you destroyed that by hiring men to gun my mother down. Actually, no. Let me correct myself. You didn’t hire them. That would imply you saw them as people and that you gave them some sort of compensation. You ordered them to do it.”
“That’s right,” he says. “You see, that’s what I’ve been trying to make you understand. I have power, Emma. Control. Wealth. Influence. People revere me.”
“They’re terrified of you because you’re insane and likely to kill them on sight. Those that don’t feel that way are just as sick as you are.”
“We aren’t sick. We just see the world for what it is and what it can be. Everyone is sleeping. Don’t you know that? Everybody walks through their lives and thinks they’re experiencing everything, but they’re asleep. They don’t even know what’s going on around them,” he says.
I hold up a hand.
“Spare me, Jonah. I’ve heard the spiel. Greg told me about the massive bowl of Froot Loops you call your philosophies. You didn’t destroy him. You tried, but he was stronger than you thought. Smarter. More resilient.”
“He could have had everything. You can. I want to show you the life you were meant to have. It’s your birthright, Emma.”
“Stop saying that,” I spit at him.
“I won’t. It’s the truth. And one day, you’ll understand that. You’ll appreciate everything I’ve done for you and finally take your place.”
“I don’t need to understand anything,” I tell him. “I am fully aware of what’s going on. Tell me, Jonah. How does it feel to have to create a cult just so people will pay attention to you?”
“I did not create Leviathan. Leviathan created me. It has been for far longer than I have. How could I resist it? My parents gave me a name that readied me for it. I waited my entire life for Leviathan. And when I found it, it took me within itself and nurtured me into what I am. I rose to the top. I became Lotan, and there has never been anything like me. I will bring about a world, unlike anything anyone has ever seen. Don’t you want to be a part of that, Emma?”
“I don’t want to be a part of anything that has to do with you,” I say through gritted teeth.
This seems to be what finally snaps him. His face drops, and he reaches into his back pocket. I finally place my hand on my gun.
“Emma, please. I’m unarmed. There’s no need for this. After everything I’ve done for you, I thought you would have more appreciation. I hoped you would feel the connection between us and know you were always meant to be with me. But I can see it’s going to take more time than that. Don’t worry; I forgive you. I don’t blame you. You were abused and misled by an evil, heartless man. You can’t help but be confused,” he says.
“Don’t you dare talk about my father that way,” I say. “The only one confused here is
