TENACITY

CHAPTER FIFTY-ONE

Trey was quiet for a while because he was extremely angry, and to keep himself from hurting a girl, he stayed put, clutching at the armrests of the couch. When he spoke, his voice was lower and deeper than usual.

Even Billy's eyes went slightly wide when he felt the malice radiating off Trey. "I'll ask again," Trey began, "and if you fail to answer, forget I'll treat you like a woman." She huffed, knowing full well that her back was to the wall now. "Who are you and why are you getting yourself into this?"

Reaching up, she used her hands to undo the edge of the mask, pulling it off to reveal her actual face. "Does it ring any bells?"

Trey was past frowning. Anger simmered deep within him, just close to the surface. "Quit playing around," he snarled, clawing at the couch's fabric. "Who are you, why are you in my house and what do you get from it?"

She laughed again. "Your dad didn't tell you?" This time Trey did frown. "I'm his first child, Carter Robinson. Your dad took everything back when you, the legitimate child, was born to him. He has you in his will instead of me, and if I can't have it, you won't either."

*

Trey sat still for a long moment, the boys looking at him as they tried to discern his mood. But his face was blank, a vein in his neck popping. Otherwise, he was still.

"What?" He finally whispered, a frown marring his face. "What are you talking about?"

"I said—"

"I heard what you said!" he snapped suddenly, scaring her. Mitch and Jason shared looks of concern. "I want to know how he fathered a brat like you—"

"A brat?!" She shrunk back, wrinkling her nose in distaste. "How dare you call me a brat? I'm older than you, you little—!"

"I don't care, actually, about how we're related," Trey cut in, regaining his calm, even if only temporarily. "Right now, I need to find my woman and kids; you're going to help with that. Then after, we can settle this matter."

Carter growled, glaring straight at Trey who was looking elsewhere. At this point, she was really wishing him the worst.

"Billy," Trey called out.

"Sir."

"Call Andrew over please, and check if the location is finally stable. We'll take care of the rest here," he instructed.

"Sure." Billy stood, making his way towards the stairs.

Trey tapped his fingers against the arm of the chair as he thought of what to do next. "So that's your drive as to why you're doing this?"

Carter rolled her eyes. "Call it that if you want to. But I won't let a chance to get you out of the way go past me."

Trey let out a dry laugh. "Have you considered the fact that I might want nothing to do with his property? I have mine."

"Whether you want it or not is not the issue here," she argued. "Your name is there on the will, and unless you die, it will be coming to you."

"Whoa," "Easy there," Mitch and Jason said simultaneously. Then Jason continued, "Unless he dies? That's what you want?"

Carter tilted her head to the side. "I never said that, did I?"

Jason exchanged uneasy looks with Mitch, because as things seemed now, they could be plotting to do away with Trey. Logically thinking, that would enable whoever wanted Alexandra for himself to have her without restraints, and Carter would have Andrew's assets passed on to her.

It would be a perfect solution for them, and the guys didn't like it.

Trey broke the silence. "There's a much better alternative, don't you think? You could just tell Andrew to change my name to yours, especially since I'm not interested. He's going to be here in a bit so you can do that."

"It's near impossible, you idiot!" she yelled in response, anger surfacing. Mitch and Jason got hold of her, even though she showed no sign of advancing further. "You're his legitimate child and I'm nothing but the child of his former lover! You think the law would choose me over you when you're still alive?! I have to make it so that there's no option but to let me have it."

"There's still—" Trey broke off, swallowing his words, his right eye twitching at the blunder he'd been so close to making. He had almost told this woman—who possibly wanted him dead—that even if he died, the babies were his next of kin and would still receive everything instead of her.

That could've made her want to take them out of the way too as well as Alexandra herself, and it would've been foolish. So he forced himself to focus on the main goal for the day.

He nodded at Mitch and Jason, who began binding her hands and legs with a single rope, ignoring her protests, then continued speaking while they worked on that. "Though we put a tracker on Alexandra, it seems to be malfunctioning. It's been hours and it's still moving—"

"Of course," she spat. "Provisions were made for that possibility. The building they're in rewrites signals from trackers, whether they're detectable or not."

Trey was amazed, but that made him itch to make a tracker without boundaries. "Therefore," Carter continued, "it's still moving though it's a mere five-hour journey from here. We're not stupid."

"Thank you for telling us. We don't have to waste any more time trying to read it then," Trey said, then with a clap, he sat up. "You'll be leading us to the place ma'am."