Read Online Unbroken (The Disclosure Series Book 2) by R.E. Hunter - Free Book Online

than fixing this.
    He reached out, gently cupping her cheek and using his thumb to brush away the tears. He couldn’t bear to be the cause of any more of them. “God, I’m so sorry.” He shook his head and stared at his lap. Steeling himself for what he was about to do, he took a deep breath and looked back up, trapped in her gaze. “I’ll have to start from the beginning.”

 
     
     
    “My dad’s a self-made man,” Luke said, his tone serious. “He grew up with nothing. Everything my family has is because of him. Well, and because he married my mother.”
    Embry looked confused, but he continued.
    “He built a successful business, married well, and started rubbing elbows with all the right people. He involved himself in local politics, contributed to the right campaigns and moved up the societal ladder. He made the Brody name a significant one in Georgia, both for the company he kept and the corporation he ran.”
    Embry wrinkled her nose. “I don’t mean to stop you, but I’m not sure what this has to do—”
    Luke held up a hand. He loved that even when she was pissed off and demanding, she was still sweet, polite. She belonged in the south.
    “Just listen, beautiful.”
    She recoiled as the endearment slid off his tongue. He pretended not to notice. He couldn’t help it. She was beautiful—the most beautiful thing he’d ever seen—whether dressed up in sequins and pearls, or hair up in a messy ball on her head, wearing neon spandex. And all he wanted to do was remind her of that, every day, until she believed it herself.
    “You wanted to hear it all, right?” he asked, searching her face. “Well, this it, starting from the very beginning.”
    She gulped, settling further into the couch. “Okay,” she responded in a small voice.
    “Cam and I grew up idolizing my father. You’ve met him, I’m sure you understand why. Charming, handsome, charismatic. He’s a good dad, great guy.”
    Embry nodded.
    “So when word got back to us that he was being investigated for corruption and bribery, you can imagine, I was devastated.” He vividly remembered sitting in his parents’ living room, Camden by his side, as their father told them everything—the deals he’d made, the officials he’d influenced with his money. Luke had felt as if he were drowning in disappointment and grief. He’d lost his role model, had been completely betrayed by the one man he’d respected most in the world.
    Embry let out a gasp, her delicate hand lifting to cover her mouth. “Oh, Luke.”
    Her reaction brought it all back to him, and he wanted so badly to seek comfort in her, the comfort he’d mistakenly found in Sydney that one night. “I was a new professor at the time, and Sydney was my student.”
    Her eyes went from warm pools of green to cold, hard emerald. He secretly enjoyed the territorial response.
    “She’d been pursuing me all semester, but I had no interest.” He emphasized that last part, hoping she saw the sincerity in his eyes. “Honestly, even if I had, I never would have acted on it. I steered clear, kept my distance, made sure our interactions never went outside the bounds of anything student-teacher related.”
    “Until you found out about your dad?” Embry asked.
    He nodded, hating to have to revisit that night, but he’d do it. For her. “The investigation went on for a few months. My father was being accused of giving favor to certain public officials in order to direct government contracts toward his company. In the beginning we were hopeful, so when the indictments came down, it was a huge blow.” His hand went automatically to his neck and he tried to rub away the tension. “I went out for a few drinks with my brother to try to get my head on straight. Everyone was looking to me. My father had a team of attorneys, but he wanted me to be the face of his defense. Cam was putting pressure on me to save the company. It fucked with my head. Anyway, my brother went home to his family,