by Eve, Jaymin
“Stay close, Riles,” Dylan said when Beck crossed behind the car to join us.
“And don’t forget to use your gun if you need to protect yourself,” Beck murmured, his eyes hard as his gaze landed on my father.
Richard looked like shit, eyes bloodshot, wrinkled suit on. His gaze found mine, and for a moment, I struggled to breathe.
What truth was I about to find out? And would I be able to handle it?
2
“Hurry inside,” Richard said, and it astonished me again how chameleon like he was. One minute kind and caring, the next psycho and scary, and right now he almost seemed frail and afraid. Maybe he had multiple personalities.
Beck and Dylan fell in on either side of me. “Stay together,” Beck said under his breath.
Dylan nodded, the perfect lines of his face hardening, making him look older than his twenty years. I always felt safe when I was with these two. And especially when I was with all four of the heirs, but I was also determined to feel safe just with myself. Which meant I had to stay in control of this situation.
I had my gun. Maybe I’d use it.
Stepping through the front door, I let out a low gasp. Okay, I might have expected that the outside was a “front” hiding the true inside, but I had not expected this.
Inside was a fortress. The walls lined with what looked like steel: silver, shiny and thick. There were no windows, and it appeared that the front door we’d just used was the only way to get in and out.
“It’s virtually bomb and earthquake proof,” Richard said, smiling at my undoubtedly shocked expression. “Nothing can get in once it’s locked down. We’ve used it a few times over the years.”
The front door was closed by Beck, and then we followed Richard through the entrance and into a steel-lined living area I’d caught glimpses of. There were multiple couches, a thick cream rug, and three shelves teaming with books.
Richard sat in a high backed leather armchair, and the three of us ended up in a tan leather couch across from him. “Now we can talk, Riley,” Richard said.
Okay then. “Are you my father?”
First thing was first. Dylan shot me a side-eye, and I remembered that he didn’t know of Catherine and Graeme yet, but he’d catch up quickly, because I would definitely be asking more about them.
“Yes,” Richard said without preamble. “I’ve had DNA tests done and our match was conclusive. I’m your father.”
A relieved gust of air left me. That’s how fucked up my world was—I was relieved that the psycho drug-his-own-daughter was my father.
“Was Oscar your son?”
Richard’s face fell. “In every way except blood.”
I wasn’t exactly shocked, but somehow I still was…
“He’s not a Deboise?” Beck asked, shrewdly watching Richard, assessing each and every answer.
Richard shook his head. “No, he’s a Huntley. Catherine was already pregnant when she came to me and begged for help. Her life was in danger. Her son’s life was in danger. We’d always gotten along well, she was attractive, and this alliance suited me. I wasn’t sure I could have children after an accident when I was younger, and this way I was assured an heir to carry on the Deboise name.”
Dylan sat straighter now. “I never knew of the accident.”
Richard laughed. “Yes, well, one doesn’t exactly advertise that he might not be able to have an heir. Tends to bring out the vultures. You three are the only ones who know. Oh, and a doctor who stitched me up.”
“You did have a kid though, so that’s a moot point, right?” I pushed, needing more evidence that I wasn’t a Huntley. Richard hadn’t exactly proven himself to be trustworthy and right now I only had his word about this “DNA test.”
Richard reached around to the small side table I hadn’t noticed and lifted some papers. “Figured you’d want proof,” he said.
He handed them to me, and Beck and Dylan moved in closer so the three of us could read through the papers.
I noted the official seal first, and more official numbers and such that indicated this was a legit test. I then focused on the results … and it was exactly as he said. My DNA proved Richard was my biological father, beyond doubt.
“So, Oscar was Graeme Huntley’s child?” Beck said, while I continued to stare down, my knuckles white where I held the edges of the paper.
Dylan startled next to me, but that was the full extent of his shock. I doubted that anyone else would have even noticed.
Richard’s expression shuttered. “No. Oscar was not Graeme’s. He was Reginald Huntley’s child.”
Beck and Dylan were so still, and the energy that was coming from both of them was dark. Really dark.
“I don’t understand,” I said, finally meeting my father’s eyes. “Who is Reginald Huntley?”
There was another player in this game I didn’t know about? Was she fucking another one of her brothers? Or … a cousin, maybe?
“Catherine’s father,” Beck snarled. “An evil old fuck that thankfully died a few years ago.”
Catherine’s father…
Somehow I wasn’t sick. Somehow.
“Catherine was sleeping with her father and her brother?” I asked, swallowing hard to stop the bile. What the fuck was happening here? Had I stumbled into some sort of dark romance story where crazy shit kept happening, even when it made no sense?
Richard shook his head, eyes sad. “No, she didn’t sleep with her father … he raped her. For years. She was the victim of his assault night after night from when she was about ten. When she got pregnant, she found the strength to escape him. She went for the only people powerful enough to take on Huntley.”
“Delta,” I breathed.
Oh my fucking god. That was absolutely horrific, and for a split-second, I felt sympathy for Catherine. It actually explained a lot about the fucked up person she was, why she acted so horrible. But … at the end of the day, I couldn’t forgive her for what she did. Especially with whatever was going on with her and Dante.
That was a question to deal with after this one.
“That’s why you’ve always been so sure about her loyalty to Delta,” I said, focusing on getting whatever information I could. “Her hatred toward her father.”
Richard nodded. “Hate and fear. She would never go back near them.”
But… “She was kissing her brother.” I shook my head. “And she definitely didn’t kiss him like he was someone that assaulted her. Or like she was afraid of him. She kissed him like he was the one person in this world she loved.”
At this, Richard looked upset, maybe for the first time since I’d walked in here. “I knew that her brother received abuse from the father as well, in a different way to Catherine, but it drew them very close together. She told me that he’d saved her, and that they briefly had a sexual relationship, but that it was all done. She was done with Huntley.”
“It’s not done,” I assured him. “Catherine has to be your spy.”
Richard looked like he wanted to protest, but he didn’t, sinking into his chair. “I will look into it. From now on, you need to be extra careful around Catherine,” he said weakly. “She brought you back here for a reason, Riley. If it’s to ensure that we can vote in this upcoming meeting, then that means she is going to vote Huntley into Delta.”
“Remove her as your proxy,” Dylan demanded. “Do it immediately, otherwise you cannot guarantee the safety of the vote.”
Richard shook his head. “If I do that, and Catherine is our mole, then we will all be in danger. She knows too much. She has power now she didn’t before. It’s better if we draw her out, and then when we have the evidence, we’ll go to the board and have her taken down.”
Something told me that whatever Catherine did to make Richard take her in to his life, to protect her, was still there for him. Maybe he loved her fucked up ass. Or maybe he liked the drama. Either way, he wasn’t ready to just throw her under the bus yet.
Richard glanced at his wat
ch and stood rather gracefully. “I have a meeting to get to. Seems I need to become more involved in the company again, at least in small increments, until we figure out what to do about Catherine.”
We all stood as well. Richard gave us a nod before bestowing a sad smile on me. “You probably don’t believe this, Riley, but I’m not your enemy. I don’t always make the right decisions, but I do always have the well-being of my family and company at heart.”
With that, he turned and left, and I just shook my head, as information overloaded my brain. Dylan asked Beck a few questions about the Catherine and Graeme thing, mainly what I’d seen. I just tried to work out my next move.
“We need to talk to Dante,” I said when they’d finished their rushed discussion. “He knows something. Maybe it will help us get to the bottom of whatever fucked up shit Catherine and Graeme are up to.”
Right now my best friend—or ex best friend depending on what secrets he was keeping—was sitting in Jefferson lockup as a murder suspect.
“Yep. Good idea,” Dylan said.
I had a dark thought. “Do you think Graeme knows about Katelyn yet? I mean, he didn’t look upset or anything, but surely he’d care that his daughter died.”
“His phone was off,” Beck said. “One of the officers told me that as they led Dante away. So I doubt he knew.”
Clearly turned off so they could have their clandestine affair or whatever.
I almost wished I could see Graeme’s reaction when he found out, because I was starting to suspect that no one in this world had normal emotions. Or normal relationships with their children. What was to say that Katelyn was even biologically his. Was there anything we could believe about the relationships we’d learned of so far?
We left the same way we’d entered, and this time Beck pushed the Bugatti harder and faster, especially once we were back on the main road. Both of us needed the speed. A moment where we could forget the mess of the world we were firmly stuck in.
Forget Delta, just for five fucking minutes.
3
A different person was on the front desk at the police station this time. A man who didn’t look much older than us, with dark skin and pretty blue eyes. It was a nice contrast, and I wondered if he’d be easier to deal with than the last gatekeeper.
“Beck,” he said, nodding respectfully when we stopped across from him.
“Johnson, didn’t know you’d started work here,” Beck said, sounding like he didn’t hate this guy. Which was a very good start. “Heard you transferred out of state for a few years. Good to see you back.”
Johnson nodded, looking relaxed and happy. “Yeah, I started at another station on beat duty before finally working my way up the ranks and ending up back here.”
His eyes brushed briefly over me, but didn’t linger, and I didn’t bother to engage in any sort of conversation. A need to talk to Dante was starting to eat away at my insides. Like, I could not wait one more second to get the truth from him. Even with all of the truths I’d gotten tonight, this one was probably going to be one of the biggest. One of the most important.
Life changing.
“You were always interested in law enforcement,” Beck said, not sounding surprised. They shot the shit for a few more minutes before Beck got to business. “We had a friend brought in earlier on some bullshit charges. Do you think you could get us in to see him? Dante, the gangbanger.”
I arched a brow at Beck while Johnson tapped at his computer for a moment then let out a low whistle. “Arrested on charges of aggravated assault, rape, and murder in the first degree. Uh, those are hardly bullshit charges, Beck.” He gave us a pained look. “You sure don’t want to make my first few weeks on the job easy, huh?”
Beck gave him a charming smile. “Just a misunderstanding,” Beck replied. “We just need ten minutes with him. My girlfriend has a couple of things to ask him.”
Johnson’s blue eyes flicked to me again, and this time there was something in that gaze. Curiosity no doubt about the chick who finally got the “girlfriend” label from Beck. Just when it started to get uncomfortable, he sighed and checked his watch.
“Five minutes,” he said in a no-nonsense tone. “That’s the best I can do. If Saunders comes back from his lunch break early, he’ll kick you out. So get your answers quick.”
Johnson buzzed someone on the intercom and a few moments later a bored looking middle-aged woman in uniform escorted us through the station to a vacant interview room.
“Just wait here,” she told us. “Your friend will be brought in shortly.”
She left us, shutting the heavy metal door behind her with a heavy sound.
“Sit down, Butterfly,” Beck urged, guiding me toward the uncomfortable looking chair on one side of the table. I shook my head and started pacing. There was no way I could sit still, not at a time like this. My head was so full of secrets and revelations it felt like I might explode if I didn’t keep moving.
Dante working for Catherine.
Katelyn’s murder.
Catherine and her brother.
Catherine and her father.
Richard’s confession about Oscar.
It was all so freaking much. Just when I got past the fact that Delta—and my friends—had coerced me into murdering a man. Just when we worked through all that betrayal and broken trust ... this happened.
My mind was officially blown.
The door clicking open jolted me from my thoughts, and I gasped as Dante was brought into the room. My hand flew to my mouth in horror as the uniformed police officer escorted my oldest friend to the table and handcuffed him to the bar running down the middle of it.
“Mr. Beckett.” The officer nodded to Beck and offered me a polite smile. “You have five minutes, please knock on the door if you want to leave prior to that. Otherwise, I’ll be back shortly.”
“Thank you,” Beck responded, leaning his back on the mirrored glass and folding his arms over his chest.
The officer left, and I flew across the small space to hug Dante.
For a moment, he froze. Then his uncuffed hand came up and patted my back as I sobbed into the side of his neck.
“Hey, Riles,” he whispered, “it’s okay. I didn’t do anything that they’re saying. This will all get sorted out, don’t worry.”
Hearing his voice helped me pull my shit together a bit, and I released him. Only to crack my open palm across his face in a violent bitch slap. As much as I hated to give that bitch credit for anything, Catherine had helped me improve my slapping form.
“You fucking lied to me, Dante,” I accused him in a harsh whisper. “My whole damn life. It was all a lie. How could you do this?”
“Riles—” He tried to grab my hand, and I snatched it out of his grip as I backed away.
“No,” I snapped. “Don’t fucking ‘Riles’ me. You’re a fake! How long, Dante? How long have you been working for that bitch?”
I was mad as hell now, my fists clenched at my sides as I glared down at him. We’d been friends for a very long time—almost ten years. One day he just showed up and we’d been inseparable since. Now every memory of our life together was under scrutiny.
Dante dropped his head to his hands, the metal cuffs jangling against the bar as he rubbed his hand over his shaved head.
“The whole time,” he finally said, his voice thick with ... I didn’t know. Regret? Surely not. Otherwise he would have said something sooner!
“The whole time,” I repeated in a horrified whisper. I’d had my suspicions but to have him confirm it. “The whole time. You’ve been spying on me for Catherine the entire time we’ve known each other?”
He nodded, his eyes full of pain.
“No.” I shook my head, denying the truth of his words. “No, that’s not possible. You were just a kid when we met. You were only—”
“Nine,” he finished for me. “Yeah, I know. In case you haven’t noticed, Catherine Deboise doesn’t exactly have many moral boundaries. Blackmailing a n
ine-year-old is hardly the worst of her sins, don’t you think?”
My brows shot up, and I grabbed that glimmer of hope with both hands. “Blackmail?”
Dante nodded. “Will you sit down and let me explain it? I swear I won’t hold anything back, I’ll tell you everything.”
I wavered a moment, wanting to tell him to go to hell. But this was why I’d come to the police station, wasn’t it? To get these answers?
Swallowing past the hurt and anger, I bit down on the inside of my cheek and slowly sat my ass down in the chair opposite Dante. Beck remained where he was. Silent and stoic. That was all I needed from him, too. He was there, he was supporting me, but he wasn’t fighting my fights for me.
“Thank you,” Dante whispered as I clasped my hands in front of me on the table. “Riles, I need you to know ... I didn’t kill Katelyn. That whole thing is a fucking set up. You know I wouldn’t do that. Right, Riles?” His eyes implored me to believe him, but my trust had taken one too many beatings for one lifetime.
“Why don’t you start at the beginning?” I suggested, my voice a husky whisper as I dodged his eye contact and looked to my hands. “How did this shit with Catherine start?”
“Selene.” He uttered his sister’s name with such choked up pain that I instantly regretted judging so harshly. He was nine years old when Catherine got to him for fuck’s sake.
I sucked in a deep breath and nodded. “You said Catherine blackmailed you. What did that have to do with Selene?”
Dante shot a quick look at Beck, then at the door. “I don’t imagine we have a huge amount of time, so I’ll give you the quick version and beg you to go and speak with Selene after this. I gave her some documents in case of an emergency.” He grimaced and looked down at his handcuffed wrist. “I’d call this an emergency.”
“No shit,” I agreed. “So...?”
