by Erin Osborne
He holds me as I cry on his shoulder. I can’t believe I was stupid enough to think my father actually cared about my mother or me. He doesn’t. The only thing he cares about is the restaurant that’s going to collapse into the ground because he can’t make any money these days. I’m not sure what he’s doing with all of his money these days and I won’t be the one to ask him. I’ll be happy as hell if I never see him again. That may sound horrible, but that’s how he makes me feel.
Flynn fills me in on the last visit he had from the doctor. That’s why he’s no longer wearing the sling. He doesn’t need to. But, he does still need to take it easy. It’s only been about two weeks since he was shot. I’m going to worry about him until I personally hear from the doctors that he’s okay. Even then I’ll still worry about him.
Once we’re done talking, Flynn and I head inside. The first thing we do is take a shower. We both need one desperately. May as well save on the water since we each need one. After taking our shower, we get in bed and put on a movie. Flynn asked Rosa to bring up the DVD player and movies so we could spend the rest of the night in bed together. Even still we talk and laugh about things. He lets me know about his childhood growing up with only his father. His mother is a sore subject, and we’ll get to that discussion later on.
Flynn showed me once again how much he wants to worship my body. He spent hours kissing and licking my body and I returned the favor to him. Exploring his body and taking my time to learn more of what he likes. Then, we finally fell asleep curled around one another. If I can fall asleep like this every night, I’ll be a happy girl.
Chapter Nineteen
Flynn
THE LAST TWO weeks have been crazy. I finally managed to get the doctor to let me go back to work. It may have taken me threatening him with the fact I’m going crazy here in the house by myself. But, he agreed for me to go back as long as I take is easy and don’t try to be anyone’s hero. I won’t be anyone’s hero except for Imogen’s. She’s the only one who matters to me. Her opinion, her thought, and her life is all that matters to me.
Tommaso and I have been scoping out places for Sal and the rest of the guys to have a new warehouse. Nothing more has happened with the crew who shot me. At least to my knowledge. No one has said a word about things and I’m not about to bring it up. It’s a sore subject to everyone around. Especially if Imogen is anywhere near us. I won’t bring it up if she’s near at all. The less she hears about anything, the better I’ll feel.
I hate leaving her alone at the house again, but it can’t be helped. If my father hears that I’m not pulling my weight while I’m here, he’ll be all over not only me but Sal too. It doesn’t matter to my father if Sal is a part of the Rossi familia or not, he believes he controls anything involving his sons. Since I’m here, he believes that. It’s part of the reason Sal and my father don’t get along. If Sal has to contact our family about anything, he goes mainly through me. If I’m not available, he contacts Hunter because he’s just a bit more mature than Lachlan at this point in time.
Imogen assures me she’s okay being in the house all day with Rosa. She helps her clean, has cooked a few meals, and reads out by the pool. Every now and then she swims, but not for long periods of time. It’s just not her thing. I can definitely tell she wears her suit while sitting in the lounge chair. Her skin is a darker tan than when we got here. She doesn’t burn, only turns a darker brown than what she already is. Still, every night before we go to bed, I rub lotion on her skin to ensure it remains silky smooth.
Since our talk two weeks ago, Imogen and I don’t sleep apart. We mainly stay in her room because of the balcony. She loves sitting out there watching the world around us while we talk and continue to learn about one another. Those times are some of my favorite that we spend with one another. No one else is around us and we simply co-exist with one another. I know it’s not how it’s always going to be, but for now this is exactly what Imogen and I need. Time for ourselves as we navigate this new relationship.
I’ve also been staying in contact with Henry and Liam. Liam has been digging into every single detail of King’s life. He’s leaving no stone unturned as he finds out what we need to know in order to make sure Imogen is done with him completely and I can still get what I’m owed from the man. Yes, I use the term man when referring to him extremely loosely. I don’t consider him a man in any sense of the word.
Today, I’m sitting in the SUV while Tommaso talks to Dom about a few things we need to go over. I’d normally be out there by his side, but Liam sent me a message that he was going to be calling me with some important information. So, I’m waiting on him to get in contact. I don’t even know what the hell is going on or what it’s about at this point in time.
Finally, my phone rings.
“Liam, what’s going on, mate?” I ask him, forgoing any pleasantries.
“You’re not gonna like what I’ve found out, Flynn,” he informs me as I lean back and try to get comfortable for this conversation. “King isn’t her dad. Her biological dad and her mom were married until King took her dad out. In less than a week, he married her mother and neither one of them ever told your girl. He has no claim on her other than being her blood uncle. King literally killed his brother over his wife because of jealousy. He didn’t even want her, just didn’t want his brother to have her.
“While his wife was still alive, he constantly cheated on her and flaunted it in front of her face. She wasn’t allowed to do very much either. If she wasn’t at home with Imogen, she was at the restaurant. King did whatever the hell he wanted to. On top of all that, he doesn’t owe only you money. He’s been borrowing money from as many people as he can. Borrow from one to pay back another one. Everyone but you,” Liam tells me.
Rage fills my blood. King has been portraying himself as a loving family man when he’s anything but that. I loathe men like King who think they’re untouchable. I don’t even believe I’m untouchable or unstoppable. Everyone is. And King is about to learn that shit from me. Imogen isn’t a pawn in whatever games he’s been playing with her life.
“How long ago did King kill his own brother? And why don’t we know anything about it?” I question Liam as I try to control the rage filling me.
“Imogen wasn’t even a week old when he killed her dad. He simply stepped into the roll as her father and they made her believe that for her entire life. I’m also digging into the details of her mother’s illness. Imogen has a trust waiting on her and I fully believe King wants to get his hands on it. If anything happened to her too soon, he wouldn’t get it because of her mom being alive. With her out of the picture, there’s no one other than him to get control of it. It’s a good thing you took her to the states I believe. I’ll get you back when I find out more,” Liam tells me.
“Thanks. Send me everything you have right now so I can decide what to do about it,” I order him, knowing Imogen needs to know this information. “Wait, why is the trust waiting on her?”
“She’s twenty-one but she has to get married in order to gain access to her trust. If she’s not married by the age of twenty-five, she’ll get control of it then. You gonna tell her?” he asks, concern for the situation we have going on his only thought.
“Fuck,” I mutter, my mind turning over everything I’ve just been told.
Liam and Henry know exactly what’s going on with Imogen and I. I don’t keep anything from them, and they don’t keep anything from me. It’s the best way to do business as far as I’m concerned. Anyone who works for me needs to trust me as much as I trust them. The main way to accomplish that is to be an open book with the men I’m closest to. We’re one big family and that’s how it should be.
Tommaso get back in the SUV and turns his attention on me.
“Did you get your call?” he inquires as he starts the engine and we take off for our next meeting.
“Yeah. Not good news. I’m not sure how Imogen is gonna handle what I have to tell her,” I answer him, frustration filling me a
longside the rage.
“Why would you tell her?” he questions, not knowing what I’m talking about.
As he drives, I fill him in on everything Liam just told me. Tommaso listens to me and I can see he’s thinking about everything I have to consider telling Imogen about. This is her life, and she has the right to know it’s all been a lie. Everything except for her mother is fabricated and that’s only until we learn how her mom actually died.
“I don’t envy your position, Flynn. She’s gonna be rocked and you’ll need to be there for her,” he lets me know.
“I know. I don’t want to bring this news to her, but I think it would be better coming from me than anyone else. What she does with this information I’ll back her all the way. That’s the only thing I can do. And I’ll comfort her all I can,” I state, turning to look out the window.
Tommaso and I spent the day looking at several properties for them to decide where they’re going to build their new warehouse. Now, he’s dropped me off back at the house and it’s time to talk to Imogen about what I found out today. She’s not going to be happy at all and I don’t want to bring this to her, but I have to. The sooner I fill her in on everything, the sooner she can decide what to do. Including me making her disappear so King can’t get his hands on anything that’s owed to her.
Walking upstairs, I find Imogen sitting outside on the balcony with a book in her hands. She’s so engrossed in what she’s reading, that she doesn’t hear me approach her. It’s not until I’m pulling the book from her hands while pulling her up for a kiss that she realizes I’m with her. As I pull away from the kiss, I laugh and look at the cover of the book she’s reading. It’s got a hot guy wearing nothing more than a pair of jeans with a motorcycle behind him. This is what my girl is into and I’m not going to teaser her about it at all.
“How was your day?” I ask her, sitting down across from her as I place the book closer to her.
“Same as always. How was your day?” she questions me back turning to look at me.
“Well, I got some news I have to tell you. You’re not going to like what I have to say,” I let her know, believing it’s best to not hold back when I tell her. “Liam’s been looking into King. He found out some information no one knows about and I need to let you know. You have some decisions to make, angel.”
“What’s going on, Flynn? You’re scaring me,” she says, her voice trembling.
Standing up, I walk over to her and pull her into my arms. Sitting back down, I keep her in my arms because I don’t want to scare her. Or upset her. What I’m about to tell her is going to do both.
“Liam found out that King isn’t your biological dad; he’s your uncle. When you were about a week old, King killed your dad. You dad was his brother and there was no reason other than jealousy to motivate the killing. Your mom kept the secret as they were married about a week later. King wasn’t good to your mom either. He cheated on her and she was only allowed to be in two places; home with you or at the restaurant,” I tell her, watching closely as Imogen processes my words and tears fill her eyes.
“Everything I know about my life is a lie?” she questions me, turning fully in my lap so she’s almost straddling me.
“I hate to say yes, but that’s what I have to say, angel,” I tell her. “I’m not quite done yet though.”
“There’s more?” she questions me, turning her tear-stained face toward me.
“Yeah. Liam is going to be looking into your mom’s illness and death. You have a trust in your name. He didn’t tell me where it’s from, but it’s there waiting on you. At this point, you’ve fulfilled half of what you need to in order to get your hands on it. We’re wondering if this is all a plan by King to get the money that’s rightfully yours. Liam won’t stop until he has every single detail about what’s going on so you can make the best decision for you, Imogen,” I tell her. “King never loved your mom. He spent all of his time cheating on her and making sure she knew about it.”
“What do you mean I’ve fulfilled half of what I need to for the trust?” she asks me, trying to contain her emotions.
“I mean, you’re twenty-one now. That’s the first step in getting access to it. The next part is either you get married and can have it or you wait until you’re twenty-five,” I tell her, giving her a kiss on her forehead as she leans into my body.
“Flynn, what am I going to do now? I already decided I didn’t want King in my life. This just makes that decision a permanent one. However, is he going to try to hurt or kill me so he can have access to the money that’s mine?” she questions me.
“He won’t get close enough to hurt you, angel. I’ll lay my life on the line to protect you, that’s a given. We’ll figure out everything we need to know and go from there. If you want to disappear and start over somewhere, I’ll make it happen. We can make it happen from here,” I tell her, giving her an option of a way out and away from King.
“If I disappear, then I lose you. I don’t want to lose you, Flynn. We just found one another and are paving our way to making something more. Something bigger and better than what we’ve known before,” she tells me, curling up in my lap as close as she can possibly get.
“I don’t want to lose you either. However, I’ll do what I have to in order to protect you from whoever is after you,” I assure her, needing her to know she can trust in me. “That’s why I’m giving you this information. You make a decision about what you want to do and I’ll make it happen.”
“I know you will. But I’m not going to leave you. There has to be a way for us to get one up on King. Make his life miserable the way he’s apparently done to so many,” she states, pulling herself together and sitting up slightly.
“What are you thinking?” I question her, paying close attention to her eyes so I can read her thoughts as she forms them.
“I don’t know yet. We’ll see what else Liam can dig up and then make a decision based on that information. Flynn, can I ask you something without making you angry?” she asks, turning her eyes away from me.
“You can ask me anything,” I assure her, tilting her face up with my fingers under her chin.
“With your dad pressuring you to seduce me and eventually marrying me, do you think he’s in on something with King? That they want to get their hands on my money?” she asks. “I mean, we don’t even know how much it is at this point. Is it enough for them to be plotting together?”
Looking at her, my mind begins to spin with the thought of my father pulling this shit. I’m not going to rule it out by any means. He has pulled some shady shit in his life and wouldn’t hesitate to throw his own sons under the bus to get an advantage for himself. If it’s about Imogen, my father truly won’t care about a damn thing regarding her.
Sliding Imogen down my lap a bit, I reach in my pocket for my phone. Once it’s in my hand, I pull up Liam’s name and press the call button.
“What’s going on?” he answers his phone, the clicking of the keyboard in the background of our call.
“I need you to look into my father along with King,” I tell him. “Imogen brought up a good point. Since finding out I took her as collateral, my father has been all over me to seduce her and marry her. If she’s married, she gets her hands on her inheritance. It wouldn’t surprise me in the least if the two were working together in some way to get their hands on the money. Do you even know how much money is waiting on her?”
After hearing more clicking on Liam’s end of the phone, I pull it away from my ear and place it on speaker so Imogen can hear the total as well.
“She’s looking to get over ten million. It’s from her father’s mother. As the only grandchild in the family, Imogen will get more money when she turns twenty-five. I’m not sure what the amount is right this second. I can dig deeper and find out if she wants to know though,” Liam answers.
“No, I don’t need to know anything more than that,” my girl answers for herself.
“Hey Imogen. How are you doing?” he as
ks her, his voice becoming lighter knowing she can hear him.
“I’ve been better,” she responds with a small laugh.
“I hear that” he tells us. “I’ll look into your father and get back to you as soon as I know something.”
I hang up the phone and turn my attention back to Imogen. She’s the only one I care about right now. So, I keep her in my lap as Rosa brings out our dinner before leaving the room. Imogen doesn’t leave my lap as we eat. When we’re done, I run the dishes back downstairs and rinse them off before placing them in the dishwasher.
When I get back up to our room, Imogen is in bed with the blankets pulled up tight around her. Some movie is playing on the TV, but she’s not watching it. Her eyes are glued to me as I begin to strip down to nothing. I know there’s one surefire way to take her mind off of everything for a little while and I’m going to do it. So, I slowly peel her clothes off her body and show her exactly what I’m feeling and how serious I am about protecting her with my life.
Chapter Twenty
Imogen
I’VE BEEN AWAKE all night. Even after Flynn spent hours exploring my body and showing me more of what I’ve been missing, I couldn’t shut my brain off enough to sleep. The knowledge of King not being my father and everything he’s done to my family is playing on repeat. How did I not notice anything being off between my mom and him? Or know King had a brother? The man who was my father.
I relive my life as if I’m watching a movie play on a big screen and I’m the only one sitting there watching it. No matter how many times I go over everything, I don’t see the signs I should’ve seen to know something was wrong with our family dynamics and the way King always treated us. When we were in public, King would be a perfect father and husband. In private, he was always alone or gone.
