by Ali Parker
A couple of months after we started working together, he told me that when he looked at me that first time, he saw a girl who needed someone who actually really cared about her. He knew my biological father well enough to know that he would never be that person, and then he told me again that he and his wife had had five sons, but never a daughter.
He claimed his wife always wanted a daughter, but it just hadn’t happened for them. Over the months that followed, I think I became a kind of surrogate daughter to him. Roy definitely became something of a surrogate father to me.
Regardless of how close we were, I hadn’t known about the embezzlement. I hadn’t known about any of it. From time to time, I suspected something was amiss—but only because I knew some of the people he dealt with.
In those early days after his arrest, I walked around like a zombie, wondering how I’d missed what he had been doing. I felt stupid, blind, misled.
Shortly after that, though, the pieces of the puzzle started falling into place. Roy stared into my eyes now, guilt written all over his tired expression. “I never meant to put you in any danger, and I’m sorry for how things turned out. You know what they say about the road to hell being paved with good intentions. It’s never been more accurate of a saying than in our case.”
I leaned forward across the table, making sure to let him see the truth in my eyes. “No, Roy. None of that is true. You didn’t put me in danger; I was born into that danger. You were the one who showed me there could be a way out for me. Besides, I’m not in any more danger now than I ever have been. I’ve hidden for so long that no one has a clue what I’ve done. I’m fine, really.”
“If you have to run…” He trailed off, but he didn’t need to finish his sentence.
“I haven’t done anything wrong, so I won’t have to. If I need anything, though, my portion of the money is more than enough to cover it. Just like it’s been more than enough to keep me hidden. I’ve been keeping in touch with the bureau, too. You don’t have to worry about me. I’m totally fine.”
He nodded, but the motion was slow and uncertain. He still didn’t believe me, but I would have to convince him some other time. “Tyson mentioned he’s spoken to you about my will. Did you do what I asked?”
“Not yet, but I have the accounts. I can do it as soon as I get home this afternoon. I wanted to make sure first that you are sure this is what you want to do with your money.”
“I’m sure.” There was not a trace of hesitation in his voice.
“Okay.” I stood up, knowing what we were risking every second I was at the prison without it being necessary for me to be there. “I’ll do it today. I’ll see you soon, Roy. Stay safe.”
“I’ll do my best, kiddo.” We exchanged nods, though I really still wanted a hug from him badly, and then a guard was escorting Roy back into the cell block, and I was on my way out.
The drive back to my house was depressing. I hated to think about Roy in prison, but the odds of his survival outside those thick walls were even worse. He had support from some powerful people, but given how deep the tentacles of corruption ran where Ken was involved, those people were staying out of it for now.
Roy was always so good to me; it was hard to imagine that there were people out there who wanted to hurt him. I knew better than anyone that there were people like that out there, though. Lots of them, and they were much closer than his sons realized.
I only did what I did to help Roy because he’d always been so good to me. I’d even received a substantial amount of money through a wire transfer years ago to help me stay under the radar after college. I’d never asked him for it, but he had known I would need it and gave it to me freely.
To this day, I was much better off than I let on because of Roy. My life was what it was because of him. God knew where I would have been without him. I didn’t even want to stop to think about it; it was just too disheartening.
When I got home, I walked straight to my laptop and logged on to my system. Transferring the money from the account it was hidden in into one bank account was going to throw up some red flags, but it was what Roy wanted.
Worry about how this would affect Tyson bloomed from my stomach and fused with my blood. This was his father we were talking about, and I’d seen how fiercely he protected his family. I felt a little lightheaded after I pushed the transfer button, watching the pop-up block until it alerted me that the transfer was complete.
With a heavy feeling in the pit of my stomach, I slammed the lid of my laptop closed and pushed away from it like it was a snake trying to bite me. That was it.
I was done with my part in all of this. It had taken me years to get to this point, years envisioning the day I would follow Roy’s orders and be done with hiding. Yet now that day was here, I wasn’t happy. I didn’t feel any joy. All I felt was sick.
What I’d just done was going to affect Tyson in more ways than one, and try as I might, I couldn’t make that not matter to me. The fluttering feeling in my stomach and the way my heart swelled when I thought about him could only mean one thing. In spite of my best efforts, I had fallen for Tyson Lovett.
And he was never, ever going to forgive me for this...
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Tyson
“You want to go have a drink somewhere?” I asked Eve after my brothers had left for the night. Evan and Jeremy had gotten their wishes and would be home in time to tuck their kids into bed. We had agreed to talk more after Dad got out of prison, but we had a basic plan in place.
Sonny’s information had shocked me to my core. Shocked us all. Our brothers got on board with protecting Dad after he explained what he had found out, of course. How could they not?
After he had given us the news, though, everyone had needed time to process what he’d told us. There were so many things we had thought we knew, but we hadn’t really known anything at all. We’d hammered out our basic plans quickly and quietly, and then they’d all gotten in their cars and raced home.
We’d never dealt with the big stuff as a unit. We dealt with it all individually first and then came together again later. Sometimes one or two of us would get together and talk, but it had always been after we’d had some time by ourselves to think things through first.
With the size of the bomb Sonny had dropped on us earlier, I had known it would only be a matter of time before my brothers scattered, only to be seen again once they’d had some time to wrap their heads around what had really happened.
Unfortunately for all of us, we didn’t have nearly enough time to even start really processing everything Sonny told us. Dad was coming out in less than twenty-four hours, and when he did, we would have to be ready—whether we felt that way or not.
After I watched their tail lights disappear from view, I wandered around the house restlessly and aimlessly. It took all of about six minutes before I realized I didn’t want to be alone, and there was really only one person I wanted to see.
I debated about it internally for less than a minute before I called Eve. Fuck it, I had decided. I always faced everything alone. Eve knew most of what was going on with Dad anyway and even knew him. I didn’t have to face it alone this time.
Her sweet voice sounded surprised. “Do you mean you want to go for a drink tonight? Like, right now?”
“It’s still early.” A quick glance at the clock above my kitchen door confirmed it wasn’t even eight yet. “Come on, come meet me. Sonny came by earlier and… it’s not good.”
I heard a sharp intake of breath on her end of the line. “I’ll meet you at Crusty’s in ten minutes.”
“I’ll see you then.” Crusty’s was an old bar just outside of town. It was a favorite of mine with a big outer deck, cheap beer, and music that wasn’t so loud that you had to yell to be heard. Eve ended the call, and when I got to Crusty’s exactly eleven minutes later, she was already there.
Wearing jeans and a gray knit sweater, her fiery hair cascaded in soft waves over her shoulders. She was fuck
ing gorgeous, but that wasn’t why my heart skipped a beat or why my blood warmed at the sight of her.
What I felt as I walked up to her, weaving my way between a few patrons sitting at pocked wooden tables, wasn’t lust or friendship. It was something much more than that.
For some reason, I didn’t panic when the realization hit me as unexpectedly as a bolt of lightning from a bright blue sky. I should have, given my opinions about romantic relationships in general, but the feelings I had obviously developed for her felt so natural that I couldn’t worry about them.
Eve stood beside a portion of the bar right next to the door that led out to the deck. Two beers stood on the counter in front of her, and as she saw me moving toward her, she picked them up and held one out to me. “It sounded like you really needed this, so I ordered as soon as I got here.”
“Thanks.” I took a huge gulp and swallowed it down fast, feeling the bubbles burn their way down my throat. “I do need this. Do you wanna find a table outside?”
She nodded. “That’s why I was waiting here. It sounded like you might want to talk about some stuff.”
“I’d like that.” I followed her to a table at the edge of the deck. It was bathed in a pool of weak, orange light coming from one of the bulbs affixed to the wooden beams of the roof overhead.
After we sat down, she lifted her glass and made a rolling motion with her finger. “I’m listening whenever you’re ready to start talking.”
Inhaling a deep breath of the fresh night air, I took another sip to order my thoughts before starting. “I saw my brothers earlier. When I learned Roy was getting out, I knew we’d have to talk about it since I’m going to need their help from now on. Anyway, Sonny was late and—”
“Tyson?” Beau’s voice rang out from the doorway. I turned in my seat, not surprised to see Charise standing beside him. Gripping her hand, he led her across the deck. “Imagine running into you here. You should have told me you wanted to go out tonight.”
“I didn’t know I wanted to go out when you left.” I shrugged, then motioned to Eve. “Have you guys met?”
“Eve, right?” Charise stuck out her left hand. Her left hand, on which a very big diamond adorned a very important finger.
Beau followed my gaze, his lips pulling up into the widest, most radiantly happy smile I’d ever seen on them. “We just got engaged.”
“You what?” My eyes flew wide open before they narrowed on the ring on Charise’s finger. “I saw you less than an hour ago. When did this happen?”
“Just after he got back from your place.” The smile on Charise’s face matched the one on Beau’s, joy shining brightly from her eyes. “He walked in the door, pulled a box out of his pocket and dropped to his knee.”
Eve arched a brow, obviously impressed. “Where did you get a ring in this town at this time of night?”
“I’ve had it for about a week,” Beau said with a wink and a wide smile.
“How did I not know about this?” My eyes were in danger of bugging out of my head. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing or hearing. “You couldn’t find a minute to tell us about this when we saw you earlier?”
“You called us there to talk about other stuff.” Beau waved dismissively. “No one was there to have a drink on my impending engagement. Plus, I didn’t want to risk karma coming back to bite me in the ass if I said something about it and she ended up saying no.”
“I was never going to say no.” Charise looked up at Beau with such adoration in her eyes that it felt like I was intruding on a private moment.
“We should have a toast,” Eve suggested. “An engagement deserves to be celebrated.”
“Sure,” Charise agreed, looking up at Beau.
He shrugged, pulling her close to his side. “We don’t want to stay out too long, though.”
“Just a quick toast.” Eve pushed to her feet and was back with four glasses of sparkling wine so fast it was like she’d pulled them out of thin air. She handed each of us a glass and held hers up. “Congratulations, guys.”
“Congratulations,” I echoed, my gaze locked on my brother’s. I had so many questions for him but now wasn’t the time. “I’m happy for you.”
“Thanks.” He rolled his eyes like he didn’t really believe me, then winked and swallowed his wine down in one swig. “We’re going to get going.”
“I’m still drinking.” Charise held up her glass as if to demonstrate her point. Beau grinned, grabbed it from her and finished hers too.
“Not anymore. Come on, I want to be alone with you.” I really wished I could scrub my ears after hearing Beau’s voice go husky as he started pulling Charise away from the table, tossing us a wave over his shoulder. “Thanks for the drink. See you tomorrow.”
Eve watched them leave with an amused expression on her face. “Is he always like that?”
“Most of the time.” I sighed, shaking my head. “I can’t believe he got fucking engaged. Today, of all fucking days. Our father’s getting out of prison tomorrow, for crying out loud.”
She tilted her head just enough to warn me she was about to ask a question I might not want to answer. “What does your father getting out of prison have to do with Beau’s engagement?”
“It’s just...” It felt wrong, like he was rushing into it. “Dad should be his priority right now.”
After a long moment of silence, she reached across the table and rested her warm hand on mine. “I’m sure he is. Beau just got engaged, but it doesn’t mean he can’t focus on anything else because of it. It’s clear he and Charise love each other. Obviously, he wants to make her part of your family. Your family includes your dad.”
I shrugged, my mind too busy with thoughts of what Sonny told us combined with planning for Dad’s homecoming to worry about Beau’s motivations. “Maybe, but after the information Sonny gave us, I guess I thought he’d want to focus on the family he already has instead of growing it.”
“What did he tell you that’s so important?”
“He found out why Roy did what he did. It’s a question we’ve been trying to get him to answer for years, but he’s always refused. Sonny refused to give up, though, and he’s finally found out.”
Eve’s green eyes widened, shock and disbelief clear in them. “What did he find out?”
I cleared my throat to dislodge a sudden lump sitting in it. “Roy did it to protect us. The guys he embezzled from had a hand in our mother’s death, and they threatened us too. Dad knew there was no use fighting them when they were so powerful, so he knocked them down a few notches.”
“They killed your mom?” Her voice came out strained, almost like she was choking out the words.
I nodded, my jaw tensing. “Yeah, Roy was going to back out. To quit. They found out and tried to force him into staying, and when that didn’t work, they threatened his family. Aside from our family’s investment company, he specialized in cyber security from the early days. When he first started working with them, he thought it was all above board. By the time he tried to pull out, they weren’t going to let him. They wanted him to keep hiding their tracks. He still resisted, so they proved how serious they were.”
Silence met my confession. Eve looked stunned, tears brimming heavily in her eyes. We were interrupted by a waiter who brought out another round of drinks. When he left, Eve lifted her watery eyes to mine. “I’m so sorry, Tyson. That must have been really hard for you to hear.”
“It was.” For so long, my brothers and I believed that we had never really known our father. We thought that all along, he had been one of the bad guys. “I’ve hated him for years because he did this. The fallout nearly drove of us out of town. I’m the DA, and then it comes out that my father is a criminal? Sonny almost lost his career before it even started. I still don’t really understand how both of us managed to get to where we are under the circumstances. Evan holed up in his shop and stopped really talking to people, and Jeremy was just angry. Beau seemed to stay golden, almost like he was above it al
l, but he was just as hurt as the rest of us.”
“I can’t even imagine what you’ve all been through.” Her voice was so soft, I could barely hear it.
“I’ve never told anyone any of this,” I admitted, my voice low and weary.
Eve’s head pulled back slightly, like she was taken aback by what I was saying. “You can tell me anything, Tyson. I would never repeat a word you say to me.”
“I know.” I didn’t know how I knew, but I did. “Roy went through all of this for our family, for Mom and me and my brothers. I guess learning about all of this had made me hope to someday find a woman I love so much that I’d go to prison if I ever had to avenge her.”
“Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that.” A ghost of a smile touched her lips.
I cocked my head, allowing my own lips to tip up at the corners. “You’re the only person I’ve ever been able to be this honest with.”
Saying the words out loud, I realized how true they were. Eve had become a confidante, a friend even. Somehow, she’d gone from just being someone I was attracted to into something more. I trusted her; I wanted her opinion and her advice. I wanted her as a partner, albeit not in crime.
The thought came out of nowhere, but it floored me. I excused myself to go to the bathroom, and as I was washing my hands, I looked myself in the eye and admitted the last thing I ever thought I would. I didn’t only have feelings for this woman. I had the kind of feelings that could eventually make me consider doing the same thing Beau had just done.
It was way too early for all that, of course. But I’d never seriously considered it before now. If it was something Eve might eventually want, I wasn’t averse to it anymore. When the hell did that happen?
When I got back to the table, Eve and I finished our drinks and moved on to less serious topics. My revelation stayed at the forefront of my mind, though. I couldn’t shake it. I also couldn’t let her go, not knowing what I knew now.
