Chapter 11
I couldn't decide whom I wanted to speak to first, but in the end, I chose Carlisle because I couldn't stop thinking about him. I wanted to trust him. I wanted to believe that he wouldn't lie when I asked him a direct question.
When he saw me, the man smiled and pulled me into an embrace. When I didn't return his embrace, he pushed me away slightly and frowned. "What's happened?"
"Your office," I muttered, allowing him to lead me inside his spacious hotel office. Behind closed doors, I turned to face him. "Have you ever lied to me?"
"Of course not. What is this about?" He moved away from me and sat behind his desk. I remained standing, my legs trembling as I stood in front of the desk.
I cleared my throat. "You told me that you'd never slept with Jane. Was that true? Have you ever fucked her?"
His dark eyes glittered with anger, and a faint flush crept onto his cheekbones. He was clearly angry about being questioned.
"You don't trust me?" He steepled his fingers.
"You didn't answer my question."
He contemplated me for a moment. "No."
"Why are you visiting her in jail?"
His brows shot up. "Oliver told you."
I shook my head. "Jane did."
"Dammit, Tallulah!" He jumped up and perched on the front of his desk, facing me directly. "I can't believe Oliver would let you talk to her."
Annoyed, I shot to my feet. "Oh, I see! It's okay for you to see her every day, but not for me to see her once. What's wrong with that, Carlisle?"
"Fuck! I told you I was helping her."
"You said you would pay her attorney fees. You didn't say that would involve you visiting her," I snapped. "Why are you?"
“I’m not going to answer that because I don’t want to lie to you.”
"And you expect me to believe that you haven't slept with her? Ridiculous." I moved out of his way and started to pace until he grabbed my arms.
"I didn't sleep with her, damn it, woman!"
“How does she know about the birthmark on your penis?”
His hands dropped to his sides.
"Look me in the eyes and tell me the truth. Then we'll forget about her. No more visits."
"Fucking hell!" He tugged at his hair and moved to stare out the window, leaving me with my heart in my throat. Now that I was here, I wasn't sure that I wanted the truth.
"Do you want the dark and twisted truth?
" He moved toward me like a panther ready to strike.
"Because, yes, I fucked her before I even touched you that night at the bar.
I would fuck her so hard on my cock that she came screaming.
" I blinked back tears, but I didn't think he saw them as he moved closer.
"She knows about the birthmark because she's sucked me off numerous times.
The last time was before we got on the party boat.
" He paused. "Do you feel better now?" he shouted. "You drive me crazy!"
I couldn't stop the tears falling down my cheeks as my heart broke in two. How could he? I thought he wanted me when he had Jane the whole time. I blinked up at him. "Did I mean anything to you, or was it all just a joke because you're literally in bed with Jane? And Aiden—figuratively?"
“You mean the fucking world to me. You asked for the truth. I finally gave it to you. I haven't laid a hand on Jane or anyone else since all that shit went down on the boat. Can we move on?" he asked irritably.
“Do you have the money that Angel is looking for?” I asked through my tears.
His eyes flickered away, which told me all I needed to know.
I added, "You need to give the money to the sheriff." With that, I turned to leave.
"Tallulah, where do you think you're going?"
My hackles rose as I slowly turned to face him. "I'm so angry and hurt right now that I don't want to be around you. Do not follow me." I slammed the door shut behind me and thundered out of the hotel, nearly knocking into Jessop as he strode inside.
"Ah, Tallulah! Do you know where Pen is? She's avoiding me."
"I do," I snapped.
Jessop frowned, shifting his gaze from the hotel to me. “I’m not sure what he’s done to make you angry, but—”
"Save it."
"Are you going to tell me where Pen is?"
"No, I am not. You know why: I've come to the conclusion that the Hallen men are assholes who cannot be trusted."
I turned my back on him and rushed toward the café. I cut down the side street to the back of the building. I was a mess and didn't want to be seen.
When I entered my apartment, Pen was in the kitchen looking better than I had last seen her. "Why are you crying?"
"Carlisle fucked Jane. Multiple times. He lied to me. He also has the rest of Aiden's money. It’s not Aiden's money. It belongs to someone named Angel, who I assume is the creepy guy. But I'm guessing it belongs to whoever Angel works for.” I burst into tears as I finished my tirade.
Shocked, Pen stared at me and slowly put her coffee mug down on the countertop. As she moved around the counter, I noticed she had a baby bump. Then, the truth hit me like a hammer to the head: "Jessop is the father."
Her guilty look answered my question. I sniffled into a tissue as I moved to the sofa. "I figured it out. But I haven't figured out why you and Riley ended up dead."
Pen shook her head. "Who's Riley?” Paused. “Wait! No way!” She held up a hand. "Did you say Carlisle Hallen slept with Jane?"
I nodded slowly. "She blew him the night of the party boat. He lied to me. He also has almost two million dollars that he shouldn’t have.
” I started to laugh. "I'm relieved you didn't find all that, because I couldn't have helped you get it together.
" My laughter continued until tears took over. "What a mess."
"You need to calm down, Talla. You're going to be sick."
“Why didn’t you tell me Jessop is your baby’s father?”
"You didn't ask." She huffed out a breath. "It was just one night. I cried when it was over because I was overwhelmed. No one had ever loved me like he did. But he couldn't get out of bed fast enough, and he left without saying a word."
"See? Hallen men are assholes. We're better off without them."
"I agree," Pen said.
We both lied.