Chapter 15 #2
My sister laughed. “Do you remember that time he told Mom she was going to be a grandmother?”
“How could I forget? Poor Mom.” TJ had purposefully let us all believe that he’d gotten a girl pregnant. He’d been fourteen. Mom had launched into a string of questions about the girl and her name.
Beta. He’d told us her name was Beta.
And after an hour of stringing us along, of giving Mom gray hairs, he’d excused himself from the conversation only to come back a minute later with a betta fish.
“He was such a shit.” I smiled. “But no one could make us laugh like he could.”
It was like he’d seen how much of a burden Mom carried, always keeping our secrets and managing everything on her own, and he’d challenged himself to provide the levity.
Even though Dad paid for our lives, he’d never been there to help with the cleaning or cooking or laundry.
He hadn’t been there to watch my track meets or high school graduation.
He hadn’t been there.
It had always been Mom. And no person had made her smile like TJ. Even now, years after he’d passed, I hadn’t seen that sort of joy on Mom’s face.
It had been stolen with his life.
“It’s not fair,” I said.
“No, it’s not. But this is how you honor him,” she said. “Not by getting revenge. But by remembering him. Remembering how we loved him and how he loved us.”
She was right. God, she was right.
And now that I realized it, it was too late.
There was giggling upstairs. Jack’s laughter mixed with Christian’s precious squeal. My sister looked to the ceiling and love shined in her brown eyes.
The ache of jealousy slashed deep. The only man I’d want this with, a simple life full of love, was one I’d never have. Those tears that had been plaguing me all day flooded my eyes. I ducked my chin, blinking them away, so that Shelby wouldn’t see when she faced me again.
“What was on the flash drive?” she asked.
“I don’t know.”
“Are you going to look?”
I shrugged. “I have to.”
“No, you don’t.”
Footsteps on the stairs meant our conversation was over for tonight. I had no doubt she’d want to talk more, to get the specifics I hadn’t had the time to give. But as Jack and Christian returned to the dining room, we visited for a little while longer before I excused myself to go home.
My condo was dark and the air stale. I moved from the garage to the kitchen, flicking on lights as I walked. My heels were discarded by the fridge. Mom had neatly stacked all of my mail on the island.
I needed to unload my suitcases from the car. I needed to check my emails for what I’d missed today and call my mother to tell her I was home. Maybe she’d want to meet me for lunch tomorrow. But when I dug my phone from my purse, I hit a different name in the contacts.
Ace.
“Hey,” he answered. The loud music in the background could only mean he was at The Betsy.
“Partying without me already?”
He chuckled. “It’s too quiet at my place.”
“Yeah, I know the feeling.”
“Hold on. Let me go outside where I can hear you.”
“Okay.” I glanced around the condo.
I’d bought this place for its clean lines and modern vibe.
The white cabinets were faced with frosted glass.
Their slim, silver handles matched the smooth stainless appliances.
The floors were a white-washed oak done in a herringbone pattern.
The living room couch was the color of oatmeal splashed with too much milk.
In my bedroom, it was more of the same scheme.
It suddenly seemed so cold. Outside it was dark, but in the morning the perfectly manicured lawn would glow neon green, and a few young trees would wave in the breeze, none taller than the roofs in this new development.
I missed Emmett’s colorful, rustic home. I missed his spicy scent lingering in the air and the vibrant forest out every window.
The noise on the phone faded and Emmett blew out a long breath. “You still there?”
“I’m here.”
“How was your drive? Roads okay?” His voice was like a smooth caress down my spine. How was I supposed to sleep tonight? It would be too cold without his body to keep me warm.
“They were fine.” I pulled out a stool from the island and slid onto the seat.
“Hey.” Emmett’s voice was muffled as he greeted whoever was there with him. “Yeah. Be in after a sec.”
He was busy. He was at the bar, having fun. I was at home with nothing to keep me company but a flash drive that I was leaving in the car tonight.
Maybe I should have been jealous that he was out, worried that he’d find someone else to warm his bed tonight. But I trusted him.
How had that happened? How had he gone from the enemy to the one man I trusted?
“Sorry, baby.”
“It’s okay. I’ll let you go. I just wanted to say hi. Hear your voice.”
“Talk soon?”
“Yeah.” I sighed. Maybe. “Bye.”
“Bye.”
I set my phone on the white marble counter, staring at its dark face.
Two months and everything was different. Whatever plan I’d concocted in an effort to avenge my father had disintegrated like wet toilet paper.
Would I find answers on that flash drive? Maybe. If I could bring myself to open it.
There was no way I’d take that step tonight. It was a step in the wrong direction.
I needed to turn, to back up. To put everything in reverse. To unwind what I’d started.
“How . . .” I tapped my fingers on the counter. Thinking. Calculating. Planning.
The only way to end this would be to protect Emmett from my father. That was the answer.
Somehow, I had to make this stop.
Knowledge was key and at the moment, I was behind. Were the Warriors already regrouping, Dad having anticipated my failure? There was one person who would likely know. Or at least, he had information that might point me in the right direction.
It was time for an overdue date.
I picked up the phone and called a man who knew Dad arguably better than I did.
“Hello, stranger,” Ira answered.
“Hello yourself,” I purred, nearly making myself gag. “I was hoping to catch up. What are you doing for dinner tomorrow night?”