CHAPTER TWENTY #2
I’m not sure what to make of this room, or what to do with it.
If it’s nothing, then I’ve just violated my dad’s privacy.
But why does he have all that information on Levi’s work, home and car that blew up?
Should I speak to Ryan about it, or face my dad first?
It might be nothing and then I’d be making a fool of myself.
Maybe I’m just being paranoid because we just received a threat?
Surely there is a reasonable explanation for all of this.
Maybe he was helping find out who the threat was that was targeting our family?
That would seem like the logical choice, right?
I hear the back door shut and I hightail it out of the office, then towards the living room.
Dad is stuffing his phone in the back pocket of his jeans when we come into the same room together.
He looks as though he’s sweating from the moisture on his forehead and the beginnings of a sweat ring under his arms.
“Hey, Dad,” I say, but it comes out like I’ve just run a marathon. “Want some coffee or tea? Halo is down for the count for a while.” I try to calm my heartrate.
“Sure, honey, coffee would be great. I’ve got some things I need to look at that need my attention for work.”
“Okay,” I say and turn to walk to the kitchen. “Oh, the window was open in the office and papers got blown everywhere. I tried to pick them up and organize them for you,” I say over my shoulder.
I watch in my peripheral as he stops right before the entry of the hallway.
“I’m going to go out and ask the guys if they need anything to drink while I brew your coffee.” My legs work their way to the back door.
“They all went to walk the perimeter,” Dad says sharply.
“Oh.” I finally turn to face Dad and find him in the middle of the room standing tall. “Well, I’m sure Zeus is itching to get back in here.”
“Zeus went with them.”
I know something isn’t right because Zeus would never just go with someone else and leave my sight.
Not to mention, Ryan would never allow us to be separated when there is a threat on us.
Zeus and Ginger are our last line of defense, in the event that something happens to security.
The hairs on the back of my neck start to stand at attention.
“You saw it, didn’t you?” he asks calmly. Too calmly.
“What?” I question, but everyone knows I’m a shit liar.
“Sweetheart,” he says in warning, like I’m a little girl again who just marked up one of his books with a highlighter.
“Why do you have a hidden room behind the closet of your office? Why is there all this paperwork on Levi? His house? Work? How do you have photos of Halo and me for the last two years when I just gave you some for the first time?”
Dad’s stance goes rigid, like he’s about to go to war.
“I did what any other father in my position would do,” he defends.
“What does that mean?”
“It means that I’ve been trying to clean up the worst decision you ever made. And to resolve what my parents should’ve done decades ago.”
“Clean up? Dad, Levi is the best thing to ever happen to me. There isn’t anyone else I’d want to spend the rest of my life with.”
He gives a slight mocking laugh, and I have to wonder where the hell this is coming from.
“Saylor, listen,” he steps closer, eliminating the distance between us.
“I know you think you might love him, he is your first real boyfriend and all, but he and his family are not what you think they are. I should’ve put a stop to this over twenty years ago and then we’d never be put in this position.
When I found out you started dating the chump, I thought it would sizzle out.
I never thought you’d marry the guy and then have a baby with him in such a short amount of time. ”
“Is this real right now? Are you really having this conversation with me about my husband and the father of my child?”
“Yes, Saylor, I am.”
Everything that Levi said about my Dad hating him comes to the forefront.
“Did you really threaten Levi by saying that if you found me first that you’d hide me away and never let him find me?”
“Of course.” He snorts. “Honey, the man was marked for failure the moment his parents stuck those needles into their veins and killed themselves. I wasn’t about to let you fall into that pit.
Not after everything you went through with watching your mother die.
I know what a disappointment life can be and I wasn’t about to let that happen to you.
I’d do everything in my power to prevent that from happening to you ever again.
His family is nothing but poison, and I won’t have my daughter attached to that. Not when I could prevent it this time.”
“Dad, Levi loves me and would never do something like that. I have always been his main priority.”
“Tell that to all the families of the victims, where he and his brother let murderers go. Tell Daniel, the man who raised him and molded him to defend guilty criminals, who plow down innocent lives. He lived the fast life and was catered to, all because he wanted to make a name for himself, and didn’t care who he was hurting.
Look at Blaire Hutchins and what she did to you.
She almost cost you Halo, all because you and Everly wanted to have her held accountable for what she was doing.
” My eyes widen as I realize that Dad knows about the escort business and possibly Levi and Linc’s involvement.
“That evil woman was more than forthcoming about his ways and how he liked to treat women who he paid for.”
My world is reeling and I can’t focus on anything at the moment.
“Are you saying that you and Blaire were friends? Talked?”
“I made it my business to know my daughter’s boyfriend, and pursued her after finding out you’d started hooking up with the one family that I despise more than anything.
I knew she was holding more back so I decided to befriend her, and the more I found out, the more I was determined to get you away, even if it meant you some heartache for a little while. ”
“Blaire Hutchins is bitch. She lured them in with the promise of fame and riches. She was the head person in the prostitution ring in LA for God’s sake!” I can’t even believe that my dad would befriend a woman like this.
“Oh, I knew exactly who she was after a while, but I needed hard proof before I made my move. I just didn’t think you would be such a sucker and marry the asshole so quickly. Out of all the men in this big city, you and Everly had to go and pick a Thorne.”
I can’t believe what I’m hearing. This has to be a nightmare, and I’m going to wake shortly.
“What hard proof did you need?”
“Blaire was so stupid and had files in her vault, in her office behind some bookshelf. When I was sure I had all the copies of all the files and recordings, I made a call to a buddy of mine and had her turned in to the police. She never saw it coming; that bitch thought we’d work together and break the two of you up. ”
“You’re the reason she was put into jail? She was the one who beat me to a bloody pulp and could’ve made me lose Halo!” I scream, forgetting that my baby is down the hall sleeping. I thought Everly and I were the ones who put in a tip to get her caught.
“I know.” He looks somewhat regretful, but then it’s gone. “Don’t worry she got what was coming to her in the end. And so did Linley, though I didn’t expect that bitch to go as crazy as she did on Everly.”
“Did you cause Everly to almost die?”
“I planted seeds for Blaire to have Linley make a scene to scare Everly away. I didn’t plan on her going fatal attraction at the spa, but don’t worry Linley is living in hell for her actions. You and Everly will never have to worry about that lunatic, or Blaire ever again.”
A gasp leaves my lips as I remember the diagram of the Los Angeles PD blueprints.
“Did you have something to do with Blaire dying in jail?”
“I may or may not have pushed her to do it. She didn’t need much convincing, after a visit from me.
“Oh my God!”
“Don’t be upset, the world is a much better place now that she’s no longer prancing around here.”
I can’t believe this is my dad, the man who raised me to love and be kind to others. The man who would kiss my booboos and hold me when my mother died.
If he was this hungry to break us up, what else has my dad done?
“I know you think it was harsh but it wasn’t,” he tells me.
“What else have you done?” I stare, laser focused at him. There is a lot more to this than what he’s saying.
He shrugs like he’s bored with this conversation, but we are far from done.
“Tell me,” I demand and my mind goes back to the hidden room. “You sabotaged his car, didn’t you?” He stares back at me, not budging. “Didn’t you! I saw the diagram of the car in the room back there, tell me,” I yell, shaking to my core.
“Yes. Is that what you want to hear? I did. That man has a horrible past and bloodline, and it was going to bleed over onto you. That was something I wasn’t going to allow.
Do you even know the type of people he represents?
He takes on murderers and gets them off scot-free with some loophole.
All it takes is the right dollar amount and he’ll do anything. ”
“Allow? Why would you do something like that? Why not just come talk to me and tell me what was going on with you? He doesn’t even do that anymore and never really wanted to, but felt he had to follow in his brother’s footsteps.
Levi is kind and loves to work with his hands rebuilding homes and being outdoors like me.
He does great things for the community but doesn’t want the publicity for it—”
“Because you were blinded by all the hearts and grandeur he had. I knew when I found out who he was that he had some spell weaved on you, and you wouldn’t have been very receptive to me saying anything.”