Chapter 21
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
FELIX
I’m at my father’s place on the Upper East Side at three in the morning.
My family is questioning why this emergency meeting can’t wait until daylight hours.
Though, I doubt Dad and Amabella have slept, given the scandal my relationship with Harper has brought upon Forever Families. They’re still dressed from the day.
With Harper’s hand in mine, I gaze out the living room window at the city lights, contemplating how to explain the sudden danger thrust upon everyone’s lives.
I’m confident I can keep my family safe, but there’s guilt within me.
All of them live regular lives. They think I live a regular life.
None of them should have to deal with the mistakes from my past.
Dad clears his throat, speaking first. “If this is about your relationship with Harper—”
“This isn’t about me and Harper.”
Amabella is next to Dad on the couch, holding her phone up with Killian on a video call, being in the Hamptons. “Will someone explain why I had to wake up for this?” he asks.
“I’m waiting for Tyler to arrive first,” I tell him.
“I couldn’t get in contact with Tyler,” Dan says, occupying an armchair with Ally on his lap. “I left him a message but he’s probably sleeping.”
Harper gasps, her eyes panicked on me. “What if Gregor already got to him?”
“Gregor?” Dan repeats. “What are you talking about?”
“He’ll be fine.” I stroke Harper’s arm then turn to the family, deciding to get this announcement over with. “An issue from the past has arisen. Eight years ago, a man named Paul Ferguson attacked Harper—”
“Felix, don’t speak another word.” Dad rises from the couch with a firm warning, but I don’t listen. With the danger everyone is in, they deserve the truth.
“I killed him out of rage for attacking Harper. The murder wasn’t intentional. I didn’t realize I killed him till days later. We hid the evidence. I thought we’d been successful at burying the past. But the man’s brother has discovered the truth and tracked me down.”
The living room is filled with stunned silence and shocked faces, all but for my father shaking his head, red with rage that I’ve shared a truth he worked so hard to conceal.
“The man’s name is Mitchel Gregor. He held me and Harper at gunpoint tonight. He’s a cop but seems to have no care for the law. All he wants is revenge for Paul’s death, which means killing me, along with everyone I care about.”
Dan slides Ally off his lap and shoots to his feet, fuming at me. “What the fuck, Felix? You’re telling me some psycho wants to kill Ally?”
“I’m hiring security for each of you. No one is getting killed.”
Ally tugs on Dan’s arm. Her face is pinched with fear. “Dan, calm down.”
“How am I supposed to calm down when your life is in danger? Fuck, Felix.” I’ve never seen Dan this angered, especially not at me.
“Ally and I are getting married soon. We can’t have a wedding under these circumstances.
When I marry Ally, I don’t want to be fretting over the safety of my wife.
The day is supposed to be about nothing but me and Ally. ”
He’s not the only aggravated person in the room. Killian is demanding answers from the video call.
Amabella is glaring at my father. “Felix said we hid the evidence. Who exactly is we?”
Dad scrubs a hand over his brow. “I took necessary measures to protect my family. Felix is my son. I wasn’t going to let him go to prison. I will always do whatever it takes to protect you all.”
“How could you have kept a secret of this magnitude from me? I’m your wife. You have a lot of explaining to do.” Amabella storms out of the living room, calling back to Dad, “You and me in the office, now.”
Before following her, he nods to me, surprisingly not angered but in action mode. “Son, we’ll discuss this once I’ve calmed down Amabella. You’ve done the right thing warning us. We need to get in contact with Tyler.”
“I’m on it.” I pull out my phone. Tyler is the last person I want to speak with, but if there’s one person who can get him to answer his phone at this hour, I know it’s me.