Chapter 19 Eberly
EBERLY
My hands shook as I hit the button to accept the call. “Dad?”
“Eberly, sweetheart. It’s good to hear your voice.”
“It’s good to hear your voice too. I’ve been so worried.”
“I know, and I’m so sorry, Eberly.”
“Where are you? I’ve been trying to reach you.”
“I’m sorry that I had to go away for a while, but I promise I’m trying to make things right. I need a little more time.”
“Dad, the bank is trying to take the house.” Something in my gut told me not to tell him about the injunction with it or the winery.
“I need more time, sweetheart.”
“Dad? Did you hear me? What am I supposed to do about the house?”
“Goodbye, sweetheart. I’ll try to call again soon.”
I stared at my cell-phone screen in shock that the conversation was over so quickly. I looked up at Trevino. While I hadn’t put the call on speaker, he was sitting close enough to me to have heard the entire, brief conversation.
“I don’t know what to say. It’s like I don’t know my own father anymore. It was so…bizarre, right?” I looked down and saw he was typing something into his phone. “What are you doing?”
He raised his head. “Trying to remember everything he said.”
“Oh. Good idea. Well, it shouldn’t be that hard to do since he didn’t say much.”
He held his phone out so I could see the screen. “Did I miss anything?”
“I don’t think so,” I said after skimming it.
“What?” he asked when I shook my head.
To say something about the conversation was bothering me was an understatement. I was angry, hurt, worried, and confused, but along with all of that, something wasn’t sitting right with me. “I can’t explain it.”
He set his phone on the table and leaned forward. “Let’s break it down. Is there anything your father said that was out of character for him?”
“Hmm. Out of character? I guess most of it was. Except…”
“What?” Trevino pressed.
“He called me sweetheart three times.”
“Was it the number or that he said it at all?”
I studied him. “At all. How did you know?”
“Your reaction. Anything else?”
“He didn’t directly respond when I brought up the house. I don’t know. Maybe that wasn’t out of character. Remember, I feel like I hardly know the man anymore.”
“Decker is monitoring your incoming calls. I should’ve told you that sooner.”
“It makes sense that he would.” My eyes scrunched. “But why didn’t you tell me?”
I could tell he’d heard me, but it took him long enough to respond that I wondered if he would. Finally, he shook his head. “I don’t know.”
Part of me hoped he’d say nothing, but I knew better.
Except, inside, I knew it wasn’t because he was keeping secrets from me.
He wouldn’t hurt me. Just like my mom never would.
Or Uncle Michael. There were certain people who I trusted that much.
If I had the guts to take a good, long look at my relationship with my father, to the point where I allowed the hurt in, I already knew I couldn’t say the same about him.
I shook my head. “There’s more you aren’t telling me, isn’t there?”
By his reaction, I knew I was right. He practically flinched.
“Tell me now, Trevino. Either that or…”
His head shot up. “Or what?”
“I trust you. Don’t do this to me.”
His eyes scrunched but he gave in. “While I have no proof, my gut is telling me something is off with that phone call. Next, I have a strong suspicion that Tiernan Burke, or whatever his real name is, is involved in one or both of the gangs the FBI raided last year. In fact, I think he’s trying to take over their former territories. ”
“Is there more?” I asked.
“I don’t know what you’re worth, Eberly, and I don’t want to know.
My theory, and I’m not alone in this, is Burke wanted to get his hands on your money in order to fund his criminal activities.
That’s why he proposed; that’s why he wanted to marry you.
Something happened. I’m not sure what, but it made him realize things weren’t going to go the way he’d planned, and that’s why he called it off.
Or maybe your dad had something on him, and that’s how he convinced him to walk away.
Except now, I believe Burke has your dad.
He didn’t just disappear. He’s being held against his will. ”
“What else, Trevino?”
He took a deep breath. “Next, he’s gonna come after you and maybe even your uncle, if he’s figured out he controls your trust fund.”
I should be lying on the floor in the fetal position, except instead, I felt oddly empowered. As though every word he’d said made me see things clearly.
“I’m in danger.”
“I’ll die before I let him get to you.”
I felt the air leave my lungs, and I clung to him, trying to catch my breath.
“Eberly? What’s wrong?”
“My dad said almost the same thing. ‘I’d sooner die than let you get your hands on it or her.’”
“And maybe that’s what happened. Maybe your dad went after him.”
“Do you think Tiernan will kill him?”
He opened his mouth to speak, then shut it.
“Say it!” I demanded.
Trevino’s eyes bored into mine. “If he hasn’t already.”
“But I just talked to him.”
“Did you? Are you certain?”
I let his words settle in. He was right. I wasn’t certain.
“Ashford’s calling,” he said when his cell rang.
“Go ahead.”
“Hey, Deck. Eberly and I are both here. You’re on speaker. Were you able to analyze the call?”
He cleared his throat. “I’ll hand it to you, young Avila; you’re gettin’ smarter and smarter the longer you work with me.”
“Cut to the chase, Deck.”
“You were right. No question it’s a deepfake.”
“What’s that?” I asked.
“It’s more commonly used to describe videos that have been digitally altered by using deep-learning artificial intelligence,” Decker responded.
“In essence, it’s used to make it appear like a person said or did things they never did.
It’s imperceptible unless the video, or in this case audio, is closely analyzed.
It was apparent almost immediately that your father’s side of the conversation was fake. ”
“How?”
“You can duplicate a person’s voice but not their style, if you will.
His voice lacked the inflection that would be inherent to what he was saying.
In other words, it was too flat. Taking it a step further, it was easy to confirm by the number of imperfections in the audio signal. It’s a byproduct of the process.”
A few minutes ago, I felt empowered. Now, I started to shake. With every passing second, it got worse.
“Decker, I need to cut this short.” Trevino ended the call, gathered me in his arms, and carried me into the bedroom. “Fuck, I wish we were at the ranch,” he muttered, lying beside me after resting me on the mattress.
“Take me there.”
He angled his head so our eyes met. “I’m not sure that’s a good idea right now.”
I wriggled out of his arms and sat up. “I need to get out of here, Trevino. I feel like I’m going to come out of my skin.”
“It’ll take us an hour to get there. Are you sure you want to do this?”
“I can’t stay here. It isn’t that there’s anything wrong with the cottage. I’m…I don’t know how to explain it.”
“Okay. We’ll leave now.” Before Trevino led me out to the truck, he grabbed a blanket, which he spread out on the bench seat. He helped me climb in and sit in the center like I had every other time I rode with him.
I shivered with desire when he said, “Listen carefully, little dove. This is how tonight’s going to go.”