7. Kiera
KIERA
My heart ached as Vivienne recounted the day she was caught.
Forcing a deep breath into her lungs, Viv met Dom’s eyes. “I had no choice but to leave. But I swore that I would come back for you.”
I watched Dom closely, seeing her blue eyes grow glassy.
“I knew The Oracle was in the house, that they would protect you too.”
Leaned back on the couch, Leo shook her head. “That’s why you fought for the shares.”
Viv pursed her lips. “Part of it. I knew Dom would be too important to both of their plans to risk letting her slip through the cracks.”
It wasn’t a sure bet but it was the best she had.
A gust of wind came in through the window, blowing fresh mountain air into the tense room.
Vivienne was watching Dom closely. “The Oracle helped me relocate, somewhere that Isaac wouldn’t find me. And we started planning how to get Dom back to me.”
Rolling her eyes, a wave of annoyance washed over her. “Of course they said they couldn’t risk extracting Dom. Now, I know they just needed her to remain their inside agent. You see, we’ve been pawns in both of their games.”
“Bastards.” Dom grumbled, no longer just angry at her father but at the people who’d kept her mother hidden from her for so long. Even when The Oracle knew that Dom was on their side, they still hadn’t let her in on their plan.
Viv smiled at Dom. “I asked for updates about you every time they made contact. Saved every picture they gave me, no matter how grainy or blurry. I waited for you, sweetheart.”
“I know, mom.” Dom nodded, trying not to let her emotions take over.
Rising from her seat, Vivienne crossed the room and grabbed Dom’s hand. “Every day that I left you there is a tally on my list of regrets. I know what he did to you. I wish I could take it all back – wish I could have protected you from him.”
It was Spencer who broke the tension in the room. “But how did you end up with Brennan’s shares?”
My blood turned cold. In all of the chaos, I’d forgotten why The Oracle had brought us here. We were here to claim my inheritance, something my father had arranged before he died and hid with a woman he would have believed to be dead.
Looking at me with her deep blue eyes, Viv nodded. “I told you I saw him one more time.”
She leaned back in her chair. “It was quiet out here, I kind of assumed I’d be alone for the rest of my days. If I was lucky, I could come out of hiding once that bastard kicked the can.”
“But just like today, there were tires up my driveway a few years later.” With a laugh, she looked between Dom and I. “Unlike today, I would’ve recognized that old nerd anywhere, even with a few more wrinkles and grays.”
“He’d found me, followed a trail of money and property purchases The Oracle made under a shell corporation and came to see me.” Viv bit her lip as she remembered that day, something dark in her eyes. “He looked so tired.”
Leaning forward, I shook my head. “Why did he come looking for you?”
Vivienne nodded. “After they launched Zeus Eye, a product that revolutionized national security, Brennan came up for air and realized there was a whole lot of missing money. And he followed the trail, just like I did with the lawsuits.
“It didn’t take him long to realize what Isaac had been doing while he was busy building the tech. He was disgusted that his work – his creations were being used to traffic women and girls around the globe.
“The more he learned, the more likely it seemed that my death wasn’t so simple. It always seemed off to him that I would take my own life. People hide, they’re unpredictable. We never know what is happening when someone isn’t performing for the crowd.”
Viv sucked in a deep breath. “But sometimes you just have a feeling, something that goes beyond the denial that comes with grief. And Brennan followed it.
“When he got here, I told him everything I knew. Except for how The Oracle had helped me.”
Tilting her head, Spencer jumped in. “Why not? Couldn’t they help him?”
A wave of guilt washed over Viv’s worn face. “I didn’t trust it. I feared he was sent by Isaac, that my sweet friend had somehow been corrupted by the same power. And if I revealed The Oracle, I would have put Dom’s life at risk.
“So instead, I explained that Isaac had let me leave and I used an offshore account to buy the property and hide here.
“That’s when we hatched our plan. He would go back to Valemont, confront Isaac for his crimes, and likely end up dead if he couldn’t sway his best friend to do the right thing.
And when he did, we needed to hide his shares just like we’d hid mine.
But this time, Isaac wouldn’t have an incentive to protect Kiera. ”
Dom sucked her teeth. “So you built it into the plan.”
“Hiding here, waiting for me to come looking.” I nodded.
A question gnawed at my stomach.
Why would he choose to leave me? He knew what Isaac would do.
But I couldn’t bring myself to ask. He’d put his life on the line to save hundreds of girls and women. Women like Spencer’s mom. And I wouldn’t have sacrificed Spencer’s mom just to have a corrupted childhood with my dad.
Don’t be selfish.
The soft pitter-patter of the rain had gotten heavier as Viv spoke.
“And here you are. Brennan was a smart man, but Isaac was his weak spot and I should’ve known it wouldn’t work.
” Viv shook her head. “I should’ve taken a prison sentence myself and just slit his throat in that office.
Could’ve saved my baby, Brennan, and his baby a whole lot of trouble. ”
Dom scoffed out a laugh as she looked into her mom’s matching blue eyes. “Killing him wouldn’t have changed anything. We needed control, total control to make our move.”
“Exactly, my dear.” Vivienne winked as she scanned the room. “And now the time has come.”
From the look on her face, it must have been obvious how exhausted all of us were. Even Lady was passed out on the couch. She’d explored the house before crawling up onto the sofa to listen to Viv’s story.
Between the long journey and the emotional turmoil of discovering Viv here, we were all due for some rest.
“But first, you all need to rest. There’s a lot to catch up on but we have time.” Vivienne wouldn’t tear her eyes away from Dom, the shock and pride still all over her face. “It’ll take some time to get the paperwork to sign over the shares going. So, you might as well settle in.”