Chapter Fourteen
Kiera fell asleep quickly, the weight of her story dragging her down.
Her own dad set her up with that piece of shit.
What the fuck is wrong with him? I wait until her soft snores even out before I ease out of bed and pull my clothes back on.
Leaning down, I press a soft kiss on her forehead.
You may be broken, Thorn, but so am I. Broken things can still shine.
I get it now—the pull, the way my obsession with her bloomed so fast. She’s my match in every way that matters. She just doesn’t realize it yet.
I head for the elevator, already mentally rearranging her floor.
I really need to get cameras up here for her.
By the time the doors close, I’ve got her security system pulled up on my phone, fingers flying as I bring it back online.
The elevator opens into the parking garage, my truck sitting where I left it.
I slide in, start the engine, and head home.
My mind is so wrapped around Kiera—her dad, Asher, the fucking Cicada post—that I’m pulling into my driveway before I’ve really registered a single turn.
Thank fuck for muscle memory. I’m out of the truck and moving before the engine’s even cooled, heading straight for Cam’s room.
I don’t bother knocking. “Hey,” I announce myself, pushing the door open. “We got anything yet?”
Cam looks up from his computer. “There were four names that showed up both nights,” he states. “Wade, Kiera, Lila… and someone named Asher.”
I freeze at the last name, the air in my lungs turning to ice.
How the hell was he there, and Kiera never saw him?
“Find everything you can on Asher,” I say, my voice going flat.
“He’s a problem that needs to be removed, regardless of whether he’s tied to the blackmail or not.
” I brace my hands on the edge of Cam’s desk and lean in.
“Also, trace Kiera’s VPN and IP address—for home and her phone. ”
“Sure. Give me a few minutes.” Cam swivels back to the monitors, fingers flying over the keys as he starts typing like a man on a mission.
“I’ll be right back.” I leave Cam to his keyboards and head for the kitchen, grabbing a beer from the fridge.
Something Kiera said keeps replaying in my head.
She lied when she said she didn’t know who the blackmailer was—but was honest about the reason why they were doing it.
Who else would want Wade to confess other than the one person who it destroyed just as much?
Looks like my thorn may be more than just a pain in my side.
I tip the bottle back and chug half of it, letting the burn steady me before I head back to Cam.
“You’re not going to believe this, but I finally got something.” Cam’s voice is sharp with adrenaline. “It’s her. Kiera is the one behind this.” He spins his chair to face me, eyes wide. “She’s fucking good—like really good—but I found a missing piece of her setup with the last video.”
“Erase any proof that it was her.” My decision is instant, absolute. No one but us ever needs to know this.
Cam’s brows jump up, confusion written all over his face. “I know you have this fascination with her, but Sterling, this is the job we were hired for.”
“I don’t care.” My voice comes out low and sharp.
“That man deserves every bit of this from her. It’s not just killing her mother, Cam.
He did a hell of a lot more than that.” I push off the desk, jaw tight.
“I need you to make it look like Asher sent them. And before you start bitching, Asher is in no way innocent. It’s not my story to tell, but one way or another, Asher and Wade will cease to exist.” I meet his eyes, letting the promise sit there between us.
“Find out everything you can on Asher and Cicada.” Cam swallows, then nods and turns back to his screens, getting to work.
I shoot Wade a quick text, telling him we think we've found our blackmailer. Pulling up the camera feed, I see Kiera starting to stir, so I switch over to our messages.
Me: I need you to come here.
I send her my address with the text and wait for her response.
The weight of everything folds in on me as I step into a quick shower, hot water doing nothing to wash it away.
I can’t let her get hurt by them anymore.
I dry off and put on a pair of sweats and a T-shirt before heading back to Cam’s room.
“Found anything on Asher?” I ask. Cam pulls up a document on the screen, lines of information filling the monitor.
Asher Sinclair
Age:
26
Profession:
Private defense lawyer
for Wade Hawthorne
Relatives:
Audrey Sinclair- Mother
Robert Sinclair- Father
Robert Sinclair Jr- Brother (Deceased)
Known Associates:
Wade Hawthorne
Kiera Hawthorne
Criminal record:
No record found
My phone pings with a text from Wade, telling me to send him the info. I stare at the screen, thumb hovering. I need to talk to Cam and Kiera before I decide how to answer that. Another text comes through—this one from Kiera.
Thorn: Fine, but I’m bringing Lila with me.
Me: Like I would say no to that. Cam’s
going to love her.
Thorn: Oh god…this is going to be interesting.
After ten minutes, my phone buzzes again, Kiera texting that she’s on her way. “Kiera’s on her way here,” I tell Cam, “And she’s bringing a friend.”
“God dammit, Sterling. Why are we bringing someone else here? You know the whole point of doing this is to remain unknown, but sure, let’s invite more people over.” Cam is in a mood. “Sorry,” he mutters after a second. “I just don’t do well with new people. And now two new ones are coming.”
I exhale, dragging my hands through my hair. “I know, but I need her here to help sort this out. Her programs are just as good as ours.” Cam presses his lips together, then nods because he knows I’m right. “I’m going to go make us food. Any preference?”
“Nah, whatever’s quick and easy.” I nod and head back to the kitchen.
A glance in the fridge tells me I really need to go grocery shopping, but there's just enough to throw together some roast beef sliders. I grab the meat and provolone, set them on the counter, and pull out a baking sheet. Putting all the ingredients in, I slide the tray into the oven. I’ve barely straightened when there’s a knock on the door.
As I open the door, Kiera and Lila are standing there. Even in leggings and a T-shirt, this girl is breathtaking. “You going to stare or let us in?” Lila asks, amused.
“Sorry, come in.” I step aside, motioning for them to enter the house. “So,” I say once the door shuts behind them, “we know who’s blackmailing your dad.”
Kiera freezes. “Who?” There’s an eerie calmness to her right now. Lila glances between us, reading the shift in the room.
“You.” I don’t have anything else to give her after that, so I just sit there, silent, and wait for her to be ready to talk.
“Yeah.” One word. That's all Kiera says.
Lila jumps in before Kiera can say anything. “Look, we know you were hired to find her, but Wade isn’t a good man by any means. He killed her mom and orchestrated some other events. Wade has this coming.”
“Lila,” Kiera cuts in softly, “I told him. He knows about Asher and what my dad did.”
Lila’s jaw drops. “You sure we can trust him with that?”
“We wouldn’t be standing here instead of dealing with my dad if we couldn’t,” Kiera says with a dry chuckle. “Okay,” she adds, lifting her chin a little, “so you know. Now what?”
“Let’s go talk to Cam. He may have found some more information.” I lead them down to Cam’s room. “Cam, this is Kiera and Lila.”
Cam nods. “Hi. Okay, so I found nothing new on Asher, but remember how I told you someone named Angel applied for the Cicada program? Well, apparently, after Kiera’s mom died, Wade hired a new chef named Angel.”
Kiera goes still. “Angel? She was my favorite staff member. Her name was Angelina, but she told me to call her Angel.”
Blood roars in my ears, “Do you know her last name?”
Kiera shakes her head. “My memory is foggy from then. I only remember bits and pieces, but I think it started with a W.”
Cam looks straight at me. “Sterling.”
“Don’t.” My hands curl into fists at my side.
“I don’t remember much around that time either.
It’s probably just a coincidence. Back to Asher.
” I turn to Kiera. “He’s going to be the fall guy.
” She nods, “But I need your help setting it up. Your programs, along with ours, will make this look real. Wade will never know it’s you. ”
“What do you need me to do?” Kiera asks, stepping up to Cam’s computers.
“We need anything that Asher would have against your dad,” Cam explains. “Then we plant digital bugs that make it all trace back to him.”
“Asher knows about the murder. He’s my dad’s private defense attorney. He also has hinted about knowing more about Cicada, and if what Sterling said is true, that will fuck with my dad, too.”
“Okay, you two work on that. I’m going to grab the food out of the oven.” I push off the desk. “Cam, why don’t you grab the laptops and let’s move to the dining room?”
“On it.” Cam pushes to his feet, passing a stack of computers to Lila and Kiera.
“You could at least say please, asshole.” Lila snarks, pure sarcasm dripping from every word.
Cam’s eyes narrow. “Please, will you be of some assistance,” he bites out, “instead of sitting around looking pretty?”
Lila’s mouth curves into a malicious grin. “Oh, so you think I’m pretty?”
Cam groans and shoots me a look. “You owe me. Fucking big time.” I just laugh and head to the kitchen. Lila will be good for him.
Kiera follows me into the kitchen, setting the laptops down on the table. “They’re going to kill each other.”
“Probably, but it’ll be fun to watch,” I say, grabbing the sliders out of the oven. “Want to bet on who does it first?”
Kiera giggles. “All bets on Lila. She looks soft, but she will fuck some people up.”