Chapter 14 #2
Now it’s just us again, Isla runs on ahead, pigtails flying.
“It’s timely that we met Alice,” Tobias says, his gaze on the horizon. “There’s something you need to know about this family that I haven’t told you yet.”
“You don’t have to tell me anything you don’t want to. We mentioned honesty, but also that our privacy is important.”
“I know, but this is something I shouldn’t keep a secret.” He’s silent for a moment, as though he’s gathering his thoughts. “Remember I told you my sister was murdered and my mum killed herself?”
I wince. “Yes.”
“Well, what I omitted to tell you is that Annabel and Xan were the product of rape, and the rapist… my dear fucking uncle George, Dad’s brother.”
My jaw unhinges. “Oh, my God.”
“Xan is convinced George had something to do with their kidnapping. So far, George is denying everything other than the fact he raped my mother. He swears he had nothing to do with taking Xan and Annabel or her death. When it all came out, George and Alice fled Oakleigh. Late last year, we caught up with them and brought them back here. Ever since, George has been locked in the basement of Oakleigh.”
I blink. “I’m sorry, what? He’s… in your basement?”
“Yes.” He says it like it’s the most natural thing in the world.
The hairs lift on the back of my neck. Who are these people? Is Isla safe?
“Rebecca, it’s okay. It’s safe for you and Isla. He can’t get out.”
He read my mind. Part of it, anyway. “You do realize it’s not normal to keep a relative locked in the basement? I feel as though I’ve stepped through the looking glass and found myself in a live action version of Jane Eyre.”
“I realize how it looks. Don’t be scared. You’ve no reason to be.”
A hysterical laugh bubbles up in me. “Scared? I’m not scared, Tobias. I’m freaking out. This is… insane. If he’s guilty, he should be in prison.”
His jaw locks. “He is guilty, and he is in prison.”
“I mean a real prison, not your basement.” I clasp my cheeks, shaking my head.
“We’re not like normal families.”
I draw in a slow, uneven breath, struggling to rationalize this. Should I pack my bags and run?
Breathe. Just breathe. There isn’t a single thing Tobias has done that makes me think he would ever, ever hurt Isla or me. But this…
He sucks in his lips. “Fuck, I’m sorry. That makes us sound much worse than we are. I know this is a lot to process, but you and Isla are safe here. Not a single member of this family would hurt either of you. I don’t want you to think we’re monsters. We’re not.”
I walk a few steps away, needing the space from him to get my head around this. And I thought Felicity had a dark side.
I whirl around. “What’s going to happen to him?”
He shrugs as though it’s no big deal. “Dad’s left that up to Xan. I thought my brother would murder him the second we caught up to him, but when George denied having anything to do with Annabel’s death, it changed things. Xan wants and deserves answers. We all do, but my brother most of all.”
Murder? “And what about Alice? Did she know what he’d done?”
“No. She’s as much a victim as we are. The only difference is she still loves him, whereas the rest of us would gladly watch him burn.”
“Wow.” My cheeks puff as I blow out a breath. “Wow.”
“Rebecca.” He grimaces. “I didn’t want to keep it from you. We said no secrets.”
I press down on my breastbone, my heart thundering beneath my palm. “That’s a pretty big one. I may’ve been fine with you keeping that to yourself.”
He half smiles. It’s tentative, exploratory, tinged with worry.
Hi, frying pan. Meet fire.
No, that’s not fair. The De Vils are not the La Salles.
Both have highly questionable morals, but from what I understand so far of this family, the De Vils’ debatable morality comes from a place of protecting their own.
The La Salles’ comes from a place of cruelty, of control and violence, of vengeance. The two are not the same.
“Can I tell you something?” Tobias murmurs.
I let out a shaky laugh. “Sure. Why not? Today’s already completely wacky. As long as it’s not more family members incarcerated in the bowels of the house.”
He chuckles. “I promise there’s only the one. That I know of.”
“God, Tobias.” I rub my temples, my head pounding. “That you can even joke about it.”
“I’m sorry. Bad timing. It’s a coping mechanism, I guess.”
He flinches, staring at the ground as though he wishes he could stuff the words back in. Coping mechanism? Is his tendency to lean toward humor connected to his aversion to touch? I’m curious, but I won’t ask. It’s not my place to.
“I’m not going to run from Oakleigh, screaming, though next time you have a bomb to drop on me, can you give me a little more warning? Or at least offer a stiff drink.”
“I promise. Although there are no more surprises.”
“That’s something, at least,” I mutter.
“It’s about The Lair.” His nostrils flare on a deep intake of air.
“I’m not going to dive into the details, but that club saved me on so many levels.
It’s why I’ve fought so hard to keep it.
Yet something is stopping me from going back, and I don’t know why.
I went there after I got out of the hospital.
Since then, every time I think about going, I can’t. ”
“And that’s worrying to you?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“Because without it, I have nothing.”
He looks so lost and, yes, lonely, that I find myself saying, “That’s not true. You have your family. And you have Isla and me.”
He looks at me for a long moment, a smile slowly forming. “Yes, I guess I do.”