“Doesn’t sound like a bad guy to have in your corner,” Emmett supplies.
“He’s a great guy to have in my corner, but I still don’t fully trust him because of that element that remains hidden.”
I like to think I’m a good judge of character, and Diesel has been nothing but loyal and supportive, but Dad instilled a lot of advice, and the thing he drilled into me over and over again was not to trust anyone completely. That even allies can end up being foes.
“Did your dad know?” Sariah asks.
“We never talked about who took me. The only thing he asked me about my kidnapping was if they had raped me.” Sean and Emmett turn pale. “They didn’t touch me like that even though I was pretty well developed at that age and I’d already had my period.” I grind my teeth to my molars. “They were more about inflicting pain. I didn’t see their expressions, but I could feel their smiles as they burned me with cigarettes, cut me with knives, and took a blowtorch to my skin.”
Sean gulps, and Emmett reaches out, taking my hand in his. “It’s okay,” I assure him. “I was broken for a long time after I was released, but Mom got me into therapy, and Dad helped me a lot. Knowing that I can defend myself fully gave me back a lot of my confidence and helped me overcome my trauma and my fears.”
“If your dad went to all that trouble, he must’ve known it was The Sainthood,” Sariah says, moving over to sit on my other side. “Because David Jennings was in prison, but it sounds like your dad believed the threat was still ever present.”
I pull my hand from Emmett’s tucking both my hands between my jean-clad thighs. “He knew. I’m sure of it. It’s why he went to such extremes to protect me. But he never told me, and I never told him I’d figured it out.”
“Why would The Sainthood kidnap you?” Sean asks, looking perplexed.
“Dad was a lawyer, and I think he was working for them.” I hate admitting that, because I’ve had Dad on a pedestal for years, and acknowledging he was tied up in shady shit means he wasn’t who I thought he was either. But it’s the only truth that makes sense. “Something must’ve happened, and they kidnapped me to threaten him.”
“Does your mom know?” Sariah asks, her mouth pulling into a tight line.
“We sheltered Mom from everything. That was the way Dad wanted it. She doesn’t know about the cabin or my training. Dad said we had to protect her, but now, I’m rethinking my theories.”
Sariah rubs at a spot between her brow. “If your mom was once engaged to Neo, and your dad knew that, then maybe he didn’t tell her to protect her or—”
“Or he didn’t trust her,” I blurt, cutting Sariah off. “And I’m guessing Mom is the reason Dad was mixed up with them in the first place. Although that’s only speculation because he’s dead and I can’t ask her because I don’t trust her anymore.”
“Fuck, Lo.” Sariah yanks me into a hug. “This is a shitstorm.”
“It’s a lot worse than that,” I say, easing out of her embrace. “It’s not a coincidence that Neo has reappeared in our lives. It’s all connected, and I think it’s tied up with something my dad knew.”
I pause for a second to gather my thoughts. I’m sure the answer is somewhere in the paperwork Dad left at the cabin, but most of the files are written in code, and in the four months since I discovered the documents, I haven’t been able to crack it. I want to tell them about the secret files, but it places them in too much danger, and I’m already risking so much by telling them this.
“What do you think is going on?” Emmett asks, concern transparent on his face.
“Everyone knows The Sainthood controls the guns and drugs on the streets and that they are behind most of the violence and unsolved murders. I suspect they are involved in a ton of other shit too. The authorities know it, but they can never pin them down. It doesn’t help that they have so many cops and judges in their pockets. I think my dad was collecting evidence to use against them.”
Acid crawls up my throat, and pain stabs me through the heart. I look down at my hands, needing a moment. Sariah rubs my back.
I lift my chin up, trying to ignore the agonizing pain ripping me apart on the inside. “Dad was on edge in the months leading up to his death. He bought me my SUV as an early birthday present, and he was anal about it being the only car I drove. It’s bulletproof, fireproof, bombproof, and about as indestructible as you can get. I thought he was overreacting, but now, I think he knew the danger had escalated.”
I blow air out of my lungs, staring at my bestie, as I force the words out of my mouth. “I think The Sainthood found out what my dad was up to and they killed him for it.”
CHAPTER 11
I’M DISTRACTED MONDAY at school because I’m itching to put my new plan in place. These past four months, my aim was to decode the paperwork, and once I understood what I was dealing with work out a way to take The Sainthood down.
But Neo making the moves on Mom has changed things. And after his guarded message last night, I know he’s going to start making demands on me. I can’t spend more time trying to decrypt the files.
I need ammunition, and I need it now.
I might have to move my timeline up and consider the very real possibility of fleeing before I graduate.
Unless I can prove Neo is behind my father’s death.
So, I’m refocusing my energies on the car accident that claimed my father’s life.
I tap out two messages on my new cell under the desk during math class before sliding my phone back into my pocket. Feeling eyes on me, I glance over my shoulder and stare blankly at Theo.
He stares back, giving nothing away, and I flip him the bird before turning back around and focusing on the class.
“Who were you texting during math class?” he asks when we are seated in the cafeteria at lunchtime. Being forced to sit with the four jerks every day is a pain in my ass, but I’ve tried ditching them, and they just follow me around.
Dicks.
Everyone knows Saint is set to become my stepbrother, and they’ve all jumped to the conclusion that’s why they’ve claimed me. Now, girls are climbing over one another to hit on them, and I’m forced to watch as they lap up all the attention even if I know they are just humoring the girls in a bid to fuck with my head.
I hate to admit it’s kinda working, and I’m trying really hard to retain my usual “don’t give a fuck” attitude.
“None of your business, and get the fuck out of my space,” I reply, elbowing Theo in the ribs because his chair is way too close to mine.
“There was a time you enjoyed Theo being all up in your space, wasn’t there, princess?” Saint says, purposely moving his chair in closer to me on the other side so I’m trapped between both jerks.
I peer into Theo’s face, but he’s giving nothing away. “You told them.”
He ignores me, shoveling a large forkful of pasta into his big mouth.
I press my lips to his ear. “But did you tell them the whole story?” I whisper loud enough for the others to hear.
He briefly squeezes my thigh in warning, his eyes challenging me with the promise of retaliation if I fuck things up for him.