“We need to find out who this group is,” I say. “The ones hiding behind Atticus, Wes, and Charlie.”
“No fucking way, Abby.” Drew slams his fists down on the table. “You will stay a million miles away from order members.”
“Fuck off telling me what to do.”
“You know how pissed you were over what went down in the office that day?” he bites back. I grind my teeth to the molars. “Well, that is fucking nothing to these men! It’s not even a blip compared to the things they do to women. I’m sure I don’t have to spell it out, but if you go sniffing around these guys, none of us can protect you. And, trust me, if they get their hands on you, you will never recover from it. They will ruin you for life.”
A chair slams as Jackson jumps up, racing from the room. Kai shares a loaded look with Sawyer before Sawyer stands and follows him outside. “What’s up with that?” Xavier mouths to me, and I shrug.
“I’ll be careful,” I suggest. “Like, I can use the opportunity with the Barrons to find out more. That’s not so risky.”
“I’m in agreement with your brother on this,” Kai says, cupping my face. “You are not to involve yourself in that. Don’t even ask Charlie any questions, because we can’t trust he won’t relay them to his father.” I’m opening my mouth to protest when he cuts me off. “If I can set my feelings aside over your fake engagement, then you will do this.”
“I’ll see what I can find out,” Drew says, “but you’re leaving it alone.”
We’ll see.
“Then we’re back to our initial plan,” I concede. “Trying to dig up dirt on Dad we can use, and I have an idea.”
“Okay.” Drew drains the last of his water, tossing the empty bottle over the table and into the trash can. “What is it?”
“So much of this is tied up with the elite, and rules, and the past, and there’s got to be something there we can use against him. Atticus gave us lots of valuable intel at the ballroom, but certain things about both of their relationships with Mom don’t add up. I have questions, and there’s only one person who might answer them.”
“Trent’s mom,” Drew says, catching on fast. Sylvia Montgomery was best friends with Emma Anderson and our mom from the time they were toddlers, and she’s the only person who knows what really went down.
“No fucking way,” Kai interjects, and Xavier laughs.
I roll my eyes to the ceiling. “Enough with the caveman routine, or we’ll just continue going around in circles.”
“You’re not going near that asshole.”
“Agreed.” I smile sweetly at him. “Sylvia attends a shrink in town every Tuesday at five p.m. I’ll wait outside and force her into talking to me.”
“I thought she never left the house,” Xavier says, remembering stuff I told him previously.
“She rarely does, but anyone unfortunate enough to live with those two bastards would need psychiatric help.”
“Okay, fine,” Drew says, looking at his watch and standing. “That sounds like a good place to start.” He shoots me an apologetic look. “We’ve got to go.”
“We’re not finished talking.” I’ve got a bunch of other questions.
“I have something I must do, and I can’t be late,” Drew cryptically says.
“Do you think the evidence Mom uncovered proving Dad murdered Kai’s mom is at Parkhurst?” I ask, blatantly ignoring his last statement.
Drew shakes his head. “My belief is Dad never found it. I think it’s still hidden wherever Mom put it.”
“Any ideas on where that could be?”
He shrugs. “Your guess is as good as mine.”
“We have to find it.”
“And fast,” Kai says. “Because if they elect your father council president, then it’s useless.”
“Let’s put our thinking caps on,” Drew agrees, removing his jacket from the back of his chair. “And then join heads and see if we can come up with some options.”
“Wait,” I call out, as he strides toward the door. “There’s one more thing I need to know.” I stand, needing to be upright for this. Kai rises, watching me closely. “How long have you two been working together?” I ask, my gaze dancing between Xavier and Drew.
Xavier’s alarm is clear for everyone to see, and air whooshes out of Drew’s mouth, confirming my suspicions. You’d think I’d be numb to betrayal by now, but I’m feeling their treachery in every part of my being.
Every single person in my world has betrayed me, and I’m feeling more alone and vulnerable than ever. Even Jane has let me down although I’m not so emotional that I don’t understand it wasn’t by choice.
The only person I can truly count on is myself.
The others must earn back my trust before I’ll fully believe in any of them again. Saying they’d die for me proves nothing, because it’s just words. Their actions in the weeks ahead will prove whether they are sincere
Until then, my survival is in my own hands.
And I’ll be making decisions that benefit me.
Escaping is tempting, and I’m not altogether convinced that I won’t just run off.
For now, I’ll stick with the plan, but if they let me down again, I’m getting out of here.
Kai wraps his arms around me from behind, and I lean against him, letting the warmth from his body drive out the bitter cold spreading throughout every part of me. “Was any of it real?” I ask Xavier, my voice projecting my anguish.
“The stuff that mattered was.” He approaches me, pleading with his eyes. “I love you, Abby. You’re my best friend, and I’d catch a grenade for ya,” he says, quoting one of his favorite Bruno Mars songs. “All of that is true.”
“How and why?” I ask that question of my brother.
“You came back from Aunt Genevieve’s funeral changed. I could tell the difference.” He glances at Kai. “I didn’t know what’d happened, but I knew you were planning something, and it terrified me.” He steps closer. “I’d already lost Mom,” he whispers. “I couldn’t lose you too.”
“What did you do?” My voice is devoid of emotion.
“I hired Xavier to hack you, knowing how you’d respond, and I’ve been paying him to work with you ever since.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
My jaw slackens, and my heart leaks blood by the bucketful. “I can’t believe you’d do that to me.”
Drew steps forward, ignoring Kai’s warning hiss. “I won’t apologize for helping you in the only way I could. I had to be sneaky in case Father found out because then everything I’m working on would be in vain. I’d studied the plans of the house, and I discovered the tunnel. I cleared it out, reinforced the electrical wiring, and fixed the rear gate. I was trying to figure out a plausible way of telling you about it when you stumbled across it yourself.”
I’m so conflicted right now. I can’t deny it warms my heart to know my twin went to such extremes to help me. To know I wasn’t wrong about his intentions or his love for me. To understand it’s part of a bigger plan he’s working. But the way he went about it kills me. Betrayal was on every corner, and I was blind to it. “How could you lie to me like that? We used to tell each other everything!”