I look up, my belly twisting.
“Ohhh, crap. I totally forgot all this!” Brina says. “When was it again? I have to know.”
I shrug and click the link.
“About twenty years ago—” She gasps. “Oh my God. Wait. Paige, he...he died on a boat with Ward’s parents!”
Holy shit.
She’s right.
I’m reading it now with my heart scaling my throat.
“...they were accused of murdering him. Huge messy court battle, but since the yacht sank, there was no definite evidence. Wow, looks like Parnell’s family still thinks they killed their son. This makes no effing sense.”
I sit up, bewildered, fingers fumbling.
My phone hits the floor with a thud.
Brina sets her phone on the coffee table in front of the couch. “God. There are so many links it has to be true. But the Brandt family is independently wealthy, and they don’t seem to have a problem attracting media attention on their own. So, what reason would they have for killing an actor?”
My eyes are glued to the screen. I’m numb from the shock and at the same time the wind has been knocked out of me.
“Last thing I skimmed made it sound like drugs were involved. Maybe that was the motive?” I say.
Were they all high?
Was it just a tragic accident?
My stomach clenches, and I remember Ward reacting like an electric fence to the box.
He was in control like the lion he is, but visibly upset. His fist clenched when that boat appeared.
I knew I had to get him out of there before he went nuclear.
No wonder.
“Jesus Christ. Hold on, Brina.” I reach for my phone and text him.
Ward, are you okay???
“What is it?” Brina asks.
My phone buzzes. Dandy. I’m surprised you care. You were in a big hurry to get away from me.
Sigh.
That’s not it. I was pissed and confused that he wouldn’t trust me to help.
Brina’s staring at her screen again. “Victor and Giselle used to go to all the famous beaches and Europe for months at a time on ‘publicity tours’ before the boat thing. Giselle had an acting career once. Looks like they’d leave Ward and Nick with their grandparents. They sound pretty self-absorbed.”
There it is.
That twisted freaking moment when I start to hurt for Ward Brandt...and Nick, too.
“What a horrible way to grow up,” I say.
I shake my head and text him again. I didn’t understand the situation. But I’ve done some searching around and...I do now. I’m sorry.
His response is immediate. Not everything you read online is true. Only, in this case, it might be.
Ward, are you all right? I sound like a broken record, but I’m worried.
There’s so much I still don’t understand.
Why would Victor want to drag this out with Beatrice recovering from a heart attack? It’s bad for his family and awful for his mother’s health.
I can’t see how it helps him. Ward’s last message is ambivalent enough, neither confirming nor denying...
But. What. Is. Happening?
I’ll be fine if you promise to stay the hell out of it, Paige. You don’t know everything and honestly you don’t need to. This isn’t your problem.
The bearish response makes me think he’s back to his usual walking middle finger state of mind, at least.
But he still doesn’t trust me to help, and it sucks.
Fine, dude. Be that way.
My phone pings again. One more thing. Don’t mention the box to Grandma or Nick. I haven’t decided if I’ll tell them about it or not, but if I do, it needs to come from me.
With every stab of my fingers at the tiny letters, I feel something raw in the back of my throat.
Fair enough. But why would your dad do this? I can’t see how this helps anyone.
Another immediate response. He wants something. He always wants something, but I’ll handle it. This is what I do.
I put my phone down and look at Brina with this dull recognition glazing me over.
“I just remembered, at the art museum, it was the boat. The curator pulled out a replica of this fancy yacht Beatrice designed. That’s when he really freaked, and I get it now. It’s the same ship.”
“Oof. Is that why you texted him?”
I nod. “I just don’t get it. What’s his father after? It was forever ago and there are still so many nasty stories about it. Bring it up now, and it’ll be back in the news. Beatrice is recovering from a major heart issue. It’s like he wants to kill his own mother.”
Brina blinks. “I mean, people say—okay, I say—my mom is crazy. But she’s crazy in a different way.”
I smile because it’s impossible not to love Brina’s mom.
“A fun, silly, crazy way. She’d never lob a grenade like this. This is straight-up book villain shit. Your mom would kill off anyone in a book who pulled this crap.”
Brina laughs. “You know her too well. Does Ward have any guesses what put his dad up to this?”