“Was my father in love with her?”
“At one time.”
Not surprising, though my stomach clenched. “Was my father in love with my mother?”
“Yes. I believe he was. But I didn’t really have anything to do with your father. Or my sister, for that matter.”
“Were Wendy and my father having an affair while he was married to my mother?”
“Only Wendy and your father know the truth.”
“Tell me why Talon was taken.”
“Talon was never supposed to be taken. I’ve told you that.”
“I know that. And you know as well that Wendy told me something entirely different. I had the opportunity to talk to her recently.”
“She’s lying.”
“I haven’t even told you what she said yet.”
“The bitch is a liar. She’ll say anything to get what she wants. She’ll shatter your world if it will get her closer to her ultimate goal.”
“What’s her ultimate goal?”
“Surely you’ve figured that out by now.”
I let out a breath. “My fa
ther.”
“Your father.”
“But he’s dead.”
“Is he?”
Yes, he was. I knew that as fact, but still, a chill coursed through my body. Was Larry suggesting that Bradford Steel was alive? “His body was cremated. Yes, he’s dead. Wendy knows that.”
“Maybe he’s dead, and maybe he isn’t. It doesn’t matter. Reality was never a concern of Wendy’s.”
How well I knew the truth of that. But I’d play along. “What makes you say that?”
“I’ve told you before. She isn’t what she seems.”
“Yes. And I’ve told you before that I need you to elaborate.”
Larry shook his head. “She’s a smart woman. Very smart. A genius. Cunning. She’ll do anything, and I mean anything, to achieve her ultimate goal. She doesn’t care who she hurts.”
“Did she have anything to do with Talon’s abduction?”
“Is that what she’s claiming now?”
“I have reason to believe that, yes.”
“I’ve told you before. Talon wasn’t meant to be taken. He was at the wrong place at the wrong time. The others didn’t know who he was when they took him.”
“I can’t believe that. They both knew my father. They would know who his sons were.”