I never thought to ask those questions but that changes today.
* * *
I stareat my father’s face as he opens his eyes. He immediately panics, trying to get up from the chair he’s tied to, but there isn’t any chance in hell that’s happening. Wes used his boy scout skills and tied him down without an inch of wiggle room.
“Jessa, sweetheart, untie me,” he coos. “Let’s get out of here. Away from these monsters.”
I try to keep the emotions off my face, pulling on my inner Declan. I don’t want him to know how much this affects me, how much he hurt me.
“Tell me about Mom’s accident,” I order, ignoring his request to untie him.
“I’ll tell you everything you want to know if you release me.” I bite the inside of my cheek, the copper taste of blood filling my mouth.
“No. Today, you’re going to pay for all that you’ve done.”
Anger overtakes his previously calm features, the darkness inside him finally showing itself. “You are just as much of a con artist as your mother was. I fucking knew it from the moment I saw those videos. You were enjoying it. When did they get to you? How long have you been planning this, huh?”
“I didn’t plan anything. They really did kidnap me. They thought I was like you. They wanted to hurt me because of you. They thought they could hurt you by hurting me, but then they realized that you didn’t care about me.” I pause for a moment, sucking in a calming breath.
“Did you ever care…did...did you ever love me?” My voice cracks at the end, emotions overcoming me.
“I did love you once, just like I loved your mother. Then I found out that it was all a lie. You can be glad that I didn’t find out you weren’t my daughter until years later.” His words hit me like a ton of bricks. I am so shocked I find that I’m actually taking a step backward.
“What?” I gasp.
“Your mom cheated on me throughout our entire marriage. I should have known when I caught her in the act, but the man she had an affair with was a part of the security team then, and he had only worked for me for a few months. It didn’t occur to me that your mom was a slut before then. I’m not sure how many men she had slept with before him. I guess we’ll never know.” The smile on his lips makes my stomach churn.
I stand there oh, so still, trying to digest what the hell he just told me. When I finally get up the courage to talk again, I ask, “Did she really die in a car accident or did you have her killed?”
I peer into his eyes. Eyes that I never thought would hold as much coldness as they do right in this moment. “She deserved to die.”
Ignoring his words once more I ask him again, “Tell me what really happened to my mother.” He rolls his eyes, seeming annoyed with my questions.
“If you really need an answer, then yes, I killed her and her lover, and believe me I would do it again. It was the best day of my life and I should have killed you that day too, but I didn’t know then what I do now.” The pure hatred dripping from his voice chills me to the bone and suddenly I’m done asking him questions. He’s not giving me the answers I want, and even facing death head on he’s not showing an ounce of remorse.
Did I ever really know this man?
I don’t tell him goodbye. I don’t say anything else at all. I just turn around and step out of the room. Trey, Wes, and Declan are all waiting in the hallway for me. Their faces holding the same sorrow filled expression as I murmur the words I know they’ve patiently been waiting for.
“He is all yours.”