“That’s his car. If she’s been out of rehab for months, why didn’t he take her home? Why is he even here?” I unbuckle my seatbelt, wishing with everything in me that this wasn’t real.
“Because he’s been caught. It’s as simple as that. He’s trying to hide his messes. I’m sorry, wild child. I want to tell you what I know, but I refuse to be the one to deliver this kind of news. I don’t know all of it.” Talon takes my hand and kisses my knuckles. “Regardless, we’re in this together. We’re going to fix this shit.”
Talon said that my mom had some answers, but I’m afraid for her now. Because, obviously, Daddy knows that he’s been caught. Talon told me as much. He told me about their confrontation in the King’s chambers and how he decided to go with his fake reasoning to me about the account and make it a reality, challenging my dad. He just has to wait for the summoning.
And maybe that’s why my dad has become so desperate.
There’s only one way to get real answers and that is to cut them out of him. Because there’s no way he will just freely give them.
Talon’s words trigger something dark inside me, and I peer at the condo as if I have x-ray vision and can see through the walls. If Talon is afraid to tell me, then it must be bad. And it has something to do with my mother.
“Do you have everything we need?” I ask, not wanting to say the words out loud. Like I said though, I’ll get answers from my dad by any means necessary. He’s proven how ruthless he can be. He hired a fucking hitman to kill me. And for what?
Talon reaches into the backseat and pulls out a duffel bag. He unzips it and shows me its contents. I wish Christos, Esteban, and Leandro were all here with me to help give me more strength than Talon does alone, because I feel so much stronger when I’m with them all, but this will have to do.
“You don’t have to do anything you don’t want to, wild child. And I should let you know, if we do this, it will jeopardize my chance to take over. I mean, if we get caught. But I don’t give a fuck. I’ll take every damn fucker down who tries to hurt us. I’m not scared. They put me in my position for a reason.” Talon closes the bag and opens his door. “Let’s see if we can get your mom first. It’ll be better that way.”
He’s right. As much as I want to run in with my knives ready, I need to think about my mom. She’s an innocent bystander in all of this. She’s been kept in the dark about the Looking Glass and the workings of the Society of Secrets. I think it’s one of those things that threw her deeper into her addiction. It’s hard to trust someone who will kill to keep others’ secrets.
We creep around to the sliding glass door within a walled courtyard, and Talon helps me up and over. Fear ignites in my heart, the scream of my mom muffling through the door. I’m afraid we’re too late. I’m afraid my dad has decided to do something despicable and unthinkable.
Talon moves me out of the way and grabs a knife from the duffel bag, shoving it into the small space where the lock is to pop it open. It’s obvious that my dad doesn’t stay here, because he doesn’t truly protect himself with extra security, which makes this so much easier. I bet he didn’t even expect us to show up. But, he made a fucking bad decision, and we’re going to take advantage of it.
“Shut the fuck up, Evelyn. If you don’t, I will do it for you, you fucking whore.” Daddy growls the words, his anger palpable.
My mom sobs in response, the fear in her voice hurting me deeply. Talon holds me back, stopping me from running in to save my mom. He pulls out his cell phone and begins recording.
I spot my father striding across the dirty living room of the condo to where my mom sits in a worn recliner.
“This is all your damn fault, slut. You couldn’t just keep your damn legs closed. You fucking lied to me for years! Years! And now your bastard daughter will try to destroy everything.” Dad slams his fist into the arm of the chair, startling my mom and making her cry harder. “The rehab just called saying she’s looking for you. You fucking bitch. You gave her power of attorney, and now it’s going to fucking make things worse. You need to void it immediately. She can’t have anything to use against me.”
“No,” Mom says softly. “You can’t make me. You’re no longer my husband. You have no say in my life anymore. Now leave or I’ll call the cops.”
My dad swings his arm and slaps Mom across the face. “I own the cops. You’re a fucking dead woman. My son died because of your bitch daughter. Had I known she wasn’t mine, I’d have done things differently. I wouldn’t have given Sebastian the choice. He killed himself because he couldn’t go through with killing her when she was marked as not being a suitable heir. She’s only alive because I thought she was mine. You’re a lying fucking slut. Give me what I need, or I will kill you just like I killed that fucking worthless piece of shit man you opened your legs for.”
“What?” Mom asks, her whole body trembling. “You killed Garett? You said it was an overdose. You said everything was going to be fine.”
“It was supposed to be, but Stacia messed it all up.” My dad rubs his hands over his face.
“What is that supposed to mean, Ken? What did you do? What did you fucking do?” Mom pushes from her chair, her anger giving her the strength to confront my father.
“You know, I thought I could live with knowing that Stacia wasn’t mine, but she had to go and disrespect me in front of an important ally. I knew she would never be anything like me no matter how hard I tried, so I punished her for it. I punished her fucking sperm donor as well. He had no idea what was coming when he thought Stacia wanted to meet him. It was so fucking satisfying, watching the light leave his eyes. Stacia was too fucking drugged to do anything, acting just like you.”
Mom swings at my dad, trying to smack him, but he grabs her wrist and throws her back to the chair. My mind spins with his revelation. He’s always been bold. He wants people to know his viciousness. He wants people to be afraid of him and what he can do. It’s how he’s gotten so much power. His power must end.
“You fucking bitch. You fucking slut. Never try to lay a hand on me!” Daddy wraps his hands around my mom’s throat, squeezing the scream out of her. She falls silent, opening and closing her mouth, gasping for breath. I can’t stay still any longer, and I grab the tire iron from Talon and rush forward. I swing it at the back of my dad’s head, hitting him hard enough to send him sprawling away from mom.
“You fucking monster!” I scream, swinging the tire iron at my dad again. Or at the man who raised me, considering he obviously doesn’t see me as his daughter. At least because I’m not his biological daughter.
I can barely comprehend everything. He said that my mom cheated on him. And it sounds like it was the same man that I found dead in my bed. He was responsible for this all along. He’s been playing me since the beginning. I had no idea that refusing to welcome Christos into our chapter would turn this man insane. It was all his fault to begin with. I know that now. He’s unhinged and out of control.
Then something else clicks. He said his son died because of me, but I don’t have a brother. What if he was the heir Christos mentioned? The one who committed suicide because he couldn’t follow through with sacrificing me.
And then Daddy found out I wasn’t his kid, after all.
This is so fucking twisted.
I have to end him. If I don’t, he will destroy my entire world.