A tear runs down her cheek, but she nods. I take her hand and grab my gun off the counter with my free one. Making our way to the living room, she and I sit down on the couch. Her father takes the seat across from us.
I don’t miss the way she pushes herself closer to me. Her bare leg touching mine. I grab the blanket off the back and place it over us since she’s in a T-shirt of mine and I’m only wearing boxers.
“Elli—”
“Nicholas.” The way she says his name is so cold, detached. She’s putting up all her walls, confused and hurt. She feels she’s been lied to all these years. I get it. I didn’t expect this to be easy. Not after everything she’s been through.
His jaw sharpens at the use of his name. “It’s weird you not calling me Daddy. Guess you’re not twelve anymore.”
A sob escapes her lips, and she places her hand over her mouth, eyes dropping to her lap.
He looks at me, brow arched.
“One thing at a time,” I growl. “How the fuck are you alive?” I demand, wrapping my arm round her shoulders and pulling her into my side. My free hand holds my gun resting on top of the blanket. I understand he’s her father, but I’m also aware he’s been MIA for nine years. I don’t know if that’s by choice or something he planned.
He runs a hand through his hair. “You don’t die at Carnage unless the Spade brothers are done with you,” he states.
“How did you survive hanging yourself?” Elli asks, her voice soft and eyes still downcast, looking at her shaking hands on her lap. “You were … cold,” she adds softly.
“Jesus, Elli. Do you really think I tried to kill myself?” he barks out.
She lifts her eyes to look at him through her lashes. “I was the one who found you. I lay there on the floor with your dead body for over an hour. You. Were. Dead.”
He shakes his head. “I was set up.”
“How were you set up for suicide?” I wonder. I mean, it’s not impossible. Look what Holland tried to do to Elli, but the Nicholas situation is a little different. No drugs were involved. Not that I know of anyway.
He leans forward, placing his elbows on his knees. “Someone did die that day, but it wasn’t me. It was Nathaniel.”
I frown, Elli remains silent.
“Nathaniel was my twin brother.”
I sit up straighter. “You don’t have a twin brother.” I would know that. Our families grew up together and I would have remembered that.
“I did.” He nods. “My father had an affair on his Lady and got my mother pregnant. My father took me, let our mother keep my brother. When I was of age, I went into initiation. Wanting to be a Lord. I had found my brother and reached out, but he didn’t want anything to do with it.” He shrugs. “My father wanted nothing to do with him. He was shunned by my father and my mother who raised me. But he was in my life. A lot, actually. He was always needing money, bailed out of situations that he couldn’t afford to do himself. Of course, not many knew he existed. But he was killed to make it look like I committed suicide. And I was handed over to Carnage.”
Silence falls over the room and I feel Elli’s body shaking as she leans into my side.
“What about you?” His eyes go to his daughter. “Why and how long have you been doing drugs?”
She stiffens, but her head stays down. She’s not going to answer him. Admitting what has happened to her is too much for her to explain to her father.
“Why don’t you go start a bath.” I lean in and kiss her temple. Nick’s up for sharing but I know she sure as fuck is not. He may be her father but right now he’s a stranger to her. “I’ll be there to join you in a minute.”
She slowly gets to her feet and starts to walk toward the hallway. Her father stands and she runs out of the living room. I hear the bedroom door slam shut seconds later.
“What the fuck is going on with her?” he barks at me.
I expected it to go this way, honestly. I figured she’d be more confused than excited. But in the long run, she’ll come around. “Your death ruined her life,” I say simply.
He groans. “Mine hasn’t been sunshine since Idied.”
I stare at him as he looks over at the hallway she ran down, the gun heavy in my hand. He needs to know what’s going on because once again, things are going to change. I’m going to give him one chance. He’ll either help me or get in my way. Might as well find out right now which one it’s going to be.
“Your wife remarried,” I begin with and he snorts. “To James, a year after you died. He spent the first three years of his marriage grooming your daughter.” His body stiffens. “He then took her virginity at sixteen. And continued to rape her until I killed him two years ago. He made her call himDaddy, so forgive her for not calling you that.”
He turns, giving me his back, running his hands through his hair. He curses under his breath. Turning back to face me, I add, “We recently found out—at your wife’s third wedding reception—that she was aware James was fucking Elli. But when Elli said she was being raped, your wife said she was willingly throwing herself at her husband.”