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“She just had fucking brain surgery,” I snarl, my hands closing into fists. “How do you think she’s doing?”
“She’s a lucky woman I found her so quickly,” Preston replies. The glint in his eyes tells me he enjoys messing with me.
I take two strides to the edge of his desk and put my hands down on it. Leaning toward him, I lower my voice. “If I ever find out that she was hurt by your hand or that no-good son of yours, I’ll end you both.”
Preston tips his head back and laughs. “Empty threats. There’s no proof that Lila did anything but fall on the back steps and hit her head.”
“Your lack of empathy seems pretty damning,” I grit out.
“I care for your mother well, boy. She’s led a good life since we married. Maybe you should be a touch more grateful.”
I’m done with this fucker. I push back from his desk, pointing a finger at him. “If I get the barest hint you hurt her in any way, now or in the past, you’re going to regret it, old man.”
“Is that a threat?” he demands.
“A fucking promise.”
I spin and stride out of his office, slamming the door behind me. The receptionist jumps, emitting a tiny squeak of fright.
I know Preston said there wasn’t any proof, but he underestimates my ingenuity. I force a smile on my face as I ask the receptionist. “Is Joshua in?”
“No, sir,” she stammers. “He flew to Vegas this morning to check on our stores there.”
“Perfect,” I murmur.
That means no one should be at the house, assuming Juniper is at work, and there’s a good chance one of the outdoor security cameras picked up the whole incident. I’ve got a million things I should be doing to plan new acquisitions for the Titans in light of Coen’s situation.
But first… I need to know what happened to my mom.
CHAPTER 4
Juniper
The morning sunlight streaming through the nook window is enough to lessen my funk. With my elbows on the table, I poise my coffee cup before my mouth and lightly blow over the top to cool it down.
I can’t go to work today. No matter how good my makeup skills are, I can’t quite disguise the bruise to my temple or the ones on my neck that clearly represent four fingers and a thumb that were strangling me last night when Preston came home. It’s too warm for a turtleneck and the scarf I’ve got wrapped around my throat looks stupid and keeps slipping.
Luckily, portions of my job are purely administrative and can be done from a laptop at my kitchen table. I glance at my computer screen, upon which sits a beautiful database I created. It keeps track of weekly menus I’ve put together to help teach about healthy foods for those with dietary issues. The California state-funded outreach program I work for provides youth development programs, mental health services, nutritional expertise, exercise and parenting programs, literacy classes, workforce development, housing assistance and food distribution to low-income families and services my home county across the border from where I now live in Incline Village.
I’m from Kings Beach, California, which is just five miles west on the northern side of Lake Tahoe. It’s not anywhere near as affluent as here on the Nevada side, and it’s where you’ll find all the public beaches for the tourists. I grew up there, and it’s where my heart is, and why I chose to work for a program based there rather than here where my husband and stepfather are from.
Mainly my duties are to provide nutritional counseling in schools and nursing homes and for at-risk families. I also develop exercise programs for poverty-stricken families through the local parks and recreation departments.
I love my job. Truth be told, it’s what saves my sanity and I’m devastated to be stuck here in this prison until the bruises fade. When I dared to complain about it this morning, Joshua only laughed at me. He couldn’t care less if I’m able to go to work. If he had his way, I’d stay here just to serve him and his father as a glorified housekeeper, especially since Lila can’t do much with her arthritis. I’ve never known two more misogynistic men in my life. To add to it, they’re vile humans with no moral compass, and it’s safe to say my life has become shit over the years.
Can’t bemoan it, though. It’s my own damn fault for falling for Joshua’s lies and now I’m stuck because I struck a bargain with the devil.
My gaze drifts back out the window facing the west side of the property. The Willard estate sits right on the lake, but nearly two acres have been cleared where Lila spent her time building gardens. It’s so beautiful, I could get lost staring out there forever. I find it more peaceful to look at than the water itself.
The chime from the security panel jolts me from my happy place and my pulse skyrockets, assuming it’s Preston coming home for some reason. While he’s not a danger to me, he’s an asshole and mean as a hornet. I know it’s not Joshua, as he flew out to Vegas this morning, and I’ll have a blessed three days without him.
I stand from my chair and walk through to the screen mounted on the wall that borders the door to the mudroom. The security gate is swinging open and a white four-door car that I don’t recognize is pulling through. It’s not Preston or Joshua nor is it the cleaning staff that comes in three times a week, which makes sense as today is not a cleaning day. It’s most certainly not the landscapers as they were here yesterday in their three large trucks that come in to maintain Lila’s gardens.
There’s only one other person in the world who has the gate code, and I’m stunned he’d even use it. Callum hasn’t been back to this house since he graduated college, although that’s not to say he hasn’t come back to visit Lila. He just always stays in a hotel.
My hand subconsciously moves to my temple, hovering over the bruise as I watch his car come up the driveway. I touch the scarf tied around my neck and realize I need to do a check in the mirror. I dart into the half bath off the great room and pull at my hair to hang more over my temple, fluffing it with my fingers. I turn the scarf so the knot is on the side of my neck without bruising and stretch the material across the front to cover the blue and purple marks. As long as I keep my head still and neck straight, it should stay in place.
The doorbell rings and I ignore the maddening thump of my heart. It’s driven by equal parts fear that Callum will see the truth of my life and a strange excitement to merely see the man that I loved so deeply.
