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Fuck.
“That can’t possibly be the case.” Dad’s hand warmed my mom’s shoulder before facing me. He frowned. “Because that would mean our son’s still lying to us, keeping things from us.” He shook his head, his fingers folding into blond hair. He sighed. “What is it, Dorian?”
It was like he knew, right? He did know because he knew me. They both did. I wet my lips. “Remember when I told you Grandpa threatened me? Threatened Mom?”
I had told my parents mostly everything. It’d been necessary. We all needed to get Sloane back, and I’d dished everything I could to make sure that happened. They knew about my visits to Grandpa Prinze this summer.
And they knew why.
My grandfather helped with the Mayberry situation, helped me with Charlie, and though my parents hadn’t been happy, I think it did fill in some blanks for them. Blanks about how it had all gone down. They even knew how he’d tried to teach me a lesson by blowing the whistle that led to my arrest.
They’d been so quiet during that.
None of it’d been good, but the urgency had been there to move. Move to try to help the Mallicks, and everything I’d personally told them hadn’t led to any repercussions yet.
I had a feeling this was for lack of time, my father’s hand folding into his hair again.
“We remember.” Dad eased my mother into his side, his nod subtle. “It’s the reason why cops now have to follow your mother and you every time you leave.”
Ouch.
“Not to mention the authorities being here around the clock.” Dad waved his hand to them. “This is the evidence of that. So yes. We remember.”
I cringed, and Mom squeezed her eyes.
“Dorian, if there’s something else you need to tell us. Tell us.” Mom’s lips thinned. “This isn’t a game. Pilar’s life is at stake. Who knows what your grandfather could be doing to her. What he’s been doing,” she gasped, and my chest tightened. She took my hand. “If you haven’t told us everything, now is the time.”
They did know almost everything. They knew about Sloane, her brother. They knew Grandpa Prinze’s ties to them. How he was their guardian and taking care of them.
But they didn’t know this.
“I didn’t feel like I had a choice,” I started, all this fucking hard. I lifted a hand. “Dad, he threatened Mom.”
Dad’s throat flicked, the only indicator anything I said affected him. He’d been so good about it, hiding his feelings, hiding his pain. His chest rose, a large and full breath. “Dorian, for your safety, Pilar’s, and everyone else involved here, if you know something else about my dad, you need to say it.”
This wasn’t about his dad. It was about me and what a fuck up I was. I didn’t regret what I’d tried to do.
I regretted not being able to finish the job.
I regretted not being able to end this and the possibility of Sloane getting hurt because of it. I opened my mouth, but even when I did the words wouldn’t come out.
My mom lowered to the floor, leaving my dad. Placing the blankets and thermos down, she held my hands. It was like she felt she needed to. Like I was her scared little kid, her little boy. “What is it, baby? Just tells us. Your dad and I won’t hate you.”
He’d promised that before, and I knew he didn’t, but his disappointment almost felt worst. I admired my father so much.
But I’d lose him with this.
He waited too, patient with his hand on my mom’s shoulder. He didn’t give me his hand, and his fingers flexed at his side. It was like he wanted to come closer but was fighting himself. Like he wanted to comfort me and always had in the past.
Today, I appeared to be on my own. At least, when it came to him. It was graduation day.
And this was me walking across the stage.
“I tried to poison him,” I said, but I didn’t whisper it. I straightened. “He threatened Mom so I tried to poison him.”
Dad didn’t flinch, nor did mom. Dad’s mouth parted. “With what?”
“Something lethal.” I didn’t go into specifics because I didn’t feel that was exactly what he was looking for. I assumed he wanted to know the severity. I expelled a breath. “It didn’t take. He survived.”
