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“So, like someone who’s been brainwashed their whole life, it’s like that?” I ask them raising an eyebrow.
Ace leans forward while Carter smirks. “Like you, you mean? By that crazy uncle of yours? Jasper doesn’t kill without reason. I can tell you there is always a reason. It’s why in the last forty years we’re the richest and most successful men in the business.”
“What about the sacrifices you have to take and make to get there?”
They both shrug.
“If boss deems it necessary, it’s done. No questions. No lies.”
“You really do love him.”
They both nod.
I look to Carter. “More than your own brother?”
He nods. “More so, if you had killed him instead,” he shakes his head. “You wouldn’t be standing here now, would you?”
“He was a bad man,” I say, remembering him.
“That’s why Jasper kept him here, so he couldn’t cause trouble.”
I look down, feeling terrible for all the things I’ve done. I shouldn’t have done them. But the evidence was there. Or so I thought. The evidence was me. I saw it happen, I just didn’t know the circumstances behind it. I wish I had because things would be different right now. My emotions wouldn’t be all over the place trying to process the lies and separate them from the truth. It’s hard when someone you love your whole life tells you one thing and you find out another. I know who I believe—Jasper—but if I could choose it would be my uncle. If the circumstances were different that is. But they aren’t, and he is a liar and he manipulated me to get what he wanted—his revenge. I was just a pawn in his story. Granted, I would like to kill the person responsible for taking my parents from me, but someone already did that.
Jasper, killed his own father, pity he didn’t do it sooner. Perhaps before that afternoon when he walked into my parents’ shop and shot them dead without a care in the world.
I start making some breakfast for Jasper, ignoring the boys as they whisper to themselves. Just before I go to leave, Carter stops me.
“You should leave, you know. Make it easier.” I ignore his words of warning and keep walking.
When I step out to Jasper’s house he’s awake and sitting up in his bed watching me as I walk in the door. “I need to get up.”
I put the tray down and go to help him, but he waves me off and stands by himself. “My legs aren’t injured,” he spits, walking over to the table.
I step away from him.
Jasper sits at the table, looks down to the food, then back to me. “You should go.”
“But…” I have nothing to say.
“Go, Isadora. Now.”
Turning around, I grab my jacket, pulling it on. I walk to the door, stop and wait, hoping he doesn’t want me to go, but he doesn’t look my way again.
I leave and he doesn’t stop me.
My place is clean, Gabe’s blood is nowhere to be found. How that’s even possible I don’t know. The place is exactly as I left it, even down to the clothes I wore before I left sitting on my bed. I walk over to grab the burner phone I have stored in the drawer for when I have to speak to my uncle, and find it has several missed calls registering on the screen.
Calling him, he answers on the first ring. “I knew you’d come to your senses,” he says. “Issy?”
“I can’t believe you,” I say, tears falling from my eyes. “You did it all for her, all of it. You killed my parents for her.”
He’s silent, and that’s all the answer I need.
“What? Cat got your tongue?”
“You don’t understand. Don’t let him brainwash you, Issy.”
“That was your job, right?” I laugh, shaking my head and swiping at the tears. “You did that all by yourself.”
“No. No, I didn’t.”
“So, you’re saying you didn’t have her arrange to kill my family and myself, so you could take the business?”
He goes silent.
Again.
And I know the next words that will come from his mouth are a lie. “No, I didn’t.”
I collapse on my bed, close my eyes, and hang up the phone. I need to get out of here. I need to leave.
After packing my things I slide into my car and drive to Sharon’s. I owe her for helping me out when she didn’t have to.
Knocking on her door, not long passes and she opens it. Appearing startled to see me, she quickly glances past me to make sure no one else is there before she opens it, fully letting me inside.
“I’m not here to stay.”
“I would hope not.” She crosses her hands over her chest. “I don’t need that in my life, Issy. Those men, I don’t want them anywhere near Bella or me.”
I hold up my hands. “I get it. I absolutely do.” Reaching in my pocket, I pull out some cash and hand it to her. She looks at it, but doesn’t take it. “For you, as a thank you.”
