“I don’t know,” I said, my voice wobbly. “But it can’t be a coincidence. There has to be a connection.”
Ty stopped pacing and crossed his arms, his jaw clenched tight. “Castro’s been too quiet since he killed Cecily. I should’ve known he was planning something. He’s just thrown another wrench into your life, Liza.”
My hands became clammy. Castro’s maniacal laughter still echoed through my mind. “But we won’t let him win. We’ll get to the bottom of this and find out the truth about my parents and the money from Liam. I have to know, Ty.”
He nodded firmly. “We’ll figure it all out together. Castro won’t win this game.”
As much as I wanted to believe that, I couldn’t shake the nagging fear that Castro’s words were just the beginning of an even darker chapter in our lives. My heart pounded like a jackhammer against my ribcage. I stood abruptly, feeling the walls closing in on me. “I need some fresh air.”
Without waiting for a response, I strode onto the balcony. The cool night breeze caressed my skin, providing a temporary reprieve from the heat that threatened to suffocate me.
I closed my eyes, wishing I could shift and run free for days upon days, away from Castro’s threats, my own anger, and all the fucking secrets.
But I couldn’t escape. Not now. Not when there was so much at stake. A bitter laugh escaped my lips. Every step closer to the truth seemed to open up another bottomless pit of questions and fears.
“Damn you, Castro,” I said, gripping the railing so hard my palms hurt. “Why can’t you just leave us alone?”
“Because he’s a manipulative bastard who thrives on chaos,” Ty said, stepping out onto the balcony beside me. “And he won’t rest until he gets what he wants.”
“Which is me.” The bitter taste of resentment coated my mouth as I stared out into the darkness. “He’s never going to give up, is he?”
“Neither will we,” Ty said, his hand covering mine on the railing. “Hey. I’m here, okay?”
I looked at him, saw the concern, the fear on his face, and felt a sudden rush of frustration. “What if I just... stop searching for answers? What if I let all this go?”
“Then, you’ll never find closure.” His voice was gentle, and I recognized he was treading lightly around me, probably worried I might cause an earthquake or some other fucked-up catastrophe. “You’ll always be wondering, and I know you’d be miserable if you gave up on filling in the gaps of your life.”
“Maybe I’d rather be miserable than have everything I thought I knew torn apart,” I said, fighting back the tears. But it was no use. The tears spilled over, pouring down my cheeks like a dam breaking under the weight of too much pain.
“Hey, hey,” Ty said, pulling me into his arms. “We’ll get through this, Liza. Castro is playing a game, but it’s a game he won’t win.”
I clung to him, needing his strength, his reassurance. “How can you be so sure?”
“Because we’re stronger together than he’ll ever be.” Ty cupped my face. “We’ll find out everything and finally put a stop to him.” He glanced at the time, hesitating for a moment before speaking again. “If you really don’t want to go to the bank, we don’t have to.”
I bit my lip, considering. Yes, I was afraid of what I might find, but Ty was right. Without the truth, there could be no closure, and wasn’t that what I wanted more than anything?
“Let’s go.” I wiped my soaking wet face. “I need to know the truth, no matter how painful it may be.”
79
TY
The tension in the car was a lot fucking heavier than I liked. I stole a sideways glance at Liza to see her leg jumping up and down with nerves. I placed my hand on her thigh, giving her a gentle touch, hoping it would calm her restless energy.
She looked at me, her blue eyes filled with uncertainty over what she was about to do. We had called the bank ahead of time, informing them that Liza would be arriving soon to open the deposit box in her name. The associate had been thrilled to have us come in, no doubt curious about what had been hidden away for so long.
“Ty.” There was hesitation in her voice. “I’m worried about what we might find in there. You know, after what Castro said about my parents having a lot of secrets.” She grimaced, biting her nails nervously. “What if it’s something… terrible?”
“Like what?” I was genuinely curious about what was going on in that wonderful head of hers, considering I’d only expected to find more money or, at the most extreme, documents that pertained to the Wylde pack.
“Like… teeth from the people they killed or something.” Liza’s voice was barely above a whisper as she shut her eyes tightly.
I immediately burst out laughing at the thought, but when I saw the seriousness on Liza’s face, I quickly composed myself. Clearing my throat, I shook my head. “I highly doubt it’s anything like that, Liza. Maybe you’ve been watching too much of that crazy murder mystery show you like.”
We’d been sitting outside the bank, waiting till Liza wanted to go in. This had to be her decision. If she chose not to do it today, we’d go home, regroup, and come back another time. I was happy to wait for as long as it took.
She stared out the window, still troubled. “I just feel like whatever’s in that box is going to complicate matters and send me into a tailspin.”
