“Tolerable.”
“They deserved it, Shane and your mother.” I’d have killed them for her in a heartbeat without having to ask. “But if Shane was in prison for years, why did you want him dead now?”
“Blake. They were talking. I didn’t know what Shane would have told him. Blake was dangerous. I couldn’t take the risk.” She smirks at me. “But you already know that. You were onto Adriana. You knew everything about the blackmail and the dead man’s switch.”
“True. I didn’t know what was really at stake, though. Shane’s case was sealed, no names or dates or any details that pointed to you.”
“Incest with a minor, matricide, they automatically seal the files when these crimes are involved. And later, when I had enough money, I paid a lot to hide even more details so that no one would ever know Shane was my brother or when those crimes were committed.”
“Were you married before Blake? Did he respond to your domestic disturbance call? Did any of that happen?”
“All of it. It just wasn’t Shane.”
“It was Mason.”
She nods.
“How did that happen?”
“He proposed to me right outside the courthouse after the sentencing hearing.”
“What? You were sixteen.”
“That’s why he proposed. My mother died. My father was incompetent. My brother was in prison. What do you think would have happened to me?”
“Foster care.”
“Mason, chivalrous as usual, offered to marry me on paper until I was eighteen. In part, he was helping me, but I knew he was doing it to get back in the MC. Shane was gone, the truth was out, so Mason had a second chance. Marrying me was sort of his reinitiation. It was a win-win situation, but I didn’t say yes at first. I’d just gotten rid of the toxic people in my life. I wanted a clean slate, a fresh start without feeling weak or like an end ofa deal. I didn’t want Mason’s pity anymore. I didn’t want to feel used either.
“But when social services did come, taking him up on his offer was the best choice. Mason knew someone in New Mexico who could convince a judge to approve the marriage. With Shane’s case, it was pretty easy. We became Mr. and Mrs. Bloom.”
“I don’t understand. If it was just on paper until you were eighteen, how were you still married to Mason when you met Blake ten years later?”
“Because, with time, it wasn’t just on paper. The MC didn’t take him back. I didn’t know why at the time, and I didn’t care. The second I got my diploma, I was out of there. Mason left with me. He had nothing in Jacksonville to keep him. We lived together in Miami and made a pact to stay married as long as we needed to. I guess he needed me as much as I needed him because we stayed married for ten years.”
“Until he suddenly lost his mind you had to call the cops on him for breaking your bones.”
“Life is strange like that.”
“Reagan, I thought we were past the lies. A boy who had no obligation to you helped you in ways no one ever did. He stood by your side for ten years after he saw what your family did to you. Do you expect me to believe he, out of the blue, hurt you in the same way they did, knowing what you were capable of doing to them?”
“I don’t care what you believe. You asked me about Shane and Mason and who they really were, and I answered you. This game is over. I don’t care about underwear either. What I want is for you to take off your mask and show me your truth. I’ve earned it.”
“You haven’t earned it yet. There’s still a part you’re hiding. What really happened with Mason, Reagan? And how did he die?”
“I’m done talking. It’s your turn. Not that it matters. You think I don’t know what you’re doing?”
“What am I doing, Reagan?”
“You’re messing with my head again. First, about Jacob, and now what? Mason? All these questions, these fixations. You’re trying to convince me Mason isn’t dead, and he’s crawled out of God knows where to haunt me as Butterfly Man, to have me back or take revenge. Well, it’s not going to work.” She watches me, calm, almost bored, but her eyes gleam. “I’ve already figured out who you are.”
The silence after her words is the echo of a gunshot. It slices through the air, leaving only the sound of my heartbeat—uneven, too loud. “Have you?”
“You can’t hide anymore. Time to take off your mask, Zacarías.”
CHAPTER 37
Birdie
