I almost laugh. The sound nearly escapes me because the alternative is screaming at him.
Damon’s hand remains firm on my waist. It’s grounding and the only thing keeping me upright.
“I never wanted any of this near her,” my father exhales.
“Then start fucking talking,” Gunnar says.
My father closes his eyes briefly. When he opens them again, his blue eyes look like they’ve aged decades. Like he’s been carrying something rotten for so long, it finally poisoned everything around him.
“It started ten years ago,” he shares.
I wrap my arms tightly around myself to quell the chill that runs down my spine.
Ten years ago…
That’s when Mom died.The thought hits me so hard, I physically sway. Damon’s hand tightens instantly on my side. “You okay?”
No. Not by any stretch of the imagination.
I nod, even though it’s not true.
“There was a major expansion project planned for the southern port,” my father continues. “Additional trade routes. New shipping contracts. Massive infrastructure funding. It was supposed to bring billions into the region.” His voice slips into that polished diplomatic cadence I grew up hearing from him at press conferences and political dinners. “The cartel wanted access to the port once construction had finished.Fullaccess. They approached officials privately first. Bribes. Then threats.”
Damon’s expression darkens beside me.
“Andyou refused,” Hawk asks flatly.
“At first.” My father exhales slowly, guilt tearing in his eyes. “They threatened Camille.” He stares past all of us for a moment, his eyes distant.
“They sent photographs first.” He focuses entirely on me. “Pictures of your mother leaving restaurants. Shopping. Walking on the beach. They wanted me to understand they could reach her anytime they wanted.” Another chill crawls down my spine. “She was terrified. We both were. I took everything to the DEA immediately. Names. Messages. Threats.”
“What did they do?” Gunnar asks.
Dad laughs bitterly, the sound barely human.
“They told me there wasn’t enough evidence. They shrugged it off because the threats weren’t directed at me personally. Said cartels make noise all the time. That I was overreacting.”
I stare at him, my chest actually hurting, like someone has shoved broken glass between my ribs.
“I took them at their word.” His voice cracks. “I didn’t give the cartel what they wanted. So they killed her.”
The foyer spins, my brain catching up. He’s been lying to me for a decade.
“They intercepted her car on the highway coming back from a charity event. The things they did to her… The videos they sent me… She was gone hours before the SUV went off that garage.”
The brakes failed. There was an accident.
That’s what everyone told me.
“No,” I whisper, my legs threatening to give way underneath me. Tears burn, hot and heavy, behind my eyes. “You lied to me,”
His expression crumples slightly. “I was trying to protect you.”
“You let me believe she died in an accident.”
“You were nine years old...”
I can barely see through the tears suddenly flooding my vision. All these years. All these years, I grieved her, thinking fate had taken her from me randomly. And the entire time, my father knew someone had murdered her. Because of him. Because he got involved with monsters.
