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He stared at the table again.
And I stared at him. His hair had grown back quite a bit, but still I could see a scar on the top of his scalp. A very precise scar, as if he’d had brain surgery.
He hadn’t had brain surgery. Tom Simpson had made that scar. I didn’t want to know how or why. The top of his left ear was also damaged. Odd that I hadn’t noticed before, except that it was more toward the back. Looking at him face-to-face, I wouldn’t have seen it. It almost looked like someone had taken a small bite out of the outer shell of his ear.
This man had been brutally abused.
And I was beginning to wonder…
“Your father has controlled you since you were born, hasn’t he?” I said.
Colin looked up, meeting my gaze. “No.”
“Colin…”
“He thinks he controls me. He doesn’t.”
“How, then, was he able to get you to leave Jade on your wedding day? If indeed he was behind it as you say.”
“He didn’t think Jade was good enough for me.”
“Really? I’m not buying it. Jade was at the top of her class in college and law school, and she’s the daughter of a supermodel.”
“There were other circumstances.”
“Like what?”
“She might be Brooke Bailey’s daughter, but she didn’t come from money.”
“So?”
He let out a soft huff. “You’re right. It’s all bullshit.”
“Yeah. I already knew that. What’s really going on? Was your father behind your decision not to marry Jade, and if he was, why does it matter now?”
He looked back down at the table.
For several minutes.
Then, finally, “Do you have anything keeping you here?” Colin asked.
“What?”
“Would it be possible for you to go away for a while? You and Jade?”
“Are you kidding me? Jade is pregnant and just adopted two kids. You think she can just up and leave?”
“I want the two of you safe.”
“We are safe. Safe at home with Talon.” And Bryce, but I didn’t want to tell Colin about Bryce and me. I wasn’t sure why. It wasn’t a secret. It was just too new.
“Marj, things are heating up.”
“What things? You come to us and you talk in riddles. If you want our cooperation, you need to start spilling some facts.”
“I don’t have any facts. I mean, I can’t substantiate anything. Not yet, anyway. But I’ve been looking. My father…” He rubbed his chin. “I don’t want to believe everything I’m seeing, you know? Things I’m finding out.”
My mentally ill mother was missing, and I was getting nothing from Colin. I’d had enough. “What the hell is this all about?”
