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I thought I’d been alone in my quest for knowledge about Mom. Maybe my brothers were just better at hiding their curiosity.
“Nothing more than generic case crap.” Zegas seemed disappointed he hadn’t struck gold in the information department.
“A couple of nights ago, he had Alex Davenport admitted to a private medical facility.”
I shot up from the sofa. He’d seen to that asshole’s medical care, but couldn’t be bothered with his own daughter’s?
“How much worse does this get?” I asked through my teeth. “Because I’m not sure I’m equipped to handle it.”
I touched my forehead to the floor-to-ceiling glass windows and hissed. I’d forgotten about my head, but it was another cruel reminder of just how little I meant to my father.
“The thing is, Alex never left that facility.” Whitley tilted his head. “But he’s no longer there.”
“How do you know that?” I seriously doubted anyone could walk into a place like that and inquire about patients.
“It’s sad, yet completely understandable what a little cash can do. One of the nurses assigned to him said he was there when she left her shift and gone when she returned the next morning.”
“I’m sure patients come and go frequently,” Lincoln said.
“Not ones in a coma.”
I wheeled around. “A coma? He was conscious when we left.”
“The nurse got all shifty until we flashed more cash,” Whitley said. “She said he had a hell of a bruise on his forehead. His skull was fractured, like he’d had his head rammed into a door or a wall.”
I clutched my chain and looked back and forth between my brothers, who appeared as stunned as I was.
“The Davenports filed a missing persons report this morning,” Zegas said.
“Is he . . . dead?” And was I a horrible person for the part of me that felt some relief at that?
Whitley shrugged. “We don’t know. But I’d say it doesn’t look good for the guy.”
“Can you get proof our father had something to do with his disappearance?” Lincoln’s knuckles were white where he clasped his knee.
“The truth? It’s unlikely,” Whitley said. “We only know of your father’s involvement because we have eyes and ears on him twenty-four seven. But he’s good at keeping his distance. The car that transported Alex is registered to a limo company. The money came in an envelope. We could put the cops on his trail, but they can’t use our methods.”
“And he has people on the inside,” Teague said in disgust. “That investigation would probably be over before it started.”
“My concern is that he may try to frame Garrett Calhoun for Alex’s disappearance.” Zegas tossed his pen on the coffee table.
“No.” The word was out of my mouth before I thought.
“Based on what you’ve told me about the events of the evening you last spoke to your father, I’d say it’s possible that was the intention. Samuel knows Mr. Calhoun’s feelings for you, probably better than he does himself. He was well aware of the potential consequences of having you, Alex, and Calhoun in the same space.”
I shook my head, ignoring the throbbing in my skull. “Garrett did nothing wrong. He likely saved my life.” My voice trembled. “None of you were there. You don’t know what Alex was like. What he was going to do.”
I folded my arms over my stomach and tried to curl in on myself as that helpless fear threatened to drown me. He was going to rape me. I was certain of it.
Teague and Lincoln surrounded me. I closed my eyes and tried to draw calming strength from them. It helped a little, but I needed someone else.
I needed Cal.
“If Dad killed him, it’s the best thing he’s done in a long time.”
I snapped my head up toward Teague. He wasn’t a violent guy and was usually levelheaded. Definitely more easygoing than Lincoln and me.
“I don’t mean that lightly.”
