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"A male?" My body temperature drops.
"Your father." Marcus's tone is flat. "Francis Turner is dead."
CHAPTERTHIRTY-FIVE
Several sharp intakesof breath reverberate through the room. My chest constricts when his words sink in, but not because Gray is dead—he deserved whatever he got. For King.
Yes, she hasn't had a relationship with her father since she was a little girl, but he was her father. No matter what he's done, she didn't deserve to lose every member of her family.
An ache settles in the back of my throat as I scan the room. My mom covers her mouth, blinking rapidly. Dad mimics the sorrow I feel as he watches King closely. Lilly reaches back, placing both hands on top of Rhys's on her shoulders, and Den's nails dig into my thigh. I can't see Mags or Kiwi, but I'm sure I would find similar displays. King sits rigidly as her fingers have mine in a crushing vise. She stares at Marcus, unblinking.
I peer over at Kai's obnoxious scoreboard-style clock next to the flat-screen TV. Even the blinking dots seem to have slowed down. Echo presses farther against King's shins from her spot at our feet. We're all waiting for her reaction.
King parts her lips, but no sound comes out. Minutes tick by before she finds her voice. "Gray…is…dead?" There is an elongated pause between each word.
Jaxon and Marcus nod.
"Yes. George flew to New Mexico as soon as we got the news. He identified the body," Marcus elaborates.
That's why he had toleave.
"What happened?" I decide to take over. King doesn't have to carry the burden of this on her own. I want to be the one she leans on. She isn't alone anymore.
Jaxon bends down and pulls a folder from his bag. He takes a photo out and places it on the coffee table. King and I scoot closer to get a better look. In front of us is a picture of her Du Hoc blade. It looks like an evidence photograph, with a ruler on the side and smudges on the blade—blood? I'm studying the picture whenthe knifeappears on the table next to it.
King's Du Hoc.
My eyes fly up to the two men in front of us. What the hell is this?
"I don't understand." King exhales, glancing between me, Marcus, and Jaxon.
"Gray was stabbed multiple times. With this knife." He points at the photograph. "A note that read, 'What goes around comes around,'was pinned to the body, along with a copy of an article that reported the murder of Victor Sidhrov."
Pinned? As in—? Saliva pools in my mouth, and I swallow hard. I have no love for the man, butpinned?
King shakes her head. "Vic worked for Gray."
He did? I missed that memo.
I peer at King, who has her eyes narrowed on Jaxon.
His chest rises and falls once before he nods.
"George has been pulling strings for the last thirty-six hours. The knife contained traces of Gray's and Sidhrov's blood, as well as Ellis's." Everyone's attention shifts to Marcus. His arms folded in front of him, he holds his chin high.
"How is that possible?" Den queries, and for the first time, Marcus answers without hatred lacing his words.
"We can explain Gray's and Vic's blood, but Ellis's was obviously planted."
Obviously?
"How?" Kiwi joins the mix, and I clench my teeth not to tell the room to shut the fuck up. The only thing, or person, holding me back is King. She doesn't seem to mind letting our friends find the information out for her. Is she in shock? Does she care that he is dead? Does she not care? I can't ask any of this in front of an audience. It becomes harder to follow the conversation. My sole focus is on my girlfriend and the deep-rooted urge to know what she needs from me.
"We're not sure," Jaxon responds.
"Do we care?" Mags blurts out, and several sets of eyes turn to her—except King's. She's still studying the photo, with one of her hands now on the blade.Her blade.
"We helped solidify the evidence." Lilly's quiet confession makes my heartbeat falter.
