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Not Daddy. Not my father. Not even Moira’s husband. Sharpe. I needed the distance. I was halfway up the stairs before Milo and Kellan caught up to me.
Static buzzed through me as I used the key to unlock the door. They’d discussed putting a keypad to secure the lock, but frankly, I didn’t want Moira to be here that long.
The smell of coffee and food hit me as I opened the door. The guys had fed her. The belated knowledge flooded me with affection for my guys. They were looking after her, even when I had a hard time just thinking about her.
She was already on her feet as I stepped inside with my shadows. I zeroed in on her appearance. She wasn’t dressed up or even wearing cosmetics. If anything, her casual attire of yoga pants, tunic blouse, and lightly brushed hair made me smile a little.
More approachable and warm. More like the woman who would steal me away for fun weekends or stories. All the times she “pretended” we were running away—they weren’t necessarily a pretense, were they?
“Emersyn,” she said, and the relief in her eyes sent guilt raking over my heart.
“Mom,” I said, narrowing the space between us while keeping the sofa there as a barrier. “Hong Kong—Singapore…Monte Carlo…” I licked my lips. “Were you really running away? Or were you just taking me to punish Uncle Fuckbucket?”
She didn’t even attempt to cover her wince. “I wanted to run away…sometimes I even convinced myself I could. They always tracked us down…always pulled me back in. More than once, Bradley—” Her nose wrinkled in distaste. “Fuckbucket warned me that if I didn’t obey, he would take you permanently, cut me off without a dime or access. I kept…I want to tell you I kept fighting, but it was hard, baby. How far could I go before I couldn’t get to you at all?”
I searched for sympathy. On some level, I wanted to feel it for her. I wanted to offer her some semblance of comfort. Maybe someday, but I didn’t have it in me right now. “We’ll never know.”
Even though she didn’t flinch, she did cut her gaze to Milo and Kellan before peering back at me. “I’m sorry.”
“I know.” Truthfully, I believed her. She wasn’t perfect, and she’d also suffered. I wished—I wished for many things, but we weren’t getting that now. So, there was only one way to go. “I have two questions and need honest and straightforward answers.”
Mom squared her shoulders. “I’m ready.”
“Do you know this man?” I held out my phone with the sketch of Julius King. She circled the sofa to get a better look.
A frown tightened her brow. “He seems familiar…like…” She shook her head. “I feel like I’ve seen him, but I don’t know where. I’ve met so many people over the years. Do you have a better picture of him?”
“No,” I said, then clicked away the picture. Kellan and Milo said nothing, since they were allowing me to do this my way.
Hopefully, they would agree with this next part.
“Do you want to see Dad?”
Stunned silence greeted the question. “What?”
“Dad,” I repeated. “He’s here. Do you want to see him?”
The fact she almost recoiled made me feel better than anything else. “Baby, you need to be careful of him.”
I already knew that. I already knew what he’d done about her being hurt. The same thing he’d done about me.
Absolutely nothing.
Her throat convulsed. “Em…”
“I know, Mom. If I could not ask you, I wouldn’t. However, I need your help…”
Her chin came up and her eyes flashed. She met and held my gaze for a long moment, then nodded. “Tell me what I can do.”
“I need you to talk to him. We need to know where Fuckbucket is right now…and I need to know how my trusts are set up.”
We neededeverything.
CHAPTER39
EMERSYN
Guiding Moira out of her room, I caught Kellan’s measured look. Except when I raised my eyebrows, he only nodded. Milo had gone ahead while Kellan walked with us. When I’d offered Mom my arm, her relief had been profound as she threaded her arm through mine.
