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“Princess, I think we should head home and get some rest. You’ve been through a lot.” I never realized what good liars they both are, and it makes a fresh wave of hurt travel through me, but I refuse to acknowledge it.
“Wait. The three of us need to talk.” I take a casual sip of my third mimosa. Thanks to all the food I ate, I’m barely even feeling the effects of the alcohol.
“Sweetie, Brendan is right. We can talk later today or even tomorrow. You need your rest.” My father gently but firmly tries to bring me to heel. Not anymore.
“No. What I need is for everyone to listen to the fucking words coming out of my goddamn mouth and to do what I want for once.” I’m proud of the way both of them flinch at my tone.
Brendan placatingly holds his hands up. “Okay, Princess, okay. What do you want to talk about?”
I stare at them both for a moment, adjust in my seat, and dive right in. “While parts of my abduction and torture are hazy, some parts are crystal clear. I heard things, and I need to know if they’re true.”
“What kind of things?” My father leans forward, clasping his hands together on the granite island countertop.
“First, there are conditions.” My father makes a gesture for me to continue. “I already know that you never went to the police and have no intention of doing so. What I want to know is why. And I want the fucking truth. If I even so much as detect a shred of a lie from either one of you, I’ll go to them myself and tell them everything that happened, what I heard, and what I suspect. I’ll make life incredibly unpleasant for both of you. You might think I’m bluffing and that you’ll be able to put me back in the gilded cage you’ve had me in all these years, but you’re dead wrong. So what’s it going to be? Tell me why and answer my questions with the truth, or do we go the route of pain and suffering?”
“What are you even talking about, Rory? What’s gotten into you?”
“Ah, ah, ah, Brendan. I said no lying. What’s gotten into me? Well, I was abducted, assaulted, cut up, branded, just to name a few things, and now I want the fucking explanation
I’m owed. Is that good enough for you?”
Brendan’s face reddens, but he remains silent, and my father clears his throat. “Okay, sweetheart. You’re right. I can tell you why and what I know, but I don’t know who took you or why, so I might not be able to paint the full picture you’re looking for.”
“Of course. Allow me to fill in some gaps for you, Dad. I was taken by four men by the names of Wade, Gray, Hayes, and Adler. They introduced me to a woman named Mal who had an incredibly convincing story about how the two of you were in a relationship. She said she was also in a relationship with the fathers of the men I listed off, but according to them, you attempted to kill all of them, took all their money and assets, and abandoned them. Now, go.”
My father looks pale, and a bead of sweat rolls down the side of his head. I’ve never seen my father sweat before. How interesting.
“That’s impossible.”
“I said no lying, and I meant it.”
“Okay, okay. It’s just that I thought—I thought they were all dead.”
“So you admit it, then?”
“What are you hoping to gain from this?” I stare into my father’s blue eyes and see him for what he truly is, evil. Pure and simple.
“I’m tired of being treated like a fragile, little trophy wife that is only capable of country club lunches and twiddling my thumbs at home in a sundress. I want to know everything. Then, when we’re on an even playing field, I want to be brought into the business. I want responsibility and power.” I cross my arms and lean back in my chair.
My father’s face lights up, and he looks so proud. It’s disgusting. “I always hoped for this, but I honestly didn’t think you had the stomach for it. Nothing would make me happier, Rory.”
Brendan looks like he vehemently disagrees, but I ignore him for now. “Good. Then tell me everything, Dad.”
“It’s all much more complicated than it seems, but yes, essentially that’s what happened. Those boys were like sons to me, their fathers were my best friends. And Mal? She was radiant and exciting. I wanted her for myself, but she refused to give up on the silly notion that she wanted and deserved all of us, so I worked on building up my own empire. Once I had everything, she wouldn’t be able to refuse me and what I alone could offer her. But then she wound up pregnant. She claimed it was mine, but she was sleeping with three other men, so how could she possibly know that? I was disgusted, and we fought. It was then that she admitted to killing the wives of my best friends.”
“What?” I can’t help but gasp my interruption, so I quickly try to rein it in.
“Yes, she’s insane. She admitted that she had grown to love all of us and wanted us all to be one big happy family. So she killed them. The twins’ mother died a couple of days after she gave birth to the boys. The doctors said it was cardiac arrest, probably brought on by the strain of the pregnancy and birth, but Mal admitted to poisoning her. Then, less than two years later, she arranged a car accident to kill Wade and Gray’s mothers. It was all falling into place for her, and she wasn’t about to let me ruin it. I went along with her insanity long enough to make a plan of my own and get out of town. I can’t believe they’ve been alive all this time. She must have covered it up somehow because I checked. I got confirmation that they’d all been killed. I met your mother, we got married, had you, and my life was complete.”
“You didn’t feel at all guilty for killing a pregnant woman, four innocent children, or your best friends?” I keep my tone clinical like I’m mildly curious and nothing more.
“Well, yes, at first, but Mal’s idea was doomed to fail. I didn’t see the point in all of our lives going down the drain. I was always the most ambitious, the smartest, and I knew what I was capable of. I did what had to be done. You understand that, don’t you?” My father reaches his hand out, and I place mine in it.
“Of course, but how did you manage to pull all this off without getting caught? Who else knows?” My eyes shift to Brendan because I haven’t missed the fact that he hasn’t even batted an eye at this information. He already knew it.
“I had to go into business with some unsavory people to make it all happen. They run drugs, women, bookkeeping, you know. As part of the deal, I still work closely with them, but the benefits far outweigh the cost. Brendan here is actually our go-between now. He handles all our business with the Moretto family. He’s been doing an incredible job for them, and he’ll be able to keep your future family very comfortable as a result. I’m not sure where you’ll fit in the company yet, but I’m more than happy to create a position for you, now that I know you’re interested and capable.”
I swallow down the bile in my throat and smile wide at him. “That would be great, Dad.
