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“I remember hating the idea of telling another lie. My head started hurting as I was telling her the story. Later on, it got so much worse. I was in so much pain and he barely acknowledged me. Complained about how much it would cost him if he had to take me to the doctors.”
I snort in disgust and anger.
“When I told him I didn’t want to take part in his plans anymore, he called me too tender-hearted and said I need to get over it. Took years before I ever went to a doctor for my migraines. Most of them are stress-induced.”
Kyle looks me over. “Is that why you had one that weekend?”
I think back to months earlier, my last significant migraine. I hadn’t had one that intense in a couple of years.
“I think so,” I answer. “I never liked scamming people. It was all I knew how to do for a long time. Lying to get what I want.”
“And your father?” Kyle asks.
“Haven’t spoken to him since the day I left his house. A few years later, I heard from my brother that he’d gotten arrested for credit card and bank fraud. I went to court during his trial and listened as he was found guilty. My last memory of my father is of him in an orange jumpsuit being led out of the courtroom in handcuffs.”
He nods. “You need to talk to Eve about who her father really is.”
“I’m sorry she told him about you.”
He shakes his head. “I don’t care about that. But she’s holding on, hoping that he’ll come around and care about her like a parent should. You saw how he is with her. He doesn’t give a shit. He’s a self-centered prick who couldn’t care less about anyone but himself. After tonight, his ass won’t be able to come around anyway. But Eve needs to know it’s not her fault.”
“You’re right,” I admit. “How’d you get so good with kids?”
He smirks. “I’m the oldest of five and I have a shitload of younger cousins.”
I point at him. “That’s another dollar for the swear jar.”
“I put in twenty earlier because I knew he was going to piss me off enough to fill it up for the rest of the week.”
I laugh. “He has that way about him.”
“He won’t be around again,” Kyle promises at the same time he squeezes my thigh.
The feeling of safety that rolls through my body is sudden.
“Good.” I sigh and don’t even bother asking what happened with him and Wallace in the hallway.
He’s using you.
Unfortunately, Wallace’s words aren’t as easy to shrug off. I, of all people, know that it’s true. Kyle wants to get payback against Dean out of this marriage. It’s not real. I just can’t help that parts of this life have started to feel real.
“Kyle—” I start to ask but my phone buzzes. I glance over and inhale. “It’s Dean.”
It’s been weeks since Dean has contacted me. Ever since that day I gave him the thumb drive at the lounge.
Kyle’s jaw tightens. “Speaker.”
I answer and put it on speaker. “Dean.”
“You’re not with him, are you?” he demands to know.
“I wouldn’t have answered the phone if I were,” I say while simultaneously looking into Kyle’s eyes.
“God, I’m going to be so glad to get rid of you.”
A spark of fear rolls down my spine from the way he says those words so cavalierly. “What did you just say?”
“Nothing.” He clears his throat. “Listen, those fucking files have it all. And we’re about to use it all to expose that garbage family for who and what they are.”
