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Arching a brow, I wait for more. It seems like all I’m doing is waiting. And waiting. Pressing my lips together, I tilt my head to the side and watch him. Junior leans forward and places the glass on the coffee table, then clears his throat.
“My dad fucked us. Straight up,” he murmurs. “But it wasn’t me and my brothers.”
“Did someone say it was?” I know damn well we’ve been looking into them. This whole thing reeking of bullshit to me.
“Got a note,” he states.
Those three words make me sit up a bit straighter. Maybe it’s not bullshit, or maybe it’s just a diversion tactic. “A note?” I ask.
He nods his head once, then shifts and shoves his hand into his pocket before he takes out a piece of paper. He then reaches toward the center of the coffee table, slams it down, picks up his glass again, and lifts it to his lips to suck down a gulp.
Slowly, as if the piece of paper can actually harm me, I reach forward and pinch it between my fingers. Sinking my teeth into the corner of my bottom lip, I unfold the paper.
It’s a bit worn, and it’s been crumbled up and flattened back out again. But that isn’t what has me pausing. It’s the words.
Your cousins are watching you.
Be good, boys.
They think you’re going to betray the family just like your father.
Sins of the father.
It’s a bit longer than Parker’s note, yet it’s the exact same. Written in the same style. And if I had to guess, it was probably delivered the same way. Slipped into the mailbox in the lobby of his building… Hendrick’s building.
“What the fuck?” I hiss. Although I am not fully convinced that he and his brothers are innocent. Any one of them could have written this note. And Parker’s.
He jerks his chin as I lift my gaze to meet his. “You been watching us?” he asks.
“That’s not the point.” I ignore his question before clenching my jaw. “How was this delivered to you?”
“Envelope, no stamp, no return address, dropped in the mailbox slot.”
“Same as Parker,” I murmur.
“Parker?”
Leaning back in my chair, I lift my gaze to his and instead of telling him what Parker’s note said, I let that go and fill him in on exactly what is happening, at least as much as I know.
“Someone is targeting us. I don’t know if it’s inside or out. I don’t want to believe it’s inside, but this is beyond suspicious.”
“Inside,” he rasps. “But it’s not me, and it’s not my fucking brothers.”
I want to tell him that it could literally be anyone, including them, but I decide against it. Instead, I jerk my chin toward him, then let out a heavy sigh. There’s no sense in arguing about anything at all. And I don’t want him to think I’m only looking at them for this, even if it’s true.
Not until we know for sure what is going on.
I don’t want to accuse anyone without proof.
They are my family, all of them, and betrayal means death.
ChapterThirteen
CLAIRE
Standingin front of the mirror, I stare at my reflection. I’m wearing the beautiful blue dress that Parker helped me pick out, my hair is styled in loose beach waves thanks to my sister, and my makeup is as good as it’ll get because I did it myself.
There is a knock on my bedroom door, and I hold my breath for just a moment, tamping down the excitement that it could be my handsome stranger. But I know it’s not because it’s daylight, not even dinnertime yet, and he doesn’t appear until after midnight.
