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“It’s for your own safety. As soon as the danger passes, you can go home.”
He’s trembling uncontrollably and struggles to get himself to the edge of the bed he’s lying on. I quickly go to assist him, but he swats at my hands.
“I can do it,” he argues but falls back onto the pillow.
The irony of the situation doesn’t escape me. He’s certainly made his bed in many ways, and he’s lying in it. But that doesn’t mean I’m going to let Gideon Black kill him.
Finally, after several tries, he manages to sit. A long sigh escapes him, sounding a lot like a haunted sob. “Ah, Arran. I can’t today with you. Leave me alone.”
There’s a soft knock, followed by the sound of the electronic locking mechanism disengaging. Martha, Father’s aid, enters carrying a tray with juice and medicines.
“Arran,” she greets. “Didn’t expect to see you until later.”
“I have something to discuss with Father.”
“Mmm.” She sets down the tray on the nightstand. “Today might not be the best day. He didn’t sleep well.”
Father rubs his eyes. “It’s that shit you give me,” he tells her. “I need something stronger. Something that will keep the nightmares away.”
“Clive, I’ve told you, it’s those meds that got you into trouble in the first place. What you need is therapy.” She gives me a meaningful glance.
“He’ll return to his usual routines soon,” I assure her. “This is only temporary.”
“Don’t you have a therapist you can trust to come here?” she asks.
“Arran doesn’t even trust you,” Father scoffs. “That’s why he’s keeping you prisoner, like me.”
Martha purses her lips. “Prisoner, my ass. I can leave anytime I want.” She hands him his drink and a small dose of his drug of choice.
“Then why don’t you leave?” He downs the pills with a desperation that irks me. If I could toss those things down the toilet and keep him from ever taking them again without consequence, I would. But I learned the hard way that that’s a mistake. “If I could get out of this hellhole, I’d be gone by now.”
“Because he’s paying me!” she replies. “Now, I’ll be back in an hour with your lunch. Maybe we can watch a movie. Sound good?”
He huffs and she waves a dismissive hand as she leaves. “Always so ornery.”
Father is wrong. I do trust her. She’s been with us for too long not to. Martha was hired on as our nanny when we were children. Later on, she became the majordomo at our house. After Kate’s death, when Father fell into his addiction and became ill, it was she who took care of him. Not our mother, who couldn’t stand him when she was married to him, much less now. Not even his current wife, Kelly, who used his last affair as an excuse to go gallivanting somewhere in Spain, and we prefer her gone. It was always Martha.
“Let me go too,” Father pleads.
“And be on the run for the rest of your life?” I ask. “Gideon Black is out for blood. Your blood. You remember I told you about Stephen’s son, don’t you?”
His stare goes blank, the way it always does when I ask about Stephen Black. I know he hears me but doesn’t want to answer questions about his involvement in his death.
“Father,” I urge. “Do you remember Stephen? Is there anything you can tell me that would help?”
“What does it matter? I want to die.” There’s so much sadness in his tone, it touches me in spite of my determination to remain strict with him. “I want to see Kate.”
I sit back in the chair and look at him thoughtfully, swallowing down the pain his words cause. “He won’t stop at your death. He’ll come after Landon when he inherits Maxton Holdings.”
“What?”
“That’s Gideon’s game. He doesn’t only want the men responsible for his father’s death. He wants to make sure their families lose all power.”
“But Landon is no threat.” His facial features begin to relax as his medication takes effect. “You’re more of a threat than he is. If Gideon Black is smart, he’ll figure that out.”
My brow furrows as I consider what he’s just said. It’s a confirmation of what I’ve suspected since the first message the Ferryman sent me.
“I’ve been receiving letters from him,” I say. “He wants me to turn you over to him in exchange for my life.”
