AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Sophia, why are you here?”
“Would you tell me something? As a favor to my mother, the woman you loved more than she comprehended?”
He’s stone-faced. Difficult to read. My heart pounds against my breastbone. My stepmother’s therapist voice comes to mind.Listen. So, I sit and wait.
“What do you want to know?”
“I’ve poured over the court case records. I study criminal enterprises.”
“For your job? At the FBI?”
“Yes.”
“Are they re-opening this case? I wasn’t offered the chance to have a lawyer here.”
“No.” I give my head a quick shake and my most sincere expression. “This is just me. I’m not here for the FBI.”
“’Cause this is visiting day.” He lets out an exaggerated, dramatic sigh with his arms still crossed over his chest. Aunt Alex taught me that’s a protective gesture, but he looks lazy and relaxed.
“Yes. My job at the FBI is as an intelligence analyst. A strategic group. I’m not here for the FBI.”
“Why’d you register as an FBI agent?”
“I’m not on your friends and family list.”
“Well, I’ll add you. It’s a short list.” His lips pucker. “What do you want to know?”
“Everything doesn’t add up. Others were involved. Who were they?”
“I’m pretty sure your dad cleaned house. Anyone left got the boot.”
He’s correct. After my abduction, and the discovery our family company, Sullivan Arms, was selling guns illegally to foreign countries, cleaning house became his mission.
“I’m not interested in the people who worked for you. I want to know who you worked for.”
“You already know about Mark. You must be following his case.”
“My uncle died.” And Uncle Mark probably wouldn’t have been convicted because he hired some of the best defense attorneys in the country and the evidence was weak. But given his health, he kept winning delays.
“Sorry to hear that. He was a good man.”
“No, he wasn’t.”
Killington’s gaze flashes upward and he smirks. “Wasn’t my favorite, if I’m being honest.”
“Who else did he work with? He didn’t do this on his own.”
“No, I helped him. I did it all. That’s how it works.”
“But who recruited Uncle Mark? How did this all begin?”
“Sophia.” He says my name softly. Is that sadness? How would a therapist, someone like my stepmother, hear it? “Let it go. Your dad caught the bad guys. Go back to your trust fund and live the luxe life your mom wanted for you.”
“I can’t.” I shake my head and shift in my seat. My fingers are ice. It’s funny how the body works. “You see, Wayne, there are others involved. Just like I was a chess piece in your little game—”
“Little game?”
“You orchestrated my abduction, so in my dad’s absence, you could resume the CEO role. Right?”
