I threw my hands up in the air. “Screw you. I’m trying to make you see the big picture.” It was useless. I started for the house as anger tightened every muscle in me.
“You’re just like your father, Layla,” Uncle Jack said at my back. “He slept with a bloodsucker too. You both disgust me.”
My limbs locked, and white dots blurred my vision.Breathe, girl. Breathe. Walk away. Pack your things and get off this ranch. It’s best for everyone.
But I didn’t listen to that little voice in my head. I spun around and stomped back to him like a soldier heading into war.
His smugness sent fury plowing through my veins, and I itched to punch him square in his bulbous nose. “So the lady you were arguing over was a vampire?” I kept my voice even.
He flicked his head to one side. “You could say that.”
I ground my back molars. “And let me guess: you banned him from the family because of that?”
“As I said, there is no place for anyone who’s in bed with a vampire here.”
“That was the reason he partnered with a former CIA agent to make money,” I mumbled to myself. “You drove him to his death.” I shook my head back and forth several times. “Youdisgust me.”
“Your father made a choice, but that didn’t mean I wanted him dead.” He sounded horrified that I would accuse him of that.
I blew out a quiet breath as my head finally stopped moving back and forth. My stomach, on the other hand, was growing more nauseated by the second. “Who is this vampire my father slept with? Where is she? Did she kill my father?”
He tucked his hands into his jeans pockets. “All Ray and I have right now is a name. Kendra. He and I have been trying to find her since your father died. We don’t know if she was the one who did it.” He took a breath, and his pinched features relaxed. “We hired a friend of ours who does PI work.”
A thousand volts of electricity jolted me into shock at how freely he’d just told me all that. Maybe there was hope for Jack. “Why didn’t you tell me this a long time ago? I had to find out from a former CIA guy that my father had been dating someone. But he didn’t know much.”
“You and your sisters were distraught over his death. If I would’ve told you this then, would you have believed me?”
I shrugged. I probably would’ve thought he was nuts. But after sleeping with Sam, it wasn’t difficult to wrap my head around the fact that my father had dated a vampire. “Is the PI still looking?” I would like to meet Kendra.
He nodded. “He is. He checks in every now and then with an update. He got a break about a week ago. He’s not sure if it will pan out.”
“If you do find her, I want to talk to her before you and Ray decide to seal her fate.” I wouldn’t hold out hope, though. As far as my uncles were concerned, Kendra was already guilty, whether or not she killed my dad.
His chest heaved before he pushed air out of his lungs. “Worry about yourself. Do something with your life, Layla. Preferably not with vampires.”
Oh, I would definitely do something with my life. But he wouldn’t like it.
11
LAYLA
The next morning, I found myself hugging the toilet again. Something was definitely wrong with me. Jordyn speculated that I was sick because of Rianne’s betrayal, finding out my father had been dating a vampire, and the entire fucked-up convo with my uncle. The stress had been monumental, for sure. I couldn’t understand why Rianne had told Noah about Sam and me. According to Jordyn, Rianne and Noah had been drinking beers and watching a movie the night before last. I was going with her drinking too much and the liquor making her spill the beans.
Once I emptied the contents of my stomach, I jumped into the shower. The faster I could leave, the better. The only reason I hadn’t left yet was Rianne. She’d decided to stay the night in Bozeman and party with Noah, or that was the gist of the text she’d sent Jordyn. I’d tried calling her, but she wouldn’t answer. As time passed, I was becoming angrier and more stressed, hence my friendliness with the toilet that morning.
Aside from wondering about Rianne, I’d had time to think as I laid in bed last night. My uncle had been right about one thing—it was time for me to choose my path.
For the immediate future, my path was talking to Dr. Vieira. Conrad had given Jordyn Dr. Vieira’s number. I’d called him but had to leave a voice mail.
The hot water felt great against the tense muscles in my shoulders and back. I couldn’t help but think that my problems were just beginning. As I grabbed the shampoo bottle, something hit me out of nowhere, and I gasped. The plastic bottle fell, sounding like an explosion had gone off.
“Layla,” Jordyn called before she practically ripped the shower curtain off its rings. “Are you okay?”
I nodded as I stood under the hot water.
Her brown hair was messy around her face. “You don’t look so good.”
“I thought of Abbey,” I said, “and her vision of Rianne killing me.” Call me crazy, but I got a foreboding ache deep down in my bones that something earth-shattering was going to happen.
