Wild snorts and slaps me on the back. “Good luck. And Drakos, being a dad is one of life’s greatest pleasures. Congratulations.” He winks and leaves me alone to my thoughts. He wasn’t much help, but he can’t fix this. That’s on Aria and me.
Chapter 25
He Didn’t Know
~~Aria~~
Drakos should be given a PhD in the art of sexual pleasure.
Last night and this morning were legendary as far as I’m concerned. I want more, and I’m powerless to resist anything that man does and wants to do.
I wait around, never far from my phone, hoping he’ll call. The team flies out in the morning, and I really want to see him. Okay, I really want to screw his brains out, give him a good send-off.
I should be cleaning out Anna’s storage unit, but I’m not. I’m worthless today. When Noah asks to spend another night with the Bang family, I give my permission. After all, it’s a little hard to have out-of-control sex with a kid’s bedroom sharing a wall with my bedroom.
To distract myself from thoughts and worries regarding Drakos, I put on my big-girl panties and call my father. I find him easier to talk to than my mother. Have they been in the dark as I have regarding Anna’s secret Vegas life? Or have they made any discoveries that things weren’t exactly what she portrayed them to be?
“Hi, Aria.” My father answers, sounding distracted as always. When he’s working on a research project, which is almost 100 percent of the time, he’s completely disinterested in anything else, including his daughter, but I’m used to it. In their own weird way, my parents love me. They’re not demonstrative, and their daughters have never been their priority. Their work is their passion and their obsession. I probably inherited my work ethic from them, though I put Noah above any job.
“Dad, I know you’re busy, so I’ll get straight to the point.”
Silence on the other end of the phone. I wonder if he’s even listening.
“I discovered some jarring truths about Anna this past week.”
“Anna’s gone. Why don’t we leave her memory as it is? No need to dig up dirt, but that’s what you’re best at, isn’t it?” He’s annoyed, but probably more from me keeping him from his work than anything to do with Anna. I ignore the dig. Both parents have made it clear to me time and time again that my job with All Hockey News is an embarrassment, and they greatly disapprove of the direction I’ve taken in my life.
“I don’t work there anymore, Dad. I couldn’t write those stories anymore.”
“Well, at least there’s that.” He huffs indignantly.
“About Anna?”
“Your mom told me you accused Anna of fraudulently taking out a credit card in your name and maxing it out.”
“She did.”
He makes no comment.
“I’ve been investigating her finances.”
“You’re just getting around to that now?” His tone is chastising, and I can imagine him thinking that’s normal behavior for me.
“I couldn’t do it before. I guess I was suffering from grief and shock over her death. For Noah’s sake, I’m doing so now. He has every right to her assets.”
“He does.” My dad’s agreeing with me? That rarely happens. “She owns that big house in Vegas and should have life insurance from her work plus ample savings.”
“That’s just it, Dad. There’s nothing that I can find.”
“Nothing?” He sounds puzzled, and I believe I have his full attention.
“Dad, I called the university. She never earned a doctorate there or even a bachelor’s.”
“What?” He’s genuinely shocked. I hear him relaying the information to my mom. “I’m putting you on speaker.”
“Aria, you’d better have solid proof to make an accusation like that against your sister.” My mother has always defended Anna to the point where Anna was rarely held responsible for her actions when we were growing up. My dad was even more of an enabler.
“Mom, call the university yourself. You’ll find out the same information. Furthermore, Anna never worked there in any capacity.”
