“I’m sure you can’t handle the truth, but I’ll let you make that call on your own. So, to answer your question, your ears didn’t deceive you.”
My muscles coil tight.
How can this be?
“My mother always believed that working a job was for suckers, so she mastered the art of freeloading to avoid having to rely on a paycheck. She passed along that gene to my sister. I was always the black sheep of the family because I refused to follow in my mom’s footsteps. Through the library books I devoured, I knew there was another world out there—one I desperately wanted to be part of.” She shifts in her seat. “I’m not sure when my mother graduated from stopping by a fast food restaurant for a no frills cup of coffee just so she could leave with her handbag stuffed with condiments and sugar packets to being part of an international scamming ring, but that’s the harsh reality I woke up to at the end of last year.”
What in the actual hell?
“My mom had my sister when she was fourteen. Years later, she met my dad—who’s a decade older. The man is so in love with her, he would follow her blindly to purgatory and back. The moment I could get out from under my mother’s roof, I did. I had a dream to become an actress. I followed the advice of a casting director, moved in with five roommates in an apartment that was strategically located, allowing me to get to auditions, and I changed my name from the unmemorable Britney Brown to Harley McKenzie Lancaster?—”
“Wait. Your name is Britney Brown?”
She nods. “I never got big parts, but after countless rejections, I did get a few voiceover parts that kept royalty checks coming my way for a while. Eventually, I changed my name legally. Despite not getting a big break, I still had high hopes. Looking back, it was a good move. It distanced myself from Brandy and Tiffany Brown.” She pulls her lip between her teeth. “I’ll spare you the shit show that was my childhood and fast forward to last year. In order to keep my sanity, I made it a point to visit my parents, and my sister who had been living there after her deadbeat baby daddy kicked her out and their three young sons—who were terrors, set on being bullies like their dad—for Thanksgiving and Christmas.”
Were? As in past tense?
“Out of the blue, my mom texted me, which was unusual since she preferred to communicate through my father. She wanted me to come over because she was throwing Dad a party to celebrate a milestone birthday. I love my dad, although he’s always allowed my mom to lead him by the nose, so I agreed. I was a little confused when my mom told me she’d text me the Long Island address where the party was taking place.”
“Had your parents moved?”
She scoffs. “To my utter shock, my parents left the modest house they were renting and along with Tiffany and my nephewsmoved into the sprawling and luxurious mansion my sister’s new boyfriend owned, complete with home gym, chef, and weekly housekeeping. Tiffany had only been with that guy for four months.”
“Whoa.”
“Brian Miller was a walking depiction of the bad guy in a few mafia romance books I’ve read. He had a tattoo that ran from the side of his temple all the way down his neck. And he had tattoos on his hands. Plenty of guys have tattoos, but there was something about his hard, dark stare that had me on edge.”
I frown. “How does he fit into the picture?”
“He told me he was in wealth management and had a thousand sites he used for lead generation, and after falling hard for Tiffany at the gas station, he not only became her boyfriend, but he gave her a job. He explained my mom and Tiffany were doing admin work for his empire. He didn’t use company. He saidempire.”
“Arrogant much?”
“Right?” Harley rolls her eyes. “None of my dad’s friends showed up at the birthday party. It turned into a pitch fest to convince me to work for Brian as one of his admins. I’d had enough. I lied about having to meet friends at a bar and made an exit.”
My jaw flexes. “I’m guessing Brian didn’t take no for an answer.”
“And you would be correct.”
“Dipshit.”
“Oh, Brian is so much more than that. So, so much more. Like he had done with Mom, Dad became Brian’s middleman. I shut my father down. For a while after that, he would just text to say hello. He didn’t bring up the subject of Brian. I was relieved. A few months after that incident, my dad called me to let me know the whole family was going out of the country to Cambodiawhere Brian and his business partners had a head office. They’d be gone for six weeks––a combination of training and vacation. My jaw dropped when Dad told me my aunt––his sister—who had declared bankruptcy last year was joining Brian’s business.”
“Your parents and sister brainwashed her.”
She nods. “Their last week there, Dad announced they might extend their stay by another couple weeks. I was uncomfortable with how my family was putting so much faith in this guy. Every fiber of my being knew the man was trouble, but I kept my mouth shut and remained steadfast in my decision of refusing to visit, no matter how many times my dad suggested the idea.”
“Good for you for trusting your gut.”
“I wish I had been more vocal.” She blows out a breath. “A. Monte Cristo stands for Agent Monte Cristo. Your investigator came up empty because that’s the code name for the agent that revealed the truth about my family.” She fidgets with her hands.
Code name?
This is sounding like a spy movie.
“Most everything regarding Brian and his business partners is classified, but Agent Monte Cristo did reveal there had been a task force of intelligence in the US, the UK, Australia, and privately hired local muscle in Cambodia, tracking the whereabouts of these criminals.”
Of everything I expected her to reveal, this wasn’t on the list. “So, you met Agent Monte Cristo in person?”
