“What? Why?”
“Because it played right into her hands,” he turned back to us. “I don’t know the full story, I suspect the documents with the photographs are the real reason she needs you back here. I thought she was dead, and your life was in danger. It seemed like some fucked up revenge the Kingsmen were suddenly pulling.
“They’d been acting so irrational lately, it led me to believe that was what was happening. They’d killed her and they were going to come for you. It was the inevitable outcome that you would be brought home. I need to go,” King glanced at the door where Ballistic and Hudson were with Mace.
“Dad, listen. I know you’re pissed, and I know you hate the Kingsmen but if he hadn’t been there, I’d be dead now. He took a bullet getting me away from them.”
“Relax,” King told me. “Despite what Danica tried to convince you about, I’m not a monster. I don’t sanction killing people easily, Waverley.”
My lips parted. King was steadfast in never discussing business with me before.
“Some names are marked, others are useful to me. If they can prove themselves, it goes a long way in my eyes.”
“So you’re saying if Mace helps, gives you what you need to take Danica down, you’ll let him go?”
King didn’t comment. But he had at least given me some hope.
Shit, I closed my eyes. The only problem with that was Mace himself.
It was too much to hope they’d let me stay while they questioned Mace. The only saving grace was he didn’t let Hudson or Warren sit in either. They were both bristling about it, for different reasons obviously, so the three of us sat in Rosa’s beautiful back garden, brooding away in silence, each lost in our own thoughts. Warren filled Hudson in so he knew everything we did. I didn’t even have it in me to guess. I was still so thrown by the news about our real mom. She must have been so scared. If what dad said was true, I wondered if we were the last thought that ran through her mind before she died. If she was even aware it was because of her own sister.
“Oh,” I sat up slightly.
“What?” Hudson looked at me.
“I just realized, if Danica isn’t our mom, then Lily.. Kristy, isn’t our sister.”
“Oh good, that makes it easier to cut her throat,” Warren deadpanned.
“She’s your cousin,” Hudson cringed. “Not that that matters,” he gave Warren a sheepish look.
“Wouldn’t have cared even if she was my sister. I’m going to kill her no matter what.”
I looked over at Warren, thought about being concerned by that, then realized I hated the bitch as much as he did. I could care less what he did to her.
“Where is Omen?”
“In The Shed,” Hudson told me. “We’ve been a little busy, so he’s just hanging out in there.”
Warren laughed and I remembered them telling me they’d once found a guy chained up in there when the three of them snuck down to the Shed as kids. I shook my head at the dark humor. I’d only known Omen for the same amount of time I’d known Lily, so he didn’t matter to me. His betrayal affected them far more than it did me.
“Does he know anything?”
“He doesn’t know shit. Seems the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree, Lily is as manipulative and deceitful as her mother,” Warren shook his head in disgust.
We hadn’t had chance to talk about what dad just told us. We could even with Hudson here but for now, we were both still processing it in our own way.
“So what happens now?” I asked, reaching out to touch one of the yellow roses on the bush beside me. The petals were soft and a little damp, like they’d been watered or it had rained and I’d not noticed.
“Hopefully, we’ll get at least a part of the story from Mace. Dad won’t rush into anything without knowing all the variables. Oh, and you’ll be taken back to the compound.”
“Cos it’s safe as shit there,” I muttered.
“There are no other rats. Dirt made sure of it.”
The thought of being trapped back in the compound made me feel ill. I got why they were doing it but still, I didn’t want to be closeted away. I glanced at Warren for a moment before speaking. “And Connor? Can we go and see him now?”
“Wave.”
