Rubbing my heavy eyes, I crawl out of the bed. After sliding my shoes on, I follow him off the private jet. The heat is stifling, the sun is blinding, and the smell of the salty ocean is overpowering. I hate the beach and the water. That’s why I live in the desert.
A black town car waits for us with the back doors open, so I climb in and my brother follows. When the driver speaks to us, I stare out the window and allow Bones to communicate with the man. My tongue feels swollen, and my head’s still foggy. I need water to drink.
The car takes off, and thankfully, my brother stays silent the entire ride. After we’re dropped off at our destination, we walk up to a back door. Bones enters, and I slip in behind him.
The smell of death hits my nose, and vomit rises in my throat. I cough.
“Keep it down,” my brother orders, and I pull on the collar of my T-shirt.
We’re ushered into a back room, where a table sits in the center, draped in a white sheet. A man stands to the right.
“Bones,” he says, shaking his hand. “Grave.” I just nod, crossing my arms over my chest. “I’m sorry you had to come such a long?—”
“It’s fine,” my brother interrupts him. “If you don’t mind, we’re on a tight schedule.”
“Yes, of course.” He pulls back the sheet. “As I informed you, he was found in his condo. A woman called it in…”
I tune him out as I stare down at the body lying on the metal slab, his color as white as the sheet covering his lower half.
I sit on my bed, the house quiet. My door opens, and I bound to my feet, wiping my wet cheeks, when my father enters my room.
“Ever heard of knocking?” I manage to get out without sounding upset.
“I pay for every inch of this house, including this room. I don’t have to fucking knock,” my dad snaps.
My hands fist. “What do you want?” I grind out.
“Where’s your brother?” he asks, looking around as if he’s in here.
“How the hell should I know?”
He lets out a long breath but ignores me. “I’m leaving. Dillan is in charge while I’m gone.”
“Where are you going?” I ask. We just buried my mother yesterday and arrived back in Vegas this morning. Where the fuck could he possibly be going so soon?
“That’s none of your business,” he says, then exits my room, slamming the door.
I stare at it for a few moments, then yank it open. My father’s footsteps thud on the stairs as I move quickly to the top of the landing. I catch him exiting the front door. I run down the stairs and open the front door just in time to see him help a woman into the passenger side door of his Ferrari.
Anger boils inside me. He was never faithful. My mother was an angel. She gave everything to my brother and me. But my father? I know a part of her loved him in the beginning, but over the years, Dillan and I watched them both change.
He lived for Kingdom, and she despised it. She hated how much of his time it took away from his family. He didn’t care. The house we lived in became a cold mansion. My mother knew she couldn’t leave him. He’d fight her for us, just for spite, and she didn’t come from money.
Maybe she preferred him having women he could fuck, so she wouldn’t have to do it anymore. But that doesn’t mean he has to disrespect her memory. Not this soon.
“It’s him,” Bones confirms.
“Can we have him cremated?” I ask.
The guy looks up at me. “Yes, but…”
“Good. Burn his body,” I order, then turn to walk out.
“But what about the ashes?” he asks.
I turn back around. “Throw them where they belong—in the fucking trash.” With that, I head back to the car. This trip was a total waste.
APRIL
