I rolled my eyes. "You're with me. I'll be fine. Besides, I'm an adult. I can make my own decisions." Levi followed me out the back door. He didn't really have much choice.
At his SUV, I turned to him and smiled. "So, where are we going?"
His jaw clenched, and he hesitated before answering. "I have an idea that no one is going to like, but it might end this quickly."
"Now you're speaking in riddles." We climbed into the SUV, and Levi pulled out.
"You can't tell anyone what we're about to do. Do you understand, Tallulah?"
My nerves rattled. "What exactly are we going to do?"
"Something that I hope won't get us both killed." He glanced at me and briefly searched my face. "What I'm thinking should work because we have the foolproof way of communicating."
"You still haven't said where we're going."
He sighed heavily. "To talk to your father." He winced. "Or rather, you are."
"What the heck?" My mouth dropped open in shock. "What exactly does this have to do with my father?"
"Everything."
My father knew what part Tate had played all those years ago. He knew who was responsible for Monica's death. I'd never forget the truth. It made me sick. Now, I’d discovered that my father was behind the drugs that Jane and Aiden were involved with. Aiden had sweet-talked the nurse out of her panties, and now she was dead. Trevor had also been involved.
"Keep an open mind so I can hear what you're thinking. Otherwise, I can't help you." He paused. "And don't fidget with your foot. This whole thing is pointless if they find the listening device.”
"I know." I inhaled deeply and tried to clear my mind. I was confronting my father so that I could get the answer the cops needed. Maybe I could finally get him to tell me where my mother was. I hadn't seen or spoken to her since Tate died. The pain from losing him was still fresh.
As I stepped onto the porch of my childhood home, the cold hung around me like a heavy blanket. The front door hadn't been fully closed. I had a sinking feeling that something was terribly wrong.
"What is it?"
"I'm not sure," I said to Levi. "I'm going inside."
My heart threatened to beat out of my chest as I slipped inside. I saw that the furniture had been overturned, and there were signs of a struggle. I made sure Levi noticed them. "The house is silent," I added.
"Be careful."
I rolled my eyes.
Wearing flat-heeled boots, I moved silently to the kitchen. Julie, my parents' housekeeper, was nowhere to be seen. I felt a twinge of guilt as I realized that I hadn't kept in touch with her. I loved Julie. She had always been around while I was growing up. I had been avoiding this house since Tate had died. I wanted to distance myself from the memories. I was also angry at my parents for letting an innocent man be accused and convicted after his death for Monica's murder.
Exhaling sharply, I knew the one place I should check was my father's office. The house still felt silent and empty. That didn't stop my heart from beating wildly in fear. I swallowed hard and slowly crept down the hallway toward the office, which was off-limits unless invited inside.
The double doors loomed in front of me. I nervously pressed my ear to the door, straining to hear any sound from inside. There was nothing but silence, which made my heart race even faster. Where was everyone? "I don't think anyone is here," I said to Levi.
"The house has been watched. One of Kendrick's men reported that Duke James hadn't left."
My eyes strayed to the doorknob. With my breath stuck in my throat, I slowly turned it. "Oh!" I gasped, feeling blood roar around my head.
"Tallulah! Talk to me."
My eyes darted around the room in shock as I tried to take it all in. I swallowed hard. "My dad and two men I don't recognize have Carlisle in zip ties. He's been beaten."
Snapping out of it, I rushed to Carlisle, knelt down beside him, and put my hands on his face. His eyes met mine, and I could see the fear and pain reflected in them. I knew the fear was for me.
"Let him go," I said to my father.
"You shouldn't be here." My father moved from behind his desk with a twitch at the corner of his mouth. "What the hell am I going to do with you?"
