Throughout dinner, which Stew served, we remained on safe conversation. School assignments, sports teams, movies. It wasn’t until Stew had cleared our dessert bowls that Richard got to the point of why he’d asked me over.
“Riley, I know I’m not currently an acting member on Delta’s council,” Richard began, handing me a crystal cut glass of whiskey as we relocated to the sitting room. “But that’s by my own choice. After Oscar’s death, I didn’t feel like I was of a sound enough mind to handle the decisions and votes which are required of a Delta sitting council member.”
I snorted quietly with contempt. “But Catherine is?”
Richard’s lips tightened. “Catherine ...” He sighed heavily. “Catherine is a very smart, very calculating woman. When she sets her mind to something...” he trailed off again, then shook his head like he was saying too much. “Anyway, what I was saying, is that although I’ve allowed Catherine to proxy my position, I am still aware of everything going on. I was kept well informed of your mission with the other successors on the weekend, and given a full report on your success. I wanted to tell you how proud I was of you.”
I narrowed my eyes at him. “For ... breaking into a senator’s office and stealing his illegal sex tape? Strange thing to be proud of your daughter for, but whatever.” That was mostly muttered to myself, and I took a long sip of the amber spirit to stop running my mouth further.
“Yes, well. Strange world we live in.” Richard just shrugged it off. “Here’s the thing, though.” He paused, like he was trying to decide if he should continue or not. “Somehow, Huntley also obtained the same recording.”
My brows shot up in surprise. “How?”
“Well, that’s what I’d like to figure out,” he said softly, his gaze all too sharp on me for comfort. “What can you tell me about that night, Riley? Could anyone else have gained access to that recording room? Made a copy of the flash drive, perhaps?”
I blinked at him a couple of times, comprehending his question while I took another sip of the whiskey. “You mean... did Dylan or Beck make a copy?” I was already shaking my head. “There’s no way, they had one copy and it was handed off immediately.”
Richard just shrugged again, his face neutral and non-threatening. For some reason, that scared me more than any of the other Delta members I’d met. “Not just Dylan and Beck … anyone at all?”
Frowning, I shook my head again before belatedly noticing how fuzzy it felt. “No, I was with them the whole time. Beck only had the one flash drive, then he gave it to Dylan to take to Catherine. And no one else was in the room with us.”
Richard nodded slowly. “I see. And you saw Dylan hand the flash drive to Catherine, then?”
“No, I...” I scrubbed at my eyes with the heel of my hand. “I was fucking Beck in the bathroom.” I frowned, hearing those words come out of my mouth.What in the world?“Did you...” A sick feeling of dread washed through me as the room began to spin. “Did you drug me?”
Richard shrugged again, a gesture I was fast coming to despise. “Just a little something to loosen your tongue, dear. It won’t have any long term effects, I promise. Now, to be clear, you said Sebastian handed the flash drive to Dylan, but you never actually saw him give it to Catherine?”
“No, but he did.” I scowled and tried to stand up, but my legs turned to liquid and I fell back into my seat in an awkward sprawl. “Fuck you, Richard,” I snarled. “You never actually stepped down from Delta, did you?”
A smile creased his features, which were blurring a bit. “Oh, I did. In a way. My son’s murder required investigation, and it was so much easier to fly under the radar when everyone writes you off as a grieving father on the brink of breakdown. And now here I am, investigating a mole. Tell me, Riley ... areyouthat mole?”
His tone was so light, so matter of fact, I wouldn’t have been shocked if he decided to shoot me in the head right here in his sitting room. Fuck. Me. The rest of the council combined didn’t haveshiton Richard Deboise, he was one scary ass motherfucker.
“No,” I snapped back, “and neither are Dylan or Beck. If you want to find a mole, maybe look at the other people who knew about our mission.” Namely—the entire Delta council and whoever else was involved with our operation that night. Especially Catherine Deboise, who had a very close tie to the head of Huntley.
Richard smiled again. A creepy, soulless smile. “I believeyoubelieve that. Thank you, dear. It’s been lovely getting to know you better. Stewart will see you home.”
I could no longer feel my limbs, and my vision was both blurring and spinning, but I still noticed when Stewart gathered me up in his arms and started walking out of the sitting room.
“Oh, and Riley?” Richard called after us, causing Stew to pause. “I trust you won’t share this chat with anyone. It would be so sad if Beckett lost their heir so close to his succession, and when you’ve clearly formed such a close bond with the young man too.”
“Fuck you, Richard,” I tried to snarl back, but it came out a bit slurred.
Stewart started walking with me again, and just before I passed out, I could have sworn I heard Richard mutter something more from close by.
“You should have taken the IDs and run while you could, stupid girl,” he said, but instead of sounding threatening, his voice was full of ... regret and despair. Something soft brushed across my forehead, but I was already dropping into unconsciousness.
* * *
Sunlight beatdown over my face, and I groaned. Why did my head feel like I’d been put through a meat grinder and who the fuck left my curtains open?
“What the hell?” I mumbled, my tongue thick and heavy like I’d been drinking all night. Picking up my phone from the night stand, I checked the time ... then groaned. My alarm was set to go off in six minutes, and it was a school day.
My head was pounding. Utterly thumping. Cringing with every movement, I staggered over to my bathroom and busted in without taking notice of the fact that the shower was running.
Why was my shower running?
Ugh, too hard to look.
