“I wouldn’t expect you to.” Rick rubs at his cheek, but he doesn’t criticize me for lashing out, accepting it like Kai did at the door. “I nearly didn’t go through with it when you admitted you gave Kai your virginity.” He looks at his brother. “He hadn’t told me, and everything clicked then.”
“What do you mean?” I cock my head to the side.
“Kai, Hunt, and Lauder were supposed to manipulate and intimidate you into cooperating so we could get at your father’s safe,” Rick admits.
“But you were too fucking stubborn for your own good,” Kai butts in, and I flip him the bird as I sit back down on the bed, leaving a decent gap between us this time.
“So, Father invoked Plan B,” Rick confirms.
“Which was what?” I have an idea, but I want to hear him say it.
“I was to seduce you and then manipulate you into helping,” Kai says, looking sheepish.
Nausea churns in my gut, and I hate how gullible I was. How easy it was for him to get me into his bed. Self-loathing consumes me, as it has many times in the past few weeks.
“Dad came to me,” Rick continues, “because he was worried Kai was falling for you and losing control.” I snort at the ludicrous nature of that statement, and Kai pins me with a deadly look that might have scared me one time, but I’m not scared of him anymore.
He’s the one who should fearme.
“Dad needed to get into that safe,” Rick continues, “because he believed the proof your mother had collected was in there. Proof that confirmed your asshole father killed our mother, and he could use that to put him away.”
Tension descends for a few beats. “Hang on.” My brow puckers, as I recall the words spoken the night of the engagement party. “I thought you already had the proof. Your dad said my aunt gave it to him.” My gaze bounces between them.
Kai shakes his head. “He was pretending to draw your father out.”
“Wasn’t it in the safe?” I ask.
“We hoped so, but it wasn’t among the contents we retrieved,” Kai confirms.
“Fuck.” I rub a tense spot between my brows. Now that I know Atticus is still alive, I’m banking on him nailing my father’s ass to the wall. If he doesn’t have proof, my father committed murder, it doesn’t leave us with much to go on.
“Dad knew there was a chance it wouldn’t be there. Your father has always outwitted him, at every turn, so this time, he was determined to gain the upper hand,” Rick says. “Dad knew your shares would automatically transfer to your husband upon marriage, so he decided not to outwardly intervene in your relationship. He thought it best to let nature take its course. He figured you guys would fall in love and a wedding would be inevitable.”
“But the bastard took it a step too far,” Kai says, fuming, and I’m surprised at the poison infusing his words. He stands, pacing the floor, wringing his hands in front of him. I eye him curiously.
“It’s like Dad said,” Rick supplies, going on, regardless of his brother frantically pacing the room on the verge of a blowout. “He wanted insurance. He wanted to ensure you had to marry Kai. So, he asked me to switch out your pills, and he made me promise not to tell my brother.”
“I get why you’d have no loyalty to me,” I say, “but how could you do that to your brother?” Rick is no better than Drew.
“I was a stupid fuckhead for agreeing, but I thought I was doing the right thing. Avenging our mom’s death is something both of us want.” He eyeballs Kai. “I figured if Dad was right about Kai falling for you, then it was up to me to see the plan through to fruition.” He exhales heavily. “And I thought having a baby together might not be such a big deal if you were into one another.”
I want to inflict pain on Maverick Anderson so badly, and I sit on my hands to avoid lashing out.
Rick scrubs a hand along his stubbly jawline. “When you told me Kai was the one you gave your virginity to, I was astounded, because he hadn’t told us. I realized then that he was protecting you, and I had second thoughts about interfering.”
He leans forward, resting his elbows on his thighs. “I almost didn’t do it, but there was too much at stake. And I saw the way you looked at one another.” He smiles knowingly at me, and I purse my lips. “You both tried to deny it then, like you’re trying to deny it now, but I know what I see.”
I flip him off, and Kai growls.
“You love each other, and that sealed the decision.”
“You’re delusional. We’ve always hated one another,” I say even if it’s only half a truth.
“I should give you another black eye,” Kai threatens, stalking toward his brother with clenched fists.
“This time, I’ll fight back,” Rick promises, rising and stepping up to his brother as my mind whirls to process all this new intel. “I deserved the beating you gave me, but I won’t be your perpetual punchbag. I’m sorry, and you’ve got to forgive me.”
Kai growls again, but I jump in before this goes south, not wanting to lose the opportunity to learn more seeing as they’re in a sharing and caring mood.
