“He expects a rough start. He won’t hold it against me.”
“I do believe your arrogance will be your downfall, Charles,” I say, stretching up and pressing my lips to the underside of his jaw. He shivers, and I smother my sly smile. “He will see you can’t control me, and whatever deal you two have in place will be null and void. But go ahead,” I say, pushing him off me. “Test me.” I down the rest of my drink in one go. “If you breathe a word to my father, I will tell your mother what really happened Christmas Day.” I prod my finger into his chest. “I willshow herhow it went down, and she will never speak to you again.”
I will never show Elizabeth that tape if we even get our hands on it. Because it would destroy her. But Charlie doesn’t know that. The threat of it should be good enough to win back some control.
I walk off, lingering in the doorway. I cast one last glance over my shoulder at him. “I want Jethro gone by morning, and you’ll tell Mrs. Rose that Xavier is welcome here anytime.”
“That’s good, Abby,” Drew says the following afternoon as we lounge in my bedroom, chatting. “Charlie adores his mom and sister. He won’t risk approaching Father, because he doesn’t want them to find out the truth.”
“I seriously hope Xavier can recover the footage from the tapes, because it’d be nice to know I can substantiate my threat.”
“Xavier and Hunt were working on it for hours last night. No success so far, but between both their nerd brains, I’m sure they’ll figure it out.”
“Can you set up a meeting at the house for tonight? I’m not sure what time Charlie will be home from work at, but I’ll text you and tell you what time to get everyone to Lauder’s.”
“Everyone is hanging out there most nights anyway, so it’s not an issue.”
“Is Kai okay?” I whisper although there’s no need. No one is around, and my room is clean.
“Well, his vocal cords are in full working order.” He chuckles. “He’s a fucking rotten patient.” Drew smirks. “He is driving Rick insane with his bitching and moaning. And it’s just as well he’s injured because I doubt any of us would be able to stop him from coming for you. He’s worried out of his mind.”
“I’ll reassure him tonight.”
“He really loves you, Abby.” Drew snakes his arm around my shoulders. “And I can tell you love him too. I’m happy for you, and I’m rooting for you guys.”
I want to tell him so bad, but I want to talk to Kai about it first.
“Thanks, D.” I lean my head on his shoulder. “I need you to do another thing for me. I discovered a way off the property from the rear garden when I was doing some snooping this morning. Can you park my Kawasaki halfway down the alleyway that runs on the other side of the house and message me the coordinates? I can’t risk taking one of their cars in case Charlie notices something.”
“I’ll get it done.”
“And one other thing.” I worry my lower lip between my teeth. “I want to tell Kai and Rick what we discovered about their mother’s murder tonight.”
“Are you sure that’s wise?”
I nod. “I hate that I’ve kept it from him. He has a right to know.Theyhave a right to know. And Kai can’t do anything about it while he’s injured, so it’ll give him time to process, and, hopefully, we can talk him into using it in a measured way to take his father down the same time we take ours down.”
“Okay. You’re right. They need to know, no matter how unpleasant that conversation will be.” He kisses my temple before reaching behind him. I lift my head up, and he hands me a large rectangular package wrapped in glossy red paper. “Belated Merry Christmas, little sis.”
I hug him. “Thank you.” Drew is really coming through for me now, and it feels great to have my brother back in the fold.
“Everything you need is in the hidden bottom panel, but I’d still be careful to keep it away from Charlie. He’s not some dumb schmuck you can manipulate with a bat of your eyelashes.”
“I know how to handle him.” I open my new purse, lifting the bottom panel and examining the contents. I hold the compact gun in my palm, loving how lightweight it is. I don’t want to walk around town looking like my purse weighs ten tons. “I’ll give him some fire and then soothe it with some loving,” I add, checking the backup burner cell. My stomach twists unpleasantly at the thought, but needs must. “Starting with tonight.” I extract the pack of glass vials, holding them up to the light. The liquid is clear, which is a bonus.
“Rick said to use one-third of a vial in a glass of water or juice. Based on Charlie’s build, he reckons that buys you about five hours.”
I remove one vial and place it under a book in my bedside table. “I guess we’ll find out later tonight.”
“What’s this?” Charlie asks, walking into the formal dining room with a frown.
“Your mom and Lillian ate earlier. I wanted to wait up for you.” I gesture at the two place settings, pulling out a chair. “Take a seat and I’ll get our food.”
He eyes me neutrally as he walks over, dropping into the chair. I place my hands on his shoulders. “You feel tense.” It’s not actually a lie. His shoulders are corded into knots. I start kneading his taut flesh. “I’ll give you a back rub after dinner if you like.” I lift the bottle of red wine. “Wine?”
He nods, eyeing me carefully as I pour him a glass. “Drink that, and I’ll be back in a few minutes.”
I load the hot plates from the oven onto a tray, along with the salad and bread, and head back to the dining room.
