“Who’s David Jennings?” Emmett asks, scratching the back of his head.
“David Jennings was a business rival of Mom’s. The Sainthood staged it so he looked like a vengeful competitor trying to bleed Mom’s business dry and force her into bankruptcy. He protested his innocence the whole way through the trial, but he was convicted and sentenced to ten years in jail. He was also forced to hand over the ransom money along with compensation. His business and personal finances were drained overnight. His family was run out of town.”
Sariah chews on the corner of her mouth. “How long have you known The Sainthood were responsible, and how did you find out?”
I hate fudging the details, but I’ve already decided there are certain things I can’t tell them. I’m telling them as much as they need to know, because it’s safest that way.
“I pieced things together over the years and properly figured it out a couple years ago. Dad changed after I was kidnapped and tortured. I know he blamed himself, and he went into full-blown Rambo mode to keep me safe. I attended self-defense classes, and once a month, when we told everyone we were going on camping trips, he actually took me to this cabin he owns where I was trained in hand-to-hand combat and a bunch of different weapons by a guy named Diesel. Diesel also taught me some computer and hacking skills and gave me access to a ton of high-tech tools and equipment.” I tap the pocket of my jeans, pointing at the device I’ve just used on their phones that I have courtesy of Diesel.
“Is he a spy or?” Sariah leaves her question open ended on purpose.
I shrug. “I don’t know. Dad told me never to ask. All I know is, Diesel must’ve been trained by the government at some point because the stuff he knows is serious shit. Either that or he’s part of some badass mercenary organization.”
“Doesn’t sound like a bad guy to have in your corner,” Emmett supplies.
“He’s a great guy to have in my corner, but I still don’t fully trust him because of that element that remains hidden.”
I like to think I’m a good judge of character, and Diesel has been nothing but loyal and supportive, but Dad instilled a lot of advice, and the thing he drilled into me over and over again was not to trust anyone completely. That even allies can end up being foes.
“Did your dad know?” Sariah asks.
“We never talked about who took me. The only thing he asked me about my kidnapping was if they had raped me.” Sean and Emmett turn pale. “They didn’t touch me like that even though I was pretty well developed at that age and I’d already had my period.” I grind my teeth to my molars. “They were more about inflicting pain. I didn’t see their expressions, but I could feel their smiles as they burned me with cigarettes, cut me with knives, and took a blowtorch to my skin.”
Sean gulps, and Emmett reaches out, taking my hand in his. “It’s okay,” I assure him. “I was broken for a long time after I was released, but Mom got me into therapy, and Dad helped me a lot. Knowing that I can defend myself fully gave me back a lot of my confidence and helped me overcome my trauma and my fears.”
“If your dad went to all that trouble, he must’ve known it was The Sainthood,” Sariah says, moving over to sit on my other side. “Because David Jennings was in prison, but it sounds like your dad believed the threat was still ever present.”
I pull my hand from Emmett’s tucking both my hands between my jean-clad thighs. “He knew. I’m sure of it. It’s why he went to such extremes to protect me. But he never told me, and I never told him I’d figured it out.”
“Why would The Sainthood kidnap you?” Sean asks, looking perplexed.
“Dad was a lawyer, and I think he was working for them.” I hate admitting that, because I’ve had Dad on a pedestal for years, and acknowledging he was tied up in shady shit means he wasn’t who I thought he was either. But it’s the only truth that makes sense. “Something must’ve happened, and they kidnapped me to threaten him.”
“Does your mom know?” Sariah asks, her mouth pulling into a tight line.
“We sheltered Mom from everything. That was the way Dad wanted it. She doesn’t know about the cabin or my training. Dad said we had to protect her, but now, I’m rethinking my theories.”
Sariah rubs at a spot between her brow. “If your mom was once engaged to Neo, and your dad knew that, then maybe he didn’t tell her to protect her or—”
“Or he didn’t trust her,” I blurt, cutting Sariah off. “And I’m guessing Mom is the reason Dad was mixed up with them in the first place. Although that’s only speculation because he’s dead and I can’t ask her because I don’t trust her anymore.”
“Fuck, Lo.” Sariah yanks me into a hug. “This is a shitstorm.”
“It’s a lot worse than that,” I say, easing out of her embrace. “It’s not a coincidence that Neo has reappeared in our lives. It’s all connected, and I think it’s tied up with something my dad knew.”
I pause for a second to gather my thoughts. I’m sure the answer is somewhere in the paperwork Dad left at the cabin, but most of the files are written in code, and in the four months since I discovered the documents, I haven’t been able to crack it. I want to tell them about the secret files, but it places them in too much danger, and I’m already risking so much by telling them this.
“What do you think is going on?” Emmett asks, concern transparent on his face.
“Everyone knows The Sainthood controls the guns and drugs on the streets and that they are behind most of the violence and unsolved murders. I suspect they are involved in a ton of other shit too. The authorities know it, but they can never pin them down. It doesn’t help that they have so many cops and judges in their pockets. I think my dad was collecting evidence to use against them.”
Acid crawls up my throat, and pain stabs me through the heart. I look down at my hands, needing a moment. Sariah rubs my back.
I lift my chin up, trying to ignore the agonizing pain ripping me apart on the inside. “Dad was on edge in the months leading up to his death. He bought me my SUV as an early birthday present, and he was anal about it being the only car I drove. It’s bulletproof, fireproof, bombproof, and about as indestructible as you can get. I thought he was overreacting, but now, I think he knew the danger had escalated.”
I blow air out of my lungs, staring at my bestie, as I force the words out of my mouth. “I think The Sainthood found out what my dad was up to and they killed him for it.”
CHAPTER 11
