I want to ask if he had anything to do with Felix’s death. And maybe it makes me a coward that I hesitate. That I’m too scared that I’ll be wrong and get blamed instead.
Still, when I get to the door, I turn around to look at my father again. I’m not sure that I even know who he really is anymore. “And the kid they left dead in the marsh?” I ask, my hands shaking. My father seems shocked that I said it out loud.
He stares at me, his dark eyes on mine. “Now, that was just business, James.”
I feel sick. “Business?” I repeat.
“I’m merely security,” he says. “The who and why of my clients are of no concern to me. But when I facilitate a forensic cleaning, the results are guaranteed untraceable, no matter how distasteful I may find their actions.”
“Who’s the client?” I ask. He laughs.
“You don’t work for me. So frankly, it’s none of your damn business. Now, get out.” His eyes are cold, and he goes back to his file, pen in hand. “And don’t forget that there are always consequences, James,” he murmurs.
I swallow hard, understanding that his reference is to Noa. The threat of hurting her in exchange for my silence.
I walk out with more questions than answers. More pain than relief.
Until now, I never thought of my father as a tyrant. As truly evil. Intense, sure. Sometimes cruel—an excellent marksman. He hits me in the heart every time. But now… my father is helping cover up a murder. I’m scared to wonder if this is new or what he’s always done.
Fearful and angry, I head toward the lobby. I have to warn Noa and the others. At least let them know that my father’s watching them. But as I get into the lobby, I notice him.
Matteo Mancini is in the middle of the room as if he’s been waiting for me. He stands with his legs far apart, his arms folded in front of him and his chin up high. He has dark shadows under his eyes, a bruise on his jaw from last night. I have to say that his timing is impeccable because right now fighting sounds pretty great.
He smiles. “I thought I saw you come in here,” he says. “I told you we weren’t done.”
Jordan would tell me to walk away, and even Noa might tell me to let it go since Matteo’s grieving his cousin. But right now, Matteo is a symbol for everything that’s wrong. He’s the bully. He’s the resort. He’s my father.
I walk right up close to him, our chests nearly bumping. My adrenaline is making the world blur at the edges. “You don’t want to do this right now,” I murmur.
“Oh, but I do,” he says. “You’re everywhere I fucking look. And ifyou think you’re going to end up with Noa, well, you can get in line because—”
All my rage comes together at once. I don’t think about it. I punch him hard in the face, and Matteo stumbles back a few steps. Then he comes at me full force, his shoulder blasting me in the gut as I fold over him. We crash into the concierge desk amid screams of frightened guests.
There is a flurry of movement as people go running. Both Matteo and I are swinging, sometimes connecting. At one point he grabs a fistful of my hair, and I headbutt him in the mouth.
The world is hazy as I lash out, raging against him as he throttles me right back. We’re fighting the world in each other. We’ve both got something to prove.
I get Matteo down on the ground, and as I pull back to hit him, an arm stretches across my throat from behind. I choke as I’m dragged backward, the heels of my sneakers scraping along the slippery floor as I try to regain my balance.
The arm squeezes tighter.
I’m being choked out, little dots of black crowding my vision. The last thing I see is Matteo slowly climbing to his feet, looking horrified. He motions for him to stop. He yells that he’s killing me.
And I realize that the person strangling me unconscious is my father.
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
—NOA
Tech and I are lookingthrough some of the papers from the Starline Hotel when we hear the sirens. Immediately, I think of my brother. Did they find Ellis? Is he okay? An ambulance and police cruiser park in front of the resort. I take a step out from behind the counter of the Surf Shack. Or maybe it’s about Felix.
“Call up there,” I say to Tech, tapping his arm quickly. “See what’s happening.”
Before he gets the chance, we see Shawn come out from the side of the resort. She’s running toward us, hopping over patches of grass as she tries to hurry.
My heart rate explodes as Tech and I dash out to meet her.
“It’s Jamie,” she yells when she gets close. “They just arrested him.”
