“So what’s the truth?”
“As far as I could find, his dad wasn’t involved with anyone else around the time he would have been conceived, but he was in a relationship when Damon was born. And here’s where things get even more interesting. That woman was the daughter of one of his business rivals. They were together for just over two years and broke up six months after his father’s company acquired one of his gf’s dad’s companies. Crazy how that just seemed to work out for him, hmmmm?” He tosses me a quick look.
“Yeah, that’s not suspicious at all. How old was she? Or do I not want to know?”
“She was twenty-nine to his thirty-nine when they got together, so he can date age-appropriate women when it’s convenient for him. And just to add to the pile of ick, she died from cancer less than a year after he ended things. From what I could find, she started treatment only a few months before the big breakup. So he used her to get part of her father’s life’s work, then abandoned her to fight cancer after he got what he wanted.”
“Jesus. Is there anything redeeming about him in there?” I nod to his screen.
“Nope, the guy is a grade-A asshole and turd bucket who’s essentially made of Teflon. There are so many scandals in his past, but nothing sticks to the guy.”
“What about Damon having two names?” I ask. “Is it common knowledge that he had a different name when he was born?”
“Nope. And whoever scrubbed that information was good. It doesn’t look like anyone else here knows about it.”
“What did you learn about him?” I ask. “Did you find anything that links him to the blackmail scheme?”
He shakes his head. “Nothing that directly ties him to it, but I found some circumstantial stuff that’s a bit sus. I need to dig deeper into it before I’ll know for sure.” He types something on his keyboard. “But back to your other question. I found out a lot about him, and all of it is interesting.”
I settle back in my chair, and he brings up new documents on his screens.
“From what I was able to find, it looks like his fatherdidpay a lot of money to his mom over the years, but nowhere near what he should have. And he never officially rescinded his parental rights, which was why Damon went to live with him instead ofhis grandparents when they tried to get custody of him after his mom died.
“Once he moved in with his dad, his name was changed, and all records of his birth were altered to hide the fact that his sperm donor pretended he didn’t exist for eleven years. There’s not much out there about him between the ages of eleven and seventeen, but his school records are clean, and it seems like he was a typical kid who just stayed under the radar. Then things get interesting.”
“How so?” I ask when Jace pauses.
“Did you know he’s basically Batman?” Jace shoots me a grin. “If Batman’s thing was making music and not fighting crime, of course.”
I do my best to look intrigued while Jace brings up a photo of Helix at one of his gigs.
“Turns out you’ve been fangirling over him for years without even realizing it.” Jace narrows his eyes and studies me for a few beats. “Wait just a doggone minute. I know that face. You already knew about his alter ego.”
I nod. There’s no point lying to him, and trying will just piss him off. And I learned a long time ago that pissing Jace off is a stupid, and potentially lethal, thing to do.
“Explain.”
“Remember that rave I went to over winter break?” I ask, choosing my words carefully.
All my cousins can read me like a book, but Jace and Jax are especially good at seeing through my bullshit. The only way to get one past them is to tell the truth but omit the parts I don’t want them to know. It’s a delicate balance, but I’ve spent years perfecting the technique. So as long as I don’t give up too much or show any signs that I’m hiding stuff from him, Jace won’t question things unless he has a reason to.
“I remember,” he says, still looking at me suspiciously.
“He was playing at it, and I found out it was him when I was there.”
“How?” he presses
“I saw him without his mask on and recognized him.”
He studies me for a few more beats, then nods. “Okie dokie. But you ruined my big reveal, so fuck you for that.” He grins and picks up the black butterfly knife next to his keyboard. “But lucky for you, I have another big reveal that I’m sure you don’t know.” He flips the blade open and spins it around in a dizzying combo. “Helix, a.k.a. Damon, has a foundation where he puts all the money he earns from his music. We’re talking appearances and royalties, and he’s done that since he started making money with his music.”
“What kind of foundation?”
“An ideological one.” He tosses the open knife into the air and catches it on the back of his hand. “From what I could see, most of the money is tied up in investments, but he uses the dividends to donate to different charities.”
“What kind of charities?” I ask as Jace flips his knife back into the air, this time catching it with his left hand.
“For lack of a better term, left-wing ones. Lots of scholarship programs for various minority groups, women’s and LGBTQ+ shelters, food pantries, groups that provide things like school supplies and Christmas gifts for kids, and a ton of animal shelters.”
