Haven reaches out, patting my thigh. “Connor’s big on pet names if he likes you. I finally broke down and let him call me ‘sweetheart’. Trust me. There’s no getting out of it, and ‘sunshine’s one of the better ones.”
I know it’s ridiculous, but I almost feel… honored that Dallas’s friend has decided after two meetings that he wants to give me a pet name; as long as Haven doesn’t mind, that is. But, despite my shitty mood, I have to ask.
“What about Dallas? I never hear you call him anything but his full name. Doesn’t he get a nickname, too?”
He laughs. “Not to his face. But when he’s not around, yeah, I’ve got one for him, too.”
“And what’s that?”
“Killer.”
Okay, then.
I don’t knowwhat exactly to expect, but less than an hour later, Connor returns to the living room again. This time, he isn’t alone.
He’s in the middle of a conversation with the other man. So distracted by what Connor’s saying, he doesn’t notice me sitting on the couch by myself. Once Haven knew there was going to be a stranger in her house on short notice, she apologized to me, gave Connor a quick kiss, then said she was going upstairs to go to bed. I’ve been sitting in the quiet of the cozy room by myself ever since, trying hard not to go crazy worrying about Dallas—and fretting over seeing my father in person for the first time in… years? Something tells me that it’s been years.
Now he’s here, and I take a moment to look him over while he’s too busy to see me.
He looks almost exactly the same as I remember in my nightmares. Around Connor’s height, but carrying a rounder belly in front, he has grey eyes like mine, plus thinning hair the color of straw. His cheeks are ruddy and his mouth is moving a mile a minute while Connor… I don’t think he’s listening to a word Tony is saying.
Because he’s Tony. That’s his name. Seeing him stand there, I have no familial feelings for this man. Maybe it’s because, deep down, I remember that he kicked me out of his house at eighteen because I refused an arranged marriage, then dragged me back into the Order bullshit at twenty-five so that I could be married off to one of the Owed under the threat of Dallas losing his life.
I feel nothing but disgust for this man, and I only hope that I manage to conceal as Connor cuts Tony off with a shake of his head and a nod toward the couch.
Slightly disappointed, he turns and his jaw drops, shock spreading across his soft, paunchy face as he finally realizes I’m sitting here.
“Lu… Lucy?”
His head snaps, searching for Connor. “I thought I was here for Order business. Because the King recognizes that I’ve been loyal, that I should move up the ranks.”
Connor shrugs, and I finally understand what he meant by ‘incentive’. “Yeah, well, as Lucy is learning, some of the Owed lie to get what they want.” He claps Tony on the back. “Let’s see if you’re one of them. Sunshine? He’s all yours. Let me know when you’re done, yeah?”
I nod, and Connor backs out of the room, shutting the door behind him so that we have privacy.
I wait for Tony to inch toward me before he gingerly takes a seat on the couch. “I, uh, I guess you wanted to see me?” He rubs his mouth with the back of his hand. “I can’t believe it. Lucy… it’s been so long.”
I’m not in the mood for niceties or small talk, and it’s time he figures that out. “Yeah. Five years away from Harmony Heights, but now I’m back,Dad. And you know why? Because I’ve been hearing a lot of things. I had to come back.”
He exhales, almost as though he expected this. “For Dallas?”
Yes. “For the truth.”
“The truth?” He laughs uneasily. “that’s a dangerous thing to ask for in Harmony Heights.”
I’ve discovered that. “I’m asking anyway. What happened? Where did it all go wrong? Apart from when you were there and let me force me into agreeing to marry Julian.”
I don’t tell him what I suspect. I sure as hell don’t tell him that I can’t remember anything from before my accident—my attempted murder—except for flashes of memory, like the time I watched him sit by on a couch so different from this one asJack Collins arranged my marriage to Julian. That was Haven’s idea. She told me never to give someone any advantages. If Tony knows that I’m still damaged from the fall, he could tell me anything and I wouldn’t be able to confirm it. But if I give him a tidbit that Iknowis true, maybe he’ll fill in the gaps for me some.
For a few heartbeats, the silence in the living room stretches. I don’t think he’s going to answer me at all, but then he sighs and I have to hold my breath.
“He called me.”
My heart stops. “What? Who? Julian?”
Tony nods. “Yeah. After… he said there had been an accident. That youdied. That’s why I looked so stunned to see you. For a second there, I thought I was looking at a ghost. I should’ve known better. He always had a twisted sense of humor, but telling me my only girl was gone… I’m sorry, honey. I believed him.”
“Which part?” I ask, keeping my voice calm even though I want to reach out and slap him. “The part when he said that it was an accident when he pushed me out of the window, or when he didn’t even bother to see if I was still breathing before he left the crime scene?”
