He rifled through it and then tossed it toward the bed. “No weapons.”
Dessie started toward her, but Garrett held up a hand. “Close enough,” he said.
She stopped. “Why, Cecile? Just money?”
“Just money?” Pure hatred spat from Cecile’s eyes. “You’re talking millions. Millions upon millions, actually. And my brother left it all to you. I couldn’t touch the funds, even while I was raising you.”
“You didn’t raise me.” Dessie drew on the quiet vampire’s strength to keep her voice from shaking or tears from falling. This was her only living relative, and she was a rotten person. “You sent me away for all of my life. I didn’t even get to go home for holidays.” Many of her friends at Chapel Hill had gone home over holiday breaks, while she was left alone at the school. Then at Stoneton Hills, nobody left the island until they graduated. She needed to remember those girls.
Cecile slowly pulled the envelope of money back toward herself with one red-painted nail. “You were fine at school.”
“How did you pay for Stoneton?” Garrett asked, crossing his arms and flexing powerful muscles.
Cecile put her nose in the air and sniffed again. “I made do.”
Fury shook Dessie, and she took another step toward her aunt.
Garrett’s head swung toward her, and she stopped moving. Steel glinted in his eyes. Even though his anger was not directed at her, her stomach quivered.
“I’m leaving.” Cecile stood. “This was obviously a setup.”
Garrett turned only his head. “Sit your ass back down, or I’ll sit you down.” He flashed his teeth. “Please give me a reason to put my hands on you.”
Cecile paled. “Listen, you—” she tried to bluster.
Garrett stepped toward her, and she fell back into her chair so fast it nearly tipped over. “I’m done with you, lady. You’re two seconds from feeling the air leave your body for good. Stop fucking around and answer my questions. How did you pay?”
Her gaze darted around and landed on Dessie.
Dessie crossed her arms. “I can’t stop him, even if I wanted to do so. And I don’t. Air is wasted on you. Answer. The. Question.”
Cecile grabbed the envelope and put it in her lap. “Fine. Some nice monks came to see me and said that you were very advanced for your age in several subjects. They offered you a scholarship to study at Stoneton Hills, and I agreed. I did you a favor.”
It was possible. Obviously, the people in charge of Stoneton Hills had wanted Dessie there. “How much contact did you have with them?”
Cecile shrugged bony shoulders. “I met with them once and was notified when you graduated. That’s all.”
So her aunt had never even checked in on her. “My father would be so disappointed in you,” Dessie said.
Cecile looked toward the window as if seeking any sort of help.
“How much did they pay you?” Garrett asked.
Cecile shook her head.
“Lady, I’m losing it here. How much?” He growled. Like really growled. How could Cecile think he was a human?
“Two hundred thousand dollars a year,” Cecile muttered. “For her to get a really good education.” Her gaze turned beseeching. “Then this year, no money. When I called, I discovered you’d graduated and just moved on. It took my detective weeks to find you.”
“Detective?” Garrett asked silkily. “Or hitman?”
Logan came in through the open doorway and stood next to Dessie.
A blue vein showed in Cecile’s forehead. “Who are you people?”
“We’re her family,” Garrett said shortly. “You wouldn’t understand.”
Family? It wasn’t true, but for the moment, Dessie basked in the feeling that she wasn’t alone any longer. In fact, she had more than decent backup at the moment.
