Incest?
Never.
Murderer?
The courts had decided otherwise.
She and Forest weren’t related by birth, only bonded by circumstance and tragedy. Those records had been officially sealed. Forest’s army of lawyers had erased all evidence of their childhood as well as the ensuing trial.
A Cheshire grin spread across Spencer's face. “My father worked on that case, and he kept copies of the more interesting videos.”
Her gut tightened into a hard knot, and she fought the bile rising in her throat.
His father?
No!
Forest had performed a background check. Spencer's father had had nothing to do with their case.
“You’re lying.”
The prosecuting attorney had been Ryan McDonald, a name she would never forget. Spencer's last name was McAdams.
How had she and Forest missed this?
Feral and raw, Spencer's slimy smile stretched across his face. “I know what you did for your foster father, and I saw how much you liked it. What I don’t know is why you never liked doing it with me?”
“I’ve met your father.”
He laughed. “You met the man my mother married.”
No, Forest had checked. Renault McAdams was the name listed on Spencer's birth certificate. They’d missed some connection.
Spencer had seen the videos. He’d witnessed the forced orgasms. That meant he also knew what she’d been made to do to Forest and the things Forest had been forced to do to her.
Spencer's eyes narrowed. “And, all this time, I thought you were a frigid bitch. Now, I know what you like.”
“Don’t ever call me that word again.” She slapped his cheek.
She didn’t even see the blow coming. Her cheek stung, and her eye teared. She gulped air, stumbling back, while the tang of copper hit her throat. The bastard had split her lip.
“I suggest you never even think of striking me again.” Spencer advanced, and she cowered from his overwhelming presence. “You won’t like what comes next.” His grin widened. “Or maybe you would?”
She’d run from abuse and refused to consign herself to a life with someone like Spencer. Never again. Edging toward the exit sign, she placed distance between them.
“I find it interesting,” he said, “how all details of the case disappeared. I can only presume Bean had something to do with that. Or should I call him Forest now? I always knew there was something not quite right with how close the two of you were. Honestly, it’s perverse.”
It was perverse, and if they’d been biological siblings, it would have been worse. The saddest part was, it wouldn’t have stopped their foster father. Who knew how many children he’d sexually traumatized before she ended his life?
Not that any of that mattered anymore. What mattered was the truth. And she couldn’t let that loose on the world.
“Spencer, you can’t go public with this.” She’d do anything to keep that secret locked in the deepest, darkest place.
“Why would I drag the name of my future wife through the mud?” His eyes narrowed. “What would become of your charitable giving? Your foundations would crumble. Imagine my surprise when I found out that you’re not the struggling doctor you led me to believe. You and Forest have been busy little bees.”
Spencer knew everything.
She gripped her stomach, battling revulsion and fear.
