Everything makes so much sense, all of it becoming clearer.
“All these years you could barely bring yourself to look at me, because when you do, you see him. That’s why you sent me off the boarding school the first chance you got, so you didn’t have to be reminded of your wife’s affair every time you saw me. You sent me away to reduce the chance of me learning the truth.”
He doesn’t answer and it hurts me more than if he’d tried to deny it.
“Grimes was blackmailing me. Before I was the warden of the prison, I was a respected lawyer. I hated giving that bastard even a dime of my money. I knew it would be used to traffic drugs and guns and god knows what else, but I couldn’t have you learning the truth. I couldn’t have it broadcast to the world that my wife was pregnant with his child. It would’ve caused a scandal. It would’ve ruin—”
“Ruined your reputation…” I roll my eyes. “Of course.” I could be a millionaire with the number of times I’ve heard that.
“I hid the truth in order to protect you.”
“No, you did it to protect yourself!” I shout. “What’s Curt Naylor got to do with all of this? How does he know about Grimes?”
“Grimes was incarcerated for a time and he and Naylor formed a friendship. I can only assume Grimes told him my secret and when he came up for parole a few months ago he used it to force my hand, to aid his release.”
“So you didn’t let him out just so he could come after Killian?”
He recoils. “Of course not. You really think I would do that?”
“After everything you’ve done, you can’t blame me for thinking the worst. You know he’s been taunting me for months? Sending me text messages about the things he did to Killian while he was inside. He came to you for help and you did nothing! How could you just stand by and allow someone you had a duty to protect be abused like that?”
“Naylor used my secret to get what he wanted, to keep me on side, to have me look the other way. When Hunt came to my office and told me what was happening, my hands weretied, I had no choice.”
“You make me sick. You know what? I’m almost relieved I don’t share blood with a man like you because the man I’m looking at right now is a stranger to me.”
“Blood or not, I am still your father.”
“No, you’re a coward and you’ve put all of us at risk by letting Naylor out of prison. Whatever happens next is on you.”
“Nothing is going to happen.”
“You think he’s just going to let us walk out of here like nothing’s happened? He’s not just going to kill Killian, he’s going to killmefirst and make Killian watch because he knows it’ll hurt him the most. He’ll kill you too just for being here, you’re a witness.”
“Whether you believe it or not, Iamsorry. It should never have come to this. Are you alright? Has he hurt you?’
“It’s a little late to pretend to care, don’t you think?”
“Kaia, I’ve always cared.”
“Thenhelpme,” I plead.
Glancing behind him towards the door, he slides off the chair. Dropping to a crouch, he begins pulling at the tape around my wrists and ankles. After he frees my wrists, he reaches for my ankles but his hands freeze when a floorboard creaks behind him.
“For such a clever man, that’s averystupid thing to do.” Over my father’s shoulder stands Naylor.
My father meets my eyes briefly, taking my hand in his and giving it a squeeze before he spins around, drawing a gun tucked into his jacket pointing it at Naylor. “I can’t allow you to do this, not with my daughter involved.”
“I have to admire you, Watson. Still willing to call yourwife’s bastard child your daughter.”
My father rises to his feet, his gun still pointed at Naylor. “Biologically, no. But she’s my daughter in every way that matters.” There’s pride in his voice and a tiny part of me softens, I just wish I hadn’t had to wait almost twenty years to hear it.
Naylor takes a step forward. “You know, Watso—”
The gun goes off and I slam my hands over my ears.
Naylor didn’t flinch once. He glances casually over his shoulder at the bullet-shaped hole in the wall to the left of his head.
His head swivels backs round to face us. He releases a heavy sigh. “You really shouldn’t have done that.”
