"I saw the surveillance cameras. That morning, it was pure fucking chaos. I slid downstairs and looked through the camera footage before anyone else could and saw you, Koi, and…" He paused, clearing his throat. "Dennis running around the park, and then you two went back for something. When I focused on your camera, sure enough, there you two were, standing with Domino before she hopped the fence. So tell me, what do you know about my sister's disappearance?” He leaned forward, his dark, almost black eyes boring down into my soul.
"I wouldn't call it a disappearance. She left." Koi shrugged, trying to play it cool. His leg began to bounce under the table. “You saw that.”
"Did she give a reason?"
I lifted my eyes to the ceiling, pretending that it was hard for me to remember. I couldn't look at Koi. "No, I don't think so. I tried to stop her. She was pretty determined to leave."
He laughed. "You tried to stop her? That's not what it looked like to me. See, on camera, it looked like you guys were saying goodbye. I know your history. Everyone knows you and Koi will fuck anything that moves, even each other." He paused, waiting for a reaction. We stared deadpan at him. Our sexuality and relationship with each other was old news. He sat back, disappointed he didn't get the reaction he was hoping for. "Did you guys fuck my twelve-year-old sister?"
I snatched the rolled-up bill from him. "First off, don't say it like that. It makes it sound like I’m a pedophile. And even if we did, we would have been like fourteen, not grown-ass adults. But I didn't, so it doesn't matter. Your sister didn't say shit about why she was leaving, just that she was, and not to tell anyone. So, we didn't. We figured she must have had a good enough reason to leave all that money behind. It wasn't our business."
"Why didn't you tell anyone?"
"Why didn't you?" Koi snapped back. "If you saw the tapes, why didn't you come around when it happened? We were kids; we would have folded."
Fabian frowned. "I deleted the footage and then considered asking you about it, but everything was so crazy, and then the whole Dennis thing."
"Don't," I warned and stood up from the table. My stomach knotted just at his name. I could barely bring myself to think about it anymore. My hand instinctively went to my side, where my newest tattoo sat. Sure, Koi had lost his eye and I’d lost a kidney, but we were the lucky ones. Dennis lost his life.
"I know." He put up his hands. "It was fucking chaos. That entire summer was a mess. One fire after another, and no one could keep up. I agree with you, she probably had a good reason. My brother and sister were assholes. My mom too, always hated her, you know, because of who she was."
Domino was the love child that was conceived very close to the same time as the twins, Marisol and Mattias, were. It was a whole scandal when Mr. Risky's mistress died three years later, leaving him their child. Domino was brought to the Risky mansion and raised with all his other children.
"I don't need to hear your family drama, man, I've got my own issues." I rubbed my side, my fingers tracing the scar hidden underneath the fresh ink. This entire conversation was stressing me out. This was not my plan for the summer. "I'm sorry we can't help you more. The girl wanted to run away, so we let her. We probably should have stopped her, yeah, but we were kids. We thought she'd come right back."
But she didn't.
We were the last ones to see her. She could have died that day and none of us would have known.
"See, that's where you're wrong. You can help me.” Fabian stood, the chair squeaking against the floor. A slow grin spread across his face that sent chills down my spine. “I found her, and I need help sneaking her back in."
Rule 5 - Domino
Never say never.
"No fucking way."
"Well, hello to you too, little sister. You look well. You're alive, which is... surprising."
I cringed and looked up from the table at Burger King lobby. Georgie lay on the floor, looking as defeated as I did.
"Fabian, I am not interested in going back to the park," I repeated more firmly. I eyed my oldest brother warily. The last time I'd seen him, he was a scrawny fifteen-year-old kid. Now, he was... slightly taller, but with a much fuller mustache.
"Who said anything about coming back?" He faked a smile.
"You did when you had the police detain me for stealing my own ring. You know Dad gave me this." I pulled my chain out, flashing the heirloom.
"I wasn't the one that reported it stolen. My mom did years ago. I just... didn't argue it when the cops called." He shrugged. "We've been looking for you."
I blinked. A guilt trip wasn't going to work on me. I had no qualms or regrets over leaving. We stared each other down for a long moment before he threw his hands up and slapped them on the table.
"Alright, fine. I assumed you were dead. We all did when we couldn't find you. Happy?"
"Why did you start looking for me again?" I pushed.
Fabian's jaw locked. I waited.
"There was something in Dad's will that didn't reveal itself until... recently."He confessed.
