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The air went out of me. “Oh, god!” My heart seized hard in my chest as the reality of my mom’s situation settled on my shoulders. “I was the reason she stayed. I was the reason she was still with Rex when whatever happened to her happened to her.” She stayed because of me, and it had very likely gotten her killed. I’d spent my whole life believing… I don’t know, just a fucking lie.
It was impossible to breathe. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t get any air into my lungs. It was a heavy truth to hold, but I had to.
Because I asked for it.
Knox’s hand was hot and heavy on my back, exactly the right amount of comfort. “This isn’t your fault.”
I shook my head, not ready to hear those words.
“Her family cut her off,” Switch continued, not unkindly but uncomfortable with my emotions. “But there was a trust fund from her grandparents. A few hundred million, released at about a hundred grand a month.” He let that settle in the air. “Here’s the kicker. That account is still active.”
I looked up. “Still?”
“Still,” he said before a self-satisfied grin flashed across his face. “And only one person has access to the account. Rex.”
The room was quiet, though it wasn’t really a surprise. It was confirmation of what we suspected.
“Can we get to it?” Hatchet asked, leaning forward with his elbows on his knees.
Switch grinned. “Maybe. I’m working on it. Might need some reinforcements, though.”
Hatchet nodded once. “Whatever you need. Say the word.”
“Got it.” Switch turned to his screen and then back to me and Knox. “There’s one more thing and it’s a little weird.” He pulled up another tab and pointed to it on the large screen mounted on the wall. “There’s fifteen grand a month going out to a separate account. Account holder is listed as a woman named Carla Price.”
I frowned. “Who’s that? A sister?”
Switch shrugged. “Don’t know yet. But I do know that Rex has one sibling, a brother, seven years younger, works as a boat captain down in Florida. They haven’t had a relationship in close to thirty years.”
“Wife number two,” Knox guessed.
“Maybe.” Switch glanced at him. “I’m looking into it.”
Carla Price. I sat with the name for a long moment, turning it over in my mind to see if anything clicked. They didn’t.
Switch looked directly at me and held out a folded slip of paper. “If you’re ever interested in connecting with them, your grandparents are still alive. You have an aunt and uncle too.”
I gripped the paper tight in my hand but said nothing. I never had any family and wouldn’t know what to say to people who were that rich. Fear was also a major component. What would they say when they saw me? I sat there with the corners of the paper digging into my palm thinking over everything I’d just learned.
Knox’s hand came down on top of mine. Steady. Warm. Squeezing once.
I blinked hard and took a breath and looked at Switch. “Thank you,” I managed. “This is a lot to take in, but it’s good. I really appreciate it.”
His grin was easy. “Thank you for all this gold,” he said, motioning to the contents of the book that were scattered over two tables. “This was the least I could do.” He gestured to the paper in my hand. “I’ll let you know when I find more.”
Chapter Twenty-Three
Knox
Igave it three days.
Three days was the difference between revenge and stupidity. It was just enough time to let Vulture and Samson think I didn’t care about Ivy. That the moment had passed, that the road job would go unpunished. Hell, I wanted them to think that Knox Coleman had swallowed their actions against his wife and moved on. Rex would think his daughter was still a bargaining chip, assuming I treated her the way he had.
Men like that got comfortable when they thought they got away with something. Comfortable made them sloppy.
I took Rook with me because he understood the mission without too many words. We didn’t talk on the drive over, we kept our comms off. We didn’t need them.
I kept seeing the truck off the embankment. Ivy and Skye shaken. It could have been a lot worse. Were they lucky or had Rex just been sending a warning?
