Total pages in book: 95
Estimated words: 89592 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 448(@200wpm)___ 358(@250wpm)___ 299(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 89592 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 448(@200wpm)___ 358(@250wpm)___ 299(@300wpm)
“You still don’t get it, do you? You don’t see what’s right in your face, little brother,” he says bitterly.
I freeze. My forehead wrinkling. I sit forward, replaying his words in my head to make sure I heard them right. Wade walks over to his couch and plops down on it.
“All my life, I knew I had three brothers, but they never knew about me. I was the mistake. Dad had an affair with my mother after Gregor was born.
“Your mom had postpartum depression. Things got bad and she filed for divorce. Dad met my mom during that time, and I happened. My mother didn’t survive childbirth,” Wade scoffs.
“Dad and your mom made up and I got to be raised by dear old auntie. For years, I carried that secret with me. It was why I was so pissed that night we fought. You called me a spoiled son of a bitch when I’m anything but.
“You never even gave me a chance to explain what you saw. You just flew off the handle.” He laughs harshly. “I wasn’t trying to hit on your girlfriend. That was Fran you saw. Leeann had just given her the jean jacket she was wearing because Fran was cold. Leeann went to get them fresh beers.
“Fran and I were a thing. I’d been fucking her all summer. I’d just told her that I wanted to break things off, that’s why she slapped me when I pulled her in and tried to kiss her. That, Clay, is what you saw that night. Not me trying to kiss Leeann,” he fumes.
“After we fought, for the first time in my life, I told someone who my father was. Fran sat and listened to me for hours. For years, she was the only one who knew how badly I wanted to be a part of my brothers’ tight circle.
“I stepped up when Gregor disappeared so Dad would leave him alone and not chase after him. Not because I wanted to take his place. I fucking hate the bullshit and ass-kissing I have to do just to get a few donations and secure votes.” He falls silent, his jaw ticcing.
I fall back in my seat. My mind blown. I wasn’t expecting any of what he just said. I don’t even know what to say to all of that.
“Fran was pregnant. When she refused to tell her father by who, that asshole told her to pin it on you,” Wade huffs. “I found out a few weeks later and told Dad. He buried that son of a bitch. You were so angry, thinking he didn’t do anything to help you. Our father has blood on his hands for you. Another secret I’d planned to take to my grave.”
“What happened to the baby?” I ask.
Wade shrugs. “You’re my brother. What Fran did was wrong. We had a fight about it and the baby. She fell down a flight of stairs running from me and lost it.”
I pull a hand down my face. I don’t know how I feel about any of this. My head is starting to hurt. I’m back at square one. I have no idea who’s behind framing Sid and now murdering Fran.
“Clay, Fran has been plotting against our family for years. All that blackmail bullshit was Fran, not Leeann. She staged it all.
“Sid wasn’t on her radar, you were. I don’t know how Sidney got dragged into all of this. Dad wanted me to find out and shut it all down. I was just about to nail Fran for all this shit. I just needed to find out who she was working with. I think I’m the reason she was murdered. I was getting too close,” Wade says in a strained voice.
“Dupont. I was trying to figure out how the two of you were connected. I thought he was working for you,” I reply. “I thought he was your lackey.”
Wade’s head snaps in my direction. “Patrick Dupont from Steinway & Schwartz?”
“Yeah,” I reply, getting an uneasy feeling from his tone.
“Clay, that guy loathed Sid. He hated her guts, was jealous of her and didn’t hide that shit well at all.” Wade’s brows knit. He stands to come over to his desk, flipping open a file in front of me. “Fuck. How did I miss this?”
“What?”
“Fran was seeing some guy. The private eye I had on this mentioned the guy was married. I blew it off as just an affair. Nothing I needed to know or care about. Dupree Patricks was the name he used at the hotels they would meet at.”
I have my phone in hand before Wade can finish his words. If this guy has it out for Sid and he’s behind Fran’s murder, I need to know where the fuck he is. Now.
“What’s up?” Vault answers his phone.