Total pages in book: 66
Estimated words: 68006 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 340(@200wpm)___ 272(@250wpm)___ 227(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 68006 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 340(@200wpm)___ 272(@250wpm)___ 227(@300wpm)
25
KELLY
About ten minutes later, Leif returns to the conference room.
I let out a breath when I see his handsome face. I didn’t realize I’d been holding it until now. He’s my solace. My strength. My safe place.
And damn, it irks me.
I’ve never depended on anyone. Not during my childhood, not after my mother kicked me out, and not on the island. I did what I had to do in order to survive, without help from anyone.
Some of the girls on the island were close to our house mother, Diamond. Not me. Diamond and I rarely interacted. We only spoke once, when I was in the infirmary after my thighs were cut.
Leif sits down and takes my hand. “Racine wants immunity.”
Rock drops his jaw. “Say what?”
“I know, right?” Leif says. “She hasn’t been charged with anything. She won’t tell us anything. But obviously she’s done something that she could go down for, so she wants immunity.”
“Does she understand that none of us are in a position to grant her immunity?” Reid asks.
“Yeah. I made that clear.”
“This is all such bullshit,” I say.
“I know, sweetheart.”
Reid and Rock both stare at Leif when he uses the word sweetheart.
He looks to the ceiling. “Okay, okay. I pulled a Buck Moreno. I fell in love with my charge.”
“For Christ’s sake.” Rock rakes his fingers through his hair. “So that kiss on her cheek wasn’t a fluke.”
“It’s unprofessional, I know,” he says.
“What’s done is done,” Reid says. “I can’t say much. I fell in love with one of my father’s victims too.”
Their eyes are all on me. I know what they’re thinking. Sure, Reid fell in love with Zee, and Buck fell in love with Aspen. But Zee and Aspen are both nice people.
Me? I’m not a nice person. I’ve driven them all crazy. Made their lives hell.
Yet they let me be me. They feel responsible because I’m one of their father’s victims, even though none of this is their fault.
Except for maybe the lapse in security the other night when The Dark One was able to breach the building. But they’re working on that. Pretty soon the place will be like Fort Knox.
And I’m… I’m okay. Sure, I’m freaked out. Fucked up in the head, no doubt. But I’m unharmed. Physically at least.
“I tried to get information out of her,” Leif says. “I asked her where the two million came from. I get the feeling she wants to talk. But she knows she’s done something wrong, and she wants immunity before she talks.”
“All she wants is this guy’s money,” I say.
“Oh, yeah, she definitely wants the money,” Leif agrees. “But she may be banking on…”
“I see where you’re going,” Rock says. “Kelly, if you’re truly this man’s daughter, you’re his next of kin.”
“He could have other children,” Lacey says.
Leif rubs his chin. “If what Racine said is true—and that’s a big if—and he truly wants to give his money to Racine and Kelly, that would seem to indicate that he has no other children. No other heirs.”
“Maybe he doesn’t have long to live,” Lacey says.
“That’s possible,” Leif says. “But Racine didn’t seem to indicate that.”
“Would you guys listen to me for once?” I shrug. “How many times do I have to say it? She didn’t hear anything past the millions of dollars. That’s all she wants. If this man has close to a billion, and he offered it to her, then I swear to God she didn’t hear the rest of the conversation. She may have been present, but in her head, she was trying to decide where she’d spend his money first.”
“None of us know her as well as you do,” Leif says.
“That’s right, you don’t.”
“Kelly,” he continues. “Your mother made a comment. I want you to know that I don’t believe it, but I have to ask. You suffered a lot of trauma on the island. All the girls did. Is it possible that the memories of your childhood were fabricated during therapy? Fabricated as a way to help you deal with the trauma from the island?”
Anger seeps through my flesh. I lived everything. I remember it all as if it happened yesterday. “For God’s sake, Leif. On what planet does that make any sense? Don’t you think Macy and I have talked about that? She ruled it out. My memories are mine, damn it. Don’t even try to take them away from me.”
“There’s no record of social services ever being called on your mother,” Reid says.
“Because she never left a mark. And I never told anyone. I knew better. What do you think would’ve happened to me if I told social services? My mother would’ve made it sound like it was all my fault. That I was an unappreciative little girl who was lashing out at her mother. And on the off chance that the authorities didn’t believe her, I’d be sent away. And sure, some foster homes are great. But others? I might have been walking into something worse. At least with my mother, I knew what to expect.”