Total pages in book: 88
Estimated words: 84227 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 421(@200wpm)___ 337(@250wpm)___ 281(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 84227 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 421(@200wpm)___ 337(@250wpm)___ 281(@300wpm)
To my surprise, my dad went back for the cabin. When we hit the back porch, I ordered, “Stop,” and searched him. He didn’t have a weapon on him.
“Bet that’s your favorite part of the job, huh?” he asked with a sneer.
“Christ, what’s wrong with you?” What kind of person thought that—what kind of person said that to their own son?
“What’s wrong with me is I have a queer for a son and had a bitch for a wife. All this shit is your fault—both of you.”
I felt like I was going to be sick again, but I bit it down, held it back. “Go,” I said as he stumbled into the cabin, obviously not sober, but not as drunk as usual.
I hadn’t come here to talk about him or about my mother; neither of them was worth my time. He was an abusive asshole, and she’d left her only son with him.
When we got inside, I closed the door, did a quick sweep of the cabin, then directed him to sit on the faded brown couch, while I went to the chair across from him. I fell down into it…exhausted, physically and mentally. Tired. Sad. Drained. Scared.
“The best time I remember us having was when we came here. I felt like we were a real family, ya know?”
He sneered. “It was her idea, the bitch. She took us here, then left us. Left me with you.”
“Yeah,” I agreed. “She did. I used to pretend she had a reason, that she would come back for me. But no matter what, she chose to walk away from me, so excuses didn’t matter. I understand her wanting to get away from you. She deserved that, but…” But leaving me, I couldn’t forgive that.
“It was her fault!” Dad yelled. “She was always startin’ the fights, and she was the one who wanted you. Made a mess’a everything, the two of you. Should have taken you with her.”
There was a time when his words would have hurt, but not anymore. I hated him. Because he was vile and evil. Because he’d hurt Susan and Robert. Because he’d hurt Kellan and Griffin. “I found it, Dad. I know the truth.”
His pupils went wide, and he shifted, trying to mask his fear. “Yet you’re here by yourself, and I know you were put on leave because they didn’t want a cocksucker to work for them. You suck Kellan’s cock too, don’cha?”
I wasn’t going to play into his ribbing, even though his words made me sick. “I know what you did.”
“Yet you have no proof, or it wouldn’t be you here,” he jeered.
There was no sense in denying it, so I didn’t. “Why?” I asked with more emotion in my words than I’d wanted to show. “Why did you do that? Why did you hurt them? Was it so I would suffer? Did you hate me so much that you had to murder the only real family I had?” My voice broke as pain pierced my chest. I still couldn’t believe it, didn’t want it to be true.
“What the hell are you talking about?” Dad’s voice rang out, filled with…holy fuck, with shock. It was plain as day in the rise of his tone and the panicked expression on his face. “I didn’t kill nobody.”
“The Caines,” I said, trying to figure it all out in my head. “Susan Caine’s wedding ring. It was stolen when they were murdered. You have it, and they know you have it. The department knows.” The second part was a lie, of course.
At that Dad shot to his feet, ran a hand through his shaggy hair. “That dirty motherfucker,” he gritted out. “I didn’t kill them. Wish to God I could have and not cryin’ a tear that they’re gone. I stole that ring from Jimmy!”
Jimmy…Buck’s dad? Could he be telling the truth? It sounded like he was. There was fear and surprise in his voice, not guilt. My pulse was pounding, but I tried to ignore it, tried to figure out what to do, what to say. “Lying isn’t going to help. You have the ring, Dad. One anonymous call was all it took to send them to your place.” Another lie, but as he paced frantically, I could see the growing agitation and fear. He wasn’t thinking clearly. He would believe anything I said.
“I didn’t kill nobody! Goddamned Jimmy! I shoulda known it was him. Robert Caine couldn’t keep outta anyone’s business—the bastard helped Jimmy’s wife leave! Stepped in where he didn’t belong. Probably helped your mama too!”
My brain was spinning with all this information. Had Buck’s mom been Robert’s client? Had he been her therapist and known she was going to leave Jimmy? Or was this all something Jimmy and my dad cooked up in their hateful brains? “Is that why you helped Jimmy kill them?” The more I scared him, the more he would want to protect himself and spill the truth.