Total pages in book: 75
Estimated words: 78227 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 391(@200wpm)___ 313(@250wpm)___ 261(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 78227 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 391(@200wpm)___ 313(@250wpm)___ 261(@300wpm)
“I’m happy to unburden you.”
“God, I wish you could. But I’m as guilty as anyone else.”
I step forward. “Why do you speak of guilt?”
“You know why, Brock.”
“Let me be honest with you, Brittany. I totally understand that you feel some loyalty to your father. He’s your father, after all. But why Pat Lamone?”
“You’ll think it’s stupid.”
She’s no doubt right. “Try me.”
“Back in high school, I had a major crush on him. So I…”
“So you did his bidding.”
“But you have to understand, Rory and Callie—”
I hold up a hand. “If I were you, I’d stop right there.”
“Please just listen to me. Rory and Callie drugged Pat with something. Rory got him to admit that he spiked the punch that night at the bonfire. They were doing it all to get the family’s reward.”
“I already know all about that.”
Her eyes widen. “So you know the Pike sisters aren’t innocent in this matter.”
“To the contrary, the Pike sisters were trying to help my family. They wanted to find out who poisoned Diana.”
“They wanted your reward,” Brittany says dryly.
“Maybe. Is there anything wrong with that?”
“Not when you’re a gold digger.”
Rage curls onto the back of my neck, but I’m determined to stay calm. “The Pikes are hardly gold diggers. They haven’t taken any of the help our family has offered them since the fire.”
“That’s because they started that damned fire themselves.”
Again the rage. “They did not.”
“What if I gave you proof?”
“Then I would tell you your proof is manufactured.”
“Pat—”
I hold my hand up to quiet her. “Pat cannot be trusted. If he has given you any proof, it’s definitely manufactured. Let’s be honest about Pat. He had a major crush on Rory in high school. That’s common knowledge. So when Rory gave him the chance to”—I swallow back acid—“be with her, he jumped at it. So yes, Rory used him to get him to confess. But he was going to use her to get what he wanted as well.”
Brittany says nothing, simply purses her lips into a line.
“So whatever”—air quote—“proof Pat has given you is fake.”
“To be honest…”
“Yes?”
“Pat didn’t give me any proof. He only told me that he has proof.”
“Seriously?” I scoff. “You can’t possibly be that naïve, Brittany.”
“I’m not. Not usually. But Pat…”
“Old crushes die hard, I guess.”
“They do. He’s so good-looking. So much better than I could ever get.”
Brittany is not unattractive. But she’s no Rory Pike.
“He’s a bastard, Brittany.”
Brittany drops her gaze to the ground. “I know. But I’m in too deep now.”
“My family can help you.” Damn. I hate lying. Even to Brittany Sheraton.
“Your family would never help me. You didn’t help my father when he needed it.”
Right. As I suspected, this goes back to Uncle Bryce and Dad not offering Doc Sheraton the position he wanted with our family.
And I need to find out why.
“My father is a good man,” I say, “and he had his reasons for what he did at the time. Just like I have my reasons for everything I do. Do you, Brittany? Do you have a good reason for everything you’ve done?”
She doesn’t answer at first.
And just when I think she’s not going to—
“I’m not a bad person, Brock.”
“Aren’t you?”
“I don’t like everything we’ve done.”
“Then undo it,” I say. “Because you may feel like you’re a good person in your heart, but that’s not what you are in the eyes of others. In the eyes of others, you are your actions, not your thoughts.”
“He’s my father. I love him.”
“I understand. But Brittany, what the hell has he gotten into?”
She opens her mouth when my phone buzzes—
Damn it! Of all the bad timing in the fucking free world.
It’s Dad.
“Yeah?” I say into the phone a little more harshly than I mean to.
“Brock, come on back to the house now. Doc and I are working up a contract.”
“But I—”
“Now,” Dad says. “This is important.”
Is it as important as the information I’m about to get out of Brittany? Of course I can’t say this right in front of her.
“Brittany and I will be there in a moment,” I say.
“Leave Brittany there,” Dad says.
“But I—”
“Do as I say.” Dad ends the call.
Okay. How am I supposed to tell Brittany I have to go back to the house without her? She’ll come along. After all, it’s her house.
I’m pretty good on my feet, but I’m stumped.
“I have to go,” I say, “but this conversation isn’t over.”
“I’ve said all I can say.”
“I don’t believe that for a minute.”
“It’s not for you to believe or not. I know very little. But I do know…”
“You do know that whatever your dad is involved in is not good.”
She doesn’t reply.
I have my answer.
“Stay here,” I say.
“Why?”
“Trust me.”
I turn and walk back toward the house.
“Brock!”
I don’t turn back.
“Brock, what is going on?”
“Damn.” This time I turn around. “Please. For your own safety, do not follow me.”