Death wish, p.17
Death Wish, page 17
She shakes her head. “I shot him.”
“No,” Scout growls, voice hard as steel. “I shot him. Once I got him off you, I rolled him over to make sure he was dead. Thought he was still breathing, so I shot him until I was sure he was gone.”
“What the fuck, Scout?” I demand.
“It’s what happened.” He leans over and kisses Landry’s cheek. “Landry’s just confused. Help her remember.”
Fuck.
He’s really going with this.
“Scout…”
“Sparrow.”
Scout levels me with an unwavering glare. He’s already made his mind up.
“You’re a fucking idiot,” I mutter under my breath.
“And she’ll be fucking safe from any backlash. That’s all that matters.”
* * *
Detective Rodriguez crosses his arms over his chest, studying Scout through narrowed eyes. “So, let’s go over this again. You’re telling me, you shot the victim—”
“He’s not a victim,” Scout snaps. “He’s a rapist and a child abuser.”
“My client has told you his story several times,” Sarah, his attorney, interjects. “Mr. Mannford is cuffed and in your custody. Take him to jail until you people admit that he acted in Landry’s defense. His brothers and the girls can go home to get some sleep. This will all look different in the morning.”
Rodriquez rolls his eyes, jaw clenching. “I just want the truth.”
When I called Leo to tell him that plans drastically changed, he told me to keep Scout quiet until his attorney, Sarah, arrived at the station. Of course, Scout hasn’t shut up. Repeating his truth over and over again until it’s starting to feel real.
“Are the girls okay?” Scout demands, turning his attention to me.
I hold up a picture Sully sent me from the hospital of both Della and Landry. “They’re fine. Just getting examined, but okay.”
Scout relaxes and nods.
“It’s just not adding up,” Detective Rodriguez presses, shaking his head. “None of it. If I had to guess, you were protecting Miss Croft. Which I don’t quite understand. If he really was assaulting her—”
“He. Fucking. Was.” Scout glowers at him. “No ifs.”
“Mr. Mannford,” Sarah warns. “You don’t have to say anything else.”
“Then she would be acting in self-defense,” Detective Rodriguez finishes in exasperation. “It wouldn’t make sense for her boyfriend to say he did it instead.”
“Look, man,” Scout spits out. “I don’t know what to tell you. I fucking shot that piece of shit. I’m not sad about it either. The way I see, I did not only these two girls, but the whole goddamn world a favor.”
“Then I’m going to have to book you,” Detective Rodriguez states with a huff. “With your past criminal record, you’ll have a harder time escaping this than a teenage girl who was acting in self-defense.”
Scout shrugs. “I don’t know what more you need from me. I confessed to this shit and yet here we are. Just let my girl go home with my brothers. She needs a shower and sleep.”
Detective Rodriguez sighs heavily and stands. “All right, then. I guess we’re done here.”
Two unis walk over and assist my cuffed brother to his feet.
“Take care of her,” Scout orders, pinning me with a hard glare. “I’ll come after you if you don’t.”
I want to remind the fucking idiot he’ll be in jail, but they’ve already pulled him out the door before I get the chance.
Detective Rodriguez pins me with a hard stare. “You sure there’s nothing you want to admit to me. Now that your brother’s gone?”
As if I’d ever sell my brother out to the fucking police.
“Nope,” I grind out. “Are Landry and Della free to go home with Sully?”
He ponders this for a moment and then nods. “As long as the hospital clears them, I have no issue with that. She’s eighteen and Della is family. You have my card. Call me if any of your stories change.” He gives me a pointed stare. “Might make things easier on your brother.”
“Got it.”
Scout is taking the brunt of this, and it sucks, but it’s necessary. I understand that. With Della’s mom deceased and now Alexander gone too, she’ll need Landry more than ever. Scout can sit in a jail cell until Sarah manages to get him free, but it would kill Landry being away from Della, even while they sorted it out. I just hope, for everyone’s sake, it doesn’t take long.
All we can do is wait and hope for the best.
But Landry is safe and that’s all that fucking matters.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Landry
A bloodcurdling scream wakes me up.
My scream.
It’s been days since…the incident, and I’ve had nightmares ever since. I spend my waking hours worrying about Scout and what he’s done to try to protect me while each night I’m dragged into horrible dreams with my father.
In my dreams, he always wins.
Sully’s hold around my middle tightens and he buries his face in my hair. Sparrow, on my other side, presses reassuring kisses to my lips. I hate that this nighttime screaming is a new normal for them. When they first started, it freaked them out. Sparrow was ready to drag me kicking and screaming to the hospital. Now, they’re used to it.
“You’re safe. Here with us,” Sparrow reminds me. “Della is safely sleeping in Scout’s bed with Heathen.”
Even though I know this, my body does relax at his words. Knowing we beat the monster is something I’ll never fully believe. Like at any moment, he’ll pop around the corner and take us back home.
“I need to go home,” I croak out.
Sully’s palm splays over my stomach and he digs his fingers in the flesh. Sparrow utters the same word he always says. No.
“Not to live there,” I huff, irritation at their overprotectiveness chasing away the last of the fear that was pumping through my veins. “I need to look for something.”
“Just tell us what you need,” Sully says. “One of us will go get it.”
I extricate myself from between them and climb off the bed. I’ve barely had time to warm up the shower water and step inside before my two stalkers join me. It’s like now that Scout is sitting in a jail cell, awaiting trial, they’ve taken over his duties in our relationship too. I know they mean well, but sometimes they suffocate me.
“What do you need?” Sparrow demands. “Clothes? Shoes? Something for Della?”
“Nothing like that.” I want to turn away from his probing stare, but then I’ll just be looking into Sully’s. I can’t escape them when they’re like this. “It’s something that might could help Scout’s case.”
Sparrow’s maple-syrup eyes narrow and he studies me as Sully starts lathering up my body with soap. I’m annoyed with them, but I don’t mind these showers with them. They do everything for me. Sparrow has a thing for shaving me—every part of me—because he’s a freak and Sully likes washing me.
“Help him how?” Sparrow asks. His fingers slide down to feel the prickliness on my pussy. Yep, he’s going to multitask. Converse and shave.
I give in, letting them pamper me, because I do enjoy their attentiveness. “I want in Dad’s safe. There has to be information in there.”
“Information on what?” Sully questions, tugging my hair so I’ll get it wet under the spray.
“I’m not sure. He just said some things to me and I want to know if there’s anything to back up what he said.”
They don’t answer me right away. Since they’re triplets, they have a strange way of silently communicating with each other. I know they’re mulling over the risks, which I appreciate, but I am at the point I’m going to find a way to go whether they like it or not. I’d rather have their blessing and assistance.
Sparrow, having freshly shaved my pussy, rubs his finger between my lips, looking for any missed hair and touches my clit. I gasp and shoot him a dirty look. His lips curl into a devious grin as he does it again.
This is why showers with them always take way too long, too. Sure, I don’t have to do anything, but it always—always—ends up with me getting tag-teamed by the both of them.
I try to focus on my thoughts. That lasts until Sparrow’s mouth is on me, sucking and biting. I lose all sense of reality, obliterated by how he worships my pussy lips while Sully pushes his cock into me from behind. It’s hard to tell where my body begins and where theirs ends since we move as one, writhing together in unison.
The water eventually turns to ice, ending our shower sexcapade, and I’m so thoroughly fucked Sparrow has to carry me out of the bathroom. I don’t forget my end goal, though.
I’m going home.
I’m going to get answers.
* * *
The house is a tomb. Literally. Both my parents died in our home. Without the staff working or Dad’s dark presence, it just feels…empty. I’m glad Della and I are out of here. She refused to go with us, which is understandable, so Sully took her school shopping instead to pick up some new things like a backpack and clothes. It’s just me and Sparrow on a hunt for clues.
I head straight for Dad’s laptop. I’ve seen him on it enough to have memorized his password which means there won’t be much of interest on it. Once I’ve unlocked it, I hand it to Sparrow to do some digging. My main purpose today is to get inside the safe. That’s one place I’ve never seen him do the code on which means I’m going to have to think long and hard what the code might be. The one time I actually attempted it, years ago, was an utter failure with horrible consequences.
I try several different number combinations of what I think it might be, starting with birth dates and anniversaries. Not even my birthday or his is correct.
Think, Landry.
What was he obsessed with?
Besides me, it was my sister. But only because he blamed her for my mother’s death. It wasn’t Della’s fault, though. Mom was already sick and dying. The pregnancy just took the last of what was left of her.
I try to block out the day Mom died. It was such a soul-crushing time for me. Not only did I lose my mother and have a newborn baby to help care for, but Dad went apeshit for a while after. Everything was so dark and horrible.
With a shaking hand, I push in the numbers of her death date. The safe lights up green. No way. Anger swells up inside me. Why would her death date be his code?
Because if what he said was true, then he’s responsible.
I open the safe and stare at the contents. Some stacks of cash, a gun, a few files with paperwork inside. There’s even a picture of Mom holding Della with me curled up against her. She’s ill and dying in the picture, but her frail arms hold on to both of us like she has the strength to protect us forever.
Plucking the picture from the safe, I set it on the desk behind me to keep. Della will be happy to see it since it’s not one Dad ever framed or put up in the house. There are no pictures of Mom and Della together that I’ve seen.
Why hide it?
Because Della isn’t Dad’s. That has to be why. He mentioned it before, but I didn’t want to believe it. I pull out some files and sit on the floor so I can dig through them. In one of the files, I find Mom’s death certificate. The official reason for death is heart attack. Behind the death certificate is an autopsy report. Dr. Dean Miller performed the autopsy. There were statements of bodily trauma. Some of the bruises went back weeks prior to her death. The alarming part was the toxicology report behind it that showed excessive amounts of arsenic in her system.
She was poisoned?
My stomach revolts violently and I gag. Tears well in my eyes, blurring the words in front of me. Sparrow sits down behind me, spreading his legs and pulling me between them. With the papers clutched in my grasp, I sob as he holds me.
This whole time I believed she died of a heart attack. He blamed Della for killing her. But it was him. He poisoned her because she got pregnant with another man’s baby.
In the same file, I discover a newspaper article that Dr. Dean Miller was tragically killed in a fire that destroyed his office and all the bodies in it, including my mother’s. Since the autopsy report was in Dad’s safe, that leads me to believe he took it from Dr. Miller and then torched the place.
It’s the file under Mom’s death file that makes my blood run cold.
Della.
Paternity tests, emails, and other correspondence that relates to my sister.
Oh, God.
This whole thing is starting to make a lot more sense. Fucked up, but clear as day. Dad wasn’t trying to marry me off or partner up with his company, he was pulling strings and blackmailing people. I was just a tool to be used.
This ends today.
“We have to go,” I tell Sparrow. “Now.”
* * *
Getting Sparrow to let me go alone took monumental effort. I’ve never seen him so pissed, but I wouldn’t budge. If he went with me, it would only distract from the real topic at hand. Because of his involvement and past, I wouldn’t get anywhere.
And I absolutely need to make sure I get somewhere on this.
“I love you,” I remind Sparrow, kissing his mouth. “I’ll be back in fifteen minutes. Trust me.”
He runs his fingers through my hair. “I trust you. It’s him I don’t trust.”
“I’m going to be okay.”
With those words, I exit Sparrow’s fancy car and march into one of the most intimidating buildings I’ve been in. They spared no expense when constructing this place. It’s all glass and modern lines, decorated with the finest furniture made.
I make my way inside the elevator and mash the button to the executive floor. Several men dressed in suits side-eye me as they join me. I’m dressed in a black pair of leggings, some plain flats, and one of Scout’s black hoodies. Since I didn’t want to mess with my hair, I grabbed one of Sully’s ball caps and covered my hair up.
I don’t look like I belong here.
But, if I had to guess, I have more money than all these men combined. Screw them and their condescending looks. I don’t breathe easier until the last one is deposited the floor before mine. When I enter the executive floor of Halcyon, I’m alone.
I can do this.
I’m greeted by women who resemble robots with their perfect smiles, all lifting their heads to look at me at once. They’re meant to be an army of gatekeepers, stopping guests from getting to their CEO. Too bad I’m not going to let them do their jobs. I take off in a sprint, ignoring their startled cries behind me, heading straight toward the CEO’s office. The door is cracked, so I push my way inside and shut it behind me.
The CEO has his back turned to me, staring down at his phone, talking to someone on FaceTime. His voice, unlike any time I’ve ever heard, is tender and sweet.
“Hey, little man. Daddy misses you.”
“He’s sleeping. He can’t hear you,” the female voice replies and then she chuckles. “But he misses you too.”
I clear my throat, letting him know he’s not alone.
He stiffens and quickly ends the call before turning around and setting the phone on his desk. The warm smile on his face melts away to something frigid and cruel. I’ve lived with cruel my entire life. That cruelty ended when I put a bullet in that man. The one before me doesn’t scare me.
“Mr. Constantine,” I greet, my own voice sharp and icy.
Winston’s cold blue eyes narrow. “Miss Croft. I wasn’t aware we had a meeting this morning.”
“We do now,” I state, sitting down in the chair across from him. “And you’ll hear me out.”
He arches a golden brow, seemingly intrigued by my sassiness. “It appears you’ve left me with no choice. By all means, Miss Croft, say what you came to say.”
“I know my father was blackmailing you.” I lift my chin, meeting his hard glare. “Because of Della.”
He gives nothing away. Not a twitching muscle or a flash in his eyes. A perfect statue. These powerful men think they’re so smart. That they can intimidate us or make us feel stupid because they have their shit together.
I may not be holding on to my emotions like he is, but my shit is together. It has to be for Della. I’d give up everything if it meant protecting her. Surely this man can see that in my eyes. I’m not here to play games. I’m here to get what I want and settle things once and for all.
“I want custody of her.”
“As did your father,” he says, voice unaffected. “For reasons unknown to me, he wanted to keep her.”
Because he was a sadistic asshole. Of course, I don’t say that.
“She’s my sister. My family. I’m eighteen and I love her. That’s all I’m asking.”
“You’re her next of kin,” Winston says. “I’m not sure why there’d be a problem.”
“You know we both don’t deal in uncertainties.” I smack Della’s file down on his desk. “I know she’s your cousin. Your uncle, Lionel, is her father.”
“I see you’ve done your homework,” he says with a taunting smirk.
“Which means she’s a Constantine,” I continue, ignoring his asshole expression. “I don’t know what sort of games Dad was playing with you, but it all ends now. You get your uncle to sign over his rights to me.”
Winston leans back in his chair, threading his fingers in front of him and resting them in his lap. He’s a picture of calm. Like my sister’s life hanging between us is an everyday business deal for him.
For me, it’s everything.
“And what is it I’ll get in return for my acquiescence. She’s a Constantine after all. Family is very, very important to us.”
That, I can agree on.
“I’m going to sell the business to you,” I tell him. “At a very reasonable price. You’ll make tons more money and I’ll have enough to take care of my sister with.”
“Hmm. I’ll need to discuss it with my attorneys.” He flicks his wrist toward the door. “I’ll have Deborah contact you once we’ve made a decision—”
“No,” I bark out, sitting straighter. “This is the deal. You take it now. I want assurance that Lionel isn’t going to come after my sister in six months. I need to know she’ll be with me always, no matter what.”
