Total pages in book: 96
Estimated words: 91809 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 459(@200wpm)___ 367(@250wpm)___ 306(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 91809 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 459(@200wpm)___ 367(@250wpm)___ 306(@300wpm)
“What was it?”
“The Dumont brothers told you about their mother, yes?”
I nodded.
“What they may not know is that her killer taunted Sasha and Leon for months before they struck. They led them on a chase of random attacks and twisted clues that led to exactly what they wanted. That day, Leon thought he was cornering them—when it was actually a trap to get him out of his home. The plan all along was to kill his family.”
I squeezed my eyes shut, bearing the pain for my boys. “That’s awful.”
“It is awful. It’s even more awful that Leon and Sasha went through all of it alone. I don’t know if I could’ve made a difference to the outcome. Saved those boys from losing their mother. But I would’ve tried.
“As it was, all I could do for my friend was create a new system of protection for the members and, most importantly, for their kids. I hired people like Vanna O’Rourke to take an active, instead of passive, approach to tracking down threats against us before they get close. And if that failed, I told the Rogues to hang a purple flag. Anywhere and everywhere, hang the flag and the organization will know you’re in trouble. Help will come.”
“Everleigh made me hang the flag to get you to come,” I said, putting it together. “But I still don’t understand why it had to be me. Or Winter. That monster could’ve done it whenever she wanted.”
“She could, and...” He frowned. “I’ll bet anything she has. Over the years, we’ve had a few false flags in Regalia. The purple flag was hung, but when one of the members investigated, no one was in danger or knew a thing about it. Might very well have been her attempt to lure me out.
“It didn’t work because I never answer the call myself. I value my members, but they’re all a bunch of fucking criminals.”
I barked a laugh, startling me.
“The king who blindly comes running when summoned will have a short reign.”
“It made sense that you didn’t. You avoided exactly what she was trying to do—lure you into a trap. But because that didn’t work...” My voice faltered under my swimming eyes.
“She went after the people I wouldn’t ignore. If my daughters hung the flag, asking for my help”—Alistair knelt in front of me, taking my hand—“I’d come running even if I knew it was a trap.”
“But Winter wouldn’t do it.” I squeezed his hand unconsciously. “She wouldn’t hand you over to that psychotic bitch just to save herself. I knew Winter was protecting our family. In the end, she was stronger than Everleigh. Stronger than Levi. Stronger than Ashton. She never gave in and let them force her to do something she knew was wrong. She beat them,” I whispered. “It was me who failed.”
“You didn’t know.” He wiped a stray tear from my cheek. “Your mother and I thought we were protecting you. Me staying out of your lives. Her keeping the secret of who I am and what I did. It was all to protect you from my enemies, but all it did was leave you both vulnerable. The only one who failed is me.”
I shook myself, letting go of his hand. This wasn’t the time for a father-daughter bonding moment. I still needed an answer to the most important question. “All this to get revenge for Everton Starling. Why? What happened to him?”
He rocked back on his heels, leaning against the armchair. He was quiet for so long I thought he had changed his mind.
“I told you what he did to get into the Rogues,” Alistair said, speaking to the ceiling. “I knew why. He was desperate to claw out from under his father’s thumb, the same as I. He bargained with the only chip he had... then, a kid died.”
I sat up straighter. “What? Who?”
“This was before you were born. Attorney-client privilege didn’t exist within the Starling Group while Everton was selling it all to the highest bidder. There was a case—not even well known at the time. A Royal couple, low on the ladder, did what many of us do when love turns sour. They jumped to hate with quick and alarming speed.
“There was a spousal abuse accusation that turned out to be fake, and child abuse that turned out to be very, very real. Because Everton sold their entire legal strategy to the lying fake, their side shredded an innocent man on the stand and got him sent to prison for ten years. His pleas that it was all lies and the true abuser was his spouse were ignored. Three months after he was sent away, his son was beaten to death.”
“Oh no.” My eyes rimmed with more tears. “That poor boy.”
“It was an unconscionable tragedy. Of course, people weren’t buying what he was selling for noble reasons, but that a Rogue played a part in locking away an innocent man and trapping a child with an abuser? That couldn’t stand, Luna.