Page 91 of It Starts With A No

“No.”

“Listen to me very carefully.” The slow and solemn rhythm and tone of his words injected a dose of sobriety into her exhausted mind.

Clary draped a dark blue towel over her shoulders and sat on the bed. “You’re kind of scaring me.”

“I’ve requested a police officer to do a welfare check. The officer will escort you to the hotel.”

“Now? Why?”

“The man who held you at gunpoint said Seth killed his sister and he wants justice for her, right?”

Clary sighed and chuckled as her rising panic dissipated. “Seth’s the CEO of Movement. It’s probably just someone who didn’t get the desired results from their medication.”

“No, Clary. This is about his past.”

She frowned.

“He didn’t tell you, did he? How many brothers did he tell you he has?”

“There are five of them in total.”

“Holly adopted seven children. The only girl, the half-sister of the sixth boy, went missing. She was never found.”

Clary blinked as she took in the new information.

“I suppose he didn’t tell you any of this.”

“Because it isn’t relevant,” she said. “Seth was only a kid. You think he had something to do with that girl’s disappearance?”

“He wasn’t a kid. He was sixteen then.”

Seth probably had to grow up a lot earlier because of your daughter.

“The man specifically said Seth killed his sister,” Mr. E continued. “And he didn’t think Winnie’s disappearance was relevant?”

“Maybe he just doesn’t want to be reminded of what happened with Holly.”

“You trust him this much?”

Did she? “Yes.”

Whatever Mr. E thought had happened all those years ago was wrong.

“Cancel the welfare check,” she said. “I’m not going anywhere.”

“Clary.”

“I’m serious. Cancel the welfare check.”

Mr. E sighed heavily. “If you promise me one thing.”

“What is it?”

“You do not confront him about this. Maybe he concealed it on purpose. Maybe, as you said, he didn’t want to dwell on his past. Whatever it is, I don’t want you confronting him about this. You hear me?”

Clary sucked in a breath through her mouth. I choose him. Again, those words she’d so confidently uttered came back to haunt her.

Mr. E hadn’t asked for her to choose, but did giving him her word mean choosing to take his side? Which, by default, would mean she wasn’t on the Andersons’ side?

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