Page 50 of Fake You

“I mean, didn’t he speak up about what was going on at the plant?”

“Nope. He never has, and I don’t think his intention is ever to breathe a word to anyone. Whatever he knows, he’s planning on taking it to the grave with him. And the way things are going that will be happening sooner rather than later.” As her voice wavered, and her lip quivered, and I had the strongest urge to punch something or someone, even if it was myself.

She looked away, and when she looked back again, her eyes were swimming with tears that cascaded down her face. I hadn’t really noticed how beautiful her eyes were before. I mean they were part of her beautiful face, so I’d seen them countless times, but I guessed I’d never really appreciated them as an element in and of themselves, instead of for what they added to the whole.

They were wide, expansively shapely in shimmering shades of deep brown, and framed by lashes that were long enough that they surely should have had anyone questioning her status as Kevin.

Watching and listening to her speak with such anguish made me feel things, I had absolutely no business feeling. None at all.

“Even as we speak, he has no idea about the lawsuit, and he’d be totally against it if he did know. Through everything that’s gone on, and despite my encouragement, questioning and probing, he’s remained tight-lipped on the subject, and like I said, I think he always will. He’s quietly dying, and your father has blood on his hands, yet my dad won’t do a thing to take him down.”

“Won’t, or can’t?” I had no idea what the hell was going on, except for that everything couldn’t have been as it appeared. Her father clearly hadn’t been paid off, or they wouldn’t be in the constant struggle for money and worry about healthcare that they were. But his silence made little sense if it wasn’t being bought, and he hadn’t disappeared. I might not have been able to connect the dots to figure out exactly what the situation was, but I smelled a rat—a giant Victor Cavanagh shaped rat.

“What do you mean?”

“Nothing. Ignore me. I’m tired and out of it.”

She didn’t look even half convinced.

“So that’s why no matter what you do, or say, or threaten, or take from me, I’m going to fight this thing. My dad deserves better. I deserve better, and so do all the other people who were affected by this, who had their health and lives ruined, and then were silenced or banished.”

“So if your father didn’t put you up to this, has no idea what’s going on, and clearly wouldn’t be okay with it if he did, why are you doing it?”

“I told you, it’s bigger than just me and Dad. A lot of people have suffered as a result of your father’s totally corrupt, immoral, and illegal conduct, and he should pay for what he’s done.”

“Okay, I get that, but what inspired you to do this? I mean, someone like you taking on my dad and all his resources is a David versus Goliath situation.”

“True. But on the other hand, remember what I said about that before? In the myth at least, the little guy won in the end. Think about it: if I didn’t represent some kind of threat, your father wouldn’t have set the dogs on me.”

“Did you just call me a dog?”

“Not in so many words, but if the choke collar fits… And you are out here doing his extremely dirty work for him, so you do the math..”

“Touché.” She absolutely had a point, and I couldn’t even deny it.

“Besides which, some information has come into my possession…”

“What?”

“Well I’m hardly going to tell you, am I? As if it’s not bad enough that I’m sleeping with the enemy, in more ways than one, I’m not about to start blurting that out to you. I’m not quite that stupid.” She wasn’t stupid at all, but I took her point. “Let’s just say I received an anonymous tip-off that started the process in motion, and is the reason I won’t quit this until the bitter end, and if that means you make me homeless and penniless in the process, it will still have been worth it. I’d happily live in the gutter if it meant your father ended up in hell where he belongs.”

Chapter 32

Kik

The silence in the room screamed at a thousand decibels, and I had no idea what to say or do to break it. Thankfully, we were saved by the bell. I was just about to pick myself up and leave when Drew reached for his phone again, putting it on loudspeaker as he answered.

“Xav—”

“What the fuck is going on? I’ve been trying to call you for the longest time. Rocky told me you’ve been jumped or something, and that you went upstairs with Bear and Kik.”

“Nothing wrong with her powers of observation then.”

“Don’t be a smart-ass. We’ve all tried to call you, and got nothing. And of course, I would have come to check on you for myself if it wasn’t for the fact that you left me short-handed to organize the Cygnus meeting for tonight, with no notice, no time to prepare. Nothing. It was a fucking farce. You made me look like chump.”

Drew rolled his eyes.

“You done?” Drew sounded pretty pissed himself. “First of all, I didn’t get into this state just to ruin your fucking plans. Second of all, you barely inquired about how I am before you launched into your ‘woe is me’ routine. Choke on a chode, you selfish asshole.”

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