Page 36 of Sin

“Luckily, we don’t talk to Feds,” Ares said.

She sat there, head bowed. “How could I not know how awful my father was?”

Ares kissed her cheek. “We’re with you, okay?”

She didn’t bother acknowledging. Vivi sailed from the kitchen with a plate of scones and several mugs. Once she placed them on the table, she came out with a coffeepot and filled the cups. Then she sat down next to Lincoln.

“We won’t let her take the fall that her father clearly intended for her,” Hunter said.

“I figured,” Lincoln said. He punched a few more things and turned his laptop. “I started to remove her name from these bogus corporations, funneling the money into a separate untraceable account.”

“How much?” Adira asked.

“He’s been doing this for years.”

“How much?” she asked again.

“Almost half a million.”

Her eyes bugged out and her mouth fell open.

“Fuck,” Ares muttered.

“He’s going to want that money,” Hunter said.

“It’s got to go back.” Adira’s voice trembled and her hand shook as she pulled the mug of coffee closer, wrapping her hands around it as if to warm up. “I’ve got to go back and—”

“No fucking way,” Ares snapped. “You go nowhere near him.”

“That money has to go back where it came from,” she insisted. “To the people he swindled.”

“I can do that,” Lincoln told her. “That’s easy. And I can also let the Feds know in an anonymous report what dear old Pop has been up to. But I just want to make sure you don’t want to keep it?”

She shook her head. “Vincent Dobias needs to be held accountable.”

“Then I’ll set it up,” Lincoln assured. “I’ll let you know when it’s done. You don’t have to think about the money or him ever again.”

Chapter Sixteen

“I think you should stay with us,” Ares said.

Adira shook her head. “I need some space to process all of this.”

“You shouldn’t be alone,” Hunter added.

She didn’t know what to say. What to do. Her heart hurt, her soul bled. She had loved and trusted her father. The man who taught her how to ride a bike. Who played Go Fish with her. He had helped her pass algebra and encouraged her to volunteer at the hospital and animal shelter. She became his liaison between the church and the community.

He was also her pastor, granting her absolution whenever she thought she had sinned.

It was almost laughable.

“You’re hurting,” Ares said. “Let us help you.”

She wanted to accept their help with every fiber of her being, but knowing this wasn’t a permanent arrangement, she couldn’t depend on them.

“It’s okay. I’ll be at work tomorrow night.”

“I don’t care about you working. I care about you hurting.”

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