Page 123 of Vicious Little Games

But as soon as the four of us walk into the penthouse, my mom spins around on me and yells, “How the hell did this happen?”

Rather than let Cass take the brunt of my mother’s ire, I quickly claim responsibility. “I called up the frat bros from USC’s Sigma Chi and invited them to a reunion here at the casino. Eli helped get the DNA tests for free lap dances, claiming it was for a clinical trial.”

“Well, that’s...genius,” my mom says. Turning to Dante, she says, “Isn’t that amazing, for him to come up with such a plan?”

Well, shit. Now I feel like a bastard for taking Cass’s credit.

“Ingenious,” Dante murmurs, still looking homicidal as we stand around like we’re playing four squares.

“Actually, Cass thought...” I start.

“I thought it would never work, but men will apparently do anything for a free lap dance, even give a DNA swab,” she says, interrupting me before I can confess that it was all her idea.

“Wow. That is so crazy,” my mom remarks. “And it worked. It actually worked. One of them is...the man you were talking to...”

“His name is Andrew Phelps,” I repeat. “Does that ring any bells, Mom?”

She cringes. “No, not really.”

“Did you use the name Vanessa Brooks back then?” I ask her.

She considers my question for a long moment then shakes her head. “No, not at that point. I think I just used whatever campus ID badge I found. And whenever I didn’t need to prove my identity to anyone, I just told people my name was Kate, since it was close to Katia. That’s probably what I told Andrew.” She suddenly throws her arms around me. “I know it may not look like it, but I'm so happy for you, sweetie. I’m just…shocked. I-I felt so guilty for not knowing who your father was or where to find him. And I was embarrassed by the number of potentials that it felt impossible to find all of them for a test.”

“So, you’re not mad at me for going behind your back to find him?” I ask as she pulls back.

She lifts her palm to gently cup my cheek. “No. No, of course not, sweetie. I just hope...well, I hope he’s worthy of you.”

“He offered to stay a day, so he seems decent,” I remind her. “He could’ve just called us all liars and ran away.”

“You look like him, especially your height,” she points out.

“I thought so too, but I wasn’t sure if it was just in my head, making me see what I thought was there.”

“You do look like him,” Dante agrees. “And I apologize for my reaction. I won’t kill him. Not unless he does something to deserve it.”

“Thank you, Dante. He had no idea how old I really was,” my mom reminds her mob boss husband. “I lied to him and his friends so that is on me, not them. From what I remember, they all treated me with respect. Well, as much respect as you can have when...”

Dante holds up his palm to stop her from saying another word. “Okay, butterfly. I think you’ve said enough on that matter.”

“Right. Sorry.”

“We should let Cole get back down there and talk to him,” Dante suggests. “Assuming there were no other emergencies while we were gone that need to be discussed right away.”

“I can catch you up,” Cass offers, even though I was hoping she would come back downstairs with me to talk to Andrew. But I guess this is something I should probably do on my own.

“Thank you,” I tell her, meaning for everything. She did something incredible, and she should get all the credit for it.

When she notices me staring at her, she subtly shakes her head and whispers, “Don’t.”

She doesn’t want me to tell them this was her idea.

Fine. I won’t. Yet.

But someday she deserves to get credit for giving me this priceless gift. One I have dreamed of for years but never thought would come true.

She’s right about me doing the same for her, too. I would move mountains if it meant finding her some closure on what happened to her mother. And I hate that I can’t return the favor for her.

That Cass went to so much trouble to find my father for me makes me certain that she’s in love with me. Maybe even as crazy in love with me as I am with her.

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