Page 7 of Forbidden Bond

“If you’re going to kill me anyway, just get it over with. It doesn’t matter when or where.”

“I could never—you’re my daughter.”

She smiled, though it wasn’t in happiness. “Any affection you feel for me comes from Lachlan. Somehow, he taught you that you should care, but you don’t need to act anymore. There’s no one here but us. You’ve never liked me. You say I’m too like my mother, is seeing me a reminder of what you’ve lost? Did you ever love her?”

“I did love your mother. Faults and all.”

“You can’t even do it, can you? You can’t love and just leave it at that. It’s always about you, what you need, what you think. How did she live with your constant judgment?

“Your mother and I were happy. She understood the importance of my work. We had respect.”

“Are you sure about that? Because I’ve been inside now, I’ve seen true love from within. I was never afraid to tell Conn anything, nothing was out of bounds for us. He didn’t think about what I’d done wrong or how many mistakes I made, he supported me.”

“Easy for someone who sets his own bar so low.”

“Oh, that’s nice. Killing him wasn’t enough, now you have to disrespect his memory? That gun in your hand is looking pretty nice right now. Get it over with, Dad. Put a bullet in me and go back to your life, back to your happiness.”

Which definitely didn’t come from family. No. He’d killed his father and intended to kill his daughter, how long would Lachlan survive?

“I don’t relish any of this.”

“What about Lachlan?” she asked because she had to know. “What will you tell him?”

“Your brother is…”

He exhaled and loosened.

Yeah, Lachlan was going to be a problem. One way or another, eventually, he’d uncover the truth. What would happen then?

“He’s determined to find Henry’s killer. Conn’s death, my disappearance…” or death, if they ever found her body. “He’ll start putting pieces together and will expect your support.” The discerning tilt of her father’s brow gave her some inkling she might be getting through. “Think about it. How will you investigate your own crimes? Throw Lachlan off the scent without him knowing you’re throwing him off the scent? You might as well kill him too.”

The city would notice that, though Ronald would be hailed as a valiant hero for enduring such tragedy. He’d end up in the governor’s mansion if he played it right. And all it would take was the death of everyone who shared his blood.

“Lachlan doesn’t deserve to die.” But others did? “He’ll only accept this if…” Struck by an idea, he jerked, regaining his tension. “You will tell him.”

“Lachlan? Tell him what?”

“We’ll come up with it together, right here, in this room.”

“A story?”

A lie. A fable. An untruth.

“Your idea, you said you’d publish a supporting narrative.”

“I said that before you killed my boyfriend.”

“What is so different now?” he asked, lighter and more optimistic, disgusting her further. “You want to protect your brother, don’t you? Any questions of my involvement in Henry’sdeath, in the death of your lowlife lover, they’ll damage your brother too. Damage the family.”

She didn’t care about the McLeod family name. She did care about Lachlan.

“You want me to sell a lie?”

“We’ll put it together, us, in a way everyone can accept. We’ll answer the questions and put suspicion to rest.”

The man had a lot of faith in the power of the pen. Was it possible? Perhaps. Could she do it?Wouldshe do it?

What choice did she have?

---