Page 36 of Lone Star Hostage

Olivia wasn’t in the anger mode, but she did seem confused at her brother’s reaction. She tried to take hold of Ari’s arm, but he threw off her grip with far more force than required. It caused Olivia to stagger back, and she might have fallen against the wall if Presley hadn’t reached out and steadied her. She muttered a thanks that got lost in her brother’s words.

“Are you working together with them?” Ari snapped. “Is that why they’re here? You need to tie up some loose ends from your fake kidnapping?”

Victoria’s forehead bunched up, and she seemed confused. Welcome to the club. Billie was experiencing the same thing. Apparently, Presley, too, judging from the question he hurled at Ari.

“Why the hell would you think the kidnapping was fake?” Presley aimed a glare at Ari.

“Sympathy, for one,” Ari fired back. “So that Olivia and I won’t hate her for Dad’s will. Well, we do hate her, and faking her abduction won’t change that one bit.”

“Sounds as if you should hate your father since it’s his will,” Presley argued.

Ari smirked. “Who do you think talked him into doing that?” He pointed to Victoria. “She somehow convinced him to leave her everything.”

“I didn’t,” Victoria spoke up. “And I didn’t fake my kidnapping.” She held up her bandaged hand to remind him of what the kidnappers had done to her.

That didn’t ease his smirk one bit. “A small price to pay to hang onto your husband.”

Anger flashed through Victoria’s eyes, and Billie was glad to see it. So, the woman had a spine after all. “I don’t need to feign a kidnapping to do that,” she said through clenched teeth.

“Oh, yeah?” Ari challenged. “What happens when Dad finds out about him?” He hiked his thumb in Presley’s direction.

That drained the courage from Victoria’s face. Not from Presley’s though. He moved directly in front of Ari.

“Explain that,” Presley said, his voice low and dangerous. It wasn’t a request but an order.

Ari did take a step back, but he didn’t tone down his expression much. “I know you’re her kid,” the man said.

Oh, shit.

And Billie muttered a few more words of profanity.

Apparently, Olivia was experiencing a whole lot of surprise, too, because she gasped, and she volleyed stunned glances at Victoria and Presley. “Is it true?” she asked her stepmother.

Ari spoke before Victoria could. “Yes, it’s true. Victoria got knocked up when she was a teenager, had him, and tried to hide her secret by giving him away. Well, secrets don’t always stay hidden.”

“How did you find out?” Billie asked just as Olivia said, “Does Dad know?” The shock was still straining her voice.

Again, it was Ari who answered. “No. I was going to tell him, but before I could do that, Victoria was kidnapped. Convenient, huh? And convenient, too, that the kidnappers requested her son to do the ransom drop.”

“It wasn’t convenient,” Victoria murmured. “It was a nightmare, and I didn’t arrange it because you were going to tell Jesep about the child I had. I had no idea you knew. How did you know?” she pressed, paraphrasing Billie’s earlier question.

“I have my ways,” he said. The smug SOB. He was practically gloating now over Victoria’s obvious distress. “Like I said, secrets don’t stay secret. Do they?” he asked, not directing that at Victoria or Presley.

But at Olivia.

“No,” Victoria blurted, and she would have bolted from the bed had Billie not rushed to her to keep her in place. “No,” she repeated, frantically shaking her head. “Please, Ari. Not like this.Please.”

What the heck?

Billie looked at Presley to see if he knew what this was about, but he didn’t. In fact, the only two people in the room who seemed to know what was going on was the gloating Ari and the terrified Victoria.

“Please, don’t,” Victoria repeated on a sob.

But Ari ignored her and turned to Olivia. “Victoria got knocked up when she was a teenager, and she had him.” He tipped his head to Presley. “And you. Twins. Sorry, little sister, but Victoria is the bitch who gave birth to you.”

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Chapter Thirteen

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