Page 28 of The Sound of Secrets

“I had to turn my phone off for a meeting this afternoon. Let me see if I can get a hold of her. She was at my apartment last night with a friend.”

Alistair swore loudly. “Do you know who is behind this? If your mother was still alive, I’d point the finger at her. Who else could hate Channing this much?”

“It’s not so much an attack on Channing as it is a blatant warning to me. Her father wants me to give him money to get out of our lives forever. He threatened to torment her into a mental breakdown the same as her mother. He told me he was going to do something like this if I didn’t pay him. This is my fault.” I made a fist and slammed it into the side of the SUV. The contact made my already sore hand hurt even more. I was so angry I kicked the tire and scuffed my Italian leather oxfords. “I can’t fathom how he accomplished spreading the news so far, so fast. He didn’t strike me as the tech savvy sort.”

“I’m going to murder him.” Alistair growled the words, and I heard Bellamy scold him in the background.

“Get in line.” I bit the words through my teeth. “I need you to take care of whatever is happening at thecompany.” It was the first time since I’d taken over my father’s role as CEO that my first instinct wasn’t to protect Halliday Inc. I only gave a shit about the ‘family’ portion of the family business at the moment.

I hung up on my half-brother and tried to call Channing. Her phone was off. I immediately started to panic. She liked to disappear on me when things got out of hand. I was afraid she was going to run away again, and this time I wouldn’t be able to bring her back.

Rocco hustled me into the back of the SUV as I hurriedly returned Salome’s call. She sounded frantic when she picked up.

“Do you know where Channing is?” We asked each other at the same time.

Salome swore. “No. I left her in the penthouse this morning. She told me she had to work today and that she might try to visit her mom later. She hasn’t picked up or messaged me back at all. I’m worried.”

“Where does she usually go when the shit hits the fan?” I opened my laptop and started firing off to the pertinent departments to get Channing’s name wiped off the Internet. I wanted to sue anyone spreading lies about her. Or at least scare the piss out of them with cease-and-desist letters.

Salome groaned, and I could hear the stress in her tone. “Shit is always hitting the fan in Channing’s life. She normally doesn’t let it bother her. Last time you upset her, she got drunk at Roan’s bar. I already called him. He hasn’t seen her.”

I rubbed my forehead. It seemed like all of my hair was going to be as white as Ky’s by the time I got a handleon how Channing’s mind worked. “You don’t think she hopped on a plane for parts unknown again, do you?” That was my worst fear.

“I don’t know. I didn’t expect her to leave last time. She’s unpredictable when she’s spooked. She likes to handle things on her own and never wants to be a burden to others. She likes to curl up and lick her wounds with no one knowing how badly she’s injured.”

“I’ll find her. I’ll make sure she isn’t alone.” And I planned on paying back every wound she ever suffered — double — triple.

Channing

“Give me your phone.” My father held out his hand and waited until I placed my cell phone in his palm. “Can’t have you trying to record this conversation or pull anything sneaky.”

I rolled my eyes at him. “Sneaky is your wheelhouse. Not mine.” I looked around my childhood home and wrinkled my nose in distaste. Ever since my mom left, the small cottage had fallen into disrepair. It held none of the coastal charm I recalled. Archie paid off the mortgage as a wedding gift for Willow. I maintained the place for my mom, because if she was ever healthy enough to leave twenty-four-hour care, I knew this is where she wanted to return. I wasn’t sure how I knew I would find my father taking refuge in a place he avoided my whole life. But some inner instinct drew me to this house when I decided I had to confront him.

I pointed at the silent phones he placed on the kitchen table between us. “You’re brave. There aren’t many people who purposely choose to make an enemy out of Win.”

My dad tossed his head back and laughed. “I didn’t think you were smart enough to see that everything I pushed out on social media was a direct challenge to him, and not a personal attack on you.”

“And I didn’t think you were smart enough to use influencers and social media instead of the typical press outlets to spread your lies. It was a clever workaround.”

He continued to chuckle. “Halliday has the press in his pocket. They print whatever he tells them to print. Social media doesn’t work that way. Whoever is the loudest and has the most followers guides the narrative. Now that opinions are monetized, people have no problem saying whatever will get them the most interaction. Even if what they’re saying is absolute bullshit.”

“You’re a terrible person.” I gritted the words through my clenched teeth and glared at the man who didn’t care if he ruined me as long as he profited from my destruction. “Haven’t you done enough damage to this family? Do you know how far back you set Mom with your little stunt with the cell phone?”

He rolled his eyes back at me. “Your mother is never getting out of that facility. You’ve always been guilty of seeing a nonexistent light at the end of the tunnel, Channing. Life isn’t like the movies. There is no miracle cure, and no one is going to show up and be the answer to your prayers. Especially not Win Halliday. While I’m impressed you managed to manipulate him into marriage after what happened with your sister and his brother, I know he’s got to be at the end of his rope where our family is concerned. Whatever he gained by marrying youis not worth what he’s going to lose by staying with you. Cut your losses now.”

I blinked very slowly and stared at him like he was out of his mind. I always knew he was messed up and thoughtless, but I had no idea his view of humanity was so broken.

“Dad. You know that not all men turn on their wives, right? Most marriages aren’t a battlefield. You’re an exception, not the rule.”

“Oh, really?” He scoffed and leaned forward on the table in a threatening way. “Then how do you explain your first marriage? If that wasn’t a battlefield, what was it?”

I stiffened involuntarily. My gaze landed on the black screen of my phone. I knew everyone who cared about me was probably climbing the walls with worry considering the state of my reputation in the digital realm. I tried to call Win before I left for the cove and my old home. I always played nice with my father because it was the path of least resistance, but after today I was done. If he wanted to drag my name through the mud, that was one thing. But using me to hurt Win — I couldn’t stand by and watch it happen. I wasn’t about to be a weakness others could use against him. If I did, what kind of example did that set for Winnie?

I was tired of letting the people who were supposed to love me take advantage of me.

“Did you know?” I narrowed my eyes at him and tried to still my shaking heart. “Did you know Parker was hurting me? Did you know he was grooming me to be obedient and silent before that night at the hospital?” Hewas never around, but he always seemed to know what was happening under this roof.

My father shrugged. “I didn’t know the details. I tried to keep my nose out of your sister’s and your business unless it benefited me.”

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