Page 56 of Crown of Lies

“I thought you said your dad was an asshole,” she says, her voice careful.

I lean my head back against the headrest, closing my eyes for a moment. “He was. He is.”

“But he seemed so…”

“Nice?” I finish for her, opening my eyes to look at her. “Yeah, that’s the fucked up part. The dementia has screwed with his mind. It’s almost worse now, because he has no fucking idea what he did to me.”

Quinn’s brow furrows. “What do you mean?”

I sigh, running a hand through my hair. “After my mom died, he just… checked out. Gambling, depression, hitting the bottle, you name it. He was never there for me, not when it mattered. And now? Now you’d think he was father of the year.”

I’m ready to drop it, but I can tell she isn’t satisfied with my half-assed answer. My chest tightens. This bullshit wasn’t on my agenda today, but fuck it. The cat’s out of the bag now, right?

“He let them take me,” I say, the words bitter on my tongue. “Some guy he owed money to. I was…what, thirteen? Fourteen?They took me as collateral, said he’d get me back when he paid up.”

Quinn’s eyes widen, her mouth dropping open slightly. “What happened?”

“What do you think happened?” I snap, my voice hard. “I fought my way out. I wasn’t gonna sit there and wait for my dad to get his shit together. So I waited for an opening, attacked my guard with everything I had, and made it out on my own.”

She’s quiet for a moment, her eyes dropping to the floor. “That must have been scary as hell.”

I shrug, not wanting her pity. “It was what it was. If I’d waited for him to pay them or find a way to rescue me, I probably would’ve died. So I figured out how to take care of myself.”

“And now you’re taking care of him,” she says softly. “Even though he let you down.”

I clench my jaw, the old wounds still fresh. “He’s still my father, no matter how much of an asshole he is. And that means something.”

She gives me a look I can’t interpret, her brows drawing together. “So, that’s it? You just… forgive him?”

“I don’tforgivehim,” I say, my voice low and fierce. “But I won’t be like him. I won’t abandon my family.”

17

QUINN

I lean backin my seat, my mind reeling from everything Nico just shared. I had no idea his dad was in a facility like this, let alone that Nico was still making sure he was taken care of.

My eyes drift to Nico’s profile, his jaw clenched tight as he stares out the windshield. The pieces of his past that he’s just revealed paint a picture so different from what I’d imagined. A father who abandoned him, who let him be taken as collateral for a debt. The thought makes my stomach churn.

And yet, here Nico is, still showing up for the man who failed him so completely. It doesn’t make sense, but at the same time, it speaks volumes about who Nico really is beneath that tough exterior.

That kind of loyalty floors me. I got along great with my dad, so of course I’d do anything to help him. But if he’d treated me the way Nico’s dad treated him? I’m not sure I could say the same.

It’s not just his dad either. I’ve seen how he is with his best friends. Always there, no questions asked.

“You’re a good son,” I say softly, breaking the silence.

His shoulders tense. “I’m not?—”

“You are,” I insist. “Not everyone would do what you’re doing. It takes… strength.”

He doesn’t respond, but I see his grip on the steering wheel loosen slightly.

“I don’t know if I could,” I admit. “If my dad had done that to me.”

Nico’s eyes flick to me for a moment before returning to the road. “It’s complicated.”

“I can see that,” I nod. “But it says a lot about you. The way you show up for people.”

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