Page 102 of Revenge

Dread trickled down my spine, “I found out what your father did to Suki,” I said, my voice steady.

He seemed genuinely confused and relief soared in my gut, “I know he didn’t always treat her right, but she seemed happy enough.”

Please don’t let me down Kai, not now.

“There’s more to it than that, Kai,” I began, lowering myself into one of the sofas by the fireplace. Lifting my chin I looked Kai in the eye. He had moved to lean back against the desk and was watching me closely.

“Enlighten me then,” he said. The mood in the room was now deathly serious.

I started slow, to ease him in, reading his tells all the time, “My mother was terrified of Gerard.”

Kai frowned, his voice raised as he said, “Why didn’t she say anything? She could have come to me.”

I studied his face before pointing out, “Really? Because you were so approachable back then.”

His jaw clenched and I knew his restraint was slipping. Kai didn’t like my dig, and he shifted uncomfortably against the desk and washed a hand down his face, “Well, she’s free of him now. And before you say anything, she doesn’t know he’s alive either. I thought that best as she’d divorced him anyway. If what you said is true, then I think we should keep it that way. Knowing my father is still alive would only upset her.”

And of course, that ship had sailed. Hence my mother’s panic attack earlier and Cillian being called.

“She knows.”

Kai’s breath shot through his teeth, “For fucks sake, Ava.”

And then I dropped the bomb. I did so without hesitation. At that point, as I had my clarification that Kai had no idea what his father did to Suki, I blurted out the truth, “Herapedher, Kai.”

A myriad of emotions crossed his face; shock, disbelief, disgust even a moment of mirth, as if he thought my news was some type of joke.

Pushing to my feet, I stepped towards him.

Rolling his shoulders, Kai pushed off the desk, “What did you say?” His tone was snappish, and he continued to walk forward and I moved back.

My heel hit the back of the hearth and I held out a hand to ward him off, “Gerard, he raped Suki,twice.”

Kai stopped, his entire frame appearing twice its usual size.

“When?” his voice was a whisper.

I sighed,just accept what I am telling you, I felt like screaming. I cocked my head, “Does it matter?”

Kai started pacing; back and forth, like a tiger in a cage before he stopped and froze me with one look, “Are you sure?”

I swallowed and took a step forward, touching his arm gently. He too was in shockjustlike I had been. Saying it out loud felt like a weight had been lifted from my shoulders.

“Yes, the night of my birthday party, after you’d thrown me out of your bedroom, I saw Gerard dragging my mother to their room. Her face was bright red, and they had been arguing. She said he was angry as he’d received reports that she was flirting with other men in the organisation. He called her a slut and that night he raped her. Once that night and then in the morning, can’t you remember how strained and awkward it was at breakfast the following day?”

I watched the emotions play out over his face, “Fuck,” Kai said, moving forward and taking me in his arms. I inhaled as he lowered his forehead to mine.

“I don’t know, Ava. I can’t remember. I remember she wasn’t herself but I assumed Suki knew about your twilight visit to my room. I thoughtthat’swhy she was so short with me.”

“Short and quiet?” I pointed out as he lifted his head.

“Yes,” he grunted. Kai was now hurting and tormented as fuck. This would be another blow to him and I could see that in every angle of his body. My heart pumped faster at the relief I felt that he hadn’t been aware of the rape.

And my next question was going to be. What was he going to do about it?

I took a shallow breath as pain scored through me, “She was brutalised. Your father raped Suki with you and me sleeping only a few feet away.” I knew it was cruel but if I could rile his temper, maybe he would take me to Gerard.

“I just can’t believe that Gerard raped Suki and she never said anything to me. Not even after she thought he was dead.”

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