Page 87 of Beautiful Liar

“Tomás—”

I stopped Kieran’s words with a kiss.

A few hours later, I was in front of Dr. Casera’s house. I knocked on the small home. The sound of pitter patter breached through the door followed by a high pitched laugh then a shriek melding into a giggle before the door opened. Dr. Casera stood holding a little blond-haired boy. The baby had bright blue eyes the same color as Dr. Casera’s and was trying to eat his face.

“Tomás,” he said, more concerned than upset. “What are you doing here?”

“I’m sorry,” I said, feeling the weight of what I had in my pocket dig me further into the ground. “I need to talk to you.”

“Can this wait?”

“No. I’m sorry. It can’t.”

He sighed, then opened the door wider. “Let me put him down.”

I walked inside and closed the door. The house was clean, organized in dark woods and cream walls. There were a few toys littered around. Casera handed the boy to a thin, dark haired older woman. “Thanks, Margie. I won’t be long. Promise.”

“Take your time, sweetie. This little guy needs a bath and a nap.”

Casera gave the boy a gentle kiss with a father’s love in his eyes.

He came back to me and gestured to a chair. I sat and rubbed my hands down my thighs, my palms sweaty. I’d been brave a few minutes ago in Kieran’s arms. Now, I was terrified.

“What is this about?”

I cleared my throat. “Alessandro Mancini.”

Casera’s expression turned sour. “Perhaps you should be talking to Maddox about Alessandro. If you know anything.”

“Alessandro paid Lina Novak to be artificially inseminated to carry your baby to term. After she gave birth and left you Matthew, I believe he killed her.” I backtracked. “She’s been missing since then. Alessandro doesn’t like leaving loose ends. It’s why he killed my mother and tried to kill me.”

Casera’s eyes flashed to where he’d left Matthew as if the boy were in danger. “The boy’s safe. Alessandro’s not going to hurt anyone else. Ever again.”

“Why are you telling me this?”

After Graham had given me the video file, I had watched it alone. My story was the longest recorded. He hadn’t hurt any of the other children. Only me.

Luca had been right. Alessandro had been angry at Maddox’s engagement to Dr. Casera and he had beaten me for it. He’d locked me in a room, chained me, and kept me for a week before my father came for me.

I pulled out the flash drive and handed it to Dr. Casera. “When I was ten, my mother sold me to Enzo. She hated me because I reminded her of Maddox, the son she regretted.” Dr. Casera didn’t react. As the keeper of secrets, he probably knew all this already. “I only knew him as Enzo until the night of the dinner. He knew I was Maddox’s half-brother. When he foundout Maddox was going to marry you, he chained me in a room and beat me for a week. My father saved me that time.” I had to breathe. “I can’t give this to Maddox because I hate him. He killed my father and my brother. I’ve been his whipping boy since I was born. I know the whipping boy part isn’t his fault, but I still blame him for everything that’s happened to me. I can’t…” I cleared my throat, appreciating that Dr. Casera didn’t sugar coat my situation. He said nothing, let me ramble through what I needed to say. I took in a deep breath and slowly let it out before I continued. “The flash contains a video file of what Enzo did to me. I can’t give this to Maddox, but you can,” I went on. “I don’t want him to start a war for Alessandro. The fucker doesn’t deserve it. And I’d like to find my friend.”

Dr. Casera lifted a brow.

“Wren has Alessandro.”

Dr. Casera lifted his hand to stop me. Then he got up, poured two glasses with an amber liquid, and gave me one. It wasn’t until I tried to drink that I realized my hands were shaking. The burn of the liquor down my throat felt good.

“May I ask you a question?”

I cleared my throat in answer.

“Did he mention how the fuck he got my semen?”

I choked on my spit and coughed. I heard him chuckle while my eyes watered and I tried to breathe. “No,” I grunted out.

Then he started to laugh. It was more of a nervous laugh that died down too soon. Dr. Casera played with the flash in his hand. A saddened expression on his face from old painful memories. I knew that look.

“I could tell him what Alessandro said about Lina.”

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