Page 73 of Vendetta

“No.”

His eyes bore down into mine, pleading for me to see that he was telling the truth. Relief washed over me.

“But I would have. For what he said to you.”

My wide eyes shot to his.

“But that’s beside the point. Don’t you find all of it strange? The CEO of the largest architecture firm in the city loses a daughter the exact same night that the senator loses his wife—Both in some accident.”

My heart began racing once again as I tried to put the pieces together. Sure, it was strange. But it could just as easily be a coincidence.

“Where are you going with this?” I asked.

“I started looking into everything after that night with your father. Something didn’t sit right with me about what he said. About how it should have been you, not her. I sent in a request to get Emory’s autopsy report pulled and sent to a specialist to take a closer look at the cause of death. It had been such an obvious case of alcohol poisoning that the county pathologist had opened and closed it quickly in order for us to be able to move on with the funeral. And then I was planning to pay a visit to your father the next morning to ask him some questions, but…”

“But he was already dead when you got there,” I finished for him. My mind was racing a million miles a minute. If someone had known that Cashton was planning to interrogate my father, they would have wanted to silence him first. We both stood there, Cashton letting everything sink in for a moment. I had so many questions, I didn’t know where to begin. This could all just be a coincidence, there was no proof of anything.

“What did Emory’s autopsy report say?” I dared to ask, my words barely above a whisper.

There was a long pause before he answered.

“There were opioids in her system the night she died. Enough to dramatically slow down her central nervous system. It wouldn’t have been enough to kill her, but mixed with how much alcohol she had…”

I forced myself to swallow. Based on the little I knew about Emory, she didn’t seem the type to voluntarily take drugs. And though Savannah and Francesca definitely partied, they wouldn’t have access to something like opioids. Even if theycould, pills weren’t their thing. Someone had to have given them the drugs.

We didn’t have a choice.

I shook my head, forcing myself to come to terms with this new reality.

“So, you’re saying that you think somebody set everything up to get rid of my mom and Emory that night?” I asked.

His eyes turned sad as he held mine before dropping his gaze down to where his hands were firmly planted on the kitchen island. Oh gosh…

It should have been you, not her.

A silent sob wracked through me.

“They were after me.”

I brought my hand to my mouth, a silent tear finding its way free. Cashton didn’t say anything, only kept staring down at the counter.

My dad had known.

It should have been you, not her.

He knew that they were coming for me. And he hadn’t cared… That was why he so badly hadn’t wanted my mom to come pick me up that night.

“Savannah and Francesca… That night, they kept trying to get me to drink. I remember them trying to pressure me like they never had before. Do you think…”

Cashton’s jaw clenched, the muscles in his arms tensing. He was coming to the same realization that I was. Two birds, one stone. Except I had ruined their plan by leaving early. The crash must have been a last-ditch attempt to finish the job.

If I hadn’t called my mom, if I hadn’t left early, she would still be here. It was me they were after. I sank to the ground, the tears flowing freely as I processed everything. Cashton was there within seconds, his arms wrapped around me as he rubbed comforting circles along my back.

“I know what you’re thinking, but don’t let yourself go there. It wasn’t your fault, Landry. But we’ll figure out who did this, I promise.”

He was patient with me as I let everything sink in, embracing me tightly as we sat on my kitchen floor. It felt like hours had passed before I finally spoke, my voice raspy from the crying.

“Where do we go from here?”

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