Page 35 of Deviant

“Sit down, man. You’re driving me nuts. If you think she’s in serious trouble, call the cops. At the very least, she can use the interruption to get the fuck outta there.”

I didn’t like that option, but short of finding a way to teleport my way to her, bringing the authorities into it was my only choice, regardless of the complications that might arise from calling the cops. But this was Alex, and the decision was a no-brainer.

With a deep sigh, I dialed 9-1-1 and hoped like hell their intervention wasn’t needed.

16. Cornered - Alex

I went from frozen scared in the doorway, my gaze locked with my dad’s, to somehow ending up in the kitchen, seated at the breakfast nook across from him with a cup of tea between my unsteady hands. I stared into the liquid—a light brown color from a splash of creamer. It was the way my mom had liked her tea.

“It’s good to see you,” Dad said. “I’ve been worried about you.”

He looked different. Harder around the edges. The additional lines on his face made him seem older. But the sharpness of his hazel eyes hadn’t diminished. He could talk nice and make fucking tea all day long, but it wouldn’t change who he was—the man who’d claimed me as his daughter but hadn’t protected me like a father should. The man who’d put his aspirations for Zach and business above loving me.

The man who killed my mom.

“Alexandra?” He tapped his fingers on the tabletop. “Did you come here to stare at your old man all day?”

“No.” I hardened my jaw, debating on whether I should voice what was on my mind. But I hadn’t caused myself so much trouble to come here and not go through with it. “I came here to ask you a question.”

“Ask away,” he said with a wave of his hand.

Several beats passed, during which I had to swallow three times before I found my courage and my voice. “Did you kill Mom?”

His gaze remained steady on me, giving nothing away. “Why would you ask such a thing?”

“Zach told me you did it. He said it wasn’t a suicide.”

“Zach isn’t mentally sound. You shouldn’t believe anything that comes out of his mouth.” He paused, and his composure slipped back into place. “Have you seen your brother?”

“He’s not my brother.”

“Nonsense. I didn’t raise you like a step-child. Since when did you start allowing the logistics of DNA to get in the way of family?”

I would have asked if he were serious, but I knew he was. The incredulous arch of my brows gave away my indignation. “Since the day Zach started using me as his fuck toy.”

Dad remained silent. I remembered the poker parties he’d hosted when I was a kid. He’d made bank on those nights, and now I could see why. He had the perfect poker face; his expression revealing nothing, his mannerisms kept in check. He held his cards close to his chest.

But those eyes. I studied them, searching for a hint of what he was holding back. Hadheseen Zach?

“Even if Ihadseen him,” I said, “the only place I would have sent him is jail.” Part of me wanted to draw back my caustic words. But it was too late.

I expected him to blow a gasket, voice a harsh bellow as he insisted I drop the charges against his golden child so Zach could return home. After all, Dad’s first instinct had always been to defend Zach. But he wasn’t going to show his hand.

“He wrote me once while I was on the inside,” Dad said.

Smoothing my expression, I lifted the teacup to my lips and took a sip, feigning disinterest as I waited for him to continue.

“He said you were the reason he was still alive.”

“I didn’t do it for him.”

“He said as much.”

“Where was the letter post marked from?” I was pushing my luck with the question, but I didn’t care. Go big, or go home. I intended to do both.

A faint smile curved his lips. He almost looked handsome when he smiled, despite the receding hairline and gray peppered throughout his brown hair. “I won’t give you ammunition to ruin your brother’s life. It’s time to let it go, Alexandra. You’ve obviously moved on with Rafe. No one else needs to get hurt.”

The hair on the back of my neck stood on end. “Is that a threat?”

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