Page 80 of Craving You
Once we are on the road, I turn back to Cam’s phone.“Okay.We are driving toward the airport.Spill it,” I say.I have Remy on one side of me and Cam on the other, so they can both see the phone.Ross and Andrea look sad, almost pitiful.My mind starts to race, trying to think of someone else I would know, and the information is like a puzzle coming together in my head.
“No,” I say when Ross opens his mouth to speak.“It can’t…”
“What?”Cam asks.
“What are you thinking?”Andrea asks.
“It’s Dad… isn’t it?”I ask as tears roll down my cheeks.
“Yes,” Andrea says in her usual blunt but soft tone.
“What?Dad?Are you sure?”Cam asks.
“Your DNA came back as a familial match to the semen sample left on and in Beatris’ body, Cameron,” Ross says.“Ted Belmont used to be Theodore Bianchi.He was the most prevalent mafia boss in New York but seemingly disappeared and went underground thirty years ago… Allison Belmont was a dancer at a club.We don’t think that your mom is aware.We sent a unit to the cabin, and she was alone.She said that your father dropped her off and said that he was going to grab some supplies from a nearby store, but never returned.She was so far out that she couldn’t really do anything, so she waited.”
“So, she is safe?”I ask.
“Yes.She is in a safe-house but keeps trying to break out to go and kill your father.Rob is with her right now and that seems to be helping.”
“Why me?”I ask.“Why do that to Tris?”
“Honestly… I don’t know, Lorelei,” Andrea says.“Now that we know it’s him, we are easily connecting everything.Ted is connected to the three from the club that hurt you.He knows Omar because Omar owed the Bianchi family a lot of money in gambling debt.It seems like he was doing your dad’s bidding, but when he realized at the funeral that you were his daughter, he flipped.I guess he thought killing you was more merciful than your dad getting to you.”
“He was so… indifferent at the funeral,” Cam says.“He’s always sucked at showing emotion, but I thought he just bottled it up.He and Mom never fought… He was good to her… to us…”
“Uh…” I say.“I chatted with him… In the meeting…”
“Yeah,” Cam says.
“I told him we were in Seattle,” I say.
“Shit,” Ross says.“Okay.Just get on the plane.We’ve informed Air Traffic Control and the pilot what is going on.”
“We will be there in just a second,” Clay says.
“Clay…”
“Nope.Don’t try it,” Clay says.“No fucking way I am sitting here while you are in danger.”
“Clay, please…” I start to say.
“No, Lorelei.You can get mad, but you’ll be mad with one other person looking after you,” he says.“Pulling up.”
“Almost to the jet,” I tell Ross and Andrea.
“Okay.Be safe and stay on the plane until we get to you, okay?”Ross says.
“Okay.Thank you… for everything,” I say.This feels like goodbye, so it seems appropriate to say my well wishes now.
“Come home, Lori,” Ross says.“You can thank us when you are back in New York.”
“Okay… See you later,” I sigh.When the call ends, the car comes to a stop, and we all get out.I grab Tris’ ashes, and the guys grab the bags.We get on the jet and store all of our bags while the pilot quickly goes through his checklist.We sit on the couches and try to be patient.
Several minutes pass before we finally start moving.“Poor Tris,” I say.“She saw him as a father figure… She always did, even when her parents were alive.”
“I can’t imagine,” Remy says.“And the fact she probably knew he meant to take you.”
“He must have had help.I don’t see him not knowing who I am,” I say.
