Page 82 of Levi
“Yes.Is that what you want to hear?I did.That man has a horrible past and bloodline, and it was going to bleed over onto you.That was something I wasn’t going to allow.Do you even know the type of people he represents?He takes on murderers and gets them off scot-free with some loophole.All it takes is the right dollar amount and he’ll do anything.”
“Allow?Why would you do something like that?Why not just come talk to me and tell me what was going on with you?He doesn’t even do that anymore and never really wanted to, but felt he had to follow in his brother’s footsteps.Levi is kind and loves to work with his hands rebuilding homes and being outdoors like me.He does great things for the community but doesn’t want the publicity for it—”
“Because you were blinded by all the hearts and grandeur he had.I knew when I found out who he was that he had some spell weaved on you, and you wouldn’t have been very receptive to me saying anything.”
“Thanks for the vote of confidence, Dad,” I sneer.“I’ve always had my head on straight, even when you abandoned me for months, leaving my grandparents to raise me and not you,” I spit.
“No, you weren’t in the right frame of mind, and after watching my daughter be publicly humiliated for all the world to see, I knew I had to fix the problem sooner than planned.”
“Sooner?”
“Yes.”
“Are you crazy?I could’ve been in that car with him!”
“I knew where you were the entire time.I’ve had eyes on you ever since the news announced you being married to that asshole.”
Now I do feel my knees weaken.My own Dad has had me followed for months before he tried to kill my husband.How did my security not notice someone else watching me?
“Wait, they thought Kevin Jenkins was behind the car bomb.”
Dad crosses his arms over his chest and rests back on his heels.
“I told you that the Thornes had a past.Kevin just happened to be part of it.It was like two birds one stone kinda thing.”
“Kevin was a Senior Associate at Levi’s law firm that was fired for falsifying documents at work against Linc.He made sure he lost his job and we didn’t hear anything else from him after that.Levi would’ve said if he had a connection to him.”
“Would he?”Dad questions.
I know what he is trying to do; make me question Levi and our bond but I won’t play into his hands.Levi and I have worked extremely hard to build our trust back and leaving something like this out would be devastating.
“Levi’s dad, Daniel, and Kevin’s dad used to be in the same law firm when they started out of law school.They both were rising to the top when Daniel did some underhanded shit and blamed it on Kevin’s dad.His dad got disbarred after the firm turned him over.Let’s just say the family feud didn’t end there.Kevin thought he could pull the same on Linc and have him lose everything, just like his old man.”
“How do you know all of this?”
“Because, unlike you, I don’t walk around with my head in the clouds.I did my homework, then started to tail Kevin and get close to him.He turned out to be the biggest scapegoat of all.I think he might hate the Thornes more than me, especially after the beat down his security gave him.”
“Did you kill him too?”I can’t even believe I have to ask this question to my father, but now I’m not sure what he’s capable of.“The building blew up before they were able to get to him.”
“Now that was all him.He was a lunatic, genius, but one crazy motherfucker.”He almost sounds proud.
“I can’t believe you’re just standing there like we’re talking about the fucking weather.When did you become so callous?”
“The moment I learned that the world didn’t care about doing what was right, but only what money could buy you.I had to sit and watch as my child felt like she didn’t matter, and was humiliated for the entire world to see.I promised to never have her experience that again,” he defends.“So I decided to enact something that had been festering in my soul, and should’ve been taken care of a long time ago.”
“I don’t understand where all this is coming from.Why are you so against the Thornes?What did they ever do to you?”
“Because that bastard let my sister’s murderer walk free and didn’t bat an eye to the destruction he caused!”Dad yells.I’ve never seen him lose his cool before and fear starts to climb up my spine.
“Your twin, Amanda?Is that who you are referring to?”I ask.“Levi wasn’t even around at the time all that happened.”
“No, but Daniel was.He was on the legal defense that got him off.He was the one who found the piece of evidence that got the bastard set free.”Dad zones out, looking off to the other side of the room.“He let that man walk free and my sister was rotting in the ground.She was the best person in the entire world.She was kind and loving and would never even think to hurt a single soul.She didn’t deserve what happened to her and it’s all because of that money-hungry scumbag.”
My heart drops and a wave of sadness forms over me.My dad has been holding a grudge all this time, and biding his time to strike out at those who hurt his twin.I understand his frustration and anger, but I can’t believe he’d go to all these lengths.This isn’t normal.
“I’m so sorry that Amanda was killed but—”
“I wasn’t going to let you be part of that family’s collateral damage.Then I find out that Everly was involved with the other brother, so I decided to take action.There was no way I was going to let their claws get into you girls.I stayed away for your own good, and look at the path you chose.”
