Page 89 of Preying Heart
What did he write down, and how much of it has she read?
Dad was always a weakling. Not tough enough for the job. He played second fiddle, or the front man, for Horace Steele, the brains behind OgleNet, a vast social media intelligence gathering organization. Dad never understood the immense power of all the posts and videos people uploaded, mainly because he didn’t appreciate the potential not only to snoop and gather the raw material, but to actually change the narrative by clever editing and splicing of images and videos and generating voices that sound exactly like any public figure.
So Horace let Dad handle the fundraising and the publicity. He also used Dad’s bank accounts to funnel money, knowing that if the heat got too hot, Dad would be the fall guy.
And fall he did—when he dared confront me about Remi.
He takes me on a boat in the Sound. Fishing, he says, but we both know it’s to talk outside of earshot of the listening devices planted in buildings and gathering places. He cuts the motor in a remote cove and puts on his stern fatherly face. It’s almost comical because he thinks I’m afraid of him.
“Now, Gavin,” he says. “I’ve held my tongue long enough and I’d hate for your mother to find out.”
“Find out what?” I have so many things hidden from him I can’t even begin to guess what’s so important for him to take me to a secluded inlet just to “fish.”
“You got Remi pregnant.”
That gets a rise out of me. How did he find out? Did Remi tell him?
“Don’t deny it.” He crosses his arms. “I have my sources. You’re not going to be able to keep this thing quiet. God knows once your mom finds out, she’ll broadcast it everywhere.”
“She can’t. It’ll ruin my career. What about Claudia?”
“Should have kept your pants on. Your mom is completely in the dark, but I’ve been watching you two.”
“Then keep your trap shut. I’m taking care of it.”
“By letting her run off with her brother?” He raises an eyebrow. “Gavin, we have to do damage control. A ten-thousand-dollar reward isn’t going to work. So she returns. Then what? The baby will grow and eventually be born. You’re in a scandal before you’re even elected governor. How will you ever get to the Oval Office?”
“She’ll get an abortion and that will be it. Claudia and my mother don’t have to know.”
“I’ve a better plan.” He puts his beefy palm on my shoulder, and his eyes glint like pig’s eyes in between the folds of his fleshy face. “Keep her away for good. Since she’s disappeared already, keep her that way.”
“What about when the baby’s born?”
He winks. “I’ll take care of her and raise the baby as my own. Out on some tropical island where your mother can’t find me.”
“You?” My voice takes on an adolescent squeak. “You and Remi? That’s crazy.”
“Not so crazy, son. I’ll sacrifice myself to protect your reputation and your support from the Steeles. If Claudia or her father finds out Remi’s pregnant by you, they’ll turn their knives against you.” He shakes his head and loops his arm around my neck like a caring father consoling a wayward son. “I’ll watch you from afar and be proud of you, son. You take care of your mother, okay?”
“What’s your plan?” I suppress my emotions in order to get the most useful information. Idiots like Dad always hang themselves by talking too much. “How are you going to elope with Remi when she’s run off already? As I recall, she and you never got on well.”
“Don’t you worry about it. I’ve got it covered. I already put out a rumor that Remi got kidnapped by a trafficking gang, and I hired a bounty hunter to find her. The ten thousand was just a smokescreen—mostly your mother’s idea. Truth is, her running away is a stroke of luck for you. I’d always hoped you’d grow out of it, but if your constituents ever found out how young she was when you first—”
I could kill him now, but I have no alibi. People at the marina would remember us going out “fishing.” Father and son. I’ll have to wait and frame the narrative. Create the fake talking points. But bottom line, Dad’s a loose cannon who has to be dealt with.
No one takes my Remi from me.
And that includes that bounty hunter he hired.
The rideshare arrives at my parents’ home. I spot my mother bent over in the garden. I tell the driver to turn the corner and let me off so I can use another entrance.
Mom works off her frustrations by pulling weeds. The more upset she is, the longer she stays out there. That gives me a chance to find this journal.
It’s not hard to find. Mom has it at her bedside opened to the last page.
I read the entry.
My diligent inquiries have me worried that Remi is in danger from a gang of traffickers. I must find and protect her. She’s pregnant and carries my baby. I can’t let the scandal ruin things for Gavin and Deanna. So I will follow her wherever she is taken and buy her freedom. I will have to give up everything to keep this family secret safe.
