Page 86 of Bad Girls Don't Marry Marines (Rock Canyon, Idaho 3)

“I was going to stop drinking anyways, I swear.”

“Yeah, right,” Justin said.

“Just listen to him,” Everett said firmly, and Justin closed his mouth.

Fred sat down at the table with a heavy sigh. “That weekend you were in True Love, I went to Boise to have some tests done. Depending on what they found, I didn’t want anyone to see me in Twin Falls.” Rubbing his weathered cheeks, he laughed. “I guess the drinking finally caught up with me.”

“Is it cancer?” Everett asked softly as a hard rock of dread settled in Justin’s stomach.

“No. I have chronic pancreatitis. Basically, I’ve drunk myself into such a stupor that I can’t regulate my blood sugars or even digest food properly. I’ll have to be on insulin and eat a special diet, but the most important thing is the drinking. I have to stop.”

Everett sat down at the table next to Fred and put his hand on his arm. “We’ll help you. If you think you need rehab or AA, whatever you need.”

Justin stared at the two of them, but he was still too raw to forgive his dad.

“I’m going to keep looking for those bottles.”

Ignoring his brother’s call, he left the room.

VAL WAS CURLED up on the couch with Gus, eating her way through a Marie Callender chocolate pie when her sister came home and dropped a green accordion file on the table. Papers scattered out of it, and with a mouthful, Val said, “Dude, what the hell?”

“I’ve given you the silent treatment for two weeks, ignoring what a pathetic mess you’ve become, but no more. You are not my sister; you’re a wimpy shadow of your former self. You aren’t even the pain in the ass, stick in the mud anymore; you’re just a lump of beaten puppy.”

“Thank you, now will you get your crap out of my way? I’m watching Shark Tank. These two sisters invented cookie dough you can eat raw without getting sick. Genius!”

“No, I will not get out of your way, and no TV until you listen up,” Ellie said, sitting down next to her and taking her pie away.

“Hey, I’ll kill you!”

“You do not need any more pie or cookie dough, you need to grow a pair,” Ellie said, sitting down on the coffee table. “I know Dad had something to do with your breakup and I’m trying to help you.”

Val paused and looked at the green file and its contents, currently spilled across the wood table. “By bringing me coupons?”

Ellie groaned loudly and flipped the file open, smiling triumphantly. “A few years ago I was riffling through Dad’s office, looking for the safe code, when I came across this locked box in his desk. Naturally curious, I opened it—”

“Broke into it.”

“Same difference. And I started reading. For a man who pretends to be so above it all, our dad sure likes to get his hands dirty.”

Val picked up a handful of papers and started reading, her eyes bulging. “Oh my God.”

“I know!” Ellie said excitedly. “So whatever bullshit he’s got on you, you now have the ammunition to fight back. This is why I’ve never been worried about him cutting me off. I copied everything years ago, and if he ever tried, I’d have him by the balls.”

Val continued looking through the papers and sighed. “Thank you, Ellie, but I can’t do this. I’m no better than him if I sink to this level.”

“But sometimes you need to beat him at his own game. It’s not like he’s Snow White here; this file makes him look more like Tony Soprano.”

“Except for the murder.”

“Still,” Ellie said, throwing up her hands. “You need to stop being such a team player and handle your business. Take your life by the balls or else I’m going to make you miserable.”

And with that, Ellie turned on her heel and marched toward the front door, slamming it behind her.

Val looked from the accordion file to her pie and sighed. Getting up and grabbing the phone, she dialed Caroline’s number. “Hey, it’s me. I need some advice.”

“What’s up?”

“How do you feel about blackmail?” Val asked, sitting back down on the couch.

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