Page 101 of Her Dark Lies
Jack stills, his hand dropping from his brother’s arm.
“What did you just say?”
“Oh, don’t get all choir boy on me. You heard me.”
“And you know this, how?”
Elliot doesn’t answer.
“No. No way. You didn’t. Tell me you didn’t.”
Elliot shrugs, finally looking faintly ashamed. “We were drunk. After the Foundation party in San Marino. You had to leave for a meeting. We were bored. One thing led to another.”
“Oh, and that makes it okay? I had to go run our company, so you slept with my fiancée? You’re full of shit. Morgan didn’t touch alcohol or drugs. She didn’t like being out of control. She didn’t even have champagne at our wedding.”
Elliot laughs uncomfortably. “Jack. Did you know the woman at all?”
“I did, unfortunately. You might have been drunk, but she was not. If this is remotely true, she used the hell out of you. So according to you, she cheated on me, that’s why she deserved to die?”
“You’re taking this well,” Elliot says.
“Answer the fucking question, Elliot.”
“Fine. Is this what you want to hear? Morgan was manipulative and dangerous. She had eyes for me, had eyes for Dad, had eyes for Gran. She would have screwed Tyler if he’d been into it. She would screw Gideon if he was into it. She would have screwed the dogs if they could get her what she wanted. Are you understanding me yet? She wasn’t who you thought. Not by a long shot.”
Oh, Jack knew Morgan. He knew her inside and out. In his darkest moments, he’ll even admit to himself that he’s happy she’s dead.
“You didn’t think you should warn me? Hell, you claim she was screwing around on me, yet you stood by my side as I married her?”
“Mom thought I should stay quiet.”
“Mom? Mom knows?”
Elliot shakes his head. “Do you think I’m a total idiot? Not about that. I just told her I thought Morgan might have been playing it fast and loose. I would have said something if I thought it was important. I figured you’d get bored and divorce her soon enough.”
“Well, you took care of that for me, didn’t you? Your actions that night helped her right on over the wall. You son of a bitch.”
“You have your version of the truth, Jack. Why do you need another?”
Jack lunges toward Elliot. Gideon chooses this moment to burst onto the scene, coming around the edge of the boxwoods at speed. He nimbly avoids Jack, but gets between the two brothers. Spying his partner’s body, he grimaces.
Elliot laughs bitterly. “Your savior arrives. And your guests await, brother. Go play the doting bridegroom. I won’t tell a soul what’s happened here. But be warned. Someone else might.”
Jack holds up a finger to Gideon, speaks low to his brother. “Elliot. We are not finished.”
“We were finished a long time ago, Jack. Time for you to step aside and let me take care of business.”
Elliot laughs as he walks away, the black umbrella spinning in the rain.
“What the ever-loving fuck happened?” Gideon asks.
“Help me carry him. I’ll tell you inside.”
“Elliot—”
“Let him go. We need to get Malcolm’s body to the crypt. I left Claire with Will in the library and I don’t want things to go south there, too.”
“Forgive me for saying this, boss, but your brother is a first-class dick.”
