Page 46 of The Sweetest Note

“It took me a while to realize Len was up there,” Derek said resignedly.

I stare at him sharply because he’s always disliked nicknames. He refused to have one in high school, insisting everyone call him by his name. I always thought it was slightly odd. Even in school, people would shorten my name to ‘Rion. It was easier to chant when I made touchdowns I guess.

“Len, huh?” I ask mildly.

Derek curses under his breath. “Fuck. I fell for her on tour. Turner and Roark as well. My father can’t know this because he will make things worse for her up there. He’ll fuck up Turner and Roark’s lives too somehow, and I’m here to keep them safe,” Derek’s eyes implore me to keep my mouth shut as he says this.

Taking a deep breath, I take a look inwards at myself. My skin feels too tight, and my heart is starting to pound. Something he said is setting me off. “Worse for who?” I breathe as I look back up at him.

“Dad gave Lennon to Xav. I told you earlier she’s at Hidden Hills, but he asked my dad if he could experiment on her. I’m here to figure out how to get her out, but it’s all taking too long. I’m worried about what he’s doing to her,” Derek says softly.

I know Grant’s hospitals are a front for medical testing and whatever fucked up shit Xav wants. I did not know he was giving Xav playthings. My blood warms in a way it never has in my entire life. “Son of a bitch,” I sigh.

“Look, please don’t tell him. I don’t know how much you know about their operation, but Lennon doesn’t deserve this. Her mother is fucking insane and is working with Dad. I just want to save my girl.” Derek’s voice is broken and I see the things he’s been hiding.

He’s very talented to be able to hide so much from me, and instead of being pissed off, my admiration grows.

“It sounds like there’s a lot I don’t know, and it’s time I educate myself on things. There’s more you haven’t told me about, right?” I can tell, it’s all in his eyes. There’s an anguish within them that tells me more than his words could.

“Yeah, but I don’t know whose side you’re on,” he admits.

“I’m always on my own side,” I explain. “I’m your father’s monster as long as he takes care of my needs, but Grant has kept me in the dark for too long. I’ve been stewing all day, realizing I don’t know shit. I don’t enjoy being a puppet. Your father is fucking his mistress tonight, and shouldn’t be home until at least tomorrow. Why don’t we grab a drink at my place and chat on the way?”

Derek’s nose wrinkles. “Gross. I didn’t need to know he was fucking Carrie tonight, but thanks.”

I blink at him. “Carrie O’Reilly is dead…”

Derek snorts, shaking his head. “The bitch is most certainly not dead if Dad is balls deep inside her. They’ve been fucking since I was in middle school.”

Pieces I didn’t realize are starting to fall into place and a rage starts to build inside of me. I really hate being in the dark. Fuck. I’m going to learn everything I can, and then dismantle it from the ground up. Pity about Grant’s campaign. I draw the line at certain things, and Lennon just became one of my hard passes.

She was always meant to fly once she left here, free of the bullshit. Caging her isn’t an option. I’m just going to have to be creative in how this happens.

“If I promise to help you get her out, will you tell me everything?” I ask him.

Derek bites his lip. “There are people I need to protect,” he explains, his brown eyes sparking. “I will not betray their secrets until you show me I can trust you.”

“Fair,” I grouse. “Can you tell me about Carrie not being dead and how Lennon ended up at Hidden Hills? I have the roster for that place loaded on my computer, and she’s not on it.”

Shrugging, Derek frowns. This non-locked down version of him interests me. There aren’t many people who can close themselves off as well as I can. “While Dad announced she is a patient in a press conference, I doubt she’s officially a patient if she’s Xav’s now. My father told me Xav makes his money and connections by providing clients with beautiful men and women who are incapable of fighting back. He also told me while he doesn’t condone the sex trade industry, Xav will continue to do whatever the fuck he wants.”

Staring at him, I find my reasoning to change sides if I indeed had one. “Rapists are my favorite type of victim,” I confess. “I’ve been torturing and killing them since high school. Their screams calm my thoughts.”

Derek searches my face, waiting to see if I’m fucking with him. I’m not. “You are very good at dismembering a body,” is what he says calmly instead and I snort in real amusement.

“I’m not often surprised by people,” I chuckle.

Derek shrugs. “I’ve never killed anyone before either, but here we are. I will do anything and everything to help Lennon, and nothing is off the table.”

The sincerity in his voice rings true, and if I had a normal moral code, it would be telling me to help him. As I don’t, I go with my gut instead.

I am on the wrong side right now, and need to be on the right one. “I need a drink, so let’s take a ride. The inside of the house is rigged for sound and video, outside of bathrooms, so we shouldn’t stand outside any longer,” I explain.

Derek growls under his breath, and the sound makes me smile. An actual smile. Growly Derek interests me. “I had a feeling the dick had everything wired,” he complains.

“Let me say, it’s mostly just the basement. He didn’t want his shady shit recorded, which were his exact words,” I reveal.

“How the fuck do ya know that?”

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