Page 95 of The Wicked

And that same man had sat across the dinner table once a month for the last ten years, laughing and joking with my father as they complimented Letti’s cooking and sampled bottles from the wine cellar.

That motherfucker.

“How long ago?” I asked, but I had a nasty feeling I already knew.

“I was twenty-one. Why do you think I can’t look at my daughter, Garrett? Why do you think I moved to another state?”

Gracie dissolved into tears, and I wrapped her up in my arms. Just held her. Held her for long enough that the red-hot anger in my gut solidified into a cold resolve. Mandell was going down if I had to strangle him with my bare hands. Harless too. If I had to do time, I didn’t care. Someone needed to get justice for Saralisa and Gracie, and if the legal system wouldn’t—couldn’t—act, then I would.

“We can bring a civil case. The burden of proof is lower, and if Mandell is Marlie’s father, then we have evidence he can’t refute.”

“Do you think he hasn’t considered that? Whatever you’re thinking, he’s already a hundred steps ahead.” Gracie sagged back onto the couch. “I confronted him after I found out I was pregnant. Well, first I tried to get a termination, but there were so many people outside the clinic, yelling and screaming. And then I saw the cameras and I couldn’t… I couldn’t walk in there, not through the crowd. Not when I knew I’d be recognised. So I confided in Letti, and Grandma Margaret overheard, and then I didn’t have a choice anymore.”

“What happened when you confronted him?”

“It went about as well as you might expect. Worse, actually. He promised that if I told anyone about Marlie’s parentage, he’d ruin our family. He had a video. You know, on second thought…” Gracie grabbed the Scotch and took a long swallow straight from the bottle. “He had a video of Dad. Grainy, but it was definitely him, with a younger…with a younger woman. Maybe even younger than me. He was whipping her, Garrett. She was tied to a cross, and he was whipping her. He washurtingher. It’s not only Graham Mandell who likes to damage women; our own father does too. At home, he pretends to be this loving dad and husband, and then he goes out and…it’s just sick.”

Gracie had lost all colour now, and it seemed the cans of worms were on buy one, get one free today. How could I even start to explain this?

“A part of me wanted to say ‘to hell with it’ and tell Mandell to release the damn video,” she continued, “but we’re meant to protect the family at all costs, right? Well, I wanted to protect Letti. She didn’t deserve for her name to be dragged through the mud, and neither did you, but even now I’m not sure I did the right thing because what if Dad lost his mind and used that whip on her?”

“He does. She enjoys it.”

“What? Don’t make stupid jokes, Garrett. It’s not funny. Nothing about this is funny.”

“I’m not joking, I swear. Look, Mandell might be a monster, but everything Dad does is consensual. Still not the sort of thing any of us would want to become public knowledge, but he isn’t doing anything to women that isn’t agreed upon in advance.”

“How do you know? How do you know that?”

I shrugged. “Like father, like son.”

She stared at me, open-mouthed. “What?”

“Sex isn’t always about sunshine and rose petals. People have varied tastes.”

“Are you serious? What did you do, bond over handcuffs on your fishing weekends?”

“Hell no.” The mere thought was horrifying. “We got into it separately, and then I started noticing little things in the way Letti acted. She’s his sub as well as his wife. Eventually, I told him that I knew, but it’s not exactly something we discuss over coffee. Go easy on the Scotch, sis.”

“I can’t believe this.”

“Just set your mind at rest about Dad and Letti. Whatever they’re doing in the bedroom, they’re both happy with the arrangement.”

But the video… The video was a problem. Dad was always careful, we both were, but too many people were willing to sell out for money. Things were easier now—my “welcome back to civilian life” gift from him had been membership of an exclusive club that more or less guaranteed privacy. The members of Nyx were carefully vetted, and applications were only accepted from those with something to lose. Politicians, actors, rock stars, even royalty. Electronics were banned from any sensitive areas, and non-members who visited were required to wear blindfolds at all times. Until I met Saralisa, that was how I’d gotten my kicks. Dad and Letti were members too, I knew that much, but we studiously arranged our visits so he and I weren’t there at the same time. There was being close to your family, and there was beingclose. I definitely didn’t need to see my stepmother on a spanking bench.

“This is a lot to take in.”

“You’re telling me. Did you get a DNA test done for Marlie?”

“I didn’t have to. Despite my reputation, I never made a habit of sleeping around. When I went to see the OB-GYN, I was four months pregnant—denial’s a wonderful thing, huh?—and I hadn’t been with anyone for at least three months before the night with Mandell. Or after. Do you know what he told me? He said that if I claimed I had no idea who the father was, everyone would believe me because I’d probably fucked every inbred millionaire with a title while I was in Europe.” She gave a hollow laugh. “And they did believe me.”

“Gracie, I’m so sorry.”

“Don’t be. You’re the only one who doesn’t treat me as an outcast. And thank you…” She wiped away more tears. “Thank you for looking out for Marlie. She deserves so much more than I can give her.”

“You deserve more too. You deserve your life back.”

“I miss Oregon,” she sniffed. “I miss Letti, and you, and I even miss Trey. Dad too, I guess, now that I know he’s not the freak I thought he was. Do women really like that stuff?”

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