Page 107 of Vicious Deception

“It’s nothing,” Elliot answers quickly.

“No!” Benny shouts, and I realize that he’s not just annoyed. He’slost.Confused, lonely, worried, and I think even a little scared.

“Ben,” Andrew snaps. “That’senough.Now isn’t the time for a temper tan—”

“No.” Rhett steps forward, his firm tone silencing Andrew immediately. “Benny deserves answers. You both do.”

. . .

Once we’re all upstairs, Rhett has us sit around the kitchen table. Oliver retrieves my soup from my room, and I dip my bread in it and eat slowly. The flavors explode on my tongue, dancing together, and the bread is so soft and delicious.

“Is all of Meredith’s cooking this good?” I whisper to Oliver.

He nods, his eyes glittering. “She’s an amazing cook.”

“All right.” Rhett releases a long, slow breath. “Benny, Andrew, I’m sorry it took me so long to explain everything. I know it’s been a rough couple days.”

Benny still looks upset, but the fact that he’s finally getting answers seems to be placating him enough. As for Andrew, he looks nervous—probably because Rhett could very easily expose that he took part in putting us all through hell.

“For you guys to get the full picture, we need to go back in time a while—to before you were born, Benny.” Rhett pauses, probably bracing himself for all the emotions he’s about to unleash. “Remember when I told you that Richard was married to another woman before yours? Her name was Vivian.”

“That’s your mom, right?” Benny asks.

“Obviously,” Andrew mutters.

With a glare, Benny punches him in the arm. “I heard that!”

“Hey.” Rhett keeps his voice gentle, waiting until his brothers have turned back to looking at him. “I have a lot to tell you, so I need you guys to stay focused.”

“Sorry,” Benny mumbles.

“My parents had me while Richard was in medical school,” Rhett continues. “He had to drop out to take care of me and Mom, and he came to resent me for it. It wasn’t until after Sammy was born and I’d graduated high school that he was able to go back to school. By then, Sammy was already dead.

“She was shot, right?” Benny’s eyes are filled with so much sadness as he asks it.

Rhett nods. “She’d be about Andrew’s age if she was still alive. A couple months older, I think.”

Benny’s features light up with rage. “But that means that she was nine! Who’d kill a nine-year-old girl?”

“A man who only cares about two things,” Rhett replies. “Himself, and power.”

“Who?” Andrew asks, but based on his tone, I think he already knows.

“It was Ludo.”

“Mr. Holloway?” Benny looks from Rhett to Andrew and then back again. “But he was helping us. None of this makes sense! Why was he helping us but keeping you prisoner?”

“He was lying,” Andrew says. “I fell for it. I . . . I’m sorry.”

“We stole something from him,” Rhett says, “but we got caught. He was keeping us prisoner while he punished us.”

Benny’s eyes widen. “Punished you? How?”

Again, Rhett hesitates. Oliver and Elliot share a look of worry. Can we tell Benny the truth? It’s a lot for a child to handle.

Apparently, Andrew doesn’t have the same reservations. “Ludo was going to kill them, and he was using you as leverage to keep them in line. If they tried to escape, Ludo was planning on killingyou.”

At that, Benny’s face goes slack. “He . . . but . . .”

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