Page 49 of Where He Ended
“It's my favorite place,” I finish lamely. Annie blinks owlishly. “I come here sometimes to be alone, or to work in the dirt with Wyatt.” I couldn't speak before, now I can't shut up. “I've never seen anyone else here. Not once.”
“You like it here,” she mumbles. She scans the trees overhead. “I'm glad someone does. I thought he'd like it, too. That's why I built it.”
My mind is spinning like a top. It has no hope of slowing down. “You're the one that made the preserve?” She never struck me as someone who enjoys nature.
Annie takes a swig from the bottle. “I hoped it'd be as beautiful as the spotsshetook him on their private little hiking trips.”
Him?I wonder.
“But every time he visited here, he only wanted to see you. He refused to let me show him this place.”
I cover my mouth in shock.No, she can't be talking about my father.But she is, she definitely is. Fuck, my brain is twitching from the revelation just below the surface that I'm struggling to fight against. It can't be true. Because if it is, if she did all this for him, that must mean . . .
She shuts her eyes, tilting her head back so far I expect her to tip backwards. “I'm so, so stupid. How else do you explain holding out hope for someone after all these years?”
I reach out and grab a tree. I need something to keep me on my feet. “You're in love with my father?” I ask, my voice cracking. All this time I'd been certain she hated him. But the source of her grief is obvious now. It makes her become less frightening, the drinking alone in the dark taking on a depressing aspect.
She glances at me, then back to the branches above us. “I never understood why he fell in love with Violet. Was I not good enough, not pretty enough? You really do look like her,” she says, squinting my way. “That must be why Dominic is obsessed with you.”
My heart presses against my ribs. I can barely talk. “He told you that?”
Her tone changes; it makes my blood run cold, especially when she stands up, walking towards me. “Of course not. He didn't have to.” The dullness in her eyes morphs to cruel interest. “Can't you tell when you're being insulted? Dominic wants you because he's weak, like your father. Violet was a nobody. She sold backpacks at a sporting goods store! I had money, connections, intelligence! I wasbetter!”
“Stay away from me!” I shout, holding up my hands, retreating carefully over the uneven ground.
She doesn't slow her approach, the whites of her eyes bloodshot. “He would have never left me if he hadn't knocked her up. When I overheard her telling him . . .” she doesn't finish; instead she throws the bottle at a tree, the glass shattering everywhere.
I scream in shock, shielding myself with my arms. Is sheinsane?
Annie takes another step and stumbles on some slippery leaves. “I was drunk like this that night, too. After I found out about Violet, I didn't know what to do. I had to distract myself. Find something to soothe the wound.”
Her words remind me of my own inner thoughts after what happened with Franklin, and that's terrifying. “Annie,” I whisper. “Calm down.”
She talks over me. “Silas didn't turn me down. He'd always flirted with me at work. I fucked him, and I barely remember any of it. Just that I didn't feel better the next morning.” Her eyes focus on me again. There's some clarity there. “I loved Joseph, not Silas. I made a mistake sleeping with him. And thatmistakehaunts me to this day, all six feet and whatever inches of him.”
I inhale sharply. “Dominic isn't a mistake. How can you say that about your own son?”
She throws her head to the side; her hair gets in her eyes. “I know he loves you, but you can't possibly love him. He's a violent, useless brute. He killed my nephew, surely you know that?”
I'm sorely tempted to reveal the truth to her. But I can't. That's Dominic's secret, not mine. “I do love him,” I say proudly. “I love him in a way you never have. And I'm sad for you, knowing that.”
She laughs into her hand, covering her mouth while barely muffling the awful sound. “Youlovehim? Do you really?” Her eyes are wild, they look at me, but they see someone else. “Joseph and the rest of you have brought me nothing but pain. I never harmed you—seriously harmed you—because of my feelings for him. I even prepared a nice room for you, those lovely clothes, hoping you'd appreciate my efforts. Tell him how kind I was, how special.” A gloss spreads over her eyes then evaporates as her fantasy goes up in smoke. “But what's the point anymore? He doesn't care what I do. He doesn't care what happens to you, either, or why else would he vanish into thin air and leave you behind?”
The danger in her glare sends my pulse into an erratic spasm. I've never seen such a horrific smile on someone's face before. “Annie . . .” I croak, unsure what she's planning.
Her hands clench; she takes another step towards me. “As much as I hate my son, he's more useful than Kara. She's just a copy of you. I don't need two of Joseph's daughters around here. Do you think you love him more than you love her?”
No. She wouldn't hurt her!
But the madness in her eyes says she would. She definitely would, and happily so. Annie's nearly on me, and I'm saved by the alcohol that makes her sluggish. Dodging her attempt to grab my arm, I turn and flee. She's drunk—that'll give me a sliver of extra time to get out of the preserve before she does. I need that head start.
I have to do what I can before it's too late.
I won't letanyonetake my sister away from me.
