“Your dad is dead!”
Silas killed him when Star went over there. She was worried because Tico was missing. Star put herself in danger and confronted a known abuser…for him.
“I’m not talking about my dad.” I felt the weight of his sigh. “There’s stuff you don’t know about me, Marnie. But if you give me a chance, I promise I’ll try and explain.”
Guilt tore through my chest like a bullet through paper. He wasn’t the only one hiding something. My entire being was a lie. The “Marnie” Tico thought he knew—didn’t exist. She was nothing more than aI wall I put up to protect myself. I was worse than he was. The least I could do was hear him out.
Letting my fists unfurl, I blew out a breath and nodded. “Okay, let’s talk.”
I supposed there were a few explanations I owed him as well.
Preston left us alone. He locked the door behind him, and Tico and I sat down to talk.
He told me about his mother’s cartel ties and how he helped Preston locate a person of interest. I should’ve been mad at Preston. Mafia and secret societies were terrible, but the cartel…didn’t care about age or innocence. They would eliminate an entire family line, including friends, friends of friends, and anyone who talked to them. The cartel wasn’t just bad news. They were evil. That alone was enough reason for Tico to stay “dead.” I couldn’t fault him for it. He was protecting himself, and the other people in his life.
However, it was Preston’s actions that threw me for a loop.
Preston didn’t just hide Tico, he took care of him. Carried him to bathroom, fed him, and made sure Tico was comfortable while he healed. His room was nothing like the dungeon I’d seen Lillianna in. There was nice furniture, a soft blanket on a king-size bed, a table with two chairs, a big bay window, and a large flatscreen in front of a beige loveseat. Aside from the lock on the door preventing him from leaving, Tico’s suite was better than most high-end apartments.
I was kind of jealous. I woke up in a cage with no natural light whatsoever while Tico was down here.
It was nice being next to him again, so much so that once my mouth opened, I couldn’t stop the secrets from coming out. I told him many things, like how I didn’t need glasses, about drugging Chase Akerman, and cutting Stephen Hamilton’s brake lines. I didn’t realize how much I was carrying around until the weight lifted off my shoulders.
I felt lighter and a bit free. For the first time in my life, I let someone see the real me, and he didn’t reject or judge me. Tico just held my hand while I talked. Then we got to the stuff about Preston, and he wasn’t too happy.
“So he kidnapped you?”
“And killed someone,” I reminded him.
Was Brian’s body found? I hoped so. He seemed like a decent guy, and his family deserved closure.
“How can you be so calm about this?”
My shoulder lifted in a small shrug. “What good would freaking out do?”
All that would get me was buried in a hole so deep that I couldn’t climb out.
“Besides, you can’t tell me you haven’t seen Preston kill someone.”
“I have not,” Tico said. “I’m not allowed out of this room.”
I knew that feeling, but he’d been here for a year. “You must’ve seen something.”
This was Preston’s house. Walking away innocent wasn’t an option.
Tico shook his head. “Nope. In fact, I think he goes out of his way to make sure I don’t see anything.”
That didn’t make sense. Preston was right about one thing: he didn’t lie, hide, or deny his actions. What you saw was what you got, plain and simple.
“Okay, maybe you didn’t see anything, but I’m sure you heard about it.”
Tico rolled his eyes. “Preston’s not exactly the chatty type.”
“Really? Cause I can’t get him to shut up.”
He was constantly using stupid logic to argue with me. ‘Welcome to my parlor said the spider to the fly.’ What the hell was that?
Resting his palms on the bed behind him, Tico leaned back and eyed me. He didn’t say anything, just watched me. It was seriously annoying.
