Father chuckled. “He has what we all want, son.”
So, nothing. Power. Only power. He gave his daughter over to the devil for clout.
“You’re pathetic,” I told him, doing everything to keep my voice level.
“Not as pathetic as you and your sister.”
This was the longest damned conversation I’d had with my father in years, and it was only nastiness.
I didn’t know half the things Rafael had done to Violet, wasn’t sure if I ever would. But if she ever did share, I’d listen, die inside, but listen. And then I would tally it all up and lay it back on our father tenfold. Rafael was a monster, but our father was the one who’d handed her over to him.
She got beaten and abused.
She got raped and tortured and destroyed.
And he thought it fair game.
My father had fallen silent on the phone, though I could feel him seething through it when I didn’t respond to his jibe. They just meant zero to me. Fuck all grief at his words.
“Bring her back now, Theo, or it will be the end of both of you,” he threatened. Must have been out of ideas, out of insults. Out of leverage. He had nothing now. Nothing we wanted or needed. We both realized it.
“No.”
More silence.
“Are you with your uncle? My brother?” Father asked just a second before I thought he’d gone, his voice falling low, ominous, even more threatening. Gleeful, even, like he reckoned he had me.
I tensed, sitting up a bit straighter. Maybe he did have something on us after all. I said nothing, and he laughed. Cackled, really. “You think you’re safe with him? From him? You think I’m unaware of what he’s been doing all these years?” he scoffed. “Connor has never been a subtle man.”
“What do you mean?” I muttered, dread sinking into my stomach.
“I’ve been laughing at his efforts to take over from me for years, Theodore. He’s not some vindictive savior like he’d have you believe. He’s coming for the business because I’m affecting his.”
I furrowed my brow. What fucking business? Father sold information and power; Connor fucked about in the background trying to prevent it. I found myself standing up, prowling down the hall towards the living room. Restless. This was all too messy. I’d been kept too out of the loop, too many secrets, lies, motives. It was making my forehead throb.
“You’re lying,” I said, shaking my head. “You’re lying.” But even as I spoke, dread sank into my gut.
“I wish I was, your uncle has been a massive pain in my behind for years.” Father sounded pleased, knowing he’d got to me. I couldn’t hide it as anger and betrayal rocked me. “He’s a traitor. He undercuts me or spreads misinformation. He wanted Rafael first. The US first. If you are with him, you are no better off.”
I hung up then, leaving him mid-word, unable to listen to his lies anymore. And it was lies, it had to be. I spun around the living room, looking for anything to use for information against him. But it was all so empty.
Had I ignored the signs? Been so blinded by the need to hurt my family that I didn’t look beyond Connor’s words? He never let me speak to anyone in his so-called group. He always appeared from the shadows and slunk back off into them like he didn’t know where he was coming from or going to.
If he trusted me, he would have let me in more. Shown me more. Right? Maybe not. FUCK. My brain was mush.
Was he using me like everyone in this family was want to do?
Suddenly feeling unsafe, I stood and raced to the door, checking it was locked, that no one could get in. When would he be back? It wasn’t clear. He’d told us nothing but to sit tight while he sorted everything out. I clawed at my hair, ducking my head. What the fuck do I do?
“Theo?” Violet’s soft voice called from down the hall, and I tried to steady my racing heart while I figured out our next move.
One thing was for sure, though, we couldn’t stay here.
Four
Violet
TheAmericanlandscapewasso different from the UK, so much vaster and emptier. Back home, no more than five minutes would go by before you were moving through another village or town, passing by farms or herds of cows or sheep, but here, here was hours of nothing. It was fascinating. Made me feel smaller, more insignificant, like it was possible to disappear, like Theo and I could choose to turn into the trees or the fields and never be seen again.
