I Know Lucy (The Fugitive Series) (20 page)

“What are you not saying?” It was an effort to keep my voice even. After what I’d found out earlier, I didn’t know if I wanted to hear more.

“Nothing, it’s nothing.” She began to stand again.

“Please.” My voice must have sounded desperate, because she stopped with a sigh.

“Look I don’t want to cause trouble.”

“We’re not here for trouble. We’re just trying to figure out who this girl is.” Uncle Alex smiled.

She grimaced, her face bunching with disgust as her eyes brushed the photo again. “Do you know her at all?”

“Not really.” I sighed.

“I’d stay away from her if I were you. She…she’s trouble.”

“Why do you say that?” Alex’s calm voice and gentle eyes pushed at the girl. Her smile was accompanied with a soft blush.

“Look, I don’t know if it’s true or anything, but…” The girl hissed. “I heard a rumor that she slept with Tori’s father.”

“What?” My outburst nearly scared her off, but Alex placed a soft hand over her fingers, keeping her at the table.

“We’d really appreciate it if you could tell us some more.”

“I’m sorry, but I have to get back to work.”

I tried not to let my frustration show, but couldn’t help a whispered curse. Uncle Alex kicked me under the table and turned back to the girl as she rose. “Well, if you think of anything else, we’ll be here.”

His wink made her blush again before she scooted off to fill another order.

I couldn’t talk as we waited for Uncle Alex’s sandwich. He could obviously sense this, because he kept quiet, observing the patrons around us, something I would usually be doing. I hated that I couldn’t today. My vision was blurred, my head overstuffed with hideous information I didn’t want to know.

The sandwich arrived.

The waitress didn’t sit, but as she slid the plate across the table she whispered, “It’s not a rumor. I only said that because I don’t want Tori’s name tarnished. She’s a good person.”

“Okay.” Alex nodded, keeping his movements slow. “Don’t worry. Nothing you say will leave this table.” He sounded so sure and confident. I couldn’t tell if he meant it or not though. He was a reporter and knew how to get details any way possible.

“Alright fine.” She sighed. “One day we were doing this massive spring clean of the house. It was during the Christmas break, they were all away skiing so the place was deserted. I didn’t know I wasn’t supposed to go into Mr Derwin’s office, but I kind of did and when I was dusting around his desk this envelope dropped onto the floor.” She bit her lip. “I know I shouldn’t have looked in it, but I just couldn’t help it. I felt like I was in some sort of spy movie.” Her laugh was dry and short.

“What was in the envelope?” Uncle Alex’s food was forgotten.

“Pictures.”

My stomach plummeted into my shoes.

Don’t say it, please don’t tell me.

“They were of Tori’s dad, totally getting it on with this girl…Peyton. I mean she was only fifteen.”

“Did it look consensual?” Uncle Alex’s sharp frown was not a good sign. I didn’t want him going after a story like this.

“I guess. Either way it’s statutory rape though, right? And for a guy who’s well known in the community as a family man and who supports a ton of charities, it didn’t look good.”

“Did the photos actually show them…” He glanced at me. “Having sex?”

“No, they were pretty tame actually, just him kissing her neck and feeling her up a bit. But still.”

“So he was blackmailed then?”

“Yeah, I guess. But why didn’t he just get rid of the photos?” She shook her head. “I kind of freaked out when I saw them and kept my mouth shut. Peyton had taken off in October without so much as a goodbye. I know Tori was really surprised and hurt by it. They’d become friends, you know. I didn’t want to get in trouble and I didn’t want my aunt getting fired. Tori was a really nice person too and if this had gotten out, she would have been devastated.” She pushed at the photo again. “I didn’t have the heart to tell her I knew why her friend had disappeared so fast, because I’m guessing that bitch had a wad of Mr. Derwin’s cash in her back pocket when she skipped town.”

I closed my eyes, breathing through my nose. Hearing Dani being called a bitch made my skin crawl. I wanted to stand up and defend her, but how could I?

She’d slept with an old man?

I wanted to puke.

Uncle Alex ignored my no doubt pale expression and continued with the questioning. “Did you ever see her with a tall, blond guy?”

“No.” The waitress shook her head. “Peyton was pretty private. She always came to Tori’s place for tutoring and she never talked about her home life. I remember hearing Tori ask her about her dad once and she got really edgy. I couldn’t help wondering if she came from an abusive home or something.” The waitress looked sad. “I don’t know. Whatever the reasons, the girl had secrets. She was either being used or putting on a really good show.”

I swallowed, wondering if it was a combination of both. “What school did she attend?”

“Same as Tori, it’s a private school. Sorry, I can’t remember the name of it right now.”

My nod was numb and lifeless, my voice devoid of emotion as I thanked the waitress. Alex took one look at me and then asked for his sandwich to go. With a confused frown, the waitress took it away, bringing back a box a few minutes later.

“So where to next?” Alex shut the car door behind him and looked at me.

“Nowhere. I don’t want to do this anymore.” I looked at the picture of Dani in my hand and screwed it into a tiny ball, throwing it over my shoulder into the backseat.

“Hey, I know this hurts. But it’s better that you find out all this stuff before jumping into a relationship with her, right? This is why I don’t date.”

I flashed him a glare, then grabbed the steering wheel, gripping it until my knuckles turned white.

“I’m falling for her and I’ve just found out all this shit I don’t want to know!” I slammed my fist on the dashboard. “None of those stories seem like her. She just doesn’t come across like that at all.”

“I guess she’s a good actress.”

I shook my head. “Damn good.” My voice was hard and bitter.

“What I want to know is why. I mean, she can obviously play a con, but what got her started in it?” Alex gazed at me, his expression thoughtful. “If I were you, I’d go home and write up everything you know. Map it all out, try to figure out some sort of timeline.”

He paused, his lips pushing to the side.

“Then what?” I snapped.

“Well, then you need to decide just how much you like this girl. If she’s worth it, then maybe you should call her on it.” His blues eyes hit me with full force. “Maybe once you find out her reasons, you won’t be so mad with her anymore.” His smile was sad. “Or you’ll be so mad it’ll be easy to walk away.”

I nodded, knowing he was right. I breathed out a long sigh and leaned my head back. It was pounding with questions, aching with the revelations I’d uncovered. I could no longer disprove that Dani was just Dani. She was a con artist; it’d be stupid to deny it.

But why’d she come after me? Was I her next target? Was she planning to win me over then swindle me for money? That’s obviously how she operated, made people fall for her then ripped out their hearts.

But I wasn’t the rich one. Elliot and Liesl were the ones in our group with money. Was I just her way in?

As the questions continued to mount I found my emotions going from sadness to outright rage. I wouldn’t let her use my friends this way. She wasn’t getting a penny from any of us!

As I started the engine I found myself almost looking forward to confronting her and getting it all out in the open. It would feel good being able to vent my frustration. I didn’t care how sad and beautiful her eyes were. I would switch off every protective instinct I had and go after her. It’s what she deserved.

She was a callous, money-hungry leech and there was no way in hell she was going to hurt me or my friends.

The flash of anger blew away my sadness and it was a small respite, but not enough to stop my heart from aching. Dani would never be mine and it didn’t seem to matter that logically it was a huge relief. Finding out that the sweet Dani I’d fallen for was nothing more than a liar, ripped me apart, just like I knew it would.

Chapter 23

December 2013

Lucy felt ripped apart. She sat on the couch, sobs wracking her body as Shorty paced in front of her.

“So tell me what happened again?”

“I’ve already told you,” she wailed. “It was him. The guy from the Sorrento’s gig.”

“You’re sure?”

“Yes! Shorty I know that face. It was burned into my brain a long time ago.” Her breath hitched. “And now he has Marlin. He’s gonna hurt him, Shorty.” She covered her face with her hands, unable to control the rage, the panic, the debilitating fear.

“Alright, alright. Calm down. We ain’t gonna let Marlin get hurt. He’s a tough kid. If he can survive his dad, he can survive anything.”

Lucy tried to slow her breathing, bring it back to a normal pace, but it was impossible. Her chest heaved, making her hiccup and shiver.

“You know, Cy, you’re scared bloody shitless of this man. Are sure you don’t just want to cut and run?”

“WHAT!” Lucy felt like her eyes might pop from her face. “No!” She stood tall, wanting to pummel Shorty for even saying it. “Marlin saved my life. I’m not leaving him.”

Shorty tssked, then pursed his fat lips. “If this guy is as powerful and evil as you think he is, we might already be too late.”

When it came to comforting, Shorty sucked. Lucy let out a mix of a wail and a scream, her legs buckling as she fell to the floor. “You just said we could get him out!”

“I’m thinking off the top of my head here, love. I’m just trying to weigh up all the options.”

“There are no options.” Her voice went steely. “We are getting Marlin out. That son of a bitch is not taking him too!” It was the first time she’d felt rage. As a thirteen-year-old kid, seeing her parents killed had filled her with such terror she’d run. She’d fled and that’s all she could think to do. Every time he tried to invade her thoughts, she’d blocked him out. Resentment and anger had tried to wiggle their way inside a few times, but it had never been strong enough for her to want to face him, to take him down.

But now.

Now that he had Marlin, she was pissed.

“We don’t know for sure that the police have him. We don’t even know if the guy is still in law enforcement.” Shorty threw up his hands. “Marlin might be safely tucked away in a jail cell just waiting for a rescue.”

“He’s not.” Lucy’s voice sounded dead, just the way she felt. “I know he’s not Shorty. I just know.” She pushed her fist into her stomach. “You were listening in when I told Marlin everything. You know what happened, but you didn’t see what he did to my parents, the way he stood over their dead bodies with no emotion.” Tears welled in Lucy’s eyes, pushing to break free. “He has no heart and he will not hesitate to damage Marlin.”

“Why? To get to you? He doesn’t even know who you are.”

A tear broke free as she shook her head. “There was something in his gaze today. He recognized me.”

“Probably from the hotel gig you screwed up.”

“It felt like more, Shorty.” She swiped at her tears, fear creeping around her anger, choking it away like it always did. “If he gets me, he’s gonna kill me and he’s gonna do it slow. He wants to make me suffer. That—that look in his eyes. He enjoyed it. He liked inflicting pain on my parents and he’s gonna love doing it to me. I just know he is. I just know it.” She lurched forward, gagging and coughing, bile surging up her throat and splattering over the carpet.

“Aw, gross, Cyan!”

Ignoring Shorty’s curses, she let her stomach empty, not even caring about the vile smell. She couldn’t have stopped the puke if she’d tried. Her innards were quaking so much she was surprised they didn’t rise up her throat as well.

Finally spent, she sat back from her sick and leaned her head against the couch. She didn’t know what her eyes were saying when she looked over at Shorty, but his face softened with sympathy. Taking a wide berth, he skirted the mess on the floor and perched on the edge of the couch, gently resting his hand against her forehead.

“I’m not going to let that wanker touch you. You can’t let him win this way, Cy.”

“I don’t know how to beat him.” Her voice shook.

“You figure out what you want in this life and you take it. That’s how you win.” Shorty’s voice was strong and hard, his dark eyes gleaming. She’d never seen him like this before.

“How do you figure out what you want? It’s not like I’ve had much choice.”

“You rise above those circumstances, love.” He gave her a closed mouth grin. “I was a down and out pauper. My dad left me and Mum with nothin’. She died when I was sixteen, having lived a miserable, bitter life. I quit school and I tracked my dad down.”

Lucy turned her head so she could see him better. “Did you find him?”