to say something but wasn't sure how to break the wall of tension.
"How about I go look for Seb?" Liza offered in an overly cheerful tone. "I'll find him and bring him here."
"That's a great idea," Ryan said, finally turning his gaze away from Skip. "I'll look for him, too. Between the two of us, we'll find him."
Mariah opened her mouth to offer to help but never got the chance. Before she could get a word out Skip had grabbed her roughly by the arm, dragging her in front of him. A human shield between him and Ryan.
Holy shit, had Skip Harrington murdered his own son?
Am I next?
27
It was dead silent in the dining room. Ryan could hear the air conditioning kick on, the cool air floating on the back of his now damp neck.
It took everything inside of him to outwardly act calm. Inside, he was screaming like an animal battering at the iron bars of a cage but he sure as fuck didn't want Skip Harrington to know that. He didn't want the older man to think that he was perturbed in the least.
Especially when Skip had a knife from the nearby carving station to Mariah's vulnerable neck.
"I won't let you hurt her. Just put the knife down, Skip. We can work this out."
Not once during the drive to Ryan's parents' home had he thought that Skip had killed his own son. Now it looked like the older man had a great deal to hide.
Skip shook his head and pressed the knife more firmly against Mariah's vulnerable flesh.
"We don't need to work this out. I just need to keep you here long enough for Seb to get out of the country."
Seb? The pieces were beginning to fall into place.
Taking a few breaths before he replied, Ryan tried to steady himself. His emotions were all over the place, his instincts screaming to run over and knock Skip away from Mariah. His overriding concern had to be getting her - and everyone else here - safely away from the older man.
Mariah, to her credit, hadn't lost her shit despite having a knife to her throat. Her chest rose and fell rapidly and if he could hear her heartbeat he was sure it would be galloping as fast as his own, but she hadn't said a word. She'd barely moved, clearly deciding that she was going to stay still so as not to upset Skip Harrington.
It was a wise move on her part. He hoped he was giving her an encouraging look but he didn't have a clue as to how he was coming across. Normally, he'd be logical and cool in a situation like this. But Skip Harrington knew exactly what to do to keep Ryan off balance...
"Why does Seb need to get out of the country?" Ryan asked, keeping his tone even and soft. "Did he hurt Brad?"
Skip took a step back, pulling Mariah with him, his expression pale and tortured.
"It was an accident. He didn't mean anything bad to happen. It was just a terrible accident," Skip said, his voice hoarse with emotion.
"I believe you. You need to give Seb an opportunity to explain that," Ryan said. "He won't go to jail if it was an accident."
"I can't take that chance," Skip replied with a shake of his head. His hand tightened on the knife, and even from Ryan's vantage point he could see the knuckles turn white. "I won't lose my only remaining son. I won't let anything happen to him. I have to protect him. They just got into a fight and things got out of hand."
"Of course you have to protect him, but this isn't the way," Ryan argued, taking a tiny step forward. Small enough that he hoped it wouldn't spook the older man. "Let Seb tell his story."
There was a visible sheen of sweat on Mariah's forehead and upper lip. She'd held herself together for this long, but Ryan couldn't guarantee that she was going to be able to continue. He had to get her away from Skip.
"Just let Mariah go," Ryan cajoled, his tone calm even as his guts churned inside of him. Fear clawed at his abdomen and he had to fight his urge to use physical force to separate Skip and Mariah. That could have a tragic ending he didn't want to think about. He just hoped that Skip wouldn't actually hurt anyone. He was desperate at the moment and needed to be convinced that this wasn't how to help