him?” I slid past him and got behind the wheel, leaving him to walk around and get in from the passenger side.
He hesitated for a moment longer before he circled the car, and when he got in, he rested his hands on his knees. “I know you’re not weak. And I know you mean well, but you have to leave my father alone.”
“What happened?” I asked, pulling back onto the road. “At Seth’s funeral you were all for helping me, but it only took you a few days to change your tune.” I shot him a glance. “What did your father threaten you with?” I cast another look at him and saw the surprise on his face. “So I’m right?” How had I not realized this before?
He started to say something but stopped himself.
“What did your mother say to convince Max to come home from college and run the tavern? When I asked her, she told me she reminded him of his family obligations. What would those be?”
His body stiffened and he whipped his head around to face me. “When did you talk to my mother?”
I was tired of keeping secrets, especially from him. Maybe sharing a few of mine would jog some of his loose. “Yesterday.”
“Where?”
“I went to their house for tea. Your father invited me when I saw him at the construction site.”
“What?”
“Your mother and I had a lovely chat. For some reason, she thinks we’re still dating. And apparently Max is perpetuating this illusion. You both have supposedly created a few excuses for why I haven’t agreed to meet with her. If you’re doing it to appease your father, he knows we’re not together. He thinks I’m sleeping with Marco.”
“Sometimes illusions serve their purpose. Sometimes everyone has a part to play, and when they stop playin’ those parts, innocent people pay the price.”
I shook my head. “What are you talkin’ about?”
“When I broke free from my father, I didn’t just hurt him. I hurt myself and other people in this town. I thought it was all about me, but it went deeper than that. Only I had no idea until recently.”
“Let me guess…your father enlightened you,” I said in disgust.
“I realize that for some reason you don’t fear him like everyone else in this town, but he’s still very much the boogeyman, Carly. Pretendin’ like he’s not doesn’t make him any less dangerous.”
“Oh, I know how he works, trust me. And he knows enough secrets to be powerful, but he’s like a cockroach hiding in the shadows. Once you shine a light on him, you don’t need a gun or even an army to destroy him. You only need a shoe.”
“You can’t be serious,” he said in horror.
“I am. So you can either join me or hide in the shadows too.”
“And what if you find information that could hurt my father, but also someone else? Someone who doesn’t deserve it. What will you do then, Carly?”
“I’ll cross that bridge when I come to it. Right now all I see is a pathetic excuse of a man who likes to use threats to control a whole town. But here’s the truth: your father has lost most of his power and Bingham’s waiting to swoop in and take the rest.”
He released a bitter laugh. “You think Bingham gives a shit about this town? You of all people know that everything he does is to benefit himself.”
“And you can’t say the same about your father?” I asked in disbelief. “I don’t for one minute believe he’s building that resort for the town. He’s doing it for himself, and the town just happens to benefit from it. Men like him aren’t altruistic, nor are they compassionate. So he’ll pay the lowest wages possible, all but indenturing the employees to him, and while they’ll think he’s helping them, he’ll really be entrapping them, pinning their wings, but doing it so slowly they won’t realize it’s happening.”
“What do you know?” he asked, and I could hear the hesitation in his voice, along with a hint of fear.
“Enough to know your father is vile, but not enough to pin him down yet.”
“Carly, you’re playin’ with fire.”
“Then I’ll be sure to bring a fire extinguisher.”
I turned onto the road that led to his house.
“What are you doin’?” he asked. “I’m supposed to be taking you home.”
“I’m perfectly capable of taking my own self home.” I took a deep breath before I continued. “While I appreciate your offer of help, I’m a strong, capable woman. Do