The Rivals - Dylan Allen Page 0,253

ditch runs behind their house. I found him about half a mile away. And took him to the hospital.”

“Why didn’t you call me?” Gigi asks.

My mother scoffs. “I wasn’t sure you hadn’t put him there. I thought maybe he’d reverted to type and was cheating on you, too,” she says snidely. The blood drains from her face.

“He would never—”

“Wait. What did you tell Pops?” I interrupt Gigi and turn to my mother.

And for the first time since this conversation started, I see real, unadulterated panic in her eyes.

“He was away when I got back from San Antonio. I went to his office to look for something and found your father’s rings. The rings that had been on the fingers that had been cut off his hand.”

The world stops spinning. I stare down at my hand in horror, at the ring on my own finger. The one my grandfather gave me right before he died. I tug it off and drop it on to the table.

I look between her and it. “You’re lying.”

“I’m not,” she says so simply, with so much defeat. “I logged into his computer. He didn’t even have it password protected. He couldn’t imagine that anyone would dare look through his things. I found the emails—he never even bothered to delete them between him and the man he hired to kill your father. He was to bring those rings back as proof.”

“Why would he do that? That makes no sense. He was his heir.”

“No, Remi. He hated Lucas. He was an utter disappointment.”

“So he disinherited him. Why in the world would he want to kill him?”

“Because Lucas wasn’t going to go quietly into the night. Not without what was his.”

“He wanted money?” I ask incredulously.

“He wanted you. All three of you,” she says slowly, her gaze sweeping over me and my siblings.

“He did?” This question comes from Tyson.

She turns to look at him. She just nods.

My heart thuds.

Once.

Twice.

Then it starts sprinting at a breakneck pace.

I didn’t realize how badly I’d needed to hear those words until she said them. Since I discovered he’d left, I’ve woken up every day wondering how my father could walk away from his children. It’s been the thing that has kept me from being able to feel any joy in finding him.

“Your grandfather was not going to let him have you. He had poured all of his hopes into you, Remi. So, I tried to mold you in his image because I didn’t want him to think you were a disappointment, too. I’d seen what he’d done to his other disappointment.”

“You’re saying he would have killed me?”

“I don’t know. But I didn’t want to take the chance. And you are so much like Lucas. This hard exterior you’ve developed to protect your soft inside. I knew you’d fuck up and then, he’d decide to clear the way for Tyson.” She sounds sad, but not apologetic at all.

“Good God.” I run a hand over my face and try to let that settle.

“I never told him what I found. Keep your enemies close—as I’ve always told you. In this case, I moved in with mine. But it was what I thought was best,” she says.

“Best? For us to live with the man who tried to kill your husband?”

“I always did what I thought was best.” She repeats.

“And you just let him get away with the attempted murder of his son?” Regan shouts and stands up. Tyson is glaring at her, his dark eyes full of malice.

“Yes.” She nods as if to reaffirm how obvious the answer should be. “Everything has a price. For your lives, nothing was too much to pay. And he was good to you. You’ve achieved so much. All of you.”

“We’re all miserable,” Tyson says quietly. “We are all miserable and our lives are a fucking lie. But look how much we achieved.” He stands up on that last word, his voice gets louder. “Why are none of you losing your shit?” he asks the room collectively. His eyes wide with disbelief.

“I lost my shit, Tyson. I’ve had six months to process it,” I remind him, trying to keep my voice gentle.

“But you just found out, right now that Pops tried to kill our father. His son. Pops.” He shakes his hands like he’s trying to rearrange the air around us. Create a whole new reality.

“Tyson—” Regan tries to calm him but he cuts her off flinging an arm in her direction.

“And she’s been calm about everything. You’ve had months to let