Ch. 31..35: Fall For My Ex’s Mafia Dad Chapter 31-35

Chapter 31

When we finally reach the black sedan, Kent and Daniel climb into the back seat on either side of me, sandwiching me in the middle. Pressed between them, I fold my hands between my knees and try my best to breathe evenly. "Go," Kent says firmly to Carlos, who obediently peels out. Kent continues to look out the window, surveying the landscape for any more threats which he didn't catch the first time.

Daniel, instead, turns to me. He takes my face in my hands and carefully looks me over. When he ascertains that I'm not scratched or bruised, he moves on to the rest of my body, putting a hand on my knee and taking me in. "How are you, Fay?" he asks quietly. "Are you hurt?"

"I'm f-f-fine," I say, shivering a little. I don't know whether it's shock still, or perhaps the cold -

Suddenly, I remember my beautiful mink stole - still in the coat check at the country club. I turn backwards to look out the rear window with a little "oh," regretting the loss of it.

"What," Kent says, worried, following my gaze. I instantly feel guilty - here he is, looking for assassins wielding guns or blades and here I am, sorry to have lost my coat.

"N-nothing," I say, looking up at him. I notice that he's still clutching his arm and that blood is still seeping from behind his hand.

I lean across him to look at it. "Are y-you all right?"

"I'm fine," he says, pulling away from me with gritted teeth. "Just a graze - nothing the guys at home can't patch up -"

I look up into his face, then, my eyes wide, finally putting the pieces together - god, what the hell took me so long - "do you mean you were shot!?"

Kent looks at me, then, frustrated and like he doesn't know what to say - because of course he was shot.

The knowledge, though - after all that we've been through tonight - sends me. I lean back into the leather of the seat, my whole body shaking, pressing my teeth together so that they won't clatter.

"Oh my god, Fay," Daniel says, pulling off his coat and wrapping it around me. He looks towards his father, who looks straight forward in the car. "What should I do for her??"

"Nothing," his father says. "She'll get through it. Just keep her warm. Everyone's first time is rough."

Daniel wraps his arms around me as the tears start to leak from my eyes, sliding down my cheeks in a silent torrent. All of a sudden, I'm so fed up with all of this -

So fed up with this world, with this life - how people think it's just normal to have a first shootout, as if there will be more and I'll just get used to them -

I saw people die tonight - people with families - people who were coming after me, maybe, trying to take me because I'm a powerful pawn in whatever fucking game they're playing - Kent and Alden and Daniel -

I hate them all then - hate everything they stand for.

Daniel tries to be kind to me, tries to shush me and stroke my hair softly.

"I hate this," I whisper between my clattering teeth. "I hate this, I hate this life, I hate everything it represents -" I turn to Daniel then, hurt and damage all over my face. "I wish I'd never met you - I was right to dump you the first time, when -"

But I snap my mouth shut. I don't mean all of it, not really - I don't hate him. If I did, I'd tell his dad his secret to punish him for wrapping me all up in this for not letting me go, for being complicit in keeping me here, trapped in this life, when all I want to do is leave.

"I'm sorry, Fay," Daniel says softly, and I can tell by the guilt in his face that he means it.

"Then let me go," I plead, desperate.

Slowly, though, he shakes his head.

Deep down, I know the choice isn't his. But I weep bitter tears anyway.

Next to me, I feel Kent slump in his seat. I turn to look at him then and see him looking out the window then, more pensive than I had expected. I stare at him, at his stark profile against the light of the window. He doesn't move or say anything, so I suppose he lets me look my fill

He hangs his head, then, letting out a sigh. And, shocked, I note that the lines of his face match Daniel's. He feels guilt as well.

The next morning, I just laid in my bed and stare at the ceiling for a long, long time. I skip breakfast and no one comes up to get me, which has never happened before. I guess they're giving me my space. I'm grateful, I suppose, but overall...I just don't really care. Things moved quickly last night after we got home. The three of us spent the rest of the ride in silence, but when we arrived at the house everyone was expecting us.

Fiona had made a beeline right for me - not even asking how Kent was doing. Instead, she had wrapped her arms around me and bustled me upstairs as Kent got himself patched up and Daniel - well, I didn't really know what Daniel did. Or care.

She had rushed me right to my room and run a bath for me, stripping me of my clothes while I continued shaking. Then she helped me to step into the hot water and sit down.

"That's all right, baby Fay," she murmured to me, using a cup to pour water over my head like a little kid. "Shh, baby," she continued. "You'll be all right."

I had noticed, passively, that the water turned a little pink from the blood washing off of me. Not my blood, of course. Kent's. I couldn't help staring at it.

After a long time, when the water was growing cool, Fiona helped me out, bundled me into warm flannel pajamas - too warm for the spring, but so, so comfortable against my skin - and then tucked me into bed. Before she left, she opened a cabinet in the corner that holds a television and put on some mindless reality show at extremely low volume.

"So you don't have to sit in silence," she whispered to me, kissing me on the head. Then, intuiting that I wanted to be alone, she left.

I fell asleep, gratefully, almost immediately. A few times in the night I got the sense that I woke up a little to someone peeking through my door, probably checking on me, but no one bothered me.

It's almost noon before someone does. I sit up when I hear the door creak open. I rub my eyes, expecting to see Daniel or Fiona there, or the housekeeper, or the chef - and get the shock of my life when I see Kent Lippert standing in my door.

He's dressed casually in a fine camel-colored sweater and black slacks. I've never seen him wear anything but a suit, I don't think. "Come on, Fay," he says, stern but not unkind. "That's enough."

I sink back into my pillows a little, resenting his command, giving him a little glare.

To my surprise again - he laughs at me. "Don't pout at me, girl," he says, leaning against my door frame. "It won't work."

He nods to someone behind him in the hallway - the housekeeper, apparently, who brings in a tray of food and a stack of clothing. As she brings the tray closer, I sniff the air greedily at the scent of blueberry muffins. I'm shocked to find that I'm ravenous. "Good," Kent says, watching me pick a muffin off the try and bite into it eagerly. He nods to the clothes. "I'll see you downstairs in twenty minutes. Wear your boots."

I stare at him for a second, considering, and then I nod.

Boots. Boots means horses. I look towards the pile of clothing at the edge of my bed as the housekeeper leaves silently. Riding gear.

Well, he's certainly found my weak spot. There's nothing, really, that could get me out of bed today except for Heathcliff.

 

Chapter 32

The closer they get to the stable, the more Fay seems to cheer up, as if she's leaving the memories of last night behind. Kent can't help the smile from his face when he sees it. He was worried for her last night - truly worried that some real damage had been done. Fay was delicate. He knew it intimately - it was one of the things he liked best about her. She was a sensitive girl, feeling things keenly, more acutely than others. But beneath that, she has a solidity to her core, a well of strength that he's not sure she's even aware of. She's going to need that strength, he knows, if she's going to make it in this world. And he's quite determined to see that she does. Because if she doesn't...

He shakes away the thought, not letting it enter his mind. He will see that she does, and he'll do everything he can to foster that strength in her. It won't be easy, but Kent intends to see it through.

Fay sits up very straight in the seat when they pull into the driveway of the stable, the gate swinging open for them. Kent can tell that she's reining in his excitement for his sake, trying to play it cool, but she's out of the car before he can throw it in park. Kent finds her in Heathcliff's stall a few minutes later, cooing to her horse, running her hands over his silky ears and talking to him softly. He watches her for a few minutes, letting her greet her friend, who nuzzles her warmly.

"Have you ever ridden before, Fay?" Kent asks quietly after a few minutes. She turns to him and smiles, biting her lip a little in embarrassment. He smirks, knowing her answer before she says it.

"Yes?" she says, a question rather than a statement. "I've...ridden. Before."

His smile deepens. "By which you mean, you've sat on a couple of ponies at the county fair."

Fay bites her lip again before smiling and blushing a little. "Okay, yes. But the man who owned the ponies said I have a natural seat!"

Kent laughs at her then and bends down to pick up a basket of brushes and combs by the door, placing it inside the stall before shutting it and bolting them in. "I'll let you two get acquainted," he says, "perhaps you could brush him. He'll like that." Fay eagerly coming forward to select a brush.

"I'll be back in a little bit," he says. "We'll get you saddled up and then we'll see if that seat is any good." Kent turns away then, heading to the front of the barn.

He's surprised, a moment later, to hear her call after him.

"Thank you," she says softly, her head peeking out over the stall door.

Kent simply nods to her and turns, tucking his hands in his pockets and continuing on his way.

Kent and Fay spend the rest of the day at the stables. He leaves her alone, mostly, going around to visit the other horses under his care, checking in with the grooms and the manager to ensure that everything is running smoothly.

When the trainer arrives, Kent points him in Fay's direction and is pleased, about half an hour later, to see Fay leading her saddled horse out to the riding arena.

Kent leans against the door of the barn, watching at a distance as the trainer runs her through the basics of riding, showing her the horse's gaits on a long lead while Fay is still on the ground. It's a special thrill, though, when he sees Fay put on her little velvet helmet and lead her horse over to the mounting block.

The joy on her face when she sits astride Heathcliff's back for the first time - a little chill runs down his spine. He can't help feeling just...purely happy.

Last night, in the car, seeing Fay shake like that - the shock, the trauma in every muscle - it was one of the worst feelings of his life. He frowns, thinking of it now, of his extreme reaction to Fay's physical danger.

He's a mafia boss, for heaven's sake, Kent tells himself. It's not like he hasn't lost people to this business before, hasn't put his loved ones on the line on an almost-daily basis. So what was it about this girl that made him absolutely horrified at the thought of her in danger?

Kent grits his teeth, uncomfortable with the potential answers to this question. He knows that he wants her on a physical level - god, every day he's confronted with that horrible fact. But this other feeling, this...protectiveness. He shakes his head, unwilling to delve into it just yet.

Instead, Kent stands up straight from his spot at the stall door and walks towards the riding rink.

The lesson is coming to a close, the instructor talking eagerly to Fay, who smiles down at him from her place on the gelding's back. When Kent comes to lean against the rink's fence, the trainer gives him a warm smile.

"She's a natural!" the trainer says, resting a comfortable hand on Fay's knee. Kent glares at the touch and the trainer, grimacing a little, quickly removes his hand. Fay doesn't notice.

"See!" she says to Kent, laughing. "I told you I had a natural seat!"

"I didn't doubt you for a minute," he says simply, giving the trainer a stern look. Knowing his boss, the trainer says a gracious goodbye to Fay, promising to see her again next time, and then heads back to the barn. "He's really nice," Fay says, nudging her horse so that he walks over to Kent.

"You just like anyone who gives you compliments," Kent jokes, reaching out a hand to stroke Heathcliff's neck.

Fay's eyebrows raise, almost disappearing beneath her helmet. "A joke!" she laughs. "Kent Lippert made a joke!"

He laughs with her, perhaps a little surprised himself. "Don't get used to it," he says quietly. "It's not a common occurrence."

"No kidding," she says in response, smiling indulgently at him.

"You enjoyed it?" Kent asks, nodding towards the ring and indicating the lesson as a whole.

"Yes," she says, definite and happy. "Can I come back tomorrow?"

Kent nods, pleased at the big smile she gives him. "Come down now," he says, gesturing towards her. "Heathcliff has earned his rest."

"Um," she says, biting her lip, suddenly concerned. "He didn't...teach me...how to get down."

Kent laughs and ducks under the rail of the fence, coming close to Fay's left side. "Feet out of the stirrups," he says, and she obeys. He puts up his hands towards her. "Now just swing your right leg over the back of the horse and slip down to the ground." "What!" she says, appalled. "You just want me to jump down!?"

Kent laughs at her, entertained. "Well, you can always stay up there forever if you want."

Fay gives him a dirty look.

"I'll catch you," Kent says, enjoying himself. "Come on, let's go."

Fay narrows her eyes at him a little and then takes a deep breath, swinging her leg back over the horse.

Kent is as good as his word, catching Fay by the waist, letting her fall back against him instead of sliding her body down against the saddle. As he lowers her slowly to the ground, Fay puts her hands on top of his for balance, her back running down the length of his chest and stomach before her booted feet hit the ground.

A little thrill echoes in his stomach at the feel of her against him. Kent clenches his jaw, trying to keep himself under control.

 

Chapter 33

They stand like that for a moment, his hands on her waist, she leaning back against him - just an instant, really, before she pushes away and loops her horse's reins over his head, using them as a lead. Fay smiles innocently at Kent, silently thanking him for the lift, and the two head back towards the stables.

"Last night," Kent says quietly after a moment, his hands again in his pockets. "Before...everything..."

Fay looks up at him, a little wary. Clearly, she doesn't want to talk about it. Still, he presses on. "Did you enjoy it? Meeting your family?"

"Oh," she says, surprised. Then she laughs a little. "Honestly, I kind of forgot about that part of the night. Well, yeah," she says, looking forward again. "It's surprising, really. I never knew I had such a big family." Kent nods as they enter the barn. "It's pretty standard for us," he says. "We, in this world, we tend to come from large families. I don't know what a family gathering looks like with less than eighty people." "Wow," she says. "So do you have lots of siblings?"

"No," he says, shaking his head. "I'm a rare lonely child - my mother could only have me." When she frowns up at him, he adds, delicately, "complications at my birth."

"Oh," she says, frowning as she leads Heathcliff into his stall. Kent follows her. "I'm sorry to hear that," Fay adds softly.

"It's all right," he says shrugging. "My parents were each one of six. I grew up with lots of cousins who felt like siblings."

Fay laughs at that. "Yes, apparently, I have lots of those too. I met a few last night - second cousins, even."

"Yes," Kent says, leaning against the post by the stall door and watching her. "You'll have so many of those that you'll lose track of them. Until they need something," he adds, a little ruefully.

"Oh!" Fay says, remembering something as she loosens Heathcliff's girth and slides the saddle from his back.

. "I heard something funny last night," she continues, carrying the saddle over to hang it over the stall door. "I was talking to my second cousins over at the bar, they called me 'baby Fay, just like Fiona does, and they said that they have a sister named Fiona. Is that for real? Has she been my cousin all along, and you just never told me?"

Kent blinks at her for a moment, standing perfectly still. Then his mouth falls open slightly as his brain begins to whir, processing - thinking through -

His face falls, then, into a dark expression. "Leave the horse," he says, grabbing Fay by the arm. She drops the reins in shock, her face going pale.

"Wait, what happened?" she asks, confused as he pulls her out of the stall. "I can't leave Heathcliff like this - "

"The grooms will handle it," Kent growls, pulling her towards the front of the stables, snapping at a groom as they pass and pointing back towards Heathcliff's stall. The groom instantly understands, heading towards the back. "Kent!" Fay says, still shocked. "What's happening?!"

But he doesn't answer as he hauls her to the car, dropping her arm and climbing into the driver's seat, slamming the door behind him.

Kent doesn't say a word to me the entire ride home.

I twist my hands in my lap, looking over at him a few times, noting that his face is growing increasingly angry with every passing mile. I shrink back in my seat, wondering what the hell I said - what I could have done wrong -

I trace his anger back - when had it started? I guess when I mentioned my cousins, the conversation about Fiona -

But that's just a coincidence - it has to be - there's absolutely no way that Kent wouldn't have thoroughly background checked every person he lets into his life -

If he didn't know...

I worry about it the whole way home, but I'm too scared to say anything. What would it do, anyway?

After we pull into the garage, Kent quickly climbs out of the car and slams his door, not saying a word to me as he storms into the house, past one of the guards that came to the door to greet us and report. The guard - Jerome, I see - stares after Kent in shock and then turns to me with a curious expression.

I just shrug and shake my head as I climb out of the door, letting him know that I have no idea.

I see that Kent has left chaos in his wake on the way to his office, people standing in the hallway staring after him with worried expressions. As I walk slowly into the house, I see Daniel come down the stairs. He catches my eye.

"What happened?" he whispers, looking concerned, but before I can answer Kent comes out of his office again, fury in his every line.

"You two," he demands. "Upstairs."

"Dad," Daniel says, taking another step down, putting out a hand to offer to help -

"I said upstairs!" Kent yells, and Daniel and I both jump. I scurry to where Daniel is standing on the stairs, grabbing his arm and pulling him up with me.

"Seriously, what's going on?" Daniel whispers to me as he follows.

"I don't know," I whisper back, pulling him towards my room. He comes in with me and I shut the door behind us. But even the door can't block out Kent's next bellow. "Fiona! Get down here! Now!"

Daniel stays in my room with me for a while. He won't admit it as readily as I do, but we're both scared to leave. We watch old movies, surviving on bottled water and some gummy bears that Daniel had stored away in his room. Eventually, though, he has to go to his night class. He apologizes as he goes, looking back at sorrowfully as he leaves. I think he knows that I'd pay anything to be go with him right now.

I wait for a little bit, my eyes on the door to see if Fiona will come. Hardly a night passes when she doesn't stop by my room to say goodnight, at the very least.

But there's no sign of her.

A couple of hours pass with no word from anyone and my stomach starts to growl so hard I can't stand it. I haven't eaten anything real since my blueberry muffin that morning, and I'm starving.

Hesitant, I peek out my door. The whole house is silent, no guards or servants anywhere. Curious, I step out into the hall further, looking around. Still, no one.

I creep down the stairs, walking as softly as I can, but still, I encounter no one. Anxious, I hurry towards the kitchen, hoping there's something easy to grab.

When I push open the door, though, the kitchen too is empty. I step into the room, marveling, never having seen it quite so silent. My stomach growls loudly then, prompting me forward.

I scurry over to the giant industrial fridge, pulling it open. Seeing that it's well stocked with food, I grab a clean plate from the dish rack and start to fill it up. French bread, cheese, some prosciutto and fruit - I smile at my haul, excited. As I close the fridge, though, I hear a noise.

It's a groan - thick with misery, but so quiet that I'd never have heard it if the house itself hadn't been as silent as the grave. I go very still, my eyes darting immediately to the small white door that leads down into the basement, waiting to see if it comes again. I almost leap out of my slippers at the next sound, though - a heady shriek that turns into a horrible, horrible scream.

Reacting on instinct, I run for the door to the kitchen, almost dropping my plate of food as I push through it and dash down the hall. I press the food against my chest as I run up the steps, not caring if I stain my sweater, heading right for my room.

I'm panting as I slam my door shut, pressing my back against it.

What the hell was that?

Or more importantly, who?

 

Chapter 34

I picked at my dinner that night, the food not tasting quite as good once I realized what was going on in the basement.

This world is so confusing to me. On one hand, there's so much beauty to it - the two days spent at the stables were some of the happiest moments of my life. But everything that happened last night - and now, knowing what happened downstairs - what still might be going on... I'm so uncomfortable, knowing that I'm living in a world where the happy parts are bought with violence and pain.

I drift into an uncomfortable sleep later. I had hoped that Daniel might come by, talk to me, maybe put my mind at east. But he never showed up. I'm restless all night, waking up at every perceived noise.

I must have fallen into some sort of deep slumber, though, because when someone shakes my shoulder I'm suddenly awake, gasping, shocked -

How the hell did they get into my room without me waking up -

I spin in my sheets, terrified, my eyes adjusting to see a dark figure crouched there -

I cringe back, but stop when I hear a soft, familiar shushing sound.

"Shh, shh, baby Fay, it's all right," Fiona says, putting her hands on my shoulders.

"Fiona!" I cry, sitting straight up in bed, instantly awake.

She turns her head towards the door at my noise, worried, and puts a finger to her lips, shushing me. As her face is turned, the light from the window falls on her face, revealing a deep bruise starting along her cheekbone, under her eye. Her lip is swollen too, a little cut down its left side.

"Fiona," I say more softly, reaching out towards her face.

She flinches away from me but then works to put on a smile. I can see that it takes effort.

"What happened to you," I ask, concerned - but in the pit of my stomach, I think I know.

"Don't worry about it, baby," she says, giving me a truer smile now. "How are you, are you okay?"

"Me," I say, aghast. "Fiona, you -"

"Fay," she says seriously, cutting me off, "we don't have a lot of time. Tell me - are you all right?"

Surprised by the question, I nod. "Sure, Fiona," I say. "I'm fine."

"Okay, sweetheart," she says, putting a hand on my cheek. "I'm going to go away for a while," she continues, glancing back at the door over her shoulder. "But I couldn't leave without saying goodbye to you."

Worry collects in my stomach and my chest as I study her face. "Where are you going? Why -"

"I just gotta get out of here," she says, working again to keep the fear off of her face, but I can tell by her quickening words that her time is growing short.

"Fiona, did he -"

"Don't worry about it, Fay," she says, smiling at me again. "Just stay on his good side, okay? He won't do anything to you if you do what he says. Lie if you have to - just..." she hesitates now, "do what you need to do to survive. But at every turn, let him think he has the upper hand."

Tears start in my eyes now. I open my mouth to speak but she interrupts me again.

"Don't do that, little cousin," she says, giving me a broad smile, wincing when it pulls at the cut on her lip. "I'm all right - just like I said - I'm getting out of here."

"So that's real?" I ask, wiping the tears from beneath my eyes. "You're really my cousin?"

"Sure," she says, putting a hand on my cheek. "I knew you the instant I saw you in that kitchen downstairs - knew you were our little baby Fay."

I bite my lip against my emotions then, struggling to keep from crying. My cousin here, all this time, taking care of me and I didn't know.

"But he...he didn't know?" I ask.

She shakes her head at me.

"Were you were you spy-"

"Don't ask questions, Fay," she says seriously. "That you don't want to know the answer to."

I snap my mouth shut, not really knowing, now, whether or not I want to know. I think I do but -

"Listen, baby," she says, reaching into the pocket of her jeans. "I need you to do something for me. As family."

She produces a little note, pushing it into my hand. I stare down at it.

"I need you to get this to your dad," she says quietly.

"Toto Alden?" I ask, looking up at her again, surprised.

"No, Fay," she says, pursing her lips sarcastically. "I want you to take it to David, your other dad." My eyes search her face as she hits me, jokingly, upside the head. "Don't be stupid. Of course to Alden." "Fiona..." I say, my eyes widening. "I don't know if I can - that's so dangerous. If Kent -"

"Please, baby," she says, true pleading in her eyes. "I know what I'm asking you to do, and I wouldn't ask it if it wasn't so important. I promise you, I promise - no one you love will be hurt by you doing this. Okay?" I bite my lip, considering it. Fiona backs away from me, leaving the note in my hand.

"I'm going to leave it with you," she says. "And if you want to flush the note down the toilet, Fay, I understand. I'll be disappointed," she gives me a stern, sisterly look then, "but I will understand. Please."

She puts her hands together like she's praying and backs towards the door.

"Fiona," I whisper, "please, stay - just tell me what's going on -"

"I have to go baby," she whispers, her hand on the knob now. "He - he doesn't know I got out. They're going to come looking for me."

My eyes go wide at that - I hadn't considered that she'd be a prisoner -

My god, what did she do?

And what did he do to her for her transgressions?

"I love you, Fay," Fiona says, pressing her hand to her heart and looking at me with real affection in her eyes. "I'll see you again sometime - I promise. But now I have to go."

She blows me a kiss and slips out the door, closing it behind her.

I'm speechless as I stare at the dark space where she was just a minute ago. Then I blink, wondering if maybe I dreamt it all - it happened so fast -

But when I look down into my hand, the note is still there.

Shit. Shit. What the hell was I going to do with this?

It's a little bomb, really I know that. If Kent finds me with this note, I am done for, relationship with Daniel or no.

But to whom, really, do I owe my allegiance? Should I give this note to Alden, my father, who I know loves me?

Should I give it to Kent, out of allegiance to Daniel? Or to Kent himself, out of allegiance to him? After all, he protected me last night - kept me alive -

But what, really, happened last night? Was it just coincidence that my father and his family weren't in the room when the attack happened?

Kent said it was a kidnapping attempt, maybe for me, but was it? Was I ever really in danger? Did my father perhaps arrange it as a way to get me away from Kent, to get him out from his clutches?

I groan, leaning back against the pillows, feeling far too inadequate to answer these kinds of questions. The fact was, I had absolutely no idea what was really happening, and here was this stupid note, this test of my loyalty.

Everything depended on my actions next - who I gave it to, whether or not I flushed it down the toilet like Fiona said. But even if I did that, and my dad or Kent ever found out that I had this piece of evidence and didn't give it to them - God damnit, I'm screwed either way.

Swiftly, I peel open the note, hoping that its contents give me any hint about what I should do next. But it's just two lines of cryptic poetry.

The little wren sleeps, warm in its nest,

The mink at its door doth it detest.

What? I wrinkle my nose at the verse, written in Fiona's hand. What the hell was this?

It doesn't even make any sense - nests don't have doors -

I grit my teeth and fold it up, trying to decide what to do.

My eyes fall on my desk then, and I make a decision, then.

Well, I make a decision that allows me to defer the real decision. I hurry out of my bed and over to the desk, grabbing some scotch tape out of the top drawer and crawling underneath to tape the note to the back of the slim central drawer. There, I think, crawling out and dusting my hands off. Now that it's safely hidden, I can decide later what it is that I want to do.

I get back into bed and lay my head back on my pillow, wondering and worried. Damnit, things have so grown so very complicated.

 

Chapter 35

Breakfast the next morning is...awkward.

Kent serves Daniel and I eggs and sausage, sliding the plates onto the table next to our cups of coffee without a word of acknowledgement.

Daniel and I dig in silently, both intuiting that it's better to stay off Kent's radar.

When Kent's back in the galley, Daniel looks at me curiously, nodding to his dad and shrugging in question, asking me with his gestures whether or not I have any idea what's going on.

I shrug back, doing my very best to pretend that I don't. God, I hope he believes me.

Daniel sighs and we continue eating quietly for a few minutes.

I open my mouth to ask Daniel his plans for the day when a guard comes into the room, rushing towards Kent. Distracted, I shut my mouth and we both watch the action instead.

"Sir," the guard says. "There's a...visitor at the door." Oddly, he glancing at me then. "He came without warning - do you want to see him?"

T

Kent glares at me as well - what the hell did I do? - as he wipes his hands and takes off his apron, following the guard out of the room. Daniel and I gape curiously after him, but he's back a few moments later, pointing at me and snapping his fingers before disappearing from the room again.

"Um," Daniel says uncomfortably. "I think you're being...summoned."

"Okay," I say, a little breathless with worry. I give Daniel a little smile and then head out of the room, walking down the hall to Kent's study.

He's standing at his desk then, staring at me with a hard expression as I come in.

"Um?" I say, my hands tangling anxiously in my hair. "Did you...want me?"

Kent pauses, looking me over, before answering. "Your father is here," he says. "He wants a word with you."

My eyes widen at this and I just stare at Kent, not knowing what to say.

"Well?" Kent says, a little anger or frustration in his voice now - I can't tell which. "Do you want to see him?" "Um?" I say again, my eyes darting around. "Do you...want me to see him?"

Kent crosses his arms over his chest, studying my every move. We stand in silence so long I can't stand it.

"Seriously, Kent," I burst out, almost frantic with my anxiety now. "I have no idea what's going on. Do you want me to see him? Do you think I shouldn't? After what happened at the party - I don't know -"

"It's fine, Fay," Kent says, interrupting me and giving me a little nod. "It's not a test," he continues, though something in me tells me that maybe it was. "Your father has come to the house and asked to see you. He's alone. If you'd like to see him, you may." "Oh," I say again - I'm genuinely unsure of what I want. "I guess? I'll see him? If you're okay with it?"

Kent nods to me and then to a guard I didn't realize was standing behind me.

As the guard heads off, Kent gestures to me to come closer, so I do. I stand by his side and we both watch the door silently, waiting for Alden to show up.

Alden appears a few minutes later, his face worried.

"Fay," he says, crossing the room to me and wrapping me in a hug I wasn't expecting. "I'm so glad to see you're all right."

He nods to Kent next. "Thank you, Kent, so much. For taking care of my girl."

I look between them. "You didn't know? That I was all right?"

Alden shakes his head, glaring at Kent a little. "I just got word this morning. Apparently this house was on lockdown all day yesterday."

"Sorry to have kept you waiting," Kent says, his arms crossed. "It was in the best interests of my security. Do you have any word on what happened two nights ago? Who is responsible for the attack?"

Alden shakes his head, apparently unsure. "My men are out there, listening to the word on the street. Our best guess is that it was Ivan." Alden says, spreading his hands. "He's had it out for you, Lippert, ever since you went to the Warden." I look between them. Ivan? The Warden? What the hell was going on?

Kent nods slowly at Alden, his face giving nothing away.

"I think he was trying to take us both out," Alden says, shaking his head with regret. "I should have known - shouldn't have had such a big party -"

Kent says nothing and I frown a little. This was Kent's very theory - why isn't he confirming it? The room grows awkwardly quiet.

"Would you mind," Alden says, breaking the silence and gesturing towards me. "If I had a private moment with my daughter? I still haven't had a moment alone with her. To reconnect."

Kent studies me for a moment and then nods slowly. He says nothing as he heads out of the room.

I look at my father then, feeling strange and awkward. My hands go immediately to my hair, starting to braid it.

"Fay," he says, quite tenderly. "Are you all right? You weren't hurt?"

"No," I say to him, genuinely. "Really, I'm fine - Kent got us out unscathed. Are - are you okay? Tristin, the kids?"

"We're all fine," he says, relieved, wiping his sweaty hands down the length of his suitcoat. "We got lucky, with the baby needing attention in that moment. We were out of the room and able to get to the car without much fuss." "Good," I say, for lack of any better response.

Alden glances towards the door. "And you're...happy here?" he asks. "Lippert is good to you?"

"Oh," I say, following his gaze, surprised by the direction of the conversation. "Yeah, sure, everyone's really nice."

"Because you know," my father says softly. "If you wanted to come home, you are always welcome."

Home. The word doesn't sit easy with me, not really. Because his home hasn't been my home in years.

"That's okay," I say, giving him a little smile. "I think I want to stay here, with Daniel. My fiancé."

It's not a lie, not really. Of course, I'd rather go home to my real family, but if that's not an option then I'd certainly rather stay here with Daniel, who at least is my friend, before going to live with Tristin. "Ah, your fiancé," Alden says, giving me a fatherly grin. "And how are things going with the two of you?"

"Really well," I say, raising my eyebrows and lying with ease. It's not too hard, I guess, when your fake fiancé really is your best friend. I grow awkwardly silent again, though, not really knowing what else to say.

"Do you love him?" He asks.

I blink. "Yes, of course I do."

"And have you two..."

I blink again, wondering - and then I blush, realizing what he's asking. I look down at the floor, embarrassed. He just chuckles.

"My Fay," he says, "such a good girl. I'm sorry - I'm pushing you too far. I just ask because you know," he says, leaning down to speak conspiratorially with me. "You're still quite young - perhaps too young to get married. If you ever wanted to explore your options, I could introduce you to quite a few eligible young gentlemen."

My mouth falls open a little in surprise. What? I thought I had been engaged to Daniel since I was a baby - was it not as much of a done deal as I thought it had been?

I blink and then force myself to laugh a little. "Thank you for the offer," I say, "but Daniel and I are very happy."

"Okay," he says, putting a warm hand on my shoulder. "You let me know if you change your mind."

Alden glances towards the door again. "I'm going to head out, now that I know that you're safe. Unless..." he gives me a significant look here. "You have anything to give to me...?"

I blink at him, confused, and then suddenly realize -

Oh my god, does he mean Fiona's note?

"No," I say, stepping back a little, my answer coming perhaps a little too fast. I wrap my fingers further in my hair. "Um, no. I don't have anything to give you. Not...right now. At least."

"All right, my dear," he says, leaning forward to give me a kiss on the forehead. Then, with a pat on my cheek, he strides out of the room.

I stand there, perfectly still, watching him go. What the hell was that?

A few minutes later, when Kent comes into the room, I'm still standing there, stricken, thinking deeply about this snarled world. Kent closes the door behind him and closes the distance between us, sitting down at his desk and folding his hands in his lap. "So, Fay" Kent says, looking at me evenly