“Are you blaming me? This is your fucked up family’s fault.” We were now shouting, but I couldn’t bring myself to care.
“Guys.” Dash’s voice intruded on our heated moment, and when I turned around, I saw why. Holding Dash’s hand was Kennedy, who looked on the verge of tears. Before I could think of something comforting to say, Keiran, Lake, and Q filed past them, which meant they must have all heard, too.
They each took a seat and pretended nothing was wrong, all except Keiran, who watched me with a cold look in his eyes. Lake cast worried glances between Keenan and me while Q silently observed.
Dash thankfully broke the silence again. “Kennedy, why don’t you go play with your toys while your mother and I have a talk?”
“Will you play with me?” she directed to Keenan.
“I need to talk with your mother too, but I’ll play as soon as I’m done.”
“I’ll come play, sweetie,” Lake offered. She patted Keiran’s shoulder on the way out, and just that simple touch from her seemed to calm him.
“Why are you guys here?” I asked as soon as Lake led Kennedy from the room.
Keiran and Keenan quickly ran down the events of last night leading up to Kennedy’s rescue. “One of the men who took Kennedy was one of the investigators your father hired to find her.”
“How is that possible?”
“That’s something we’d like to ask your father,” Keiran replied with ice dripping from every syllable.
“Are you seriously suggesting my father had something to do with his own grandchild being abducted?”
“What I’m suggesting is that we ask him. He at least has to know some information about the men he hired that could lead us to why he hired them in the first place.
“Which man was it?”
“The one Keiran didn’t try to kill,” Q answered matter of factly.
“And if my father doesn’t know anything?”
“Then we start looking at him as a suspect.”
“Yeah, but there is just one little detail you’re missing. Why would my father want you dead? This whole nightmare started because of you. Someone is after you, not me, and not Kennedy.”
“As long as she’s a Masters—”
“She’s not. She’s a Chambers.”
Keenan and Keiran each narrowed their eyes in a similar fashion, and if I weren’t so pissed, I would have been amazed by how alike they truly were. It had been impossible to see in high school because while Keiran wore his crown proudly, Keenan had been the devil in sheep’s clothing.
“A fact your parents seem to hold against you.”
“Enough,” Dash barked. “It doesn’t fucking matter what her last name is. We protect her regardless. Now, my father is no saint, but having Kennedy abducted is not something he would do despite how he feels about paternity.”
“So what are you saying?” Keenan asked, but it sounded more like a challenge.
“I’m saying we ask him for the information on the investigators he hired, but we consider other angles. Keiran, you’re going to need to think harder about your past, and be sure there is no one left who would want to hurt you.”
The doorbell rang so I used the opportunity to escape the overwhelming tension currently circulating the room.
“Good morning, Ms. Chambers.” The federal agents assigned to Kennedy’s case stood on the front porch.
“Good morning. I promise I was going to come in. I just—”
“No need for apologies. The important thing is that Kennedy is home safe. We’ve covered most of the questioning with her father, but as her legal guardian, we wanted to ask some additional questions. They are routine if you have a few moments.”
“Yes, of course.” I moved aside to let them in.
“Is there somewhere we can speak in private?” I led them past the kitchen to the small library down the hall.
“Can I offer you something to drink?”
“No, that won’t be necessary. This will only take a few minutes.”
“So, how can I help you?”
“The men who found your daughter last night found themselves in a sticky predicament. Two men were killed rather gruesomely, particularly one whose throat was cut and then stabbed nine times in the heart. How much do you know about the events that took place?”
Bile rose up in my throat at the mental picture he unnecessarily painted. “Not much. I wasn’t there.”
“Were you aware of what they were planning to do before it happened?
“By aware, do you mean if I knew if they planned to kill those men?”
“We’re concerned, given the history of the men involved, particularly Keiran Masters. Throughout this entire investigation, we’ve been given little information and are curious as to how a house a few hours from here was suddenly happened upon.”
I didn’t know if it was paranoia, but I suddenly had the feeling that I was being tricked into a corner, only I wasn’t the prey.
“I’m sorry… you said there were routine questions you needed to ask?”