“I’m not.”
“Tell me why you took Anna. I saw her there. Did you know that? She was chained up in a hallway like a prisoner, and I couldn’t help her. How do you think that makes me feel?”
“I know how it makes you feel. You watch something horrible happening, and you’re powerless to stop it. I’ve felt it every single day since high school.”
“How could you have funded these people?” Talon asked.
What was more important was what Talon hadn’t asked yet. The question we both wanted the answer to. Why had he allowed Wendy to have Talon abducted? Surely he could have stopped it.
“I made some mistakes,” he said. “Some grave mistakes.”
“Sell it somewhere else,” I replied. “I, for one, am not buying it.”
“Look,” he said, “I’m not flying your brother and sister here so you can believe me, much less forgive me. But I’m going to tell you the truth. You all deserve that much. Besides, there’s something else you need to know.”
“What’s that?”
He cleared his throat. “I’m dying.”
Chapter Thirty
Ruby
Juliet and I sat on the deck with Marabel and the two little boys Talon and Ryan had rescued. They had showered and were dressed in T-shirts and sweatpants that were a little too big on their skinny frames. Marabel had fed them a light meal. Too much too soon, and they’d get sick. They hadn’t told us their names yet, but the puppies were bringing out a few smiles in them. They were handsome boys, both blond with green eyes. Probably brothers. The younger boy spoke a little. I hadn’t heard the older one utter a sound yet.
I tried not to worry, even though Ryan had told me that the private detective they had arrived with had disappeared. I wasn’t sure how anyone could disappear from this strange Steel compound. We were fenced in by twenty-foot concrete walls. He’d be found soon.
Juliet was improving. In twenty-four hours, she had regained some color to her cheeks and was shivering a little less. Her appetite had improved as well. She’d eaten two whole eggs this morning, though she still skipped the orange juice.
We expected Joe and Marj anytime now. They were coming straight here, so Marjorie wouldn’t be subjected to the dorms or any other heinous things.
The older boy was petting the puppy Juliet had named Bo. He was a little less rambunctious than Ernie and Beauty, and he allowed the boy to hold him and stroke him without wriggling away.
I’d heard of pet therapy, and now I was a true believer. Bo was helping this boy. I walked over to where he sat on the deck with the puppy.
“He’s cute, isn’t he?”
The boy didn’t answer.
“Can you tell me your name?”
Nothing.
“My name’s Ruby, and that puppy’s name is Bo.”
Still no answer. If only Melanie were here. She’d know how to talk to these kids.
“If you can tell me your name, we can call your parents. I’m sure they’ll want to know where you are.”
Again, nothing.
So I sat with him, just let him feel my presence. Sometimes that was all I could do. Made me feel pretty useless.
A few minutes later, Ryan came to the door. “Joe and Marj have arrived. They’ll be here in about fifteen minutes.”
I stood. “I’ll be back as soon as I can,” I told the boy. “Stay here with Marabel and the others, okay?”
He didn’t respond, but he did give me a slight nod of his head. I smiled at him and secretly jumped up and down in my mind. I’d gotten through to him. This was the first time he’d responded in any way to any of us.
I walked into the kitchen with Ryan. “Do you want me to come with you?”
“Yeah. This concerns you as much as any of us.”
“I’m not sure it does. This is family stuff, Ryan. I’m not family.”
“You will be.”
I hadn’t yet given him an answer to his proposal. We’d been interrupted.
“I don’t think it’s appropriate for me to be there if Jade and Melanie aren’t. This is between you, your siblings, and your father.”
“I want you there, Ruby. I need you there.”
“I want to be there,” I said. “But it’s not fair to the others.”
He sighed. “All right.” He pressed a kiss to my lips. “We’ll be in my dad’s office. It’s not going to be pretty. I hope Tal and I can handle Joe. He hasn’t even come into the house yet, and already I can feel his anger permeating these walls.”
“You’re imagining things.”
“I hope so.” He kissed me again and walked out of the kitchen.
I would join the others back on the deck, but first I was going to change clothes. I had worn another pair of silk pajamas to bed, but Marabel had ordered clothes for Juliet, the boys, and me, so I wanted to put on something other than nightclothes.
I walked toward my room, when voices—one that was very familiar—came from Brad Steel’s office again.
“This is my business too,” my father said.
“I’m not denying that, but you can’t be here right now. Leave. Use the garage entrance. Make sure no one sees you.”
“You owe me.”
“I owe you nothing. So I welshed on a bequest. So what? You didn’t need it. You, Wade, and Simpson were pulling in millions at the time of my supposed death.”
“Well, Wade and Simpson are dead now, and I’m rapidly going broke.”
“Not my problem. Now leave.”
“It is partially your problem, Brad. Do I need to remind you?”
Silence for a few seconds. Then, “All bets were off when you brutalized my son. I could’ve had you arrested, tried, and convicted, and you’d be living out your days as a prison bitch. Or maybe you’d enjoy that?”
“You wouldn’t have found me. Not even my daughter could find me, and she’s a first-rate cop.”
“She didn’t have my resources. Most importantly, one resource that could have done you in with a phone call. Just leave now. Let me deal with my children. I’ll take care of you later.”
Footsteps advanced toward the door, and I scurried into the bedroom I shared with Juliet.
Chapter Thirty-One
Ryan
Talon and I met Jonah and Marj at the front door. They had arrived in a black SUV—was that the only car on this island?—and their driver pulled away as I watched.
I looked at my brother.
Joe was angry. A vein pulsed in his neck. They’d been flying all night, so he was also no doubt sleep-deprived. An invisible shield surrounded him. Talon and I knew better than to mess with it.
Marjorie, though, fell into my arms and held on for dear life. A few seconds later, though, she pulled away and punched my arm. “How could you not tell me any of this? What kind of brothers are you?”
“The kind who put your safety before everything else,” I said.
“That’s no excuse.” She punched me again and then headed to Talon. She fell into his arms as well and then repeated the punches.
“I’m so angry with both of you, but so happy—” Her eyes turned into circles, and she ripped herself away from Talon. “Daddy!”
I turned. Our father had indeed entered the foyer. He hadn’t elaborated earlier on his statement that he was dying, as we’d gotten word right then that Joe and Marj were arriving soon. Talon and I hadn’t pushed. He looked the same as he always had, and I couldn’t help wondering if the statement had been some kind of ploy to gain our sympathy.
Marjorie launched herself onto him, hugging him hard.
“Hey, there, baby girl,” he said softly. He kissed the top of Marj’s head. “I’ve missed you.”
I expected her to pull back and punch him as she had Talon and me, but she didn’t. Instead, she burst into tears and cried into his chest. He rubbed her back and let her sob, saying nothing.
Finally, when she pulled away and sniffled, I saw the pain in my baby sister’s eyes.
“I want to see my mother.”
The truth of that statement struck me. Marjorie had only been two when Daphne had presumably died. She had no memories. She would truly be seeing her mother for the first time.
“Later,” our father said. “She’s not…well.”
“Talon explained everything. I understand. But damn it, I want to see my mother!”