“We’re late.”

April doesn’t say anything. I’m sure being prompt isn’t something she generally concerns herself with. For the last two nights, she’s been in a hotel with Cruise checking on her almost hourly. I’ve not spent much time with her, but enough to want to help her clean up, something she says she wants. Two days—it’s working so far, even if she did pull a butter knife on Cruise at two in the morning when he busted her trying to slip out to find a hit of anything.

I’ve paid for the hotel. I’ll pay for her rehab. That’s the deal. I’ve been impressed with her determination to clean up, pretending the one incident didn’t happen. Something unexpected did happen though. Underneath the drug-induced filth and toil of her life, she’s a stunning woman. And fortunately the usual side effects haven’t become the main effects of her existence. I think there’s hope when the drugs clear from the striking blue of her eyes.

In the quiet of the elevator, I say, “You look beautiful, April.” I say it not because I have to, but because I want to. I have a feeling she doesn’t hear many nice things these days. When was the last time anyone said anything nice to her?

A smile, though small and shy, makes its way across her face. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.”

“You’ll still pay for my rehab and set me up with an apartment like you said?”

Stepping off the elevator, I stop to finish this conversation before we go any farther. “I will. Full rehab and one year of apartment rental. The rest is on you.”

“Thank you for helping me. You’re kinder than your father.”

I’ve visited her twice in the last two days. She wouldn’t talk at all the first day. The second she talked about a family she once had. I don’t know what it’s like to lose everything, but she gave me an idea. What she refused to talk about was my father. It was frustrating, but she doesn’t owe me anything. I’m hoping tonight will change things. Remind her of what I need without causing too much pain in the process for anyone. It’s a move my father would pull, which worries me. I don’t want to be like him, but sometimes we have to be what we aren’t to get what we want. I try again by asking, “You seem to know a lot about him. How do you know him, April?”

She looks away from me. “Everyone knows your father.”

My father, the famous widowed millionaire—money, looks, and a prestigious name. The full package by everyone’s standards. If they only saw what I see, the cunning man behind the myth. Checking my watch, I don’t have time to dig into this anymore. Cruise arrived ahead of us to pull my father aside. I want this done before Sara Jane arrives, but we’re late. I’ll keep her waiting to handle this first, then join her inside the party.

When we walk across the main floor, the lights are dim, the music from the party is loud, and Cruise is waiting on us.

He meets us halfway and does a double take. “She looks different,” he says before his eyes shift to me and back again.

“Is Sara Jane here?”

“No. I scoped out the party. Neither is your father.”

“Good. Let’s go to his office. He’s probably in there hiding from his employees.”

“He’s not exactly liked.” Cruise is staring at me, so I finally snap, “What?”

April remains quiet by my side. He glances to her and then shakes his head. “Nothing.”

“Then stop staring, and let’s get this over with.” Cruise steps in line and we take a sharp right and make our way to my father’s office. “You’re going to take April back to the hotel. The rehab place is expecting her in the morning.”

The light is on in my father’s office, but the blinds are closed. I’m not surprised. He’s probably fucking some intern before he announces the company is being sold off for the price of its parts.

I’m hoping April’s my smoking gun and ready to talk once she sees him. I know there’s more to their story, and I want to find out. Between April and him, I’m determined to get answers once and for all. My father has despicable people working for him, and I know one of them knows something about my mother’s death. His dirty deeds are coming back to haunt him, his sins are about to be exposed, and I might finally get justice for my mother.

Refusing to give him any more respect than I have already, I push open the door. As predicted, he’s found some easy target to play his sick sexual games. Her dress is up and her bare ass pressed against his glass desk. He’s leaning forward, positioned like he’s ready to fuck her. I laugh, loving that I messed up his plans. Though not announced, our entrance wasn’t quiet. When he doesn’t even bother to acknowledge me, I spit, “Get your whore out.”

Typical. He doesn’t even bother to turn around as he stands there like a statue, staring at her. “Told you my son would be here shortly.” Her hair is messed up, some hanging down, some still up. The woman’s body shakes with a sob, and I hear her start to cry. My anger converts into confusion. He shifts and very slowly looks back at me over his shoulder. “Just in time, Alex. I couldn’t have planned it better. Oh wait, I did plan it. I just expected to be inside her when you walked in.” My world is ripped out from under me. “You might know this whore.”

The woman moves her head to look at me and the air is gut-punched from my lungs as my mind grapples with familiarity. Through strands of chestnut hair, black streaks down her cheeks, and red that at first glance is mistaken as blood, I recognize those deep oceanic eyes. They’re mine. Mine. And they should never look that fucking devastated. My brain stumbles for a split second to make sense of what my father and the woman I gave my whole fucking heart to are doing. “Sara Jane?”

“Alexander,” she says, her voice breaking at the end. “Help.”

Only a split second. Then I’m there before she finishes her sentence, throwing him to the ground. Sara Jane remains standing, her hand unmoving, a pen held in the air like a knife.

Despite the scuffle behind me and Cruise yelling, I take hold of her wrist and lower her arm down slowly. “I’m here, Firefly.” Staring into her eyes, something wild has replaced the kindness I’m used to, her spirit dimmed, but her instincts unleashed.

“Alexander,” she says, sniffling. Her forehead hits my chest.

I push her hair back from her face and wipe the black streaks from her cheeks. “I’m here.” Sliding her dress down to cover her hips and underwear, I wrap my arms around her. “It’s okay. I’m here.” I turn just enough to see Cruise out of the corner of my eye blocking the door. I look at my father and make a promise I intend to keep. “When I kill you, you will die a slow and painful death.”

He laughs, pushing up off the floor. “I expect no less, but I was just testing to see if she was worthy of the Kingwood name. Like wine, she should be tasted before committing to the whole bottle.”

Turning back to Sara Jane, I rest my cheek against her head. My jaw is ticking, my hand shaking from the rage filling my muscles. But she needs me more. Through gritted teeth, I tell Cruise, “Get him out of here before I fucking kill him.”

“Don’t threaten me, son. If you want the truth, she came willingly. She wanted me. All along. She wanted me. Can’t blame her.”

My temper spikes. “Shut the fuck up.”

Sara Jane fists my shirt, pulling my attention back to her. “Get me out of here, Alexander. Please.”

The noise behind me grows, Cruise and my father fighting until his back hits the large window. Shielding Sara Jane with my body, I turn back. My father is frozen with fear. When I follow his line of sight, my gaze lands on April. My assumptions are finally confirmed. She played a role in the Kingwood mystery.

My father stammers, “Wha-what-t is she doing here?”

April stands just inside the doorway, her mouth open and her eyes full of tears as she stares at him. When she looks to me, she says, “He injected me the first time. I trusted him with my life . . . with my baby. I should have known better.”

Shocked by this turn, I say, “I don’t know what the fuck is going on, but you need to tell me now.”

April’s cries turn to sobs as she stares at the man on the other end of her hatred. “He turned me into a drug addict. One of his henchmen showed up every day after that first day. Pinning me down and shooting me up until I was the one roaming the streets looking for the next fix.”

Baby?

“She’s supposed to be dead.” My father points at the ghost that’s come back to haunt him. “She tried to take you from your mother.”

“What? What do you mean?” My gaze darts to April.

“She, she, she needs help. She—”

“I was so happy. I thought he’d be happy. I’d just given birth. I gave birth to the heir that woman couldn’t. But he,” she screams, pointing back at my father, “he took my baby. He stole you away from me.”

Blood rushes in my ears, and my head becomes light. My grip on Sara Jane and reality loosens. I’m not sure what happens in the next few seconds. My body along with my mind goes numb. Blackness replaces the air evaporating from the room and my thoughts float like I’m underwater. My body is shaken, my thoughts still racing toward reason, toward some rationale that can help me hold on to the words thrown out so recklessly.

Alexander is whispered, my skin tingling from warmth. I look down into the only eyes I can lose myself in. “Alexander,” Sara Jane says, cradling my face with her soft hands. “Alexander, look at me.”

“I am.”

“Look. At. Me.”

My eyes focus on her wide, worried eyes. Her expression breaks what’s left of my heart. Reaching out, I brush the pads of my thumbs over her cheeks, hoping to make the lines level out.

The mixture of loud voices and movement behind me drags my attention away from my sweet Firefly. But it’s not just my world that’s changed. All of ours have changed, forever more. Not sure what happened in the time my mind went numb, but when I scope out the scene behind me, April is crying and Cruise is holding the gun we bought after the attack last night. He’s pointing it right at my father, but his hand is steady, and I know his mind is focused, unlike mine. The standoff is amplified when my father stands strong, like a fool. We all watch as he reaches into the cabinet next to him and pulls his own weapon. My instincts kick in, and I shield Sara Jane instantly with my body. I won’t just die for her. I will go to hell to protect her without a second thought of my own ending. I tell her, “Get down.”

She slips under the desk behind me and both of my arms go wide, trying to stop the catastrophe playing out. “Get out, April,” I say. “Cruise, lower your gun.” He doesn’t. I understand under the circumstances. When I look at my father, I see the change—the fear in his eyes, the concern covering his expression. Looking at me, it’s for me, concern for me. “Father, don’t do this.”

“She’s a junkie, son. She lies for drugs. She does anything, says anything to get her next hit.” He wipes his brow on the sleeve of his jacket. “She wouldn’t leave us alone. Your sweet mother was so good to her, and look what she does. She fills your head with lies.”

April says, “I’m not lying, Alex. You can’t deny how much we look alike.”

My father shouts, “Shut up, you lying bitch!”

Cruise’s arms are solid, but he still asks, “What do I do, King?”

“Lower your gun.” Turning to my father, I say, “Dad, lower your gun.”

April drops to her knees, letting the floor take the blunt blow as she sobs. “I’m not lying. He ruined my life. He’s lying.”

When she looks up again, our eyes meet and in that moment, I see her. I see the truth running through her pained face and pleading in her eyes. “Oh my God, you’re telling the truth.” Betrayal rushes my veins and I turn in disgust to see the man who claims to care about me. “Is she my mother?”

“He took you from me,” April cries, “right out of my arms. They cut me open to save you. I couldn’t move. He took you from me and left me there to die. I’ve been dying every day since. But this is my redemption. This is yours. I’m the one who gave birth to you. You are my son.”

My father refuses to look at me, so I say it louder, “You did this. You did this as if this would never come to light.” My voice rages like my emotions. “Admit it!”

Something miraculous happens. My father shows real emotion. For the first time in history, I wish I could read his mind, but I think what I’m seeing is his heartbreak, his pain, and his loss over my mother’s death. And possibly, his failures with me. “I did everything for your mother. She wanted a child so desperately. I could give her anything she wanted in the world, but that’s all she wanted. Son, you’ve got to understand. I loved her.”

“More than yourself? Because that would be deep love.”

“I loved her more than anything.” He’s forgotten what love means. “I failed your mother when I couldn’t protect her from this bitch.” His gun lowers, but wags in April’s direction. “I met her when I’d drank too much. She made me feel powerful, not like the failure I did at home, but it was nothing. She was nothing to me. One time and my shame would live with me forever. My shame would not just hate me, but survive me and live on.” He cheated on Mom?

I stand with my arms hanging down, my life sinking to a new low. “Your shame lived on through me. You made me feel like nothing, nothing worth your time or love.”

“No. That’s not true. She was bringing my shame to life, to taunt the woman I loved. I begged her not to go through with it.”

I scrub my face. “Have I ever meant anything to you?” The defeat I feel seeps through my blood and I lean back on the desk for support. I can’t process that my life has been a sham. “My mother was an angel. She had so much love to give and showed me how to give it. I never felt worthy because I was your son, but I knew I was redeemable because I was her son. Who the fuck am I now?” My disgust seeps out. “You are the cause of her death. I know you’re a part of it, the cause of it, and I will spend my life proving it. You’re going down for what you did to April, but you’ll rot in a jail cell for what you did to my mother and for touching my girlfriend.” I take my phone from my pocket and flick it on to call the cops. “You’re going to pay for everything you’ve done—with your company and with your life.”

“No,” he pleads. “I gave your mother everything she wanted. Let me explain. We’d just foun—”

“There’s no explaining your way out of this. Say goodbye to your life.”

“I’m sorry,” he says, his body losing the fight and his shoulders sagging in response. “I love you.”

The explosion causes me to drop to the floor, my body covering Sara Jane. Her scream penetrates the silence of the aftermath. I hold her shaking body as tightly as I can. My eyes open when I hear Cruise yell, “Holy fuck.”

Daring to look, Cruise shoves the gun in the back of his pants, looks down, and rubs his temples. “Shit, King.”

April is a mess on the floor, so he leans down to help her up. I survey behind me. Blood is everywhere from the window to the floor, the bottom of my pants and some on my shoes. My father’s lifeless body flat on his back—eyes closed tight in the last emotion he ever experienced—fear. He fucking shot himself. The coward. Turning back to Sara Jane, I whisper, “I want you out of here.”

“Alexander. Alexander. He’s dead?” she asks, crying.

“Yes.” I shift to my knees and look over my shoulder. Fucking hell. When the reality of what just happened hits, it’s going to hit hard. But for now, I need to get her somewhere else, somewhere safe. “Don’t look anywhere but at the exit. Keep your eyes forward, Firefly. Okay?”

“All right.” I help her to her feet. When she’s standing steady, I wrap my arm around her waist, but she sees the blood on the floor and gasps. “Oh my God, Alexander. We need to call nine-one-one.”

“I will, but he’s dead. They can’t save him. Just keep moving.”

Cruise has April sitting at his cubicle when we round the corner. I walk Sara Jane to mine and set her in my chair. Bending down, I spin her toward me, holding her by the knees. “Look at me. Look at my eyes, Sara Jane.” Her hands cover mine, and she nods. “Good.” When I know I have her full attention, I tell her, “Stay here. Right here. Don’t move until I come for you. Do you understand?”

“Yes.” She sees me glance to April, but her tears dry and my strong, sweet girl comes back to me. “I’ll help her. You go.”

“You sure?”

She nods and I kiss her quickly. “Thank you.” I lower my voice. “When the cops arrive, don’t say anything about April and what she said or what my dad said. Can you do that for me?”

She touches my cheek and I lean into it, needing her comfort. “Don’t you know, Alexander? I would do anything for you.”

I nod, closing my eyes, absorbing the trust she’s given me and stealing her strength. When I open my eyes again, I say, “I will do anything for you. I love you. Remember that.”

“I love you. Now go. We’ll be okay.”

Nodding once again, I stand and dial the police while heading back to the huge fucking scene of a crime that is my life. What. The. Fuck. Just. Happened?