Damage Control

I whistle. “That’s a lot of cash to throw at a kid.”

“That was nothing compared to what he gave my brother. And like I said. My brother likes the cash.”

“Tell me how you got here.”

“I hadn’t been able to reach Rick for weeks and I was starting to fear he’d taken a job for the Geminis that had gone wrong. I went by his place and he wasn’t there, and I was desperate enough to swing by my stepfather’s.”

“Your dead stepfather?”

“He wasn’t dead until that night, Shane.”

Murder. The word rips through my mind.

“No one was answering when I knocked, and I walked around to the back and the glass door was open. Making a long story short. My brother was there and my stepfather was dead. It was horrible, Shane. I’ve never seen anyone dead like that. There was blood. So much blood and his eyes…” She presses her hands to her face. “They were open.”

I take her hand in mine. “I can’t believe you’ve been holding this inside.”

“Honestly, I didn’t think about it. I couldn’t or I’d lose it. I honestly don’t know how I’ve blocked it out. I mean, how do you block out someone you lived with for years, lying in a puddle of his own blood? What kind of person can do that?”

“Don’t do that to yourself,” I say, resting my hand on top of her knees. “The mind is an amazing thing. It protects us. It compartmentalizes so we can stay sane. You’ve survived when many wouldn’t have. You’re stronger than I think you realize.”

“I wasn’t strong that night, or I might have made different decisions. I was freaking out. Crying. Screaming. Losing my mind.”

“Why did he kill him?”

“He claimed that he found out my stepfather stole money from him and the Geminis and made it look like my brother did it. They fought and came to blows, and my stepfather ended up with a statue in his head.”

“So it was self-defense.”

“He says it was.”

I arch a brow. “That sounds like doubt.”

“I don’t know my brother anymore, and the past few weeks have really driven that point home. I mean, my first reaction was to go to the police. I wanted, no, I begged him to go to them, but he wouldn’t.”

“You said there was a murder. That doesn’t sound like you think this was an accident.”

“There was an obvious struggle. I believe they fought, but what kind of person bashes a man’s head in, Shane?” She swallows hard and shuts her eyes a moment before she looks at me again. “It wasn’t one bash to the head. Or maybe it was. Who am I to judge? I could barely look at him like that.”

“If you think it was more than self-defense,” I say, “I trust your instincts. What was his reasoning for not going to the police?”

“He said that Geminis don’t turn in Geminis or they end up dead. And Geminis that steal from Geminis end up tortured and then dead. In my eyes, that was a reason for him to offer evidence against the Geminis in exchange for immunity.”

“But he didn’t agree.”

“He told me he had to clean up the mess, prove his innocence. And if he failed, he said two things would happen: They’d make him watch me die and then they’d kill him. I told him I’d go to the police. I’m not a Gemini, but he said anyone who turned on them ended up dead.”

“That’s when he told you to run,” I say, but I’m beginning to think he was just getting rid of a problem, thankfully without killing her.

“Yes,” she confirms. “That’s when he told me to run. He had me take a leave from school, made my new identification, and sent me on my way. He wouldn’t even let me touch the money my mother left me that I have saved. He said it would look to the Geminis, and the police, like I was running. Which I am, but he made up some story about some trip to Africa to help the starving and sick. Booked my tickets, registered me.”

“Let’s hope he did a better job of that than he did on your identity.” And as I’m suspicious by nature, and even more so about her brother, I ask, “How much money do you have in your account?”

“Two hundred thousand in three accounts. I’m paranoid. I didn’t want it all in one place.”

“And your brother has money too, right?”

“Oh yes. He’s a millionaire, just like my stepfather. And if you’re asking yourself why am I living like I am here in Denver, it’s a good question. He keeps promising to send me my money, but he doesn’t.”

“What is his reasoning?”

“He says he’s trying to find a way to send it to me without drawing attention, but he’s sent me nothing. Not a dime. I left school because of him, and I can’t even get to my own money. I was down to pennies when I got the job working for your father.”

“Based on what you’ve told me about your stepfather, I now know why you handle my father so well.”

“My brother and stepfather are different variations of your father. All three are rich, arrogant jerks. He’s actually a little too like my stepfather for comfort.”

“They’re both certainly poison to everyone around them. Do you have any idea if your stepfather has been found?”

“My brother told me he made it look like he left the country.”

“We can find that out, and let’s hope he did a better job of that than he did of creating your new identity. I’m going to get Seth to do some discreet digging and we’ll have answers tomorrow.” I stroke her hair behind her ear. “I want you to move in with me.”