Bad Boy - A Stepbrother Romance (18 page)

I shook my head, feeling utterly miserable. I should’ve seen it coming. I should’ve remembered exactly when Elijah had slipped up and mentioned the hair straightener thing to me, but I hadn’t.

“As for your Mom, I never knew why my Dad trusted her so much. I always had a weird feel—” Finn began to speak again before cutting himself off midsentence. “Never mind.”

I knew he wanted to say horrible things about her, but he didn’t want to hurt me by saying them in front of me.

“I’m sorry,” I said, tears still pricking at my eyes as they threatened to spill out. “I’m so sorry. I had no idea she was like this. I mean, I always knew she was kind of flighty and bitchy at times, but never
this.
”

He let out a long sigh. “It’s not your fault, Rory. Not at all,” he said. “Look, I know she’s your mother, but we need to tell my Dad about this and get the police involved. Right fucking now.”

I nodded. “I know. I want to turn her in. I just wanted to tell you first. I wanted to make sure you…”

“Make sure I what?”

“I…”

I couldn’t even say it. He sank to my level, his eyes widening. “Rory, this doesn’t change us. I still lo…I mean, I still want to be with you. Just because your Mom is screwing my Dad over doesn’t mean my feelings for you are gonna change.”

“Really?” I said in a small voice.

He grabbed my hand. “Yes, really. Sorry if I made you think otherwise. I’m just really fucking pissed at your Mom and Elijah.”

“Same.”

The tears finally began to flow, and Finn held me as I sobbed into his shoulder.

“It’s not fair,” I gasped out through my tears. “First my father, and now my mother as well.”

Finn pulled back, his eyebrows crinkled with confusion and concern. “What are you talking about?” he asked.

I was silent for a moment, and then words began to spill out of me like crazy. “I know I’ve never told you about this, and I’m sorry, I just never wanted to talk about it ever again. Only my friend Dana knows.”

“What is it?”

I swallowed hard. “My early childhood was horrible. My Dad…”

Finn’s hand stroked my leg as my voice trailed away. “What about him?” he asked in a soft voice.

“When I was really young, he used to hurt me,” I said, my voice shaking. “Not in a sexually abusive way, but things like hitting me and kicking me. This was before Grandma lived with us. My Mom was always at work when he hurt me, so there was no one around to stop him. He just liked to have power over someone much smaller than him.”

I sniffed and then continued. “He had a way of explaining the bruises on me. He used to tell my Mom that I’d fallen over while playing, and that I was just a generally clumsy kid. He told me that if I ever told her or anyone else, it would get worse. So I kept my mouth shut. This was all before the age of five, so I was too young and scared to say anything to anyone anyway. Then one day my Grandma came to visit, and she saw the bruises. She knew he was lying about where they came from, so she called the police. He ended up going to prison, and he died in there a few years later after getting into a fight. Grandma came to live with us after his sentencing so that there was someone to take care of me while Mom worked, and she never left.”

I paused and took a deep breath. “Sometimes I used to have this horrible feeling that Mom resented us for having her husband sent away, but I thought I was just being paranoid. I mean, she never said anything about it. But I guess I was right. She never really cared about me or Grandma. Only herself.”

“I’m so sorry,” Finn murmured. “I can’t even imagine how scared you must have been as a kid.”

I looked up at him, wiping away another flood of tears as they continued to stream from my eyes. “It’s bad enough that my father was a horrible asshole…and now I know my mother is too. What if I somehow end up like them? The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree, you know.”

Finn wrapped his arms around me, making soothing sounds.

“You won’t end up like either of them. Ever. They didn’t raise you—your Grandma did, and she’s an amazing person. She raised you to be kinder and better than most people. That’s why you’re so upset right now, because you can’t comprehend how people can be so fucking horrible. People like your mother and father.”

He held me for a few moments longer, and then he gently wiped away the rest of my tears with his fingers before giving me a tight-lipped smile. “We really need to go and tell my Dad and the police about this whole thing before your Mom gets away with it.”

I nodded and stood up, my legs trembling. “I know. Let’s go now.”

She wasn’t going to get away with this crap.

Never again.

Chapter Twenty-One

Finn

This was the hard part. The part I knew would break my Dad’s heart.

As for mine, it had already been broken by Rory’s confession only minutes beforehand. Just thinking about what her father had done to her in her early years made my fists ache with the need to shatter his jaw, but the man was already dead and buried. He’d caused the Villanueva women so much grief, and there was nothing I could do to erase that. All I could do was try to make Rory’s life as stress-free as possible from now on.

Kinda hard when we were about to have her mother arrested…

We stopped in front of my Dad’s office five minutes later, both of us hesitating.

James Grayson was a man whose heart had been broken plenty of times, which made this whole thing even harder to do. I held on to Rory’s hand as we locked eyes. The air was so thick with tension that it could’ve practically been cut with a knife, but unfortunately, this needed to be done.

To explain the feelings I’d had after finding out what Anna had done to screw my father over, I’d need a canvas and a bucket of red paint, but despite everything that she and Elijah had cooked up between the two of them, I never blamed Rory and her Grandma, not for one minute. They were innocent pawns in this whole mess.

Poor Adelina was still stuck in the hospital, and Rory…one look at her slumped shoulders made it clear she knew nothing about this whole mess. And even if that didn’t, I trusted her more than anyone anyway. I knew she’d never betray me.

My grip on her hand tightened and I gave her a reassuring, albeit sad smile. “It’s going to be all right,” I told her. “My Dad will know what to do.”

Rory gave an unsure nod, and I was suddenly mentally transported to the day my Mom died. The way my Dad had held us together, the only two left of our once-happy family, would always be an unshakable memory for me. He’d made damn sure we were still as happy as we could manage, and still a goddamn family. I loved that man.

“Are you ready?” I asked Rory.

She nodded, this time looking more certain. “Let’s just get it done,” she said.

With a shaky hand, I knocked on the door that led into my father’s office.

“Come in!”

His cheerful voice invited us, and another piece of my heart turned to dust as I realized how hard this would be for him.

“Hey, Dad,” I said as I walked in.

Rory and I were still holding hands, and if he was surprised by that fact, he didn’t show it. He gave us a broad grin as he waved us over.

“Hey, kids. How’s it going?” he asked. He sounded so fucking happy, and I knew I would have to ruin that in the next few minutes. “Come in, come in.”

“Dad, we need to talk to you,” I said, swallowing the lump in my throat. “I…we found out something today, and I’m so sorry it fell on Christmas Eve, but it really can’t wait.”

“Okay. What is it?” Dad asked, motioning for us to sit down in the chairs in front of his desk. We did exactly that, and I could feel how shaky Rory’s hand was as we faced my father.

“It’s Anna,” I said simply, looking at Rory for reassurance. She finally looked up and nodded at me, giving me permission to continue. “I’m really sorry we have to tell you this, Dad, but…”

I was at a loss for words, all choked up. Dad looked at me with his eyes wide, waiting for me to go on, but I fucking couldn’t. I couldn’t break his heart all over again.

“It’s okay,” Rory cut in. “It’s best if I say it.”

She looked my Dad in the eye, took a deep breath, and started talking. My brave girl. Braver than me right now, and braver than anyone in my life at the moment.

“My mother has been planning to con you,” Rory said, her voice monotonous as she tried her best to stave off her emotions.

I could see her eyes filling up with tears anyway, so I squeezed her hand as she went on, giving my Dad the full story. She told him everything – about Reykjavik, about Elijah, about the fire which had been intended to distract him. By the time she was done ten minutes later, it was all out on the table.

Dad stared at Rory, blinking too fast, and silence reigned in the room for a full five minutes.

“Is this really all true?” he finally asked, and all I could do was nod. I felt so goddamned helpless.

“Well, then.” Dad took a deep breath, trying to steady himself as his eyes glistened with tears. “I think we need to call the police, in that case. As soon as possible.”

Rory and I nodded, glued to our seats as he called the cops. Some of them had only just left the hotel after helping out with our insurance investigation today, so it probably wouldn’t take too long for them to arrive back here.

Dad hung up the phone a moment later, and then we were left sitting there in silence again, words completely failing us.

What else was there to say? Anna and Elijah had ruined Christmas, and not just that
—
they’d ruined our lives for quite some time. I knew it would all be okay in the end, life had taught me that, but at that moment, I could tell that Rory and Dad were barely holding themselves together.

“Well, then,” Dad repeated, his voice shaky. “I guess…I guess that’s it, then.”

Rory burst into tears.

I was quick to jump to my feet and kneel down at hers. “Rory…” I said, my voice concerned. “I know it’s all shitty right now, but it’s going to be all right. I promise it is.”

“It’s not,” she managed to choke out through her heaving sobs, her body desperate to catch a breath. “It’s not going to be okay. I’m so sorry, James, I’m so sorry this happened. I can’t believe she did this. I can’t believe…”

“It’s all right,” Dad said, offering Rory a sad smile. “I mean, it’s not, but it’s not your fault. Don’t apologize. We’ll make it all okay. We just need to make sure they don’t get away with it. I have a plan.”

Rory and I watched as he dialed a number on his cell, his mouth set in a thin line. “Anna? Hi, honey, it’s me. Could you find Elijah
—
I think you know him, he’s the general manager
—
and come up to my office for a moment? We just need to go over some numbers and last-minute details for the hotel’s Christmas Eve bash tonight. It won’t take too long. Okay. Thanks. Bye.”

He hung up and gave us a blank stare. It looked like he’d aged ten years during that conversation, and it fucking stung to know I’d be seeing the woman who’d cooked up this whole shit-storm in just a few minutes.

The door finally opened ten minutes later. A cloud of thick, cloying perfume wafted towards me, and I turned around to see Anna walking into the room.

“Darlings!” she said with surprise as she looked at me and Rory. “Why are you here? An early Christmas celebration?”

She giggled, but it was obvious she was nervous about the whole thing, because she hadn’t been expecting to see me and Rory. Elijah padded into the room a moment after, also looking worried.

“What’s this all about?” he asked, his voice a little shaky. “The numbers for the party tonight are already set, aren’t they?”

Rory and I sat glued to our chairs as my Dad stood up, straightening his tie with a sigh.

“Anna, Elijah, I won’t even pretend to engage in any pleasantries. I’ll actually be canceling the Christmas Eve party tonight, because I’ve just been informed of the little surprise you were planning on springing on me later.”

“What do you mean, darling?” Anna asked before letting out the fakest of laughs. “I’ve got no idea what you’re on about. Why are you canceling the party? Are you quite all right, or did you forget to take your meds like my mother?”

She laughed, and I cringed inwardly at her joke. Such poor taste.

“No need to pretend, Anna,” Dad said, his teeth gritted. “I know you were planning to empty my accounts and run off with your lover
—
my manager. There, I said it out loud. Do you understand me now?”

I heard the raw hurt in his voice, and it broke me.

“James, no…wait. That’s not true,” Anna said, obviously trying to think of another lie to patch things up.
Don’t bother, bitch.

Dad quietly shuffled some papers on his desk, and he finally looked at Anna again. “I trusted you implicitly, Anna, which I now realize was incredibly stupid of me. I gave you everything I could to try and make you as happy as you made me when we first met…and all you ever wanted to do was take more and more.”

Anna tried to conjure up some fake tears, but she finally dropped her act and glared at us before turning towards Elijah. “Come on. We need to go.”

They made for the door, and I was about to stop them when they opened it and came face to face with three cops. They had hard, cold eyes, and as they stared the two of them down, Anna looked back to us, her last hope.

“Darling! Don’t do this. I was never really going to go through with it!” she begged. Dad just stared at her with disbelief.

“Anna Grayson, Elijah Vincent…you’re under arrest for conspiracy to commit fraud,” one of the officers said as the other two cuffed them. “Whatever you say can and will be used against you…”

A flow of Spanish curse words followed from Anna, while Elijah just looked pale as fuck. The whole thing only lasted a few minutes, and finally, we were all alone in Dad’s office again.

We were silent for a few moments, trying to gather our thoughts. Finally, I turned to face Rory.

“Are you going to be okay?” I asked her, clasping her hand.

She wiped her tears and gave me a brave nod. “Yeah,” she said before turning to my Dad. “I’ll empty our rooms tonight, and we’ll be out of your hair soon.”

She started to get up as my Dad and I exchanged surprised looks.

“Wait just a moment, Rory,” Dad said, getting up from his chair.

“No, it’s okay,” she said with a shaky voice, raising her palm to stop him from talking. “I understand how it is, and it’s awkward enough already. I’ll go clean now.”

“Rory, would you stop?” I asked, finally getting to my feet. “Don’t be like this, please.”

“Well, Grandma and I can’t stay here,” she said, on the brink of tears again. “After what my Mom did, we just can’t.”

She started sobbing again, her chest heaving with sorrow. I pulled her closer, holding her to my chest, and she melted into my embrace. I didn’t need to look at my father to know what would happen next.

“Rory,” he said, approaching us. We broke apart and my Dad took Rory’s hands and gave her a sad smile. “Whatever happened, you’re still family to us. I know Finn is close to you and your
Abuela
. I…I don’t think you know what happened to our family before you came here?”

“I do know,” she said. “Finn told me.”

Dad gave me a surprised look. I never told people about my mom and sister; Rory had been the first one.

“Then you know I’ve lost my family once before,” he continued. “And I won’t let it happen again.”

Rory’s eyes widened with surprise as he went on.

“Despite everything that’s happened, you and Adelina are still family. You and I haven’t had all that much time to grow close, but I know you’re a good person, and I know you care about me. It took a lot of courage for you to come here today and tell me what you’d found out about your mother. As for your grandmother. I’ve spent a lot of time with her, and she’s wonderful. She also makes a very good cup of tea.”

“That she does,” I said, grinning at Rory.

“I’d like you to stay here,” Dad said, making me proud to be his son once again. “My offer stands for both of you, regardless of what happened today. I would really, really like it if you both stayed. So, what do you say?”

“I…” Rory looked shocked by his words, but after a short pause, she managed a smile through her tears. “Thank you, James. I’ll…I’ll think about it, and I’ll speak to my grandmother about it when she’s out of the hospital.”

“Oh, just say yes.” I nudged her, and she laughed softly as the tears finally fell.

“Okay,” she said.

I hugged her tightly again, and my Dad joined in, squeezing us both tight.

We were finally reaching the light at the end of the tunnel. Things weren’t great now, and tomorrow was probably going to be the worst Christmas Day ever, but we could only go forward from here. Everything that could’ve possibly gone wrong in our lives had already happened, so there was nothing but positivity from here on out.

Or so I thought.

There was a sharp rap at the door, and a second later, two police officers opened it and entered the room. Dad looked up at them. “You’re a little late,” he said. “The others already took Anna and Eli
—
“

He was cut off by one of the officers speaking up as he stared directly at me.

“Finn Grayson? You’re under arrest.”