Oren drove, and Nash sat shotgun. Two additional bodyguards piled into the back of the SUV, which left me in the middle row with Jameson on one side and Grayson on the other.
โArenโt you supposed to be on a flight back to Harvard right about now?โ Jameson leaned forward, past me, to shoot his brother a look.
Grayson arched an eyebrow. โYour point?โ
โTell me Iโm wrong,โ Jameson said. โTell me that youโre not staying because of Eve.โ
โThereโs a threat,โ Grayson snapped. โSomeone moved against our family. Of course Iโm staying.โ
Jameson reached around me to grab Grayson by his suit. โSheโs not Emily.โ
Grayson didnโt flinch. He didnโt fight back. โI know that.โ โGray.โ
โIย knowย that!โ The second time, Graysonโs words came out louder, more desperate.
Jameson let go of him.
โDespite what you seem to believe,โ Grayson bit out, โwhat youย bothย seem to believe, I can take care of myself.โ Grayson was the Hawthorne who had been raised to lead. The one who was never allowed to need anything or anyone. โAnd youโre right, Jamieโsheโsย notย Emily. Eve is vulnerable in ways that Emily never was.โ
The muscles in my chest tightened.
โThat must have been a really illuminating game of Chutes and Ladders,โ Jameson said.
Grayson looked out the window, away from both of us. โI couldnโt sleep last night. Neither could Eve.โ His voice was controlled, his body still. โI found her wandering the halls.โ I thought about Grayson kissing a girl at Harvard.
Grayson seeing a ghost.
โI asked her if the bruise on her temple was paining her,โ Grayson continued, the muscles in his jaw visible and hard. โAnd she told me that some boys would want her to say yes. That some people want to think that girls like her are weak.โ He went silent for a second or two. โBut Eve isnโt weak. She hasnโt lied to us. She hasnโt asked for a damn thing except help finding the one person in this world who sees her for who she is.โ
I thought of Eve talking about how hard sheโd tried as a child to beย perfect. And then I thought about Grayson. About the impossible standards he held himself to.
โMaybe Iโm not the one who needs a reminder that this girl is her own person,โ Grayson said, his voice taking on a knifelike edge. โBut go ahead, Jamie, tell me Iโm compromised, tell me that my judgment canโt be trusted, that Iโm so easily manipulated and fragile.โ
โDonโt,โ Nash warned Jameson from the front seat.
โIโll be happy to discuss all of your personal shortcomings,โ Jameson told Grayson. โAlphabetically and in great detail. Letโs just get through this first.โ
 |
Thisย took us to a neighborhood full of McMansions. Once, the sheer size of the lots and the houses that sat on them would have astounded me, but compared to Hawthorne House, these enormous homes seemed absolutely ordinary.
Oren parked on the street, and as he began rattling off our security protocol, all I could think wasย How did Skye Hawthorne end up here?
I hadnโt kept track of what happened to her after the DA had dropped the murder and attempted murder charges,
but on some level, I had expected to find her in either dire straits or the utter lap of luxuryโnot suburbia.
We rang the doorbell, and Skye answered the door wearing a loose aquamarine dress and sunglasses. โWell, this is a surprise.โ She looked at the boys over her sunglasses. โThen again, I drew a change card this morning. The Wheel of Fortune, followed by the Eight of Cups, inverted.โ She sighed. โAnd my horoscope did say something about forgiveness.โ
The muscles in Graysonโs jaw tensed. โWeโre not here to forgive you.โ
โForgiveย me? Gray, darling, why would I need anyoneโs forgiveness?โ This, from the woman whose charges had been dropped only because they had arrested her for the wrong attempt on my life. โAfter all,โ Skye continued, retreating into the house and graciously allowing us to follow, โI didnโt throwย youย out onto the streets, now did I?โ
Grayson had forced Skye to leave Hawthorne Houseโfor me. โI made sure you had a place to go,โ he said sti๏ฌy.
โI didnโt letย youย rot away in prison,โ Skye continued dramatically. โI didnโt force you to grovel to friends for decent legal counsel. Really! Donโt you boys talk to me about forgiveness. Iโm not the one who abandoned you.โ
Nash raised an eyebrow. โDebatable, donโt you think?โ
โNash.โ Skye made aย tsking sound. โArenโt you a bit old to be holding on to childish grudges? You of all people should understand: I wasnโt made to be stationary. A woman like me can absolutely die of inertness. Is it really so hard to understand that your mother is also a person?โ
She could shred them without even trying. Even Nash, whoโd had years to get over Skyeโs lack of motherly impulses, wasnโt immune.
โYouโre wearing a ring.โ Jameson cut in with a shrewd observation.
Skye offered him a coy smile. โThis little thing?โ she said, brandishing what had to be a three-carat diamond on
her left ring finger. โI would have invited you boys to the wedding, but it was a small courthouse affair. You know how I detest spectacle, and given how Archie and I met, a courthouse wedding seemed appropriate.โ
Skye Hawthorneย livedย for spectacle.
โโA courthouse wedding seemed appropriateโ,โ Grayson repeated, digesting her meaning and narrowing his eyes. โYou married your defense attorney?โ
Skye gave an elegant little shrug. โArchieโs children and grandchildren are always after him to retire, but my darling husband will be practicing criminal defense until he dies of old age.โ In other words: Yes, sheโd married her lawyer, and yes, he was significantly older than she wasโ and quite possibly not long for this world. โNow, if youโre not here to beg for my forgivenessโฆโ Skye eyed each of her three sons in turn. โThen why are you here?โ
โA package was delivered to Hawthorne House today,โ Jameson said.
Skye poured herself a glass of sparkling wine. โOh?โ
Jameson withdrew the disk from his pocket. โYou wouldnโt happen to know what this is, would you?โ
For a split second, Skye Hawthorne froze. Her pupils dilated. โWhere did you get that?โ she asked, moving to take it from him, but like a magician, Jameson made the โcoinโ disappear.
Skye recognized it.ย I could see the hunger in her eyes. โTell us what that is,โ Grayson ordered.
Skye looked at him. โAlways so serious,โ she murmured, reaching out to touch his cheek. โAnd the shadows in those eyesโฆโ
โSkye.โ Jameson drew her attention away from Grayson.
โPlease.โ
โManners, Jamie? From you?โ Skye dropped her hand. โColor me shocked, but even so, thereโs not much I can tell you. Iโve never seen that before in my life.โ
I listened closely to her words. Sheโd neverย seenย it. โBut
you know what it is,โ I said.
For a moment, Skye let her eyes meet mine, like we were two players shaking hands before a match.
โSure would be a shame if someone got to your husband,โ Nash piped up. โWarned him about a few things.โ
โArchie wonโt believe a word you say,โ Skye responded. โHeโs already defended me against bogus charges once.โ
โIโd wager I know a thing or two heโd find interesting.โ Nash leaned back against a wall, waiting.
Skye looked back to Grayson. Of all of them, she still had the tightest hold on him. โI donโt know much,โ she hedged. โI know that coin belonged to my father. I know that the great Tobias Hawthorne cross-examined me for hours when it went missing, describing it again and again. But I wasnโt the one who took it.โ
โToby was.โ I said what we were all thinking.
โMy little Toby was so angry that summer.โ Skyeโs eyes closed, and for a moment, she didnโt seem dangerous or manipulative or even coy. โI never really knew why.โ
The adoption. The secrecy. The lies.
โUltimately, my darling little brother ran off and tookย thatย as a parting gift. Based on our fatherโs reaction, Toby chose his revenge very well. To get that kind of response out of someone with my fatherโs means?โ Skye opened her eyes again. โIt must beย veryย precious.โ
Go to Jackson.ย Tobyโs instructions to my mother echoed in my mind.ย You know what I left there. You know what itโs worth.
โYou donโt have Toby.โ Jameson cut to the chase. โDo you?โ
โAre you admitting,โ Skye said cannily, โthat my brother is alive?โ
Anything we told her, she might well sell to the press. โAnswer the question,โ Grayson ordered.
โI donโt reallyย haveย any of you anymore, now do I? Not
Toby. Not you boys.โ Skye looked almost mournful, but the glint in her eyes was a little too sharp. โReally, what exactly are you accusing me of, Grayson?โ Skye took a drink. โYou act like Iโm such a monster.โ Her voice was still high and clear, but intense. For the first time, I could see a resemblance between her and her sonsโbut especially Jameson. โAll of you do, but the only thing that I have ever wanted was to be loved.โ
I had the sudden sense that this was Skyeโs truth, as she saw it.
โBut the more I needed love, the more I craved it, the more indifferent the world became. My parents. Your fathers. Even you boys.โ Skye had told Jameson and me once that she left men after she got pregnant as a test: If they really wanted her, they would follow.
But no one ever had.
โWe loved you,โ Nash said in a way that made me think of the little boy he must have been. โYou were our mother. How could we not?โ
โThatโs what I told myself, each time I got pregnant.โ Skyeโs eyes glistened. โBut none of you stayed mine for long. No matter what I did, you were your grandfatherโs first and mine second.โ Skye helped herself to another sip, her voice becoming more cavalier. โDaddy never really considered me a player in the grand game, so I did what I could. I gave him heirs.โ She turned her gaze on me. โAnd look how that turned out.โ She gave a little shrug. โSo Iโm done.โ
โYou really expect us to believe that youโre just throwing in the towel?โ Jameson asked.
โDarling, I donโt particularly care what you believe. But Iโd rather rule my own kingdom than settle for scraps ofย hers.โ
โSo youโre just stepping back from it all?โ I stared at Skye Hawthorne, trying to divine some truth. โHawthorne House? The money? Your fatherโs legacy?โ
โDo you know what the real difference is between millions and billions, Ava?โ Skye asked. โBecause at a certain point, itโs not about the money.โ
โItโs about the power,โ Grayson said beside me.
Skye raised her glass to him. โYou really would have made a wonderful heir.โ
โSo thatโs it?โ Nash asked, looking around the massive foyer. โThis is your kingdom now?โ
โWhy not?โ Skye replied airily. โDaddy never saw me as a power player anyway.โ She gave another elegant little shrug. โWho am I to disappoint?โ
