Page 107 of Thorns and Ashes
“Bitch,” Rory says with a lopsided grin, dipping her chin and raising a brow as if to say,"Tell me I’m wrong.
I shrug with a nod. She’s right.
“Plus, everyone fights, even sisters,” Rory says, elbowing Ainsley, whose smile doesn’t reach her eyes.
“I really am sorry,” I say softly, reaching for Ainsley’s hand.
When she turns her gaze back to me, her smile returns fully, and there’s nothing but love in her eyes.
“We know, Tris. It’s okay.” She squeezes my hand. “Now tell us what you need help with.”
“If it’s the turkey, I can’t help you. Sara only taught me how to make Uruguayan recipes and a few essentials, but anything past that, I’m useless.”
Chuckling, I roll my eyes. “No, it’s not the turkey, but this might be even more dangerous than watching you attempt cooking that.”
“Ooo, I’m intrigued. Go on.” Rory’s face lights up with mischief as she waits for me to explain.
We all take a seat in the empty cafe as I go through the basics. I explain the details surrounding my father’s charges, the allegations of what he may or may not have done, and I explain the conversation I overheard, and finally, the conversation I had with Mr. DuPonce. At the end of our conversation, Ainsley gets up to make sure that the doors are locked, peeking through the vines that lay across the windows, as if someone will walk in and catch us like we’re the ones committing the crimes.
“So, he thinks your father made some money disappear, but why?” Ainsley repeats back to me slowly, wrapping her head around it.
“That was my question. My father basically confirmed it, but that’s not what I want to know. All night I was tossing and turning. Why would Mr. Arias pay my father’s bail? And if money disappeared, then where did it come from? By the sound of it, it was a lot of money, but why hide it?”
“Wait a minute.” Rory’s hands slam on the table, making us all jump. “Are you talking about Mr. Arias from the big oil company?”
“Yeah, why?” I ask, unsure of where she’s going with this.
“Holy shit!” Her big blue eyes nearly pop out of her head as she threads her fingers through the pink curls at the nape of her neck.
“Uh, Ror?” I ask slowly. “What’s going on?”
“That’s my cousin Lucas’s wife, Lettie’s father. They’ve been looking for him. There’s a court date in January and a warrant out for his arrest.”
“You’re joking.” I stare at her in disbelief, trying to wrap my head around this eerie connection.
“Momma always said, evil will always find its own. Doesn’t matter how big the world is. Rot draws rot,” Ainsley says,matter-of-fact, before her back straightens. “Sorry, I don’t mean to say that your dad is evil, it’s just that...”
I stick my hand up to both stop and save her. “It’s okay.”
Her shoulders relax.
“Besides, he might very well be. I think that the real reason Mr. Arias paid my father’s bail is that my father has something on him,” I explain, my heart racing as it all becomes real by saying it out loud. “I don’t know if it’s receipts or copies of contracts or what, but it’s the only plausible reason why he’d want to keep my father out of jail. I’m willing to bet that whatever it is, it’s linked to that money thatdoesn’t exist.”
“So you think Lettie’s dad paid off your father to sign all those contracts in question?” Rory asks, trying to understand.
“If there’s money, then there’s proof that my father knew exactly what he was signing. It means he was in on it and accepted the bribe. But if there’s a paper trail, then that means my father can take Mr. Arias down with him. I know my father doesn’t care about protecting anyone but himself, and he never does anything without that in mind... this is the only logical explanation I can come up with.”
“But if all that’s true, then where’s the paper trail? Where’s the money?” Ainsley asks, appearing thoughtful as her fingers toy with the strands of hair and flowers threaded through her braids.
I inhale deeply and pull my bottom lip between my teeth nervously. “This is the part I need help with,” I mutter carefully, gauging their reactions.
Ainsley’s eyes narrow, and Rory leans in.
“I think I know where my father might be hiding them, but it’s going to require trespassing... sort of.” I give a tight, toothy smile and brace for their reaction.
“Ooooo, this sounds exciting. I’m in.” Rory barely thinks about it before being all in, which makes me more concerned than excited.
“What do you mean?” Ainsley asks the more level headed one of the two.
