Page 99 of Condemned By Pain
Dad continues. “I can’t stop looking for him. It’s imperative we find him, to ensure he never harms you, Avi, or Alex.”
I reach for his hand. “Can you promise not to hurt him, even if you find him?”
He nods, rising. “That’s the only thing I can promise you. I won’t hurt him, but he will remain in prison.”
I give a small nod. Prison isn’t much better, but it’s better than death. It leaves a door open, there will be a chance for me to convince Dad to release him.
He strokes my hair one last time, then leaves.
“Maybe he isn’t the man your father thinks he is,” Mom says, her voice soft and calming.
I look at her.
She offers a small smile. “You always talked about falling for a nice man. Cold-hearted killers were never your type.”
I manage a strained chuckle. “Right.”
I know he’s capable of killing, he killed those men in his house. But isn’t that normal in Dad’s world? Dad himself has killed. So what could my kidnapper have done that even my father finds horrific?
I’ll ask Leo. He doesn’t give a damn about protecting my heart from the truth, he’ll tell me.
I take a deep breath and lean back into the couch.
“Look at those winter jasmines,” Mom says. “Aren’t they thriving this year?”
I can tell she’s trying to lift my mood, so I play along.
“Yeah. What did you feed them to make them glow like that?”
She smiles. “I changed the fertilizer formula.”
I hum thoughtfully, my gaze drifting across the garden.
“Mom, why don’t you put a piano in the garden?”
She hums thoughtfully. “Not a bad idea.”
“What’s not a bad idea?” Aunt Abi arrives, kissing my cheek. “You’re in the headlines, sweetheart. Such beautiful music you played yesterday.”
I smile. “Thanks, Aunt.”
She settles onto the single couch across from me.
“She’s asking about putting a piano in the garden,” Mom says, answering her earlier question.
Aunt chuckles. “And who, exactly, will play it?”
Mom laughs. “Why, you and me, of course.”
“And then we’ll be in the headlines for killing people with musical witchcraft.”
I snort, laughing.
“Did you have breakfast?” Mom asks her.
She nods. “We ate on the plane.”
She and Uncle Alex just returned from a business trip to Canada. She works as his assistant and manager, and she’s extraordinary at it. She’s practically a celebrity in the business management world. Her books and theories are required reading for every management student.
