Page 64 of The Rook
He rolled his eyes. "I see you’re still in a snit?"
"I'm a broken record."
Westin shrugged. "I'm delighted by the assignment as always, sir."
I hated that. I hated the way he'd referred to my father in that loyal-soldier voice. I wanted to scream, 'That's not your real voice. Use the real one. The one that shows that you give two shits about something other than pleasing him.’ But I knew that wasn't going to happen.
Besides, I had a job to do.
After dinner, Westin and my father headed for the library, and I knew what I needed to do.
Are you sure you can do this? What if he catches you?
If he caught me, I'd be in a world of trouble. But I didn't care. I needed answers. So, I'd do what I needed to do. It didn't matter what it would cost me.
The terrace next to the dining room was something out of a Cinderella story. Stone and ornate statues, vines cascading down the wall. I felt like I was transported to another world into a time of princes and princesses, fairy godmothers, and magic. I loved this terrace growing up. It looked straight down to the gardens where I spent a good deal of time when tutors weren’t haranguing me.
As I looked out, I couldn't help but think of what a different life it would have been if Lenora had been here with me. I wouldn't have been so lonely, for starters, and I wouldn't have felt like I'd left her to the wolves. Julian Montgomery was no picnic, but I'd been well fed and taken care of. And while he was cruel and controlling, he hadn't physically harmed me. This must have been better than Lenora had it staying behind. I just hoped that someday I would find her and that she hadn’t suffered too much, whatever her story was.
I made a point of walking by the library to make sure that Westin and my father were still engaged. If I wanted personal documents, I was going to have to go to the safe in my father's room.
That was the only place I could think of that he would hide something like my letters. Though why he would hide letters from my sister, I didn’t know.
You know why. It’s time to really face who he is and know for sure.
My father's bedroom was massive. There was a big, ornate bed, and the walls were a dark gray. I knew they were trendy, but ugh. His massive walk-in closet was like an explosion of wood and brass, very masculine. But to me, it was much too dark.
Julian’s personal safe was hidden in the back of the wardrobe behind a fake Picasso. He’d shown me once when I was a teenager. He’d told me that if anything ever happened to him, I was to get my passport and instructions for the business from here.
I pressed the button behind my father’s suits and the Picasso lifted up revealing the safe. It was exactly as I remembered it, but Christ, what was the combination?
He’d told me it was my birthday, but when I keyed the combination in nothing happened. I tried again, desperate for it to be right. But still, nothing. I blinked back the stinging tears. I was not going to lose it.
I didn’t even know what I would find. Maybe it was better to let sleeping dogs lie. Even if I did know the combination and found something I didn’t expect, then what? What was I going to do with that information?
So my father was a liar. So what? That changed nothing. I already knew that.
My nose still stinging from unshed tears, I turned to leave. I was asking for trouble and heartache. But then it occurred to me. Julian never celebrated my actual birthday. He always stubbornly ordered cake for the day I’d come to live with him.
Whirling around, I keyed in the date and I prayed harder than I’d ever prayed in my life. When the keypad flashed green and a click sounded, my heart started to race. Still unsure about what I was going to find, I reached for the lever with hope.
Inside were things I expected to find. Money, documents, passports. Why there were so many passports, I had no idea. But that wasn't why I was there. There was a box at the back of the safe that I had to reach for. When I pulled it forward, my mouth went dry. Oh God could I do this? Was this an answer I wanted to have?
Move your arse. Now is not the time to dawdle.
My hands shook as I lifted the lid. My mind ready to turn away from whatever I found. With the lid off, I swallowed hard.
Letters.
So. Many. Letters.
All addressed to me. From Lenora.
Bile started to rise in my throat. It was true. Amelia was right. My father had kept my sister from me. And lied to me all along.
I grabbed a few letters from the top then shoved the box back into the safe. I was easing back into the main room, when I heard footsteps.
Fuck me.
