I nodded.
“Montana’s an amazing place. Big sky country. As close to heaven as you can get. It will always be my home, no matter where I’m actually living. Lace, you mind a quick trip to the bar? I want to buy Matt here a drink.”
“You go ahead,” she said. “I think I’ll go back to the suite. I’m exhausted.”
Rock kissed her lips. “Okay, babe. See you in a few hours.”
“Nice to meet you, Matt.” Lacey waved
Rock turned to me. “Let’s get a drink. I’m going to tell you my story.”“I still have my cabin,” Rock said. “And not a day goes by that I don’t miss the fresh air and sunshine. Not to mention riding those hills on my Harley. It’s freedom, man. Pure freedom.”
“So why’d you end up back here?” I asked. “I mean, New York has the Met and all, but it sure doesn’t have fresh air and sunshine.”
“It’s a long story,” he said.
“Okay, then. How did Riley end up in Montana? And why was she calling herself Chloe Mansfield?
He widened his eyes. “Who the hell is Chloe Mansfield?”
“Riley’s alter ego, apparently. She has a driver’s license in that name. Chloe L. Mansfield. That’s how I knew for sure she’d been lying to me. When she first told me her name was Riley, she said it was her middle name. I happened to see her ID, which showed that her middle initial was L. It wasn’t until the florist in town showed me a spread in a fashion magazine that I figured out who she actually was. But I already knew she wasn’t Chloe L. Mansfield.”
“That fucking bastard,” he said under his breath.
“What? Who?”
“I’ve told you all I can, man.” He finished off his bourbon. “The rest is up to Riley.”
“You’re really going to leave me hanging?”
“I don’t have a choice. Riley has her secrets. We all do, but not from each other. At least not anymore.”
“What family doesn’t have secrets?” I asked. “Seems pretty normal to me.”
He scoffed. “If you heard this family’s secrets, you’d realize most other secrets are harmless in comparison.”
“Rock—”
“Listen.” He signaled the bartender for the check. “Our father was murdered. You already know that. What you don’t know is that…”
“What? For God’s sake, what?”
“It’ll be common knowledge before long. The police won’t be able to keep it under wraps. All of us are suspects, including my wife.”
My heart plummeted to my stomach. “You mean… Riley?”
“Yeah. Riley, Roy, Reid, Lacey, and me. And here’s the kicker. I’m the only one with an ironclad alibi. I was in Montana at the time. But they won’t let that rest. They think maybe I had it done.”
“But… What about motive?”
He scoffed again, and this time it sounded almost like laughter. “One thing about living in small-town Montana. You don’t hear nearly as much news. There are about a hundred people who’d have liked to see my father six feet in the ground, but none more than his own progeny.”
I dropped my mouth open.
“That surprises you.”
“Well…yeah. Though Riley did mention demons.”
“My sister has been to hell and back, like I said. Her demons are real. And they’re big. She probably had the most motive of all of us.”
“My God… What did he do to her?”
“It’s not my story to tell. But if you love her, you’re going to need to give her time.”
“I… Fuck. Did he…?”
“I won’t tell you, but if your mind is going where I’m guessing it is, you’re on the right track.”
“He hurt her,” I said more to myself than to Rock.
“He hurt all of us,” Rock said. “But yes. He hurt Riley the most.”37Riley“Get the fuck away from her.”
My brother stands in my doorway, something shiny in his hand.
Daddy sits on my bed. My nightgown is up around my chest. Daddy likes it that way. He says I’m prettiest when he can see all of my skin.
“What the hell are you doing in here?” Daddy demands.
“I know what you’re doing,” Rock says. “You won’t get away with it. Get away from her, or I swear to God I’ll kill you.”
Daddy laughs and tugs my nightgown over my small body. “You don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“I know exactly what I’m talking about. My room is right next to hers. I hear her screams. I hear her sobs. You’re going to stop this now.”
I did scream, but not tonight. I’m not sure what Rock is talking about. I screamed that other time because Daddy’s hands were cold on my skin. When he tugged my nightgown up.
“You’re so pretty, sweetheart,” he said.
I like being called pretty. If Daddy thinks I’m pretty when my nightgown is pulled up, then I want my nightgown pulled up. I want to be pretty. Mommy says girls are supposed to be pretty.
“Don’t you fucking touch her,” Rock says. He walks into my room.