A Beautiful Funeral (The Maddox Brothers 5)

“We were keeping it from Dad,” Tyler said. His voice was low and calm as if he was talking someone off a ledge. That only made me angrier, as if they thought I was overreacting.

“Why?” I yelled.

“You don’t remember, Trenton,” Taylor said. “He promised Mom to keep us safe. She didn’t want him in law enforcement. She didn’t want any of us following his footsteps. I’m sure Thomas lied for the same reason we did. We loved our jobs, but we didn’t want to hurt Dad.”

“So we all just lie to each other? That’s how this family works now?” I seethed.

“I knew,” Dad said. “I knew, and I didn’t tell you because the boys were keeping it from us for a reason. I didn’t keep it from ya because I love them more, son. It simply wasn’t my place.”

I shook my head again, hands on hips, pacing. Camille tried reaching out to me, but I yanked my arm away. Everything I knew about my brothers was a lie. Their experiences in the field, their colleagues, their training—I’d missed out on it all. But my wife knew.

“Did you know about Taylor and Tyler, too?” I asked Camille. She shook her head, tears streaming down her face. “And now look at us. Tommy’s hurt. We’re being babysat by federal agents. People are trying to kill us!”

“Keep your voice down,” Tyler said.

“Fuck you!” I snapped back, still pacing.

Tyler stood up, but Dad held up a hand. “Sit down, son.”

I pointed at Camille. “You’ve already lied to me once. Now I find out you never stopped? What am I … what am I supposed to do with that, Camille?”

“Don’t call me that,” she said. It was what her father called her when he was angry, and what Thomas called her when he was chastising her for being upset at not being put first. I always put her first. I fucking worshiped her, and she’d been lying to me. My whole family had, one way or another.

“You’re lucky that’s all I’m calling you,” I growled.

Camille’s mouth fell open, and the wives gasped.

“That’s enough,” Ellie fumed.

Shepley stood. “Let’s go get some coffee, Trent.”

Travis rounded the corner with America, the smile on his face fading. “She’s ready for more visitors,” he said, looking around. “Everything all right?”

“You’ve been lying to me?” I asked.

Travis blanched. “I’m … not allowed to discuss details until tomorrow when Liis arrives.”

I took a step toward him. “We’re your family, Travis. You and Tommy aren’t in some secret fucking club where you get to gamble with our lives. And you don’t ask my wife to lie to me for you.”

“That’s not what I was doing, Trent. I didn’t have a choice in the beginning, and it wasn’t my decision to tell Cami or to ask her to lie.”

I narrowed my eyes at him. “But you went along with it.”

Travis took a step toward me. “I had to, or I was going to prison for being involved in that fire on campus.”

I balled my hands into fists. I wasn’t sure who or what I wanted to punch, but it was just seconds away.

Dad stood up and put a hand on my shoulder. He wobbled a bit, making my rage dwindle. I helped steady him, and then he brought me in for a hug, holding on tight when I tried to let go. He held me until the anger subsided. I helped him back to the bench and then I sat on a section of the bench in the corner. Camille took a step toward me, and I held up my hand. “Don’t.”

Ellie patted the empty space next to her, and Camille sat down, her bottom lip trembling.

“So,” Taylor began. “You’re a fed. Thomas is a fed, and this is all because of some case you’re working on?”

Travis took a deep breath, looked at Agent Blevins and Agent Davies, and then emptied his lungs. “Fuck it.” He sat down next to Dad, resting his elbows on his knees, and put his hands together like he was praying, touching his fingers to his lips. He sat up. “I was there that night … when the building at Eastern caught fire. I’d talked Trenton into staying with Abby while I went toe-to-toe with John Savage. It was a small basement. Too small for a final fight. We’d almost been busted once, so Adam wouldn’t allow any lights. We just had a few lanterns hanging from the ceiling. There was …” he trailed off, remembering, “furniture covered in sheets lining the room and the main hallway. A lantern fell, and the whole place went up in flames in seconds. I was separated from Abby and Trent, and I had to go find them. I found Abby, but didn’t find Trent until later. Scariest night of my life.”

I sunk back, realizing I’d been lying for years, too. I’d lied to the FBI about being in the building when it caught fire, and only Travis and Abby knew that I’d left Abby because I was scared. I waited for him to out me.

Travis continued, “A lot of kids died that night. Adam was arrested. I knew I was next, even though Abby had concocted a plan for us to go to Vegas and get married to try to make it seem like we weren’t.”

America looked up at Travis. “You knew about that?”

I looked down. I knew about that, too, and kept it from him. Fuck, now I’m a hypocrite. I thought we were a tight family. Turns out we were just spiders caught in our web of lies. I felt my face flush. The anger was returning.

“How could I not? She suddenly wanted to run off to Vegas an hour after we’d escaped a fire. After our classmates had died? Either she was crazy, callous, or concocting a plan. Whichever it was, I was desperate to be her husband. I ignored it. Probably not the most honest thing to do. Thankfully,” he said, gesturing toward Abby’s room, “it worked out.”

“But that agent,” I said. “He came to the house. He was asking about you. They didn’t just buy the Vegas wedding story, did they?”

“I was given a choice,” Travis said.

“But why you?” Tyler asked. “Why not Adam … why—”

“Mick Abernathy,” Dad said.

“I’m not sure if you’re lucky or not,” Taylor said.

“So how does Tommy fit into all of this?” I asked. “He was a fed before that. Long before that, I’d guess.” I looked at Camille, who was still staying maddeningly quiet. “Even now?” I asked her. “It’s all coming out, and you’re just going to sit there … loyal to him?”