“Just lay it out there,” Pops says. “Tell her you know everything, and let her condemn herself.”
“Shouldn’t I give her a chance to explain? What if she doesn’t know?”
“She knows. She’s a Ramsay, and she’s known it all along. It all makes sense to you now; you just don’t want to admit it.”
I swallow hard. It does make sense. Cherry is a Ramsay. She knows she’s a Ramsay. She came here to get under my skin. She came here to infiltrate my family.
“Micha died because of her,” Pops whispers in my ear, and then he’s gone.
My limbs turn to ice, and a shudder runs through me. I try to swallow again, but my throat tightens up on me. Nora was right. I was really falling for Cherry, and I’m already starting to feel the loss of her on top of Micha’s passing and…
I blink, trying to figure out where that last thought was going, but I can’t seem to remember what was happening in my head. I need to focus on the here and now, not the past.
Antony sticks his head into the office and gives me a nod.
“She’s pulling up now,” he says.
I clear my throat and shake my head to clear it.
“Get the door,” I tell him. “Bring her back here.”
“Sure, boss.”
I move around the desk and sit in Pops’ chair, staring at the documents in front of me. Maybe there is some way that all of this doesn’t tie Cherry to the Ramsay family, but I can’t see it. Clearly, my brother had suspicions about her, and those suspicions might have been the prelude to his murder.
I tighten my grip around the velvet box once more before shoving it back into the desk drawer. A moment later, Antony and Threes walk in with a confused-looking Cherry between them.
“I do know the way,” Cherry says with a scowl in my cousin’s direction. “I hardly need an escort.” When Antony doesn’t reply, she turns to me. “Nate, what is going on?”
“Leave us.” I wave my hand dismissively. “You both have work to do.”
Antony and Threes nod before they exit the office, shutting the door behind them. I stare at Cherry, trying to find something in her expression that tells me she’s faking this—something that tells me she knows exactly why she’s here.
I find nothing in her expression but confusion.
I gesture to the couch on the other side of the desk, wanting to keep my distance, but Cherry ignores me and stays where she is. She places her hands on her hips and scowls at me.
“Nataniele, what is going on here? Why did you order me here like this?”
Without a word, I push the copy of her birth certificate found in Micha’s file toward her. She takes a step forward to peer at it, and I see a glimmer of recognition in her eyes.
“What is all this?” she asks. “Who is Cherice Montgomery?”
“That’s the birth certificate used to create your forgery,” I say bluntly. “You haven’t seen it before?”
“Of course I haven’t seen it,” she says as she examines the document a little closer. “Is this a…a relative of mine or something? Like, a real relative?”
I narrow my eyes at her, studying her face and trying to interpret her reaction. She sounds excited, as if she’s thrilled I might have found a clue to her parentage, but it could also be nervousness about the discovery. Though Antony and Threes have provided me with the clues, I need Cherry to put it all together. It’s time to confront her directly.
“Why are you here, Cherry?” I stare at her as she turns her gaze to me.
“What do you mean?” She takes the paper from the desk and sits on the couch.
“Why did you move to Cascade Falls? I know you didn’t just choose it at random, so why here?”
“You know why I came here.” Again, I see only confusion in her expression. “I came to find my birth parents.”
“When did you first come to Cascade Falls?” I ask.