I spent the rest of my evening trying to focus on schoolwork and constantly checking my phone for messages from Damien. Eventually, I fell asleep with my phone in my hand. I woke up the next morning to more yelling—this time it was coming from the room down the hall from mine. I peeked out my door to see if I could tell what was going on, but Jenny’s door was closed. A few minutes later, it opened, and Edgar stomped out of Jenny’s room. I quickly closed my door and ran back to my bed. I didn’t want him to think that I was trying to spy on their family drama—I was, but I didn’t want to get caught doing that when I needed to do a lot more digging into matters that were much more important than a screaming match with his daughter. I picked up my phone and still didn’t have a message from Damien, so I decided to text him.
Leigh: Hey, did you talk to your mother?
Damien: No. I made it to my aunt’s house, but my mother isn’t here.
Leigh: I thought that was where she went?
Damien: So did I. My aunt knows something, but she doesn’t want to tell me.
Leigh: It’s kind of important that she does…
Damien: I know. I’m not leaving without an answer.
Damien was on his mission, and I was on one of my own. I got dressed and went downstairs to see if I could do a little snooping but was greeted by the sight of Edgar’s two security guys standing by the front door. They didn’t look like they had the best night. Pennington had a cut on the side of his face and a swollen knot on his head. Martinez had his arm bandaged, and I could see speckles of blood on the gauze.
Being Edgar’s bodyguard is a lot more dangerous than I thought…
The wounds were fresh, and my heart dropped into my stomach when the realization struck me—Damien must have put up a fight when they came to get his sister. I was scared for Damien’s safety when my mother told me that Edgar’s bodyguards went to pick Jenny up—obviously I had a reason to be. I wanted to see Damien and make sure he was okay, but there was no way to do that if he was hours away—I would just have to trust that his version of okay wasn’t much different from mine.
“Are you leaving for work?” Pennington reached for the door to open it for me.
“Uh, no.” I shook my head back and forth. “I was just going to grab some breakfast.”
I wasn’t going to be able to do any snooping with the two of them standing guard by the front door. I walked into the kitchen, fixed a bowl of cereal, and ate it at the dining room table. I wasn’t really that hungry—my stomach was twisted in a knot—but it was better to go through with the lie I told Edgar’s bodyguards than run back upstairs the moment I saw them. Edgar was in his office—I could hear him on the phone, but I couldn’t make out what he was saying. I was just about to finish up my bowl of cereal when he walked out and spotted me. I hoped he would ignore me, but instead, he started walking towards the dining room.
“I’m sorry about last night.” He leaned against the door frame. “And this morning… Did we wake you up?”
“It’s no big deal.” I shrugged. “It was time for me to get up anyway.”
“Obviously you have realized by now that my daughter and I don’t have the best relationship.” He exhaled sharply and walked over to sit down.
Oh wow, this is going to turn into a whole conversation…
“I definitely got that impression.” I nodded and took another bite of my cereal.
“Jenny hasn’t had the best influences growing up.” He shook his head back and forth. “That’s my fault, but I’m trying to do what’s best for her.”
“My mother did the same for me.” I looked down at my cereal bowl.
That’s not entirely true, but she always thought she was even when she missed the mark by a mile.
“I wish my daughter was more like you.” His eyes clouded over, and it looked like there was an actual hint of pain in them. “Hopefully it’s not too late for her to see that I’ve always had her best interests in mind.”
Edgar got up and left the dining room. I wasn’t sure what to make of the conversation. He sounded genuine—his body language suggested that he meant every word he said—but it was a contradiction to everything that Damien had told me. Edgar stole Jenny’s trust fund—that didn’t sound like best interest to me. The fact that he apparently married my mother just to get rid of his ex-wife didn’t seem like it was in anyone’s best interest—except for Edgar—and whatever plan he had concocted.
He underestimated Damien—and me. I hope.
It was hard to focus on work with everything else that was going on. I was really, really looking forward to the weekend because I needed a break. With any luck, I would have more time to do some snooping around Sinn Manor. I doubted that Pennington and Martinez were going to stand guard by the door forever. It wasn’t like Edgar could keep Jenny hostage in her room. She was a high school student, and we were closing in on the end of the school year. Like me, she could probably leave Sinn Manor if she wanted, but she had to come back—otherwise Edgar would send his bodyguards to retrieve her. I was the one that kept walking right back into the devil’s lair voluntarily. I hoped I was making the right decision. I practically sprinted to the employee break room when it was time for my lunch break so that I could check in with Damien.
Leigh: Anything?
Damien: Yeah, I found out where my mother is.
Leigh: Where?
Damien: I’ll tell you later. She’s not going to be able to help.
Leigh: That means it’s up to me.