Devious Intentions (Carson Cove Scandals 3)

I have a pretty good idea.

“I wouldn’t be here either if it wasn’t for my mom.” I leaned back in the chair and shrugged.

“This isn’t going to end well for her either.” Jenny took a drag of her cigarette and blew out a stream of smoke. “Eventually, she will find out that she’s not living in a fairy tale.”

“Maybe…” I sighed.

“Oh shit!” Jenny suddenly sat forward and stabbed out her cigarette. “I hear a car.”

“What?” I blinked in surprise and felt the hairs on the back of my neck stand up.

“I don’t know what you’re doing in my father’s office.” Jenny hopped to her feet. “But you better not get caught in here.”

I scrambled to shove the bottle of whiskey back in the secret compartment and close it while Jenny made a dash for the door. She was already at the top of the stairs when I finally left Edgar’s office. The front door was opening, so there was no way I could follow her. Panic set in as I realized that I was about to get caught. I ducked into the kitchen, opened one of the cabinets, and grabbed a glass. Edgar was home—and his footsteps were heading my way. I managed to get the sink turned on and pushed my glass under the water right as he walked into the kitchen.

“You’re up late…” Edgar tilted his head inquisitively. “Can’t sleep?”

“I woke up thirsty for some reason.” I faked a yawned and took a drink of the water as I turned to face him.

“Ah.” He nodded. “I had to run out and pick something up—it’s a surprise for your mother, so please don’t tell her you saw me coming home in the middle of the night.”

“Your secret is safe with me.” I took another drink and dumped the rest of the water out in the sink.

Apparently, I’m keeping secrets for everyone in this house now.

I walked back towards the stairs and noticed a black bag hanging in the foyer. I assumed that was the surprise Edgar got for my mother. He walked into the living room, and it sounded like he was pouring himself a drink, so I decided to take a peek. It was an unnecessary risk—I doubted there was anything nefarious about a gift he got for my mother, but I still wanted to see. I quietly moved the zipper down and saw white fabric. I pushed it down a little further and realized it was a wedding dress. I heard Edgar close the liquor cabinet, so I quickly zipped it back up and walked to the top of the stairs.

Why does he have a wedding dress for my mom?

Edgar and my mother were already married—at least they said they were. They didn’t have a big ceremony, so I wondered if Edgar was planning something bigger to make up for it. There didn’t seem to be any other explanation that made sense. My mother previously talked about having a big wedding when she finally met the man of her dreams—which was part of the reason I was so surprised when I found out that they had gotten married so quickly. Either way, I had wasted another day without finding anything useful. The secret compartment in Edgar’s desk was interesting, but I wasn’t looking for money—or to find out that Edgar stashed a bottle of whiskey and a pack of cigarettes in his desk.

I don’t think my mom is going to leave him over that…

Chapter Sixteen

Damien

My trip to my aunt’s house was basically a waste of time. She stonewalled me until I made it clear that I wasn’t going to leave until I got some answers. Maybe I would have been better off not finding out where my mother really was because I wasn’t prepared for the truth. My mother didn’t just decide that she needed some time away from Carson Cove—she admitted herself to Juniper Health, a psychiatric hospital in the city. It was rumored to be more of a resort than a hospital where the doctors prescribed rest and relaxation instead of treating the problem that brought their patients there in the first place. I tried to go see her, but I was turned away. She didn’t want visitors, and her doctor thought that was for the best—they wouldn’t even tell me how long she was staying.

I was back at square one, and it seemed like the jump to square two was a much larger leap than I expected. I was disappointed and frustrated when I left the city but returning to Carson Cove didn’t do much to ease either of them. Leigh was stuck in the devil’s lair for the evening, and I assumed my sister’s cell phone was either turned off or confiscated because she didn’t respond to any of my messages. Leigh was able to confirm that she was safe, but the atmosphere was tense—Jenny wasn’t handling captivity very well—not that I expected her to. I was surprised she hadn’t burned Sinn Manor down within hours of being forced to return there.

I had to take a day off work to go to the city, and I didn’t think Jon would appreciate it if I asked for another one, so I drug myself to work the next day after barely sleeping a wink. I could tell that I was cracking at the seams both mentally and physically. I snapped at Farrah because my coffee wasn’t scalding hot and almost la

id into one of the account managers in my department when their results weren’t where they should have been. I got a couple of questions about the bruise on my face and the knot on my head, but my general demeanor stopped them from pressing for more details. I probably could have used a couple of days at Juniper Health myself, but I couldn’t run from my problems.

Maybe I’ll feel better if I can just talk to Jenny…

“Damien, what are you doing here?” Pennington glared at me as I walked up to the car that was parked in front of Carson Cove High.

“I didn’t come to fight.” I held up my hands. “I just want to talk to my sister.”

“Your sister is going back to Sinn Manor as soon as she’s done with school.” He took a step towards me.

“Do you really want to do this? Here? In front of the fucking high school?” I balled my fists. “I’m not going to stop you from taking Jenny back to Sinn Manor—I just want to have a two-minute conversation with her to make sure she’s okay.”

“I think I still owe you one.” He pointed at the cut on his face.

“I didn’t walk away unscathed, but you don’t have any back-up this time,” I growled under my breath. “The next mark I leave on you might be permanent.”