Ruled by her Daddies (Harem of Daddies)

This was the tricky part. How much to tell them? Her gaze flicked around. They should know her reasons for staying away from them. But did she want them to know what she’d done?

She let out a breath. “About six weeks ago, William found out he had terminal cancer. I came home to find him sitting at the dining table, drinking scotch. He tried to be at home as little as possible, so it was a shock to find him there. He . . . he told me that he was dying. He had less than a year to live and he wanted to make amends for everything he’d done. To help free me before he died.”

“And you believed him?” Caleb asked.

“Not at first. But he showed me some of the correspondence from the oncologist. He also told me that he’d had a steady girlfriend for the last year. That he wanted to be with her for the last few months of his life. Not me.”

“Fucker,” Aleki muttered.

She shrugged. “I actually appreciated his honesty. It wasn’t like we cared about each other. When he was drunk, he could be a real asshole. Anyway, I asked him why he’d never just left and he told me my father had things on him that could land him in a lot of trouble. And that he was closely watched. He figured that if he created enough trouble for my father, it would give him enough cover to sneak away.”

“He wanted your help, right?” Caleb asked.

“Yeah, he wanted me to gather information about my father. He said he had a friend who was a reporter who would release everything. My father would get what he was owed and William and I would be free.”

“What happened next?” Aleki asked.

“I helped gather up information for him. I knew it was risky . . . if I was caught, he could hurt you guys.”

Aleki started swearing.

“The day that William died, he gave me a copy of the flash drive and the number of his contact. We finally had enough material. He said he was going to set things up. He told me to hide the flash drive and if something happened to him to use that number to get in contact with his friend and that I should take him the flash drive.”

“Sounds like he was worried your father was onto him,” Caleb said.

“I thought so too.”

“Do you think William could have been murdered?” Caleb looked at Wolfe.

“It’s possible to create a heart attack,” Wolfe confirmed.

“So you do think it’s possible my father had him killed.” She placed a hand over her stomach. William hadn’t been a good man but at the end, he’d been trying to do the right thing.

“Any idea who William’s contact was?” Wolfe asked

“No. William never told me.” She lick

ed her lips. “After the police told me he was dead, I texted the number and packed a bag. I panicked. I wasn’t sure if it was really a heart attack or if my father knew what we’d done. His contact texted back and told me to meet him in the basement level of the Triton building. I called a taxi to pick me up a few blocks away from the house and snuck out.”

“Do you think you were followed?” Caleb asked.

“I don’t think so, but I don’t know. I was mainly trying to avoid the press.”

“Did you meet with the contact?” Aleki asked.

“No. While I was waiting for the contact, this car . . . this car came squealing around the corner and this person got out. They had a ski mask on. And they were holding a gun. I panicked. I left my handbag and ran. In it were the flash drive and my phone, along with all my money. I heard this other man call out, I’m not sure but maybe he was William’s contact. He yelled out something about a gun. I don’t know what happened to him. I couldn’t stop and find out.”

And the guilt was eating her up inside.

“If you’d stopped you would have died too,” Caleb said softly.

She nodded. She knew that. Still didn’t make her feel much better.

“I was racing towards the exit when I felt something sting my arm. Then my ankle turned as I made my way up the stairs. Thankfully, I slipped into the crowd and got away. I didn’t know what to do. I had nothing but a change of clothes and Piggles. I thought about calling my Uncle Ben, but I didn’t want to endanger him, and I was worried he’d tell my father.”

Caleb stood and lifted her from the bed, sitting back down with her on his lap. He rocked her gently. Silent tears raced down her cheeks. Aleki looked stricken. He was so pale, she thought he might faint.

And Wolfe . . . he looked so cold and still. He could have been carved from marble.