I stepped closer and studied him. There were crease lines at the ends of his eyes, like he had to squint a lot. There were worry lines on his forehead. His shoulders were the same, maybe thinner, but his eyes . . . I couldn’t look away from them. They studied me as much as I studied him.
He blinked. A shine of tears was there, but he managed a small grin. “How are you, Sheldon?”
“Not good.”
Then he laughed. The corner of his lips curved in. His two dimples flashed at me, but then he shook his head and wiped at the corners of his eyes. “No, you’re not doing well right now, are you?”
“You bailed me out of jail. Those are your lawyers.” Not Denton’s. Not Bryce’s. I twisted around and looked them over again. Another car pulled up behind us, and four more lawyers got out. All black business suits, all with bland features. And then I looked at the house, around the estate. “Who the hell are you?”
Neil chuckled and reached forward.
I cringed and ducked out of his way. “Don’t. Don’t touch me.”
The grin fell away, and he sighed. He looked so tired then. “You’ve had a shock. I can see that.”
“I want to talk to my friends.”
“Your friends?” He frowned at one of the lawyers, the douche bag who had spoken to me in the car. “I thought you said her mother was at the police station?”
He clipped out a nod. “She was.” His gaze slid to me. “She refused to see her.”
Neil reared back an inch. His frown deepened, and he studied me again. “You didn’t want to see your mother?”
I snorted. “Would you?”
A glimmer of a smile flirted across his face, but he ended on a solemn note. “No. I wouldn’t.”
I swallowed thickly. My mind still raced. “I want to see Bryce and Corrigan.”
His shoulders sagged, and a sense of disappointment flared inside me when he murmured, “You’re still friends with them.”
“Yes.” Though he hadn’t said it as a question.
My father jerked his head in a nod and rubbed at his jaw. “It seems that some things have not changed in four and a half years.”
“Except you.” My shoulder twitched. What was that about? “What happened to you? I’ve had people ask where you were, but I didn’t know.”
“I left you money.”
“That’s not the question.”
His eyes widened a slight inch, and he stepped back. He grew quiet, and his hand stopped rubbing his jaw. Then he laughed on a rueful note. “My god, you’ve grown up, Sheldon. You were confused and hurting the last time I saw you, but now . . . look at you. You’re a woman. You’re all grown up.”
My jaw clenched, and my hands slammed against my sides. “I’m also accused of murder.”
“Yes, I am aware. That’s why I reached out to you.”
Everything was wishy-washy for me. I knew I spoke how I always did, calm and strong, but my insides were twisting and churning. My stomach was doing constant somersaults, and I felt like a massive army of worms were slithering their way through my body. But at his words, everything stopped. A stone dropped in me. It all clicked into place.
My voice was hoarse. “You wouldn’t have come forward, would you? If I hadn’t been arrested, you never would’ve let me know where you were.”
He didn’t say anything. He didn’t have to.
A wall went over me, and I turned away from him. This was a stranger in front of me. This wasn’t my father anymore.
Then I looked around. “I’m right when I assume I’m going to be staying here?”
He nodded. His jaw clenched.
“Then I need a bag of my stuff. I need my clothes. And homework, I can’t get behind.”
“You won’t. We’ve arranged for all of that, but you’ve been let go from the university. You can reapply after all of this is over. That’s what their representative told my assistant, anyway.” His voice was business-like now. He was the professional diplomat I always knew he’d been with his companies. “My assistant was able to get all your clothes, too.”
“Well.” I pressed a hand to my stomach. I would process all of that later. “Your assistant must’ve been very busy in the last five hours.”
“She was. Beth is the best.”
I felt a kick to my gut. I heard the admiration in his voice.
“I’ll introduce you two, if you’d like to go inside.” He shifted toward the castle.
I grabbed the backpack the police gave back to me and threw it over my shoulder. As we climbed the two levels of stairs and passed both tiers of plants and flowers, I felt like I was marching to my doom. And then my father stepped inside first, and I was transported to some English palace of royalty. Everything was gold and old. It might not have been a fair assessment, but I expected to see a butler emerge from the shadows along with two maids dressed in black dresses with white ruffles. When none emerged, I was relieved, a little bit.
And then we went farther inside, down the long hallway that extended from the foyer, and he turned into a large room. Windows were placed all around the wall. They extended from the ceiling to the floor, and white sheer curtains draped over them. They all had gold bordering on the ends, and I sighed again.
The place was cold and impersonal.
“Neil?” A soft feminine voice came from behind us.
He turned with a wide smile on his face. He held a hand out, and she came forward with a graceful smile. Her feet barely touched the floor as she glided toward us. As she took his hand in hers, she looked at me and stopped short. The lively mirth in her eyes fell away, and her smile vanished. She looked down to the floor.
I snorted.
Even her blond hair was pulled into a classy-looking bun. Fucking Mary Poppins had arrived as my father’s glorified secretary. When his hand skimmed down her arm and fell away, I was pretty sure they were sleeping together, too.
“Sheldon.” He didn’t disguise the admiration in his tone. “This is Bethany Maller. You should be very nice to her. She’s going to be your best friend here.”
“Really?” My tone went flat.
She looked back up, but jerked her head to the side.
I sighed on the inside. She couldn’t even meet my gaze. I held back my snarl, but this was going to be my best friend? This was going to be my jailor.
He blinked. A shine of tears was there, but he managed a small grin. “How are you, Sheldon?”
“Not good.”
Then he laughed. The corner of his lips curved in. His two dimples flashed at me, but then he shook his head and wiped at the corners of his eyes. “No, you’re not doing well right now, are you?”
“You bailed me out of jail. Those are your lawyers.” Not Denton’s. Not Bryce’s. I twisted around and looked them over again. Another car pulled up behind us, and four more lawyers got out. All black business suits, all with bland features. And then I looked at the house, around the estate. “Who the hell are you?”
Neil chuckled and reached forward.
I cringed and ducked out of his way. “Don’t. Don’t touch me.”
The grin fell away, and he sighed. He looked so tired then. “You’ve had a shock. I can see that.”
“I want to talk to my friends.”
“Your friends?” He frowned at one of the lawyers, the douche bag who had spoken to me in the car. “I thought you said her mother was at the police station?”
He clipped out a nod. “She was.” His gaze slid to me. “She refused to see her.”
Neil reared back an inch. His frown deepened, and he studied me again. “You didn’t want to see your mother?”
I snorted. “Would you?”
A glimmer of a smile flirted across his face, but he ended on a solemn note. “No. I wouldn’t.”
I swallowed thickly. My mind still raced. “I want to see Bryce and Corrigan.”
His shoulders sagged, and a sense of disappointment flared inside me when he murmured, “You’re still friends with them.”
“Yes.” Though he hadn’t said it as a question.
My father jerked his head in a nod and rubbed at his jaw. “It seems that some things have not changed in four and a half years.”
“Except you.” My shoulder twitched. What was that about? “What happened to you? I’ve had people ask where you were, but I didn’t know.”
“I left you money.”
“That’s not the question.”
His eyes widened a slight inch, and he stepped back. He grew quiet, and his hand stopped rubbing his jaw. Then he laughed on a rueful note. “My god, you’ve grown up, Sheldon. You were confused and hurting the last time I saw you, but now . . . look at you. You’re a woman. You’re all grown up.”
My jaw clenched, and my hands slammed against my sides. “I’m also accused of murder.”
“Yes, I am aware. That’s why I reached out to you.”
Everything was wishy-washy for me. I knew I spoke how I always did, calm and strong, but my insides were twisting and churning. My stomach was doing constant somersaults, and I felt like a massive army of worms were slithering their way through my body. But at his words, everything stopped. A stone dropped in me. It all clicked into place.
My voice was hoarse. “You wouldn’t have come forward, would you? If I hadn’t been arrested, you never would’ve let me know where you were.”
He didn’t say anything. He didn’t have to.
A wall went over me, and I turned away from him. This was a stranger in front of me. This wasn’t my father anymore.
Then I looked around. “I’m right when I assume I’m going to be staying here?”
He nodded. His jaw clenched.
“Then I need a bag of my stuff. I need my clothes. And homework, I can’t get behind.”
“You won’t. We’ve arranged for all of that, but you’ve been let go from the university. You can reapply after all of this is over. That’s what their representative told my assistant, anyway.” His voice was business-like now. He was the professional diplomat I always knew he’d been with his companies. “My assistant was able to get all your clothes, too.”
“Well.” I pressed a hand to my stomach. I would process all of that later. “Your assistant must’ve been very busy in the last five hours.”
“She was. Beth is the best.”
I felt a kick to my gut. I heard the admiration in his voice.
“I’ll introduce you two, if you’d like to go inside.” He shifted toward the castle.
I grabbed the backpack the police gave back to me and threw it over my shoulder. As we climbed the two levels of stairs and passed both tiers of plants and flowers, I felt like I was marching to my doom. And then my father stepped inside first, and I was transported to some English palace of royalty. Everything was gold and old. It might not have been a fair assessment, but I expected to see a butler emerge from the shadows along with two maids dressed in black dresses with white ruffles. When none emerged, I was relieved, a little bit.
And then we went farther inside, down the long hallway that extended from the foyer, and he turned into a large room. Windows were placed all around the wall. They extended from the ceiling to the floor, and white sheer curtains draped over them. They all had gold bordering on the ends, and I sighed again.
The place was cold and impersonal.
“Neil?” A soft feminine voice came from behind us.
He turned with a wide smile on his face. He held a hand out, and she came forward with a graceful smile. Her feet barely touched the floor as she glided toward us. As she took his hand in hers, she looked at me and stopped short. The lively mirth in her eyes fell away, and her smile vanished. She looked down to the floor.
I snorted.
Even her blond hair was pulled into a classy-looking bun. Fucking Mary Poppins had arrived as my father’s glorified secretary. When his hand skimmed down her arm and fell away, I was pretty sure they were sleeping together, too.
“Sheldon.” He didn’t disguise the admiration in his tone. “This is Bethany Maller. You should be very nice to her. She’s going to be your best friend here.”
“Really?” My tone went flat.
She looked back up, but jerked her head to the side.
I sighed on the inside. She couldn’t even meet my gaze. I held back my snarl, but this was going to be my best friend? This was going to be my jailor.
