by Avery, Quinn
Sobbing, she flung the door open. He watched it slam shut behind her, knowing it would only make things worse if he tried stopping her.
A hollowness filled his core. He fell to his knees and pounded the carpet with his fists.
There was always a threat the past would catch up to them, but he sensed he’d lost her for good. And it was his old man’s fault. It was time Howard Farrington faced the consequences for what he had done. Kellen too.
16
Minutes slipped into hours after Cameron left the hotel. She wandered the streets on foot with Lincoln’s revelations unfolding like a never-ending Jacob’s ladder. Whenever she recalled the way the man she was ready to spend the rest of her life with looked at her as the truth spewed from his lips, she teetered on a fine line between crying into hysteria, and screaming until she passed out. The deafening sounds of downtown were muted by the pressure in her skull.
Lincoln had watched as they blew a hole in her dad’s head. He stalked her because of a picture he’d found after her dad’s body was removed from the crime scene.
Their entire relationship was founded on a savage lie.
Discovering the truth behind her dad’s brutal murder triggered the mourning process all over again. She had believed he was involved in a senseless act of violence. Rebecca believed her husband embezzled his company’s money, and killed himself because he was a coward. Neither story could’ve been any further removed from reality. They'd killed her dad because he didn’t want to leave his family. Howard Farrington and the mafia’s thug murdered him.
Anger vibrated through her until her vision became distorted. She hated Howard even more than she ever hated Kellen. She detested the ground the bastard walked on.
She was torn from her dark thoughts with the blaring of a horn. A set of bony hands tugged her back. “Miss? Are you okay?”
Through a blur of tears, she stared back at the elderly woman, unable to answer. The love of her life had a hand in her dad’s murder. She’d never be okay.
“Oh dear, you look a mess,” the woman said with a slow shake of her white head. “Is there someone I can call to come get you?”
“My mom,” she whispered in a cracked voice. “I need to see my mom.”
* * *
After awhile, Cameron came back to her senses enough to finish the bagel and coffee the woman had bought since Cameron had left her wallet in the hotel. Again. Everything stuck to her throat that was raw from crying. Thankfully Ruth didn't expect her to say much, so they sat in silence for the most part. Her mind was drowning with thoughts of Lincoln and all the ways he’d betrayed her since the day they’d met. She didn’t notice Rebecca standing beside her until she heard her name.
Though only forty-five, Rebecca Quinn’s addiction to prescription drugs aged her a good decade. She’d once been stunning with piercing green eyes and the same shade of golden hair as Cameron’s. In recent years, her eyes had since dulled and sunken in, matching the weathered look of her sagging skin. She tried her hardest to look the part of a secretary in a white blouse and a denim pencil skirt, hair pulled back in a sloppy knot. But her broken-down body made her invariably appear exhausted.
Looking up at the woman who was once strong and a good parent until her husband was torn from their lives, Cameron lost it all over again. For too long, they’d been forced to live the Farrington family’s lie. That entire time, Rebecca believed she hadn’t been enough for her husband.
“Oh, Cam,” Rebecca whispered, dropping down into the booth at her side. “What’s wrong?”
Cameron flung herself into arms that squeezed around her. Aside from the day Rebecca completed rehab, Cameron couldn’t remember the last time she’d felt her mom’s embrace. It was comforting, aside from the faint odor of cigarettes and mothballs that always seemed to cling to Rebecca’s second-hand clothes. Cameron once tried telling her they needed to be washed a few times before wearing them, but Rebecca refused to waste money on over-laundering.
Rebecca’s chest vibrated as she exchanged words with Ruth, words that Cameron couldn’t even begin to comprehend. She heard the old woman mention her name, but she was too destroyed to acknowledge it.
“Sweetheart, you’re scaring me,” Rebecca said, stroking her hair. “Do you want me to call Kellen?”
“No!” Cameron dug her fingers into Rebecca’s arm. “Please don’t!”
Rebecca inhaled a sharp breath. “Cam, did he hurt you?”
“Get me out of here. I can’t do this surrounded by strangers.”
“Okay,” Rebecca whispered, planting a kiss in the thick of her daughter’s hair.
Attempting to control herself, Cameron sucked in a big breath and followed her out from the booth. Everyone was staring by then. She kept her head down, holding her mom’s hand and watching her sandals slap against the tile as they exited. The warm afternoon air helped to dry her face once they were on the sidewalk.
“Where do you want to go?” Rebecca asked. “I took an Uber here. We can grab another one if you want to go back to my place.”
Cameron shook her head. For the first time since her dad’s death, she wanted to revisit one of the places he would often take her—the park where she was told the mugging had happened. She wanted to be surrounded by his presence as she told Rebecca the brutal truth of his death. “Let’s go to the Palace.”
The way Rebecca’s eyes cast downward as she nodded, the thought of going there must’ve reminded her of happier times too.
On the ride to the Presidio, Rebecca held her hand and gazed out the window while Cameron tried to pull her thoughts together enough to decide how to deliver the devastating news. Howard Farrington deserved to be in prison, but what evidence did she have beyond Lincoln’s word? If she were to show up at the police station, would they even take her seriously? She loathed Lincoln for holding back the truth. But did she really want to see his life destroyed because of his father’s mistakes? They’d make him testify in a trial that could take months. And what if Agron went after him for exposing the truth? Confusion and fear swirled through her guts until she was sure she’d be sick.
The driver dropped them at the entrance of the park. The sun reflected off the beautiful lagoon, replacing sorrow and unease with comfortable warmth. Memories of the time her dad helped her feed the ducks, getting swarmed by swans and seagulls, cracked a smile against Cameron’s lips.
“Your dad loved it here,” Rebecca said, sitting on a bench by the water’s edge and staring out at the structures. “Do you remember that time he hired a photographer to take our Christmas portrait in this exact spot?”
“Not really. But I remember the picture.”
Eyes on the water, Rebecca’s face glowed with the bright kind of smile Cameron remembered her constantly having when around her dad. “It was cold and windy, and the birds kept attacking us. You wouldn’t stop crying because you were hungry, but he insisted we get the perfect picture. He got you to settle down by promising to buy you one of those pretzels you loved on the pier once we were done.”
Cameron laughed. “That explains why my smile in the picture was so massive.”
“You were a happy little girl for the most part.” Rebecca turned to face her with a world of sorrow encapsulated in her eyes. “You’ve always been so strong, Cam. Stronger than I ever was and stronger than I should’ve been after your dad died. Seeing you break down in that diner nearly gave me a heart attack. What did that Farrington prick do to hurt you?”
“Which one?” With a snorting laugh, Cameron watched a mother duck attend to her babies. Tears pricked her eyes with Rebecca’s veiled apology. She wished Rebecca had been stronger too. “I don’t even know where to start.” A big part of her was afraid to reveal the truth, because it could break her mom all over again. Make her want to use. It was enough that Lincoln had smashed Cameron’s happiness to smithereens.
Rebecca brushed Cameron’s hair over one shoulder, exposing her face. “Are you talking to Lincoln again?”
; “You could say that.”
“He was always so good to you.” Her voice was hushed.
A tear slipped down Cameron’s cheek. “He told me what he did for you.”
Rebecca nodded thoughtfully. “He’s a good man. I owe him my life.”
That made two of them. But it seemed he’d hurt Cameron just as many times as he’d saved her. Maybe they were never meant to be together. The only thing they’d done successfully was cause each other unbearable pain.
“I like him much better than that fiancé of yours. I don’t see much of Kellen, but when I do, he’s not very friendly.”
“He’s not a good person, Mom.”
“What?” Tilting her head, Rebecca batted her lashes. “What do you mean? Then why are you with him?”
“It’s a long, convoluted story. The short version? He’s an asshole. I’m only with him because I want revenge. I promised to marry him if he’d pay my debts.”
Rebecca inhaled sharply. “You mean my rehab?”
“That and the balance from college not paid by my scholarships.” Cameron held her hands up when Rebecca opened her mouth with protest. “It’s the least he could’ve done. He wasn’t…nice to me in high school. I don’t want to go into the details, so you’ll have to trust me when I tell you that he deserves to pay.”
Rebecca popped up from the bench, fidgeting with the knot in her hair. “I don’t understand, Cam. Why does he want to marry you?”
Cameron was suddenly reminded of the face Lincoln made when she explained her arrangement with Kellen. At the time she figured he was appalled. But she finally understood. By marrying her, Kellen had leverage against his father. Cameron would be a constant reminder of his biggest kept secret. Kellen was using her as a bribe to get the promotion his father withheld. More than before, she wanted Kellen to hurt the way he’d hurt everyone else.
“What do you know about Howard Farrington?” she asked.
Rebecca shrugged halfheartedly. “Isn’t he Kellen and Lincoln’s dad?”
“Yeah and he was the CEO of Valicorp. You must’ve heard Dad talk about him. Didn’t you ever put two and two together?”
“My God, I had no idea.” Eyes narrowed, she frowned. “I met his immediate supervisor and some of his co-workers a few times, but I didn’t go to company parties. I was always worried the other wives would think I was too simple. Your dad was always telling me the other employees lived in mansions with pools, and drove outrageously expensive cars. I didn’t want to compete with that. Your dad and I were happy the way things were. Or at least I always thought he was…” Rebecca turned away, her voice trailing off. She sniffled loudly, wiping at her face. “I suppose you’re old enough to hear the truth behind your father’s death.”
“Mom…” Cameron almost choked on the word, knowing how much pain it caused Rebecca to think her husband hadn’t been happy with the life she’d given him. “What they told you was a lie. Dad didn’t kill himself.”
She spun back around. “What? How—”
“Lincoln told me the truth just a few hours ago.” She stood to grip Rebecca’s shoulders, hoping her mom was strong enough to hear what came next. Praying the demons of her past didn’t drag her back under. “Dad wasn’t embezzling money from Valicorp. I believe Howard Farrington was under the direction of the Russian mafia. When Dad discovered the IRS was coming to investigate a bogus charity they told him to use, he told Howard Farrington he wouldn’t go to jail because he wouldn’t leave you and me. Howard let Dad take the fall to protect himself and the mafia.”
Rebecca’s eyes wandered around aimlessly. “Oh…my God.” Her chest rose and fell with rapid breaths. “But there was…an investigation…they said there wasn’t any question…it was a suicide.”
Cameron eased her mom back down to the bench. “That’s because Howard Farrington lied, Mom. Lincoln and Kellen were both in the room. They saw it happen. I’m sure they were questioned along with their father. He had them well-trained to go along with his bogus story. He put the blame on Dad to save their asses.”
“They took everything from us,” she whispered.
“I know. I can’t imagine what it was like thinking the love of your life took his own life, and did something that hurt you even more when he was gone.” Cameron took her hand. “I’m not calling the cops. I don’t know that it would do any good anyway. Howard Farrington got by with it once because of the mafia’s protection, so I’m not sure the confession of someone who was only thirteen at the time would change anything, except to put Lincoln in danger. Howard and Kellen deserve to be in prison—maybe even Lincoln…although I’m not sure about his involvement. He’s not like his father and brother. I kind of think his commitment to our country cancels his knowledge of Dad’s death. Plus I love him—at least I did until a few hours ago. He’s a decent man. He bribed his father into paying for my tuition at Crestridge.”
“That can’t be right. It was a scholarship.”
“Another lie.” Cameron exhaled slowly, puffing her cheeks. “I’m starting to lose track of what’s a lie and what’s reality.” The more thought she put into Lincoln’s confession, that he sought her out because he watched her dad die, the more she became violently ill.
“This is insane.” Rebecca shook her head with a stunned expression that made Cameron believe she couldn’t handle any more of the truth.
“I’m going to make them pay for what they did to our family.”
“I don’t know, Cam. Howard sounds like a very powerful, very dangerous man. I mean if he’s dealing with the mafia, you’re way in over your head. You should let the authorities handle this.”
“Like you said, we’re talking about the mafia. The evidence that they killed Dad was buried with him, and what happened between me and Kellen back in high school…it’s his word against mine. They’ll never believe my side of the story when I’m engaged to the son-of-a-bitch.”
The tears trapped in her mom’s eyes finally trickled down her face. “What happened with Kellen in high school? Did he…force himself on you?”
Blinking back her own tears, Cameron forced a smile. “Don’t cry for me. It was a long time ago. I’m over it.”
Flinging her arms around her daughter, Rebecca openly sobbed loud enough to warrant a few questioning stares from visitors nearby. “Sweetheart, I’m so sorry for everything you’ve been through! I’m a terrible mother! I should’ve been there for you!”
Cameron’s heart broke for both of them. It was the first time since her dad died that she could genuinely accept Rebecca’s apology, and acknowledge her own emotions. Regret, loss, anger, sympathy…they mixed together until she felt the need to burst from her skin.
“I forgive you, Mom,” she whispered. “You were struggling because you were forced to live an ugly lie. I wish you had told me what they made you believe, so we could’ve dealt with it together.”
“I wasn’t about to tell a little girl that her daddy took his own life! You were his world! You were probably the last thing on his mind when they killed him!”
Remembering the picture Lincoln found that day, Cameron’s heart clenched a little tighter. “He loved you just as much. I don’t remember you guys ever fighting. I only remember both of you having big smiles. Our house was always filled with laughter.”
“We were happy,” she answered quietly, seeming a little more calmed by Cameron’s words. “That’s why the lie hurt so much.” Rebecca pulled away, wiping at the tears on her daughter’s face. Then she grabbed onto her arms, looking Cameron square in the eye. “Do you still love Lincoln?”
“I think so, but keeping this secret from me may be something I can’t move past. Sounds to me like he was obsessed with the idea of comforting a dead man’s daughter. How can I be sure he really loves me? What if he wants to be with me because of some kind of delusional revenge like Kellen was planning? He always hated their father.”
“He took care of you when I couldn’t,” she reminded her with a sad smile. “You say he’s
a good man, so I think you need to trust your heart on this one. What does it tell you?”
“That I fell for the wrong guy, and should keep looking.” Cameron huffed under her breath, unable to believe she was even entertaining the idea of taking the two-faced traitor back. But when she recalled the look in his eyes whenever he told her he loved her, the way his voice became thick with emotion when he called her “his girl,” the way he smiled when she entered a room, the way he kissed her with fervor, she had to believe his love for her was genuine. “Even if I decide to forgive him, he’s a Navy SEAL. It’s his job to go after terrorists for months at a time. I don’t know if I’m strong enough for that.”
Laughing, Rebecca pulled her close, and kissed her forehead. “You’re strong enough. You’re also an incredibly intelligent woman. I’m sure you’ll make the right decision. If you had it in your heart to forgive me for everything I put you through, maybe there’s room somewhere in there for him too.”
Cameron’s throat thickened. “I love you, Mom,”
“I love you, too, sweetheart. That’s why I need you to promise that you won’t get hurt in getting your revenge against these men. If it becomes too dangerous, I need to know that you’ll back away, because your life is far more valuable than revenge.” She pulled Cameron’s hands into her lap. “You’re all I have left in this life. I think we both know I’m not strong enough to survive losing my husband and my only child.”
“I’ll be careful.”
Eyes narrowed, Rebecca squeezed Cameron’s hands. “Make those assholes pay, Cam.”
17
After spending five hours bobbing in the ocean, Lincoln was a wet noodle by the time he bellied up to the bar with Duke and Rogers. He was exhausted. His legs wouldn’t stop cramping, and his skin was spongy. It was one of the best feelings in the world—maybe a close second to making love to Cameron. He’d give anything for a chance to do that again.