Page 67 of Bad Situation

Now, the sun is setting and all I’ve done is stare out the back windows of my parents’ home where workers are breaking down everything from last night. But I don’t see any of it. Instead, the only thing swirling in my brain is Patrick lying in a pool of his own blood and think about how his sweet wife, Millie, and his daughter, my childhood friend, Kate, are left without him. I need to go see them, but Ellie insisted I stay here with her.

She keeps talking like she’s done nonstop since we got here just to fill the dead air. “I know what you’re thinking.”

I turn to her and frown.

“It’s what you’re always thinking and you’re wrong,” she goes on from where she’s sitting across the room from me. She left Griffin at home with Robert for once. “You’re carrying this on your shoulders like you do everything. It’s not your fault.”

I look away. She has no clue.

“You’ve done nothing to bring this on other than do everything Dad asked of you. You stepped up and did what no one else wanted to do. Someone is targeting you because of your position. Hey,” she calls for me, demanding I look at her. The tides have shifted for once and she’s the one keeping me afloat. That’s normally my job in our relationship. She lowers her voice. “Do not take this on.”

I look away. My tears are gone and my emotions have drained me. I’m numb and don’t know what happens next—what I’m supposed to do. What happened to Patrick wasn’t some freak incident. Not when I found out what happened to the PI only an hour before.

As if Patrick’s murder wasn’t enough. Another life is gone, crushing my conscience with something that feels like the weight of the universe.

Someone is targeting me.

And it seems whatever we do, they’re one step ahead of us.

Ellie gets up from her place on the sofa. “I’m making you dinner. You need to eat something.”

But before she makes it halfway to the kitchen, we both tense when we hear the door leading from the garage slam. Ellie doesn’t move but turns to look at me before our father stalks into the room, followed by our mom wearing puffy eyes. She’s cried off all her makeup. I stand and start toward her, but am stopped when I see the expression on my father’s face.

The force that is my father comes to a stop in the middle of the room and he takes a breath. Stress has a way of aging one instantly and my father, who is usually spry and looks younger than his years since he’s still fit and active, is now wearing every year and then some like an ugly mask.

When he speaks, his voice is low and rough. “The service will most likely be Thursday. I’m going to reach out to the PI’s family tomorrow. I don’t know what, but we’ll do something for them.”

That weight on my chest presses in. I only nod.

“Millie and Kate are in shock. They had family arriving and we need to get Jordy and Cara from Hattie’s friend who’s been watching them since we had to leave.”

After everything that’s happened, I forgot Cam’s kids are staying here while he and Paige are on their honeymoon.

My mother moves through the room and sniffles when she says, “I’ve got to clean myself up. I don’t want those babies to see me like this. I’m a mess and would scare the dickens outta them.”

My dad ignores her and his voice turns hard. “I had a conference call with Lehmans on the way home.”

“Kipp.” My mother stops and turns back. “You agreed—not now.”

My dad doesn’t take his eyes off me and shakes his head. “What on God’s earth were you thinkin’? Sneaking around with an FBI agent on the sly?”

Ellie frowns and looks to me. “What’s he talking about?”

“Kipp!” my mother yells.

My father turns his angry eyes on my mother. “It can’t wait, Hattie. Two men are dead—one of them my lifelong friend. Two men who were trying to help clear our daughter’s name and clean up whatever shit’s going on in the company.” He turns back to me and his roar rumbles through the large room. “What were you thinking?”

“Dad, stop!” Ellie yells. “Do you know what she’s been through today?”

“Dad,” I whisper, barely finding my voice and it comes out as a plea. This cannot be happening.

He doesn’t take his eyes off me. “I learned a lot today, Jensen, and I don’t appreciate being lied to. The FBI is trying to take you down for insider trading, which could drag the company down with it. Then I find out you’ve been communicating with an FBI agent behind everyone’s back.”

“Kipp!” my mother butts in as tears fill her eyes. “This doesn’t need to be done today.”

He turns to my mother and thunders, “It damn well does! When my CFO happens to be my daughter, I need to make sure she’s loyal, because, after what I’ve learned today, I’m not so sure that’s the case.”

I’m not numb anymore. My heart is jackhammering in my chest, about to shatter from the hurt—from everything. Just when I thought today was black enough, my own father—the man whom I’ve done everything for, every fucking thing he’s ever asked—questions my loyalty.

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