Page 51 of Ruthless Prince
“Notthatmuch.” Teddy lowered his voice even further. “Also, I looked into it, and he hasn’t purchased any other real estate since the family home he bought in Bethesda thirty yearsago.”
“So?”
“Don’t you think that’s weird? He lives like any other regular guy for ages, and then just a few weeks after my dad dies, he suddenly drops eight million on a vacationhouse.”
I rubbed my chin. “Maybe he saved up or invested well, and after three decades of work, he finally decided to retire and spend some of his hard-earnedcash.”
Teddy shook his head. “It’s too much of a coincidence. I think he was paid to cover up the real cause of death in thereport.”
“Over fifty people directly witnessed your father having a heartattack.”
“I know, but they didn’t see what actually caused the heart attack, did they? There’s poisons out there that can make that shit happen, right? Poisons which would be mentioned in an autopsy report… unless the doctors were paidoff.”
“By Quinn Rhoades, presumably?” I saiddrily.
“Fuck.” Teddy lowered his chin. “I knew you’d give me shit forthis.”
“I’m not. Keepgoing.”
For all I knew, he could be onto something. Judging from what I’d heard during Willow’s Order interview a few days ago, there was a slight possibility that Theodore Rutherford Senior’s death wasn’t natural. It wasn’t possible for a pledge to lie during those sessions, due to the psychoactive drugs compelling them to spill whatever was on their mind, so that meant Willow genuinely harbored a mild suspicion in regard to her mother’s level ofambition.
Until I heard her speak that night, I’d written off Teddy’s past ramblings about the current president as the sad delusions of a man in suffering, devastated and confused over his father’s untimely death. I knew Quinn Rhoades was hard-nosed and ambitious, but I never saw her as a person capable of pure evil. I viewed her the same way everyone else did—the epitome of an American successstory.
With her brains and tireless ambition, she’d risen from a humble background and ascended to the highest office in the land. She made people believe that if they just worked hard enough, they could escape their own poor backgrounds and end up likeher.
Then again, despite the vast effort she put in, she probably wouldn’t have made it to the vice presidency—let alone the presidency—if she hadn’t married into the Rhoades family and gained access to all their wealth and political capital. She wouldn’t have even made it to the Maryland Governor’sMansion.
That meant her decision to marry Stephen Rhoades could’ve been a calculated one, and she may very well be the ruthless, social-climbing political animal with a heart of stone that Teddy thought she was. In turn, that meant Willow’s suspicion could be warranted. Perhaps her mother really did arrange Rutherford’s death in order to further herambitions.
I couldn’t tell Teddy anything Willow said, however. He wasn’t an Order member, and non-members weren’t permitted to know any of our secrets, for obviousreasons.
“What do you think?” he asked as he put his phone away a moment later. “You think she might’ve doneit?”
I sighed and rubbed my forehead. “I think you need help,” I said. “Even if Quinn is guilty of something, you can’t let it take over your life like this. You’re only fucking yourselfover.”
His eyes narrowed slightly. “So you think I should give up. Get overit.”
“All I’m saying is you need to take care of yourselffirst.”
His expression softened. “Yeah, you’re right. Ishould.”
In direct contradiction to that, he pulled out a little black tube from his pocket and tipped a small pile of white powder onto the table. He was so far gone he wasn’t even bothering to pretend to go to the bathroomnow.
“Sure you don’t want some?” he asked as he arranged the powder into a thinline.
My lips flattened. “I’mgood.”
“You could use it,” he said, lifting a brow. “I’m not the only one here who doesn’t look sogood.”
He had a point. I knew I didn’t look great at the moment. I hadn’t shaved in a few days, and my eyes were lined with dark circles, betraying my recent lack ofsleep.
The last time I was able to sleep peacefully was five years ago, before my family went through hell over my sister’s accident. Ever since then, I’d slept terribly, tossing and turning and barely managing more than four hours a night. Only one thing gave me energy now, and it sure as hell wasn’tcoke.
I shook my head. “I’mfine.”
Teddy tipped his head to the side to snort the line. As he did so, he caught the eye of one of the strippers on the platform next to us. He grinned as she waved and mouthed the words ‘naughty boy’ to him. She was topless now, and as she moved in time to the music, her red hair flowed over her stiff pink nipples, covering and then revealing them in a tantalizingtease.
“You know, speaking of Quinn Rhoades,” Teddy said slowly, turning his attention back to me. “Don’t you think that girl kinda looks like Willow?” He motioned toward thestripper.
