Page 94 of Winter
“Oh, but it is. Your birth mother was murdered … because ofyou, I understand.”
Inca gritted her teeth and said nothing, looking away from his penetrating gaze.
“Strange, they say karma is a bitch. Your mother got what she deserved.”
Bastard.
Inca lost her temper then. “Gofuckyourself,” she hissed, and he laughed in delight.
“That’s better, a little spirit. So, tell me, Inca, will you go crazy like your mother? Will you do to Tommaso—or, let’s be honest, Raffaelo—what your mother did to your father? Because then, I assure you, my delectable Inca, it will be very much my business.”
She wrenched her hand away from his grip and stepped away. “I have no idea what you are talking about, Winter, but I will tell you this. Tommaso and Raffaelo deserve better than a bastard like you for a father. Whatever it is that you did to them, that you did to Tommaso … I will make you pay for it. Just watch me.”
She stalked off, her anger flooding through her veins like hot lava.Fucker. Asshole.She wanted to scream the words, but she knew if she did, the twins would come running, and all hell would break loose. No, this was her fight, not theirs. What the hell had he meant by ‘what your mother did to your father’?
She locked herself away in her bedroom. Then, later, when Raffaelo came home telling her about the premises he’d found for their business, he looked so happy Inca didn’t him about the incident with Edgar that morning. Inca looked out of the window and chewed her lip. If she told Raffaelo what Edgar had done to her, Raffaelo would go insane and probably shoot the fucker where he stood.
Inca gave a grim smile. No, she couldn’t risk Raffaelo going mad, but she had to tell him something, something that made him aware of the depth of Edgar’s hatefulness, his threats. Because that had scared her more than anything. Inca went into her bedroom and started to strip, throwing on some old sweats. She moved to the window to close the blinds and then stopped. Edgar Winter was standing in the gardens, staring up at her window. His smile was chilling. Inca slammed the blinds then. Making a decision, she went to find the twins.
Tyler Sardee was tired, but happy to be with Nancy’s family. Being with them had helped him grieve for his beloved wife, but he missed Inca terribly. He sat alone on the porch of the house, Boomer asleep at his feet. His cell phone buzzed and he smiled when he saw the caller ID.
“Hello, sweetheart. It’s good to hear from you.”
“Hey, Popsicle. How are you?”
Tyler and Inca chatted easily for a while. Then, hearing his daughter take a deep breath in, he felt his chest tighten. “What is it, little one?”
“Dad … I need to ask you something, and it’s not going to be easy. But I need you to tell me the truth now. Please.”
Tyler closed his eyes. He had known this moment would come—for years, ever since Inca was a teenager, he had been waiting for it. “It’s about your birth parents, isn’t it?”
“Yes, it is. Please, just tell me everything you know, however hard it might be to hear.”
Tyler sighed. “I will, but before I do, please, Inca, just tell me … are you in trouble? Is that why you need to know right now?”
“No …” she hesitated. “I’m not in trouble, but I could potentially be if I don’t know all the facts. There’s someone who … who could make things difficult.”
His heart was beating hard against his ribs. “Inca …”
“I just need to know so I can tell Tommaso and Raffaelo before they hear it from someone who could twist it. Dad … did my birth mom kill my father?”
Oh God.
“Yes, sweetheart. I’m sorry; she did.” He felt strangely relieved to be telling her the truth. “She was very sick, schizophrenic, and one day she snapped and beat him to death. She tried to take you with her when she attempted suicide, but, obviously, you survived.”
There was a long silence on the other end of the phone. “Inca? Are you okay?”
He was relieved to hear her voice, strong, resigned. “Yes, Pops, I’m fine. I think I always knew it was something like that, so it’s not the biggest shock. I don’t remember it.”
“That’s good.”
“Yes.”
Tyler rubbed his eyes. “Sweetheart … I think we both need to go home at some point and make our peace with what happened. The lawyers are on at me to get Nancy’s estate settled and I think … well, I think I’ll sell the house and move out here permanently. Nancy would want me to start again, and I do like it here. So does Boomer.”
Inca chuckled quietly. “I miss his shaggy head. But, yeah, Dad, I think you’re right. At this moment, I can’t imagine going back to Willowbrook for anything other than to say goodbye.”
“Italy feels like home already?”
