Page 30 of Kindred Lies
There was something in the way Nicholas stared at Lyoness Keane. It seemed as if he knew her in some way. Had some amount of affection for her… That couldn’t be right. Could it? He shook that thought away. Cooper was seeing conspiracies where there were none. He’d chalk it up to finding a real ghost and shaking his carefully crafted world apart.
Amethyst brushed one of her mom’s blond locks away from her face. “Mother,” she said softly. “Wake up please.” Amethyst nibbled on her bottom lip. “Or are you waiting for your handsome prince to come kiss you first? Is this one of your acts? Was Mr. Drake so handsome he stole your breath away?”
A soft moan echoed through the room. “Nick…” Her mother’s voice was so quiet he’d barely missed her saying his godfather’s name.
Cooper stared at him. “How do you know Amethyst’s mother?’
Nick folded his arms across his chest and remained mute. He had a mulish expression on his face and he kept his gaze on Lyoness Keane. Come to think of it he’d reacted strangely when he’d mentioned Amethyst’s mother’s name the other day. He’d left suddenly afterward. Cooper had brushed it aside as nothing at the time. Now he had to wonder if Nick and Lyoness were more to each other than he could ever have imagined.
He wasn’t the only one who’d heard Lyoness mumble Nick’s name. Amethyst heard it too. Her gaze shot upward and she glared at Nick. “How well do you and my mother know each other.”
Nick shrugged in response. “I’d say not as much as I once believed and more than we both are willing to admit.”
“That’s not really much of an answer,” she said. Derision etched through her voice. “I think you have a lot of explaining to do.”
“Not nearly as much as your mother does,” he shot back. “Are you ready to let your eyelids flutter open and flash us your pretty green eyes Ly?”
As if on cue her mother did just that. “There’s not need to be so acerbic, Nick dear.” Lyoness Keane sat up and held her hand out to him. “Now be good and help me to my feet.”
“How long were you feigning being out cold?” Nick glared at her but still helped her to her feet.”
“I just started to come through,” her mother admitted. Once she was on her feet she smoothed her hands over her skirt and then turned toward Amethyst. “I’m sorry I terrified you dear. Seeing Nick…shocked me a bit. I promise that wasn’t all a ruse. I had to listen a little though and…”
“Figure out how you’re going to explain our connection?” Nick lifted a brow. “Did you decide on what you’re going to say or admit?” He stepped closer to her and leaned over to mutter his next statement directly into Lyoness’s ear. “or are you going to continue to lie?”
Cooper had no idea what was going on but he had a bad feeling. Nick seemed pissed and all of his anger was directed at Lyoness Keane. Amethyst hadn’t gained all the color back in her face after their encounter with the ghost of Easton Hill. She still didn’t look good now and she was fast losing even more color. Concern for her mother was affecting her a great deal.
“You’re supposed to be dead,” Lyoness accused Nick. “How are you still here?”
“Deflecting isn’t going to save you,” Nick said. “If you cared enough to find out, you’d have realized years ago that I didn’t die in that bombing. But you were all right accepting my supposed death and I gave you what you wanted. You pushed me away and broke my heart, but that’s nothing compared to the real damage you’ve done to me.” He glanced at Amethyst. “You stole my daughter away from me and any chance I had to know her. For that I’ll never forgive you.”
Amethyst’s eyes widened and then she slumped to the floor. The excitement of the day had to have finally overtaken her. Cooper rushed to her side and pulled her into his arms. Damn her parents… He couldn’t believe Nick was Amethyst’s father. She was going to have so much to deal with when she woke up…
