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Dante had both arms around me at this point, in a firm hold disguised as an affectionate bear hug. Or maybe it was both.
"You're delusional," he told her disdainfully.
"Promised to me," she repeated, tears in her eyes. "I was planning our wedding when I was fifteen. I even had the dress picked out. The jewelry. The shoes. Since I can remember, Adelaide promised me I'd be a Durant. You were never supposed to fall in love with her." She pointed an accusing finger at me. "And you certainly weren't supposed to stay in love with her. You were promised to me."
I was about done with that. I looked at Bastian, whose steady eyes were on me. "Is there a point to this?"
"Unfortunately, yes." He sounded resigned. Tired beyond his years. "It is our solution. Continue, Tiffany."
She sent him a teary smile. "You can call me Fanny."
Barf.
He didn't even roll his eyes. "Continue, Fanny."
"She promised me this, and I wanted it more than anything. She held it over my head, year after year, scheme after scheme. You wouldn't believe the things I did for her, all for this promise."
I was pretty sure we would, but I kept my mouth shut. I just wanted her to finish.
"And then it happened. I was engaged to him. But it only lasted six months, and it wasn't even real." Tears were pouring down her face, and silly or not, they were real. "But she told me to be patient, that she'd fix that too. But he wouldn't even kiss me."
"I told you then," Dante said with chilling animosity, "and I'll tell you now. I was never attracted to you. Far from it. Kissing you would be like kissing my mother."
She flinched but kept talking. "It's only recently that I realized that Adelaide is just keeping me on a string. She can't deliver the things she's promised me. If I want to be a Durant, I need to do it myself."
I was staring at her, my face stiff, expression filled with hate. I opened my mouth, to say what, I hadn't a clue, something bad, when Bastian spoke.
"Tiffany," he began.
"Fanny," she interrupted.
He merely nodded. "Fanny here knows things about Adelaide that would make your skin crawl. She's been a close confidante for quite some time.
"And an accomplice," Dante added.
"Perhaps," Bastian agreed. "But that's beside the point. We have bigger fish to fry. Fanny is a witness, and more, she recorded Adelaide talking about Gram's death and what she says on it is as good as a confession. At the very least, it will forever ruin her reputation. In addition, Fanny has agreed not to testify against either of you in the death of Detective Harris, which is a valuable thing, being that she personally witnessed parts of the crime. It was one of the most damning pieces of evidence Adelaide had on you, that in addition to the pictures taken, the photographer of said pictures," he waved his hand at Tiffany, "was a witness in her pocket."
"It won't matter whether she takes Adelaide's side or not," Dante pointed out. "Those pictures say enough. Enough to need an explanation."
"Ah. But there it is. There's no proof at all at this point that Scarlett was involved. They can prove what happened. And where. Everything else is debatable, even with the pictures. All of the DNA has deteriorated by now. Anyone could have done it.
"I doubt that will fly," I said. "She brings those pictures in, they're going to want a culprit, and they won't have to look far beyond me."
"Yes. True. But you didn't even live in that trailer at the time, correct?"
"Correct," I agreed, staring at him. His attention to detail was kind of scary.
"Someone else lived there," he continued. "Correct?"
"Yes, but it was just my grandma."
He nodded, eyes steady on me. "And we will get to that. Step one is Tiffany's cooperation. And we have it. All she wants is the Durant name."
My eyes were on him when I caught it, when I saw what he was getting at. His mouth twisted when he saw he'd gotten his point across. "Yes. Me. I'm a bastard, which she does not prefer, but I've still been allowed to carry the name, and so will she."
"No, Bastian," I said, and I couldn't hide my horror or my weakness in the words. It was too much of a sacrifice. It was too unfair.
"Yes," he countered. "It's the solution to our problems, and it's better me than Dante. If I had what you had, I would not do this. I'm doing this to save what you have. I'm doing this because I believe in it, even if it's something I can never have for myself."
