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Cade stood just outside the master bedroom, listening in to the womens’ interaction but giving Elizabeth a little privacy. Quaid did not trust his older sister alone with his younger sister or wife, and Cade wasn’t leaving his wife in any kind of peril.
Hays thought Quaid was being overly cautious, but he didn’t want to believe that Elizabeth could hurt anyone, let alone her own sister. He’d accused her of putting a bomb in Jacey’s closet earlier today, but Elizabeth had given him glimpses of the girl he’d fallen for all those years ago.
Quaid and Hays had changed out of their wet clothes in the laundry room. Now Quaid and Aiden were deliberating what to do with Elizabeth and her guards while Sheriff Clint Coleville and Hays listened. The guards were being watched outside by a dozen of Aiden’s men. Clint and his brothers had ‘left’ with the rest of the Coleville family earlier. Quaid didn’t want to endanger any of them. Clint hadn’t gone far, insisting as county sheriff he needed to be here. His twin brothers were at the bottom of the canyon, awaiting instructions.
Quaid was adamant Elizabeth was the one calling the shots after Catherine’s death. He felt it was a mistake to have allowed her to come and would put everyone here tonight in danger.
“She isn’t evil,” Hays interjected, unable to hold his peace any longer. He’d known Quaid only as a SEAL. They’d been in different units but had sometimes gone on assignments together. Maybe he should have recognized him as Thomas Oliver while in the military, but he’d never met any of Elizabeth’s family. Quaid was younger than them by three years, and nobody had expected the famous, kidnapped billionaire heir Thomas Oliver to be on a SEAL assignment with them.
Quaid rounded on him. His blue eyes were intense. “You still think she’s the innocent girl you kissed in high school. She’s not. She never was.”
Hays didn’t respond to that. He was leery of Elizabeth breaking his heart again—of course he was—but he couldn’t believe she was evil. Not after looking into her eyes. He’d seen fear, longing, and determination in her blue gaze. There was a lot to reconcile with her thrusting him away and having him beaten, but he was becoming convinced that she was brave and innocent and needed him to protect her.
“Thank you for taking the time to come.” Quaid stared at him with eyes so similar to Elizabeth’s it was eerie. “Feel free to leave.”
Hays sprang to his feet. As a rule, he was the mellow one, the one who didn’t start the battle. But as he’d proven with the cocksure guard tonight, he’d finish it. “You wanted me here. You won’t dismiss me because I disagree with you.”
Quaid simply stared at him. “Emotions cannot interfere. My mother was the devil, and my sister is obviously walking in her footsteps. She can beguile some, but not me. I’ve lived this.”
The bedroom door opened upstairs and Hays glanced up to see Cade holding the door. Elizabeth walked out with Jacey and Anna. They’d been quick. She looked gorgeous, younger, even more innocent with no makeup on, her dark hair wet around her face, and in a simple pink T-shirt and black running pants.
She met his gaze, and he tried to reassure her with a smile. She tentatively returned it, then focused on her brother. Hurrying down the stairs, she marched up to Quaid. He stood and faced her.
“I wrote a note warning all of you. Anna has it, but with the listening devices gone, I can finally tell you the truth.”
“The truth?” Quaid’s smile was thin. “Our family has never been big on truth.”
“Quaid.” Elizabeth held his gaze. “I’m not here to change your opinion about me, but you have to believe me. Father will annihilate everyone in this valley if you don’t relocate right now.”
Hays wanted to carry her away from here. Could they go to some remote island and live out their lives together? He prayed to know what the right path would be. The path that would protect Elizabeth and, if possible, let them be together.
Quaid folded his arms across his chest and regarded her. Jacey, Cade, and Anna had followed Elizabeth down the stairs.
“I can’t believe Dad would hurt me,” Jacey admitted.
“It’s not worth the risk of staying,” Cade said.
At least her brother-in-law was listening.
“Please.” Elizabeth looked from her sister to her brother. “I know you were deluded into believing Mother called the shots.” She shook her head. “Mother loved the implementation, the fanfare, the murder, the mind games, the torture, but she was only a puppet. She never said one word or killed one person without Father’s approval.” She paused as if to let that sink in. Her gaze never wavered from Quaid’s.
“Dad?” Jacey’s brow wrinkled.
“I promise you it’s true.”
Hays noticed the pulse point in Elizabeth’s throat going like mad and her clutching her hands together. She was terrified, but no one would know it. She might be in more casual clothing than she’d ever worn in her life, but she could be running the board meeting of a Fortune 500 company or directing Congress. She captured everyone’s attention and not just because her words were shocking. Her presence was fascinating.
“Father’s schemes are all-encompassing and brilliant. He is the most incredible actor of our day and always has been. I’m not concerned about you trusting me or caring for me. All I care about is you being safe.” Her eyes left Quaid and darted straight to Hays.
She cared about him being safe? Then why had she ordered his beating all those years ago? If her father controlled her mother, it was no stretch to believe Benjamin Oliver controlled Elizabeth as well. She hadn’t trusted Hays with her secrets or to protect her when he was an unproven eighteen-year-old. Would she now?
“Father knows I spoke to someone in the closet earlier.” Her cheeks turned pink.
Hays smiled, though it really wasn’t anything to smile about that her father was listening to her conversations and had her panicked about their safety.
“Please, Hays.” She shook her head, her lip trembling now. “He will discover who you are, and you’ll be a target as well as your loved ones.”
That made Hays’s chest constrict. Her father wouldn’t go after his family. Would he?
