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“Maybe not. Maybe…it’s a test. And maybe you’ll get a little more,” Julia suggested.
Kyle stared down into his drink, his features still showing upset. For a second, Grant felt for him. If he was genuine, he probably felt like he’d failed them. Maybe more Julia, but probably also Grant. If Julia read him correctly, he desperately wanted to be accepted into the family. Perhaps enough to risk his life to gain it.
Although that was still a big if in his mind.
“This isn’t as big of a setback as you think,” Julia continued. “I think you’re just frustrated because you thought you’d make a lot more progress than you have. But with everything that’s happened from the car that nearly ran me over to the kidnapping to the explosion suggests that Lydia is much more savvy than she lets on.”
Kyle sucked in a deep breath, his jaw tensing. “I guess it can’t hurt to try.”
“The worst that can happen is she doesn’t let you back in. And then we’re no worse off than we were before. In fact, we may be better.”
“How is that better?” he asked.
“You won’t be risking your life anymore playing with the devil.”
He glanced up at her, his eyes shifting briefly to Grant.
“She’s right. Although, selfishly, I hope this isn’t the end. You’re the best we’ve got to stop this ridiculous plot. Not just for me, but for Sierra. She’ll be devastated if those pictures go public.”
“What pictures?”
Grant’s heart hammered against his ribs, each beat a thunderous echo in the suddenly stifling room. Grant’s heart rose into his throat as the sound of his daughter’s voice filled the room. He spun slowly, spotting Sierra in the doorway, a ghostly pallor washing over her face. Her eyes, wide and brimming with a tumult of emotions, locked onto his, begging for an explanation he didn’t want to give.
A cold shiver ran down his spine as he exchanged a fraught glance with Julia. The air thickened with unspoken dread, a silent acknowledgment of the precarious edge they teetered on. The weight of their secret, now so dangerously close to spilling over, hung heavily between them.
What would he tell her? How could he stop her from knowing a truth that threatened to crush her?
CHAPTER 4
JULIA
Julia’s stomach twisted into another knot. It had just started to ease from the tense confrontation between father and son when Sierra’s unexpected arrival blew everything to pieces.
Next to her, Grant stiffened, the clenching of his jaw unmistakable as he shot her a panicked glance.
Even Kyle seemed disturbed by the development, pulling himself off of the mantel as he stared with an unhinged jaw at his half-sister.
“What is going on here? Why is there a family meeting, and I wasn’t invited?”
“Sierra…” Grant started, his voice hoarse as he tried to address her, but came up with only her name.
Julia slid a hand onto his back, trying to offer him strength. They hadn’t intended for Sierra to learn about any of this. She would be devastated by the development, particularly when she learned Lydia was leading the charge. Her own mother threatened to ruin her.
The havoc that would be caused after the woman dumped her as a child may prove to be too much for the poor woman.
Sierra set her hands on her hips. “Umm, someone say something.”
Julia tugged her lips back in a wince as she desperately tried to exert some control over the rapidly spiraling situation. The first thing she needed to do was try to contain this. Lydia couldn’t hear any of this.
Julia hurried across the room and tugged Sierra inside before she swung the doors closed. “Shh, keep your voice down.”
Sierra eyed her incredulously. “What is going on?”
“Nothing,” Grant said with a shake of his head. “We just don’t want a scene.”
“What?” Sierra screwed up her face and crossed her arms. “That doesn’t make any sense. I demand answers.”
“What exactly did you overhear?” Kyle asked.
