Page 28 of Retrograde

“We’re already there,” she brushed off. “After seeing the dismissive emails he sent Father, not even picking up his phone calls or willing to speak to the PI that Father had been working with—he’s willfully ignorant on Kole’s behavior. He wasn’t in the dark like Lori’s dad.” She snorted. “Everyone loved him and was shocked.”

“I didn’t care for him much, but I bought the act,” I admitted. “I thought he did it for the wrong reasons but also was a brat who enjoyed the perks. I had no… He wouldn’t have been who I would have picked to pull that shit.”

Her eyes flashed shock. “Exactly what a few others have said. But apparently everyone else knew about Kole besides me. That made Vex the problem.”

“Not everyone,” I said gently since I saw the wound was deep for her. “Lots of women came forward that he played them too.”

She seemed to accept that and then gave me permission to talk to Darren. If he thought this plan had any merit, then we could talk it over more.

Luckily, Darren was a smart man who was willing to do whatever it took to protect his niece. He also was smart enough to know something big was going on and to make time for me.

He tossed everything onto Rhys’s desk, taking over his deceased brother-in-law’s study when he handled work as Sagan’s advisor. It was with her permission and they were working on a new one for her, but it was weird to see him there.

And yet oddly fitting as an elder of the family. Almost like he was the father I needed to charm and Rhys had been… King.

Ouch. Poor Sagan.

“You will lose your family if you do this,” he said carefully.

I snorted. “I did just with threatening it and showing that I had the proof. Vex knows the truth and I’ll do it.”

Darren stared at me a moment longer before swearing. “You love her. This isn’t something petty about—you really fucking love her.”

“I don’t know her well enough to love her,” I said carefully.

“Don’t bullshit me, kid,” he snapped. “You see her as your mate.”

“Yes.”

I thought the very calm Darren was going to explode and flip the desk. His adrenaline shot up that fast from what my dragon was sensing, ready for a fight, but Darren kept it together.

He normally did except in extreme circumstances involving Sagan. People still talked about the fact he blew his lid at those meetings. He was known as unflinching and unshakeable in all of his business.

Except apparently now Sagan.

He looked up and cursed again. “Why him? Why the one that could traumatize her most? Why can you not give her something good?”

“I’m good for her,” I argued.

He lowered his head and my death was in his gaze. “Bullshit. I was an adult when I heard the whispers of your fucking temper, Onyx. You’re not the right person for Sagan after all she’s been through. You broke that one kid—”

“That story alone makes me theperfectperson to be her shield and scorch the ground around her,” I said, reminding my dragon to stay calm. Darren was intentionally pushing our buttons to get a reaction out of us.

Then I realized he wasn’t. Confusion and then understanding filled his eyes. “He was hurting a woman.”

I gave a swift nod. “I came back to my roommaterapingan underage girl who had been there for a tour weekend and got snagged by him at a party. The fucker told me I could havenext roundsince I was back early.”

The disgust on Darren’s face was exactly what I would expect from a good man. “Then he got what he deserved.”

I snorted. “I doubt you know what I did. Even the whispers didn’t normally say that I actually ripped off his genitals and permanently disfigured him. He still can’t change to his third form.”

“He got what he deserved. No, actually, rapists deserve death, so he got off easy.”

“Agreed.” I gestured to the desk. “Vex will back down and make it all—he’ll do anything to keep this all from getting out.”

“Tell me,” Darren instructed, and I did. I told him the truth that my brother was selfish and greedy… Except with one person. His mate. He would do whatever he had to—makeKoledo whatever he had to because he couldn’t disappoint his mate.

And this would cost my sister-in-law her position as Alpha Mate, which she loved. Shelovedbeing the Alpha Mate of Applerest. She loved Vex, but she also loved her position and the power it gave her.