Page 67 of Ryder’s Storm

“Nothing,” Vanessa said. “Dinner will be ready in about twenty minutes, right, Scarlet?”

Scarlet smiled at Vanessa, grateful for her kindness.

32

Ryder had seen the burn mark on his mother’s forearm, and knew it had come from the sun. While Vanessa helped Scarlet to finish preparing dinner, Ryder had briefly spoken to Ethan to find out that Scarlet had opened the windows and inadvertently let sunlight stream into the kitchen, exposing Maya to it. The incident cemented his decision to tell Scarlet the truth about himself, his family, and Scanguards tonight. Right after he’d informed Scarlet about Claudia’s affair with Derek.

After a long leisurely dinner with Scarlet, Vanessa, and Ethan, Ryder took Scarlet’s hand and ushered her to the sofa in the living room. Vanessa and Ethan had just finished cleaning up the kitchen, and were going upstairs. Maya and Gabriel had left for work over two hours earlier.

“Something happened when I was at your house earlier,” Ryder started.

Scarlet gasped. “Did Claudia get mad at you because you beat up Derek? I shouldn’t have let you go there—”

“No, she didn’t see me,” Ryder interrupted. “She had no idea I was in the house. But she wasn’t alone.”

“I thought Dad had business in Palo Alto.”

“She wasn’t with your father.” Ryder sighed. There was no easy way to say this. “She was with Derek.”

“She hasn’t sent him packing? That’s not fair! Dad promised that he would send him home! How could he lie like that?”

“It wasn’t your father’s fault. In fact, I believe he doesn’t even know that Derek is still here. But that’s not the worst thing.”

“Not the worst?”

“No. Because I saw Claudia and Derek together. They were in the master bedroom…” He watched Scarlet’s reaction closely. “They were having sex.”

Scarlet’s mouth dropped open, but no words came out.

“They’re lovers, Scarlet. Your stepmother is cheating on your father with Derek.”

“Oh my God.” Scarlet put her hand over her mouth, tears suddenly welling up in her eyes. “No, no, that can’t be. Dad loves her. She can’t be cheating on him. She can’t… And with her nephew? With Derek?” She shook her head. “Was he forcing himself on her? Because I rejected him?”

Ryder took her hands in his, trying to calm her. “Scarlet, it has nothing to do with you or what he tried to do to you. What I saw was consensual. And it wasn’t the first time. The way they talked… they’ve been lovers for a while.”

Agitated now, Scarlet protested, “But that’s incest! She’s his aunt!”

“I’m not so sure they’re related. For one, I don’t see a family resemblance, not that that’s a definite indication,” Ryder mused. “Also, they’re very close in age… and… I just have that gut feeling that there’s more to it than we know.”

“Oh my God!” Scarlet’s eyes suddenly widened as if she just realized something. “I never knew she had a nephew before this week. She never even mentioned that she had a sister. Why did she never mention her relatives before this week?”

Ryder nodded at the revelation. It made sense. “You’re sure she never mentioned a sister or a nephew to you or your father?”

“Never. Dad would have told me if she did. The day you became my bodyguard, was the first day she ever mentioned her sister. And when I questioned her, she said that they didn’t really talk, as if they’d had a big falling out, but that she had kept in touch with her nephew. Why would she lie about that? And why bring him here?”

“I don’t know that yet,” Ryder admitted.

“Ryder, are you absolutely sure about what you saw? Is there any way that you could have misinterpreted what you saw?” Scarlet asked, clearly grasping for straws.

“I’m sorry, Scarlet. But there was no room for misinterpretation. They fucked, and…” He hesitated.

“What is it? What are you not telling me?”

He cast her a regretful look. “During sex Claudia told Derek that her husband never fucked her like this, and that she needs a real man like Derek. I’m sorry.”

A sob tore from Scarlet’s chest. “What am I gonna do now? Dad needs to know about this.” She locked eyes with Ryder, and he saw her pain. “How am I gonna tell him?”

“I’m not sure you can, at least not yet.”