Page 47 of Cruel Titan

“Oh, don’t worry about Mommy. She is safe and sound. I just needed to make sure she wasn’t around.”

“Why?” I ask without thinking.

“Because it’s time for you to come with me.”

“What?” I gasp, my fingers clutching the stiff fabric of Nathan’s dress shirt.

“That’s right. Stanley messed up the plan, but this will do. Goal and result is still the same.”

The door swiftly flings open as Asher slips into the room. Raising his hands in the air, he presses his back against the door, trying to make himself look like less of a threat I’m guessing. Francis backs to the side of the office where she is able to keep everyone in view. “What is the goal? That’s the part I couldn’t figure out, but I guess it’s because I was looking at Nathan and my father.”

“I didn’t care who the police blamed for Stanley’s death, and it didn’t cost much to pay them off to rule it an accident. I just needed Quinn to think it was Nathan. She already hates Candace, so I didn’t have any worries there. I just needed her to turn against him too.”

“Why?” Asher asks.

“Because he took my baby away from me and it’s time I take his away from him. Again. Although, his daddy helped the first time around.”

I feel Nathan tense at the news. It can’t be true that his dad was part of this. That Barker Bennett was responsible for making sure I didn’t know I was a Bennett. His uncomfortable demeanor at the fundraiser comes to mind as I ask, “Why would he do that?”

Francis gets a mischievous smile on her face as she prepares to reveal something that is sure to hurt Nathan, driving the wedge deeper. “Barker just wanted to inflict misery on his son, so he was happy to go along with my plan.”

“Your plans really suck,” I say without thinking as I sense Nathan isn’t taking the news of his father’s involvement well. It had been obvious to me by reading their stiff body language that they weren’t close, but the fact that Barker went out of his way to prevent Nathan from knowing he had a child is above and beyond cruel.

“Well, there’s a new plan now because I’m taking you far away, where neither of your parents will ever find you. I was going to send you over the cliff in the same car my daughter died in, but Stanley messed that all up. He was supposed to do it. The money was all lined up, but he backed out.”

“August nineteenth.” That’s the only thing that makes sense. Stanley raised me so he could kill me. Am I hearing that correctly?

“Yes, that’s the day I lost my daughter, and that was the day Candace and Nathan would lose theirs. Although, Candace couldn’t stomach life with Stanley and left you behind. Running away like a coward and turning her back on her child, not realizing she was leaving you to what should’ve been your doom. She just thought this was all about Barker not wanting Nathan to be stuck with a baby so young, thereby ruining his life and preventing him from the future Barker intended for his son.”

Nathan lets out a breath. “Stanley forced Candace to leave you behind. He threatened to go to the police about Candace being behind the wheel instead of me. All those years later, she would’ve lost you either way. She never wanted to leave you. And you wouldn’t have ruined anything. I would’ve never chosen a life without you and your mom.”

“I didn’t want to lose my daughter either,” Francis spits, moving towards Nathan. “You covered for her, so you are still culpable.”

“It was an accident whether you want to hear it or not. But the difference was I knew my dad could help me. Candace didn’t have anyone.”

“I don’t have anyone. My daughter is dead. My husband left me because I couldn’t get past it, but you all went on with your big happy families.”

Victor chuckles, “I don’t know about happy.”

“We had a deal, Victor,” Francis says. “Where’s my money?”

“Apparently, he isn’t very good at keeping up his end of the bargain,” I say, recalling that Victor stole money from Nathan and blamed it on Stanley.

“Quinn,” Nathan murmurs under his breath.

“It’s the truth. He screwed over my dad too. Stole money from you and made it look like my dad did it and all with my forged signature.”

“Because he’s a fraud. That’s what he does,” Nathan says, looking to Victor. That must have been the meeting with Monica. It was about money Victor is stealing. At least Nathan was smart enough to search deeper.

“Wait.” Francis points the gun to Victor. “You stole the four million dollars? You told me Stanley did it. That’s why I …”

Victor smirks, “Yes. That’s why you killed him.”

“Where’s the money?” Francis screams, pointing the gun at Victor.

“I don’t have it,” Victor casually replies.

Nathan speaks up, “I do. Thanks to Monica and Asher. Your scheming days are coming to an end. I should’ve put an end to them a long time ago.”