"I understand your feelings, Sin, but I called you here to atone for what I did. To make a barter. My life in exchange for what your wife wants most."
Of course he wants to barter so he can live. "No. I'm not leaving you alive so you can make another attempt against my wife."
"She didn't end my life but she had the opportunity. I'll never try to kill her again. You can trust my word."
I can't give him the chance to make me regret letting him live. The cost is too high. "You say that until you take the next stab at her. I can never put faith in you again."
Bleu puts her hand on my arm. "He said he could give me what I want most. I'd like to hear what he's offering."
A smug expression crosses his face. He's captured her attention and he knows it. "I've uncovered the truth about Amanda Lawrence's murder."
He's going to use my wife's torment as a way to save himself. "You've no honor. You're a disgrace to The Fellowship and I'll be happy to rid the world of you."
"Then you'll need to ask yourself which you want more: to kill me or end your wife's search, which will make her very happy."
"You'd deny me of the truth?" my father asks.
"I will, as long as I can use this information as a bargaining chip."
"I want to hear what he has to say." Bleu doesn't hesitate, taking no time to consider the consequences of his proposal.
"You want to know so badly, you'd choose to let him live after all he's done to you?"
I already know the answer. "Yes."
Abram will get to keep his life but he won't live it within The Fellowship. That's one thing I will not bend on. "I'll agree to this because it's what Bleu wants, but there are conditions. From this point on, you are exiled from The Fellowship. You'll never have contact with any of us, including your immediate family. You'll never see Torrie, Jamie, Evanna, or Westlyn again."
He replies without delay, void of any reaction to being told he'll never again have contact with his wife and children. "Done."
I want this over as soon as possible. "Get on with it."
"The Fellowship built its first US casino on the Mississippi coast in the early nineties. Amanda Lawrence came to work for us as a blackjack dealer."
"I never knew that," Dad says.
"You were unaware we once employed her because her position with us ended before you took Father's place. She also had no idea she had worked at a facility owned by The Fellowship. That's why it didn't come up when you met her years later. The coastal casino had two million US dollars to go missing after the doors were open for about a year. So did Amanda Lawrence."
Bleu puts her hand up. "You can stop right now if you're about to say that my mother stole from The Fellowship."
"There's no evidence leading us to believe your mother was the thief. She was a dealer without access to that kind of money. But I strongly think she stumbled upon the thievery and made a run for it. A man named Quinn Stroud was fingered for the crime, but he was likely framed."
I look at my father for validation. "That much is true. Money did go missing and Stroud was accused."
"You believe the thief is my mother's killer, so who is he?" Bleu asks.
"When we built that casino, Father sent many of our brothers there to work. We obviously needed someone with expertise in casino management to run it. Todd Cockburn was his choice," Abram says.
Todd Cockburn, our Edinburgh casino's current pit boss, was one of Bleu's suspects but she dismissed him early in her investigation.
"Years later we bought an existing casino in Tunica, Mississippi. We moved Todd to that location to manage. Amanda was employed at a different casino but Tunica is a tiny town. It stands to reason that their paths probably crossed at some point."
Bleu is rocking back and forth from one foot to another, chewing her lip. Thinking. It's the same thing she does when standing in front of her wall of suspects. "My mother was involved with Thane. If Todd knew that, it's very possible that he would've been desperate to keep her from talking about the coastal casino incident."
The pieces fit. Abram may be on to something.
"Because I owe you my life, I have some bonus information for you, and it won't cost you a thing. Amanda and Todd were lovers for more than a year while working together. They were romantically involved when she became pregnant with you. There's no father listed on your original birth certificate. I'm inclined to believe Todd Cockburn is your father. But whether he is or isn't, I can assure you that your likeness to your mother hasn't escaped his attention. Like me, he isn't going to accept that as coincidence. You're a threat to him and that's a potentially hazardous situation to be in with a man who's feeling the walls close in around him."
"Todd Cockburn cannot be my father. If that's true, then it means my own father murdered my mother and attempted to kill his own daughter."
"I can lead you to the truth, but I can't make you believe it. You're the agent. Figure it out."
We go into the living room where Torrie, Jamie, Evanna, and Westlyn are gathered. I'm certain they're anxious to hear the verdict.
"What will penance be?" Torrie asks.
They know The Fellowship creed. No member shall bring harm to another member or his family. I have every right to execute Abram. No need to remind them of that. "We bartered. He had information Bleu wanted. He discovered her mother's killer so he negotiated that knowledge in exchange for exile instead of death."
Torrie stands. Her lips are rigid as she speaks. "You're banishing him after all he's done for the brotherhood?"
I'm certain there will be no love lost between Abram and his wife. I suspect she's more upset about what his leaving will do to her status within the brotherhood.
Torrie's concern for herself sends me into a rage. My body shakes from anger. "Do you so quickly forget he attempted to kill my wife and children?" I growl.
Jamie goes to his mother and places a hand on her shoulder. "Our family thanks you for your lenient decision."
"I'm giving him three days to recover and then he must go."
I love Jamie and Westlyn. It saddens me to see them hurt, but my wife and children come first. Always.
Chapter Fifteen
Bleu Breckenridge
The drive home with Sterling isn't the place to discuss the new information provided by Abram. Sin and I wait until we're in the privacy of our home to bring it up, although it never leaves my mind for a second.
"Would you like some tea?"
I prefer whisky – – and I'd probably have some despite the time – – if I weren't pregnant. "Please. Mint, if we have it."
I go to Ellison's bedroom and ease the door open to ensure she's sleeping. She's like the dead.
I return to the living room and sit on the sofa as unmoving as a statue while I wait for Sin to brew the tea. A million things clutter my mind at once so no single thought has the space it needs.
Sin places a cup and saucer on the table. "Two cubes and a dash of milk, just the way you like it."
"Thank you."
I lift the cup and hold it, not bringing it to my lips. "My mother told me my father's name was Bryan Fletcher and he was killed in a drunk driving accident before they were able to marry. She had a picture of them together."
"Is he named as your father on your birth certificate?"
"It's blank." Abram had that much right, but it could be coincidental.
"How did your mother explain that?"
"She didn't. I was a young child so the only thing I ever asked was why I didn't have a daddy like the other kids."
Is it possible that everything she told me was a lie? "Do you believe Abram was telling what he believes to be the truth, or was all of that fictitious – – him grasping at straws to hold on to his life?"
I'm asking Sin a question he can't possibly have the answer to.
"This is what I know. Abram was obsessed with learning what brought you into our lives. I'm confident he's telling the truth about continuing to dig into your past. He gained leverage by having information, but as far as truth versus fabrication, I don't know."
I think of all the times I spoke with Todd while gambling at the casino over the last several months. To think he could possibly be my father is bizarre. "I'm trying to remember every little detail about Todd Cockburn. I want to compare myself to him for similarities, but I'm having a hard time envisioning his face for some reason."
"I've known him my entire life, and I see no resemblance between you."
I agree. Todd has nearly black hair, brown eyes. He's on the short side for a man. I'm not incredibly tall but I look down on him when I'm wearing heels.
Physical appearance isn't a tool for determining paternity. "I'm my mother's clone. There wouldn't be much room for anyone else's features to come through. We can easily prove or disprove what Abram is claiming. Do a paternity test to see if he's my father and examine his leg to see if he's my mother's killer. Those things will tell us everything we need to know."