“I owe him.” (Patreon)

Continuation of this scene after phone call with Ariana:

“Who was that?” he asked.

“Ariana.”

“She’s asking you for help?”

The chill in his voice had her straightening and crossing her arms defensively across her chest. “No. She was sharing her challenges since Colette’s on maternity, and she’s juggling the kids, and…” She swallowed hard, unwilling to bring up her Dad to someone who hated him. “I offered to help.”

“Hennessy & Co doesn’t exist for you. If your sisters need assistance, they should come to me.”

“She doesn’t need assistance. She’s just having a bad day.” And grieving, which would make her ten times more likely to abuse drugs. “I want to see the evidence you have on Ariana to prove she’s an addict.”

“That can be arranged.”

His easy compliance caught her off guard, but only for a second. “And I want to see what you have on Rami as well.” When she got a nod, she pressed, “What about Lyle?”

“No.”

Anger replaced grief. Better to feel the surging heat of indignant fury than cold, helpless melancholy. “Why not? You exposed Colette, my father, Ariana, and Rami.”

“Some secrets had to be sacrificed.”

“Why not his?”

“I owe him.”

Her mouth dropped. “You what?”

“He was there for you when I couldn’t be. For that, I’m in his debt. The others, I owe them nothing.”

**This is a raw draft of Bitter Confessions. Please do not share or distribute.