Marianne scowls at me.
“Put down the gun, Mother,” Kiernan hisses at her, his hand going to the back of his pants.
“You don’t tell your mother what to do, boy,” she hisses at him, dropping the innocent face she’d been sporting seconds ago. “This is my house.”
“Actually, it’s mine,” my father’s voice booms. Taken off guard by his sudden entrance, Marianne seizes my moment of weakness and pounces. Her long nails scratch at my scalp when she grabs a handful of my hair, wrenching me to her. With my back to her front, she places the barrel of her gun against my temple and snarls.
“This has to end,” she cries. “She’s tricked you. Manipulated you. Why can none of you see it?” She digs the barrel into my temple, and I wince. That’s going to leave a bruise.
“Put the gun down, Marianne,” my father growls.
“I didn’t do anything!” the lying bitch screams. “It was all her. She did this to take you away from me.” Now she’s growing agitated, her grip on my hair harsh enough that I can feel some of the strands detaching from my scalp.
I better not end up with a bald spot.
“Oh yeah,” I snort. “I’m the criminal mastermind here. You figured out my master plan. Oh no.”
I hear one of the twins snort a laugh. Seamus, most likely, but my current view only allows me to see my father’s thunderousface. Oops. Not a fan of my nervous, under-pressure comedic prowess, apparently.
“Not helping.” He shakes his head and sighs. “Marianne, let her go and let’s talk about this.”
That isn’t going to happen.
“Do you think I’m stupid, Liam?” she growls. “The minute I let go of her, I’m a dead woman.”
Maybe she isn’t that stupid after all.
“Whatever is going on,” he holds his hands out toward her, “we can figure it out.”
Scoff. Once she’s buried in a deep, deep grave, we can.
Damn, I really need to take some meditation classes or something. Shit is getting dark in my head.
“She did this,” Marianne screams. “Why can’t you see it? All of this has been just an elaborate setup to take everything I have. To take what I love most in the world from me. Just like Katherine.”
“Keep her name out of your mouth, bitch,” I snarl at her. “The only thing you love in this world is yourself. Money and power are the two things you crave. That is it. Don’t drag my mother into this unless you want me to air your dirty secrets to the world.”
“I’m not the one with dirty secrets,” she hisses. “Tell them how you killed your mother, little Ava. It was all you. Everything was you.”
What the fuck is going on? Is this chick for real?
“They told me,” Marianne insists, turning her gaze on Liam, her eyes pleading. “Sheila and Seamus have been looking into Katherine’s death, and everything points back to her.” She shakes the hand she has clutching my hair, pulling it at the roots, and I can’t help the small cry that falls from my lips.
“Stop the lies, Mom,” Seamus hisses. “We know everything.”
Marianne scoffs. “You don’t know anything,” she dismisses him. “You can’t even do what you’re told. Look at everything now. Building alliances with motorcycle scum and putting a target on our backs because the two of you couldn’t keep it in your pants. You’re a disappointment.”
“Enough!” Liam roars. “You will not talk to my sons that way, Marianne.” Usually that tone of voice is enough to make the woman holding me in her grasp cower a bit. Or at least cow her. But this time, his warning doesn’t work. Something else is at play here. There is no way in hell Marianne would be this brave if she was alone.
Suddenly, the whole scenario makes more sense.
Marianne isn’t trying to convince them I’m guilty. She’s biding her time. The question is, where are the people who are making her so bold?
“Why are you really here, Marianne?” I question through gritted teeth, the pain in my scalp becoming unbearable. It’s more fun when it’s Matthias pulling my hair. “What are you waiting for?”
“I want you to tell them the truth.” Her cold eyes turn to mine. “Tell them what you did.”
“Why should my daughter confess to your sins?”