White Lies (Book 1)

Chapter 34

"He's hiding something," he continued, low and silent. I could see the wheels churning inside his head. "I don't buy his bullshit – the whole reclaiming our family wealth? Complete shit. He's there for another reason – and I need to know what it could be. Whether it's to gamble the money back, or if it's something to do with Aurora – or something else completely."

"But why now?" my voice wavered slightly.

He glanced at me darkly. "Because I've had enough of that fucker. I don't care if he's my father – I'd rather I didn't have one if it meant being rid of such a complete vermin of a human being. I want to track him down, find out what he's up to, and expose him for what he truly is. Or worse."

I stayed silent for a moment, gazing at him carefully. "How long have you been planning this, exactly?"

He scoffed. "Too long. I've even thought of how I could find him, how I would execute it all. Everything my mother's revealed to me today only strengthens my resolve. She's hurting, angel. She's been hurting every single day of her life because of that asshole, and I could put a stop to all of it. It would only take a couple of days – just you and me. We'll hunt him down. We'll expose him together."

"Nathan, I promise you – I understand how you're feeling right now," I tried to rationalize. "But please consider our situation here. We still have a job to do here. We have a long way to go until we find Robbie and Jenny. Shouldn't that be our main priority until then? And besides – if you hunt Alfred down, and manage to expose him for what he is, how could you possibly to get rid of him? What would the next course of action be?"

He stopped his pacing and squarely met my gaze. His eyes were now still and eerily calm. Conveying his meaning without words. Filling me with dread. The message there was unmistakable.

If I ever find him, I'll kill him.

"Nathan," I gasped, appalled. "No! He's your father."

So quickly that I would have missed it had I blinked, he was crouched down in front of me again. He gripped my arms tightly, almost painfully, and the crazed look on his face chilled me to the bone. "There's something you need to see. Follow me."

I swallowed and tried to be calm, both for me and for Nathan. I couldn't read too much into his irrational line of thinking. He simply wasn't thinking straight – at all. And I needed him to see that.

He sprung back up to his feet and pulled me along with him, using his firm grip to lead me back out of his bedroom and through a series of turns along the lengthy hallway. This house was a maze. Turn after turn led to more doorways, until finally Nathan stopped. In front of us was a quiet little reading nook beside a window sill – there was a bookshelf and some potted plants, along with chairs and beanbags.

Directly opposite this nook was an ordinary, nondescript door.

Nathan lifted a nearby pot plant and grabbed a key from where it was hidden. "Alfred keeps his office locked at all times – under no circumstances is anyone ever allowed to enter. Fortunately for us, Alfred is both an asshole and an idiot. Which means James has had to steal his office key from him, and I have thus stolen this key from James."

He swiftly unlocked the door, leading me towards blackness. Towards a strange humming sound. Dubiously, I followed him inside.

Then a light-switch was flicked on – the scene which illuminated around me was of a very ordinary office space. Rows and rows of filing cabinets, stacked to the ceiling, towered over the both of us. The only desk in the room was stacked with abandoned files and papers, reaching nearly to my chin.

The strangest thing about the room were the fluorescent fish tanks mounted against the wall. All of which were fully functioning, filtering and humming along – except they housed no sea life whatsoever. They were entirely empty.