Seduce & Destroy - Page 70

Chapter 25

LANEY

She was really gone. Disappeared. Kenna never reported to her station this morning and left me with the feeling of not knowing if I could return to the person I was before. The loss and grief had surely left an imprint, but she was the one to confront me with the realisation that everything was not as it seemed.

Goddamn me for caring! I cared so much, I’d be blinded.

Father was a mystery, his betrayal of the union darkened my entire life and I’d been none the wiser. I feared Grandfather had been trying to send a message of his true character for some time, but I was too naive and comfortable to begin to question it. His isolation said it all. He didn’t want anything to do with Father.

Neenan informed me of her desertion over breakfast, failing to show up at her post. Father had sighed deeply, as if relieved. But I knew that the further water retracted from the beach, the bigger the next wave would be. I could feel the anxiety in my bones.

I stood in front of the mirror in my room. No matter her betrayal, I would do anything for her to give me a confidence boost right about now. She was always good at that. The dress straps on the only other black piece I owned were digging into my shoulders leaving marks.

I was preparing for the funeral and didn’t want to repeat the outfit I’d worn for Tilly, she deserved something special just for herself.

Granddaddy’s funeral was a much more grand affair. His loss would be felt by the entire Ravencroft Estate, holdings and affiliated parties. The people of Great Tenor were required to give up their high street for it. The businesses we laundered money from: casinos, bars, clubs, didn’t matter, management had to attend otherwise they would forfeit our protection. Their tax levy probably paid for the whole charade.

It all felt inauthentic. I was likely the one who knew his true character, he had cold hands but a warm heart, the warmth of which my father rarely got to see. The family lore made more sense now that I knew the fissure was Father’s mistake. He was at fault, and I couldn’t help but see the Karsteins’ resentment toward us as justified.

Yet, my heart was in these people. Ravencroft was written all over me and it always would be. My family was small, but I held them close. If I didn’t, loneliness would drown me in a second, never getting the chance to touch the surface.

That feeling of anticipatory fear held me still.

A knock sounded at the door.

“Laney, we’ve got to get in the car in ten, are you ready?”

It was Neenan.

“Almost!” I shouted through the door. Looking in the mirror, I felt like there was something missing. I was wearing a simple black dress, the skirt stopping just below the upper thigh. Low enough to conceal my blades. My short heels negated my need for socks, so my usual hiding spot was missing.

I had on a red lip, a light powdering of black eye shadow on my eyelids and my dirty blonde hair was arranged in a half up, half down style with two locks of hair framing my face at the front.

It was pretty. Dainty, even. But it missed a spark. An edge. And I have just the idea.

With heavy footfalls, I strode out my room.

“Hey, Laney, you look…good.” Neenan said, but I just blanked him in the hallway, opening the next door on the left. I headed straight for the wardrobe, and he followed me.

I’d only been in her room once or twice, and neither time had I stayed long but the space felt familiar. Her personal effects were dotted around the room, it was inimitable. It was her. Perhaps, she hadn’t truly left yet. Hope sparked in my lungs for a brief second.

Or maybe I didn’t know her at all.

The door to her wardrobe was left open, her boots still lined up at the bottom. But that wasn’t what I was looking for. Shifting the hangers quickly through my hands, it wasn’t long until I found it.

“Are you meant to be in here? It’s kinda creepy.” A voice came from behind me. Wuss.

In my hands was her classic leather jacket. It was perfect. I smiled.

I flung it onto my arms and looked in the mirror to judge the fit. I could see Neenan’s less than impressed face in the reflection. “She would want me to have it.”

“Are you sure?”

“Certain.” My eyes trailed my body up and down. I was hot. It was a thought I never associated with myself. Maybe cute or sweet. But this was something else and I was obsessed. Turning to him, I signalled. “I’m ready.”

?

Father already sat in the car when I stepped inside and with it, all my confidence drained from me. His ironed suit masked the unstable man wrapped inside it. The shine of his boots was at odds with the darkness in his eyes. He really thought he owned the place.