Bound to his Dark Vow

My Father's Return

Chapter Thirteen — My Father's Return

For a few seconds, I couldn't hear anything except the sound of my own breathing.

My father was alive.

The man I'd spent years believing had abandoned my mother and me was somewhere out there.

And somehow, Adrian had just spoken to him.

"Who was that?" I asked.

Adrian didn't answer immediately.

"Adrian."

He looked at me.

"Your father."

My heart raced.

"What did he say?"

"He said he was sorry."

"That's it?"

"He said he couldn't protect you."

I shook my head.

"Protect me from what?"

Adrian looked toward the empty corridor.

"I don't know."

I stepped closer.

"You do know something."

"I have theories."

"I don't want theories."

My voice cracked.

"I want the truth."

Adrian looked at me for a long moment.

"Then we need to get somewhere safe first."

I hated hearing those words.

But I knew he was right.

We left the station through another exit and returned to the car.

The entire drive back, I stared out the window.

I couldn't stop thinking about my father.

What did he look like now?

Where had he been all these years?

Why had he never contacted me?

And why was he suddenly appearing now?

When we reached the estate, my mother was waiting in the living room.

The moment she saw me, she rushed toward me.

"You shouldn't have gone there."

I stared at her.

"You knew."

She stopped.

"Knew what?"

"You knew Dad was alive."

Her face fell.

"I suspected."

"No."

I shook my head.

"You knew."

She looked away.

"Elena..."

"How long?"

She closed her eyes.

"Almost three years."

I felt betrayed.

"Three years?"

"He contacted me once."

"And you never told me?"

"He said it wasn't safe."

"Wasn't safe for who?"

"For you."

I laughed bitterly.

"Everyone keeps saying they're protecting me."

My mother reached for my hand.

"I was trying to keep you alive."

The words silenced me.

"Alive?"

She nodded.

"Your father didn't disappear because he wanted to leave us. He disappeared because someone was hunting him."

"Who?"

She looked at Adrian.

He stepped forward.

"Tell her."

My mother shook her head.

"I don't know his name."

"But you know what he wants."

She hesitated.

"Your grandfather found proof that someone inside the Morrison organization was using several companies to move money."

I frowned.

"Money laundering?"

"Something worse."

"What?"

She looked at me.

"People."

I didn't understand.

"What does that mean?"

"My father wasn't just moving money," she said. "He was helping people disappear."

The room went silent.

Adrian's expression hardened.

"Who?"

"People who knew too much."

I felt a chill run through me.

"Is that why my father disappeared?"

"Yes."

She looked at me.

"And your grandfather tried to stop them."

I sat down.

Everything I thought I knew about my family was falling apart.

Then my mother reached into her handbag.

She pulled out a small envelope.

"I was supposed to give this to you when you turned twenty-five."

I stared at it.

"Why twenty-five?"

"Because that's what your grandfather requested."

I took the envelope.

My name was written on the front.

I opened it.

Inside was a handwritten letter.

The first line made my heart stop.

Elena, if you're reading this, your father has failed to keep you away from the Blackwoods.

I looked at Adrian.

He was watching me.

I continued reading.

There is something you must understand.

The Blackwoods did not destroy our family.

Someone inside both families did.

I read the next line.

Then I stopped.

My hands began shaking.

"What?" Adrian asked.

I looked up.

"My grandfather knew who it was."

My mother nodded.

"Yes."

"Who?"

She stared at me.

"That's the part he never told me."

I looked back at the letter.

At the bottom of the page was an address.

No explanation.

Just an address and a time.

Tomorrow. 8:00 p.m.

Adrian took the paper from me.

He recognized the location immediately.

"Where is it?" I asked.

He looked at me.

"An old private club."

"Whose?"

Adrian's face hardened.

"Daniel's father's."

I looked toward Daniel.

He had gone completely silent.

Then his phone rang.

He answered.

A man's voice came through.

Daniel listened for several seconds.

Then he slowly lowered the phone.

"What happened?" I asked.

He looked at us.

"My father wants to meet Elena."

I felt my heart pound.

"Why?"

Daniel swallowed.

"He says he knows who killed your grandfather."

The room went completely silent.

Because until that moment, we'd all believed Jonathan Marlowe had died naturally.

Now, for the first time, I wondered if that had ever been true.