Noah’s stomach twisted, bile rising up his throat as he took in the full magnitude of what Thomas was saying. “You’re sick.” Noah spat. His hands shook as he held onto the back of the couch, willing himself to stay on his feet. “You can’t murder someone in cold blood and say it was love. I don’t care what her reasons were or how desperate she was. There is nothing noble in what she did and no matter how you try to spin it, what she did was wrong. It was self serving and reprehensible. You’re disgusting, both of you. You make me sick.”
“Lilian understood what had to be done to protect this family, and so did I.” Thomas pushed himself up from the chair and his eyes bore into Noah, hard. Something in his eyes made Riley’s skin crawl, it was like looking into the eyes of a madman, devoid of feeling or warmth. Only hate. His gut instinct told him that something was wrong, terribly wrong, and both he and Noah were in grave danger.
“Only I knew what Lilian had done. She came to me for help and me alone. Stephen came running when Lilian called and said that Eleanor was dead, but he was no use to anyone. I had to take charge, I had to protect the family, protect Lilian. So, we buried her in the woods, Stephen and I, but he was never the same after that.
Lilian and I grew closer as she and Stephen grew farther apart, their seemingly perfect marriage slowly being torn apart, little by little, until they were merely strangers living under the same roof. Stephen neglected his wife, gone for weeks at a time. He had his affairs, his little dalliances, but Lilian didn’t care. It was me that she came to, me who comforted her, my arms that wrapped around her and my bed she occupied, not Stephen’s.”
“You’re lying.” Noah shook his head, refusing to believe another word that Thomas spoke. “My father was a good man, a loving father and a devoted husband.”
“Your father was a selfish coward who didn’t have the balls to even stand up and fight for what was his. Instead, he chose to bury his head in the sane and you are exactly like him. A spineless, whining coward. It’s no wonder Lilian was able to control you all these years. Even this omega has more balls.”
“That’s enough.” Noah righted himself and stared Thomas down with as much strength and authority as he could muster. “I’ve heard enough. You’re finished. When I alert the authorities…”
“You’ll what?” Thomas sneered. “You think you can strong arm me, bully me? Your father tried it and look what happened to him.”
“This time is different.” Noah told him. “When my mother finds out what you’ve done…”
“You fool!” Thomas shouted suddenly, causing Riley to flinch at the sound of the mans baritone. “Such a fool. You honestly think your mother was just an innocent by stander? Just another victim?”
“She was tied up.” Noah stated. “I remember that. Her hands and feet were bound.”
Thomas shook his head, sighing with annoyance. “Part of her plan.” He said. “To throw off suspicion. Lilian and I had a chance at something real but after Charlie was born, Stephen grew suspicious. He and Lilian had tried, for years, to get pregnant. They’d finally given up. They had you. Stephen had his alpha heir, so they stopped trying. Then Lilian got pregnant. She told Stephen it happened the night of the McKenzie wedding when Stephen had drank so much he couldn’t remember his own name let alone who he’d fucked that night. He was never convinced though and as Charlie grew, it became clear that he lacked certain traits that always seemed to follow the Reaney bloodline. The blond hair, blue eyes, and his mother’s fair skin.
So, Stephen had himself tested and the results were less than favorable. Stephen Reaney was sterile.” Thomas chuckled a bit. “All the years they tried, he blamed Lilian when he was the problem all along. Anyway, knowing that Charlie wasn’t his, he confronted Lilian and she confessed everything. Stephen threatened to divorce her and the prenuptial she signed would ensure she got nothing. Not even you, Noah. Stephen planned to keep you and deny Lilian access. She, Charlie and I would be homeless, penniless, destitute. Of course, Lilian couldn’t allow that to happen. Stephen had to be dealt with. He was a threat to everything we built together.
We devised a plan to get rid of him but we needed someone to pin it on. I found the perfect scapegoat. A real scumbag of a beta. Someone that Eleanor would certainly have associated with. A drug dealer and an addict. Someone who’d be willing to do anything for the right price.”
“Billy Bartlett.” Riley whispered.
Thomas nodded. “Yeah, Billy. He didn’t need much convincing. Two grand up front and then the promise of more when the job was complete. The plan was simple. I let him in through the back. He’d hide out and wait until everyone but a few staff were gone, then he’d ambush Stephen and Lilian, tie Lilian up and kill Stephen. Lilian and I fabricated the story about Billy being Eleanor’s ex lover come looking for revenge. It was a tactic meant to intimidate Stephen, nothing more. It should have gone smoothly but Billy got greedy. Stephen offered him much more than what Lilian and I had offered if he’d leave and never come back.
Billy agreed and they went to Stephen’s office. He had thousands in his safe, as well as jewels, stock certificates and priceless family heirlooms. When he revealed this to Billy, he saw dollar signs. It all went wrong though when you showed up. Stephen saw you in danger and finally grew a backbone. Billy never expected Stephen to fight back and he never anticipated that you would be there, Noah. When the gun went off I guess he got spooked and ran.”
“And you just let him go?” Riley questioned. “Wouldn’t Billy be a loose end?”
Thomas grinned. “Clever boy. Billy was never meant to survive. I took care of him while he was with Stephen. I grew up in the streets and knew a thing or two. It wasn’t hard to tamper with his brake lines. I made sure his brakes would go out by the time he reached King’s road. There was a terrible storm that night, the roads were bad, no one ever suspected it was anything but a terrible accident. Of course, having money helps. With a small donation, Lilian was able to ensure that the police asked the right questions and their reports contained only the information we wanted. Corruption always has a price and nothing is beyond your control if you’re willing to pay.”
“And my parents?” Riley asked, narrowing his eyes. “Were they loose ends as well?”
“Collateral damage.” Thomas answered. “And most regrettable. I liked Eric. He was shrewd and knew how to play the game. They were half way home before Noah called them. They turned around and came back and were just in the wrong place at the wrong time.”
Riley hung his head, tears spilling down his cheeks. “So, their deaths were meaningless?”
“I wouldn’t say that.” Thomas told him. “Your grief and search for the truth brought you here, to this moment. Quite fitting I’d say, since you’re the last loose end. You and Noah I mean. Once the two of you are gone, it will be just Lilian and I and we can finally have the life together that we’ve always wanted.”