Inheriting a SECRET (Corrigan & Co. #7)(45)

“Ten years ago, when I wouldn’t give Jenysis to Derrick, he decided to go after the jewels to punish us. One of his servants was loyal to your father, and he told us what was going on. As you know, it is imperative that the jewels be in the possession of anyone being crowned in our family. It’s not a legal requirement, but a superstition. One that has never been broken. Derrick knew that if he got his hands on them, he’d be able to stop our line from ascending the throne. He would just need to kill your father, and then he could be king.

“Once we knew of his plan, we called Darcy’s father and asked him to come here and steal the jewels for us. We thought that if there was a heist, Derrick wouldn’t trace it to us, and we’d get the jewels back when we needed them. We had no idea that Derrick was mad enough to kill our friend when he caught him in the vault.

“Darcy was outside, and when she realized something was wrong, she came in after her father. He died in her arms, eliciting her promise to help us before he passed. Derrick had to leave the jewels that night because of the murder he committed, but he hired Angelo to steal them for him, giving him times when he thought the vault would be most vulnerable.

“Honoring her father’s wishes, Darcy came to us and offered her services. We-we took advantage of her need for revenge, and swore her to an oath. One that promised she would be hunted and in danger while those jewels were in her possession. She had to hold onto them, and keep them safe, never giving them to anyone, or revealing her promise, until Derrick was no longer a threat. She kept that oath, and you witnessed her being released from it just now.”

My head is spinning, and I don’t know what to think of all of this. “You made an oath for vengeance alone?”

“No, and no one took advantage of me. My father came here to help because of his love and loyalty to his friends. I was happy to do the same in his place,” she says, and seems to struggle with what she’s going to say next. “My father had already hidden my mother, but my…my brother needed to be protected as well. He was only eleven and I couldn’t take him with me. Even if I hadn’t taken the oath and made my promise, there was a chance we’d still be in danger. Your father and Steven promised to protect him.”

“Brother?”

“Yes, her brother,” Noah says, walking over to her and pulling her into his arms.

Oh my God. Noah’s her brother? All of these years he’s been living here with me, being my best friend, and I never knew. He never told me. When she came here, they pretended to not know each other.

“You’re her brother? But you hit on her when we were in Paris. And you told me she was a bad idea. You even pushed me to make her give me the jewels. Why would you do all of that?”

“I didn’t hit on her, I told her to punch me. I pushed you because I thought she could finally be safe if she gave the jewels to you. And I warned you off her because I didn’t want you using my sister like all of your other women. Like they used her,” he says, tipping his chin to the Society founders. “They were here that night, hidden in the shadows. Mallory Daniels made an oath to me when Darcy left. A promise to look out for her and protect her. That was obviously a lie.”

“What?” Darcy looks as confused as I feel.

Mallory steps forward with Jane. “I kept my promise to you, Noah. We watched your sister from afar so she could have her independence. We paid the people she fenced her…goods…with to sell them to us exclusively, and then we returned them to their rightful owners. We did everything in our power to ensure that she would never be caught. When we heard rumblings that Derrick was close to finding her, I arranged for her to get arrested while robbing my house, so I could finally offer her a place with us.”

“You said you recruited me to find out where the jewels were.”

It’s Jane who answers her. “We had to do that, Darcy, and I am so sorry for it. Hurting you was one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to do in my life. We knew it was the only way to force Derrick’s hand. If he thought we had taken our protection from you, we knew he’d act irrationally in order to get to you.”

“So you planned to just leave her alone against him,” Reina says, anger lacing her every word.

“No. We knew you’d defy us and help her. I groomed you to take over because of the bond you have with these women, as well as your ability to lead and make hard decisions. I had no doubt that you—and the other women and men—would help Darcy. And we did what we could to help you as well. Maggie even sent Scott to Ainsley when they needed him.”

“Really?” Darcy asks, and I can tell she’s going to cry any second now.

Mallory speaks again. “Yes. We love you, Darcy. I love you. If we could’ve done this any other way, we would have. You need to know that you are with us because we wanted you for you, not for what you could give us.”

“I want to believe that, but after what you said…I don’t know if I can.”

“We’ll prove ourselves to you. To all of you,” Jane promises.

“You really believed in me? That I could lead them, even without the Society resources?” Reina asks.

“Always, Reina. You have never disappointed me, and I couldn’t have been more proud of you than when you rallied your women against us.”

“You should’ve told me, Gram. I could’ve been helping Rei and the girls,” Matt says, looking pained.