VICTORIOUS (A Quantum Novel)(101)

I hate having to tell her this news. I have no idea how she’ll take it or what it even means for her or us.

She sits up in bed, tucking the covers around her breasts. It’s the first time she’s felt the need to cover herself all week. “My father. He killed David Rogers? But why? He didn’t even know him.”

“Emmett didn’t have the details yet, and of course Vickers isn’t taking his calls now that I’m no longer a suspect.”

“I… I don’t understand.”

Her confusion and disbelief make me furious. She was so relaxed and free of worries. And now this. I put my arms around her. “You haven’t seen your father in a long time. Perhaps he had some dealings with Rogers in the ensuing years. You never know.”

“I suppose. But why would he kill him now after he goes public with information about me?”

“Emmett said our investigator was actually the one to tip off the FBI to your father’s possible involvement. He said they didn’t want to bother us while we were here, so they held off on telling us until he’d been arrested. Apparently, the investigator caught the scent of your father because he decided to look into everyone who was involved in the Stone case from the beginning.”

“I need to call Candace and Olivia. I need to tell them…”

“Okay, sweetheart. I’ll get your phone.” I get up to retrieve the phone that’s been stashed in her purse all week. On the way back to the bedroom, I turn it on for her. The phone goes crazy beeping with text messages and voice mails. “It’s probably safe to say they already know.” I hand it over to her.

She begins to return the text messages from her sisters.

“What’re they saying?”

“They’re in shock and hiding from reporters.”

“I’ll set up some security for them.” I use my phone to send a message to Gordon Yates, our director of security in LA, asking him to work with Addie to arrange for immediate security for Natalie’s sisters.

I’m already on it, Gordon replies right away. I share that news with Natalie.

“Thank you. I hate to think of them being pursued by reporters and their lives upended again because of this.”

“What about your life, sweetheart?”

“My life is just fine, and it will continue to be fine. This has nothing to do with me.”

“Nat…”

“What? It doesn’t.”

“Is it possible your dad did this because he wants to make things right with you and he saw killing Rogers as a way to do that?”

She shakes her head, and I can see the disbelief has been replaced by anger. “It’s not about me. He did it because Rogers resurrected all the shit about Oren. In his mind, he was protecting Oren by killing Rogers. It’s always about Oren with him, even now.”

“You don’t know that for sure.”

“Yes, I do. And the only thing that matters to me is that the FBI is no longer looking at you for his murder.”

“Emmett said the press is driving Liza crazy wanting a statement from us about the arrest.”

“You could have her say that Natalie hasn’t seen or spoken to her father in more than eight years. His actions have no reflection on her or her sisters, who are also not in contact with Martin Genovese, and we ask that you respect her privacy and that of her family.”

“You’re sure that’s what you want?”

“Absolutely.”





I’m awake all night thinking about things I’d much rather forget. My father killed David. With hindsight, it makes a sick sort of sense. He must’ve been enraged to have the sordid tale resurrected after David went public with my story. Seeing Oren’s name once again dragged through the mud and every sick detail of what he’d done to me rebroadcast to a whole new audience probably sent my father into a rage. The audience was much larger this time around thanks to my relationship with Flynn and the insatiable appetite of the Hollywood media machine.

Despite my horror over what my father did, I’m sick with relief to know the spotlight is off Flynn.

“I can feel you spinning, sweetheart,” he mutters.

I thought he was asleep.

“Talk to me.”

“Nothing much to say.”

“What’re you thinking about?”

“That the only thing that matters is that the FBI no longer considers you a suspect.”