Good Girls Lie(95)

“Well, we are. Damien was your father, too. Surprise!”

“I don’t know what to say.” This is the truth. I am at a loss for words. I am bruised and burning and the air around me coruscates. I have to fight down the nausea.

Yes, I know she is my sister. Of course, I do. And here I was worried about Becca. Becca is a gnat compared to Ashlyn.

She is responsible for all of this. I should have known. I should have seen this coming. I am so stupid.

“Half, Lex. You get half. And I don’t think that’s exactly fair.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Stop playing dumb. I know they told you Daddy dearest left half the estate to you. I saw Nickerson here today.”

She finally steps out from behind me, and I bite back my gasp of surprise.

Ashlyn looks like she’s been living in the woods. Her hair is matted and dirty, her clothes covered in leaves and cobwebs. She throws a bag at me. I know what’s in it. The vestiges of a life. An ID card, a passport. A bank card. The key to a flat.

“I need my life back, Ash.” This is said with such derision I cringe. Sod it all, this was her idea in the first place, for me to use the name Ash Carlisle.

Get it together, get it together.

“What are you saying? You want me to walk away and you’re going to stroll into Goode and pretend to be me?” I ask, horrified.

“Oh, but who is pretending to be whom, darling sister? No, give me what I want and you can stay at this stupid little school. I’ll even pay for it.”

“You’ll pay for it?”

She laughs, uproariously. There was a time when that laugh could set my heart alight, the joy in it, the freedom, the adventure. But now, I see it for what it is. A trap.

“A reward. You’ve done such a good job of being me. You’ll claim your filthy prize, hand it over to me. I’ll just say thank you and take the money.”

“What money?”

“What is wrong with you? Are you high? Have you started down Mummy’s path at last? The money you inherit from the estate, what else?”

“But there’s no way. If I admit who I am now, they’ll kick me out. The Honor Code—”

“Do you think I care about your stupid little school? This little world you’re creating? I don’t. You need to sign the paperwork and take possession of Daddy’s cash, and I will relieve you of the funds and be off. No reason to wait until I’m twenty-five if we can do it now.”

“You must be joking. I can’t just walk away from this. That will blow up my life.”

Her eyes are strangely lit as if there’s a fire inside her. “Oh, are you settling in? Becoming one of them? Don’t you realize you’ll never be one of them? You’ll always just be the daughter of a junkie, a chip shop worker. You have no future, you never did. I was willing to give you a chance to earn your own way, to get the education you were dreaming about. But since you managed to get yourself in Daddy’s will, we might as well do this now. Sign the paperwork and hand over the cash.”

“But if I sign the paperwork, they’ll know who I really am.”

“Sign it, or I’ll walk into the school and tell them you’ve been keeping me captive so you could take my place and steal my money. Who do you think they’ll believe? The impostor? Or the rightful student? Look at me. It will take nothing to convince them you’ve been keeping me hostage.”

God, she is the most devious person I have ever known. Was this her plan for leverage all along? Think. Think.

I stand up straight. I’m taller than her, and I can look down, intimidate.

“I don’t care for your threats, Ashlyn. Do you honestly believe I don’t have proof you wanted me to do this? Do you think I didn’t protect myself? You wouldn’t dare blow me up. Yes, I might get kicked out of the school, but if you do that, I will make sure you get put in jail. No money will save you from a double murder charge. I know what you did. I know how you did it. You won’t be able to blame their deaths on me. Fat lot of good Daddy’s money will do you then, shriveled up behind bars, only allowed to see sunlight an hour a day. You’ll go mad in there. Madder than you already are.”

I’ve hit a nerve. Her face twists in anger, and she lands a stunning blow to my cheek before I have a chance to pull away. The punch knocks me to the ground. The pain is incredible, mushroom clouding until I feel it peak and begin to throb. It’s almost as sore as the burn on my rib cage.

But my anger dissipates. This is what she’s gone through her whole life. She was on the receiving end of our father’s rages. How many black eyes did I minister to? How many times had she come to me with a bloodied nose or a missing tooth? He made her into this monster, just like he made me into a liar. We are a pair.

I roll over and get up on my knees. Her eyes are on fire now, the anger simmering, flames ready to leap.

“I’m sorry,” I say, in the most placating tone I have. “You’re right. I’ll get you the money. You just have to give me a few days to figure out how to make this all work. I think I already have an idea. Wouldn’t it be easier for you to just come forward as the illegitimate daughter? They’ve already taken my DNA swab. You go to the lawyers and do yours, I’ll hack into the database and switch them. Easy. Then you’ll receive the money, and I can stay here, at school. No one needs to know anything more.”