Tell Me True by Karpov Kinrade Read Free Book Online Page B

was so gross. They didn't see me, though. I don't think. But here's the thing. Jon was pissed. Like, angrier than I've ever seen him. He wanted to confront his dad, but I talked him into waiting until after your wedding. But what if he didn't? What if he confronted his dad and…"
    I could see w here her thoughts were heading. "And what if Mr. Davenport killed his son to keep his secret?"

Chapter Ten
Wild Wolves
THREE MONTHS AGO
     
     
    NOTHING BROUGHT FAMILIES together like weddings. This was even true of estranged families where the brothers liked to beat the shit out of each other.
    And so we found ourselves back at the Davenport estate, with Ash grilling up steaks on the barbecue while Bridgette served drinks and I sat and wondered how this family survived itself.
    Mrs. Davenport sat next to me and handed me a drink. "You look like you could use one, dear."
    I sipped on it. "Thank you, Mrs. Davenport."
    "So formal. Call me Louise. After all, you're about to be a Davenport yourself."
    "I guess I am."
    "How are you and Ash coming along with the wedding plans?" she asked.
    Before I can answer, her attention was diverted by a car pulling up to the side of the house. I recognized it as Mr. Beaumont's car.
    When Mr. Davenport saw, he stormed at the vehicle. The two men exchanged distant muffled shouts, and Mr. Beaumont drove off, screeching tires as he left.
    "Do you know what that was about?" I asked. "Does it have anything to do with —"
    "My own screaming match with Ashton the last time you were here?" She chuckled. "My problems with Ash's father are a small matter. Men have to be controlled. Kept in check. But for the Davenport men, it's impossible. They're like wild wolves. They're fearless and they take what they want. I've accepted that."
    "How do you deal with it ?" I asked, wondering if Ash would turn out like his dad and hoping he wouldn't.
    "I make sure Ashton wants for nothing more than me."
    Unsure what to say to that, I took another drink and nodded.
    She smiled and lifted her own drink to her mouth, her large diamond sparkling in the sun. "Have I ever told you how Ashton and I met? No? Well… I was walking home late from work a rainy evening, a restaurant I used to wait tables at, and this giant Great Dane jumped on me. It knocked me to the ground, dug its teeth into my shoulder." She pulled down her blouse to show me. "Here, you can see the scar. The beast had gone into a frenzy, spooked by something I must have done. I kicked, screamed, but the Great Dane kept me pinned down. And then I felt the weight lift from my back, the jaw unclasp my shoulder. I turned over on the wet cement. A man had the dog by the neck, strangling it. He eased up, and once again the dog snapped at me. And so the man smothered it. He let go, the dog lying limp in his hands, and helped me stand. He called the medics and they saw to me. They said the dog was dead. The man would face charges.
    "I thanked him for saving me. It was Ashton. Later, I learned the dog had been his."
    I shuddered at the thought of such viciousness. "Dogs don't usually attack like that."
    She shook her head. "No. They don't. Perhaps the Great Dane had inherited some of Ashton's spirit. Perhaps it had grown fearless. Perhaps it had grown to ignore the rules."
    I pushed my luck and asked the question that had been burning in my mind since I read my mother's notes. "Have you ever heard of Alpha Pi Omega?"
    Louise smirked. "Is that some kind of sorority?"
    "Just something I heard in school."
    Mr. Davenport called from across the yard. "Louise, come here."
    Louise didn't give any indication of hearing him.
    "I think your husband wants to talk to you," I said.
    "I like to make him wait." She smiled. "It keeps them interested." After a few more moments she stood and sashayed over to her husband.
    Jon quickly took her place, sitting beside me.
    "How are you?" he asked.
    "Better than you."
    He chuckled and touched his black eye. "Yeah, still pretty sore."
    I saw Ash