Page 83 of Hiding In the Dark (The Righteous 4)
Grinning stupidly, he lifted the ring from the lotus’s center and slid the exotic marquee-cut diamond on her finger.
“It’s stunning, Kes. This is too much.”
“It’s not even close to being too much, but I knew you wouldn’t wear anything bigger. I do have a couple more surprises, but I need you to go get changed for me.”
The suspicious look was back in her eye. “Where are we going?”
“I’ll tell you on the way, but I would dress business professional.”
He smirked as she stood and slowly made her way out of the room while continuing to eye him like if she stared long enough, the answer would appear.
While he waited, Kes walked over to the small picture stand that now held a picture of himself, Zumi, and Ashley sitting together on the boat. Ashley had insisted on the selfie photo even as Zumi and he had made faces at the camera. He sat the paper lotus down with the frame.
Two missions down. One to go.
Kes glanced over at Ashley as she stared at the DNA test, her mouth hanging open. The red light he was at turned green, and he pulled away from the light as he continued toward downtown.
“This is real? Zumi is your sister?”
“What are the chances, right? Of all the areas Chelsea could’ve chosen to live in, I chose the same spot. I’ve always felt drawn to Zumi. Do you think I could’ve unconsciously known?”
“I don’t know, Kes, but the world works in mysterious ways. Does she know yet?”
Kes looked over at Ashley and sighed as he shook his head. “She knows that I have adopted her. I gave her the paperwork before coming to see you. Trev has friends in family law, and they were able to finalize the adoption quickly since my father signed away all parental rights after her second surgery. The thing is, I don’t want her reaching out to my father—our father. Seems strange to say that.”
“She has a right to know who her dad is, Kes. At some point, you’re going to have to tell her.”
“I know, and I will sit her down and tell her all I know when she’s a little older and she’s healthy and has her feet on solid ground.” He flicked the radio off, the bit of background music not soothing his nervous energy. “The kid has been through a lot. I don’t want to shake her world up only for my father to rip the rug out from under her. I mean, the man signed away all his rights, Ash. From what I can figure out, he paid for the surgeries to keep Chelsea quiet and then ran, wiping his hands of the two of them.” His hands clenched into a white-knuckle hold on the steering wheel. “I didn’t like the woman, but I can’t imagine what it cost her to have to go to him and beg to save Zumi.”
Ashley stuffed the paperwork back into the file and gave him a small grin. “You’re right. This is heavy for anyone to deal with, and waiting until she has a new heart might be smart.”
They pulled up in front of a shiny building, and Kes stepped out and handed the keys to the valet before walking around and helping Ashley out the other side.
“You ready to do this?”
“At some point, you just have to decide to be brave, and this is that moment.” He looked up at the building that he hated almost as much as the man that ran it. “It should’ve been done years ago.”
Ashley hooked her arm into his as they made their way up to the front doors and to the man that was waiting out front. “Is everything ready?” Kes asked.
Trev smiled wide. “All the paperwork is ready to go.”
“Excellent. Let’s go cut the head off a snake.”
They drew stares from everyone scurrying around the lobby. Things hadn’t changed much. The people there always ran like they were being chased, and in some ways, they probably were, working there. He walked straight to the private elevator, and the guard manning it held up his hand to stop him.
“Name is Kes Reynolds. I’d advise you to step aside.” He held up the key that unlocked the elevator, and the man all but leaped away to give them access. His name carried weight whether he wanted it to or not, and it was time he accepted that—but if he were going to accept it, then it would be on his own terms.
The elevator dinged as they reached the top floor. Kes had already done his homework and knew exactly where his father would be. Today was a boardroom meeting day with the rest of the executives. Trev walked on this left side while Ashley was on his right side, and a calm washed over him with their unwavering support.
The large boardroom was at the opposite end of the building from his father’s office and stretched the entire width of the building. It was obscene and ridiculously large, with floor-to-ceiling windows that you could only see out of with the mirrored glass, while the inside had a full bar, televisions, and catered food. He wouldn’t have been surprised if his father had installed a stage with poles for girls to dance on. Then again, his father preferred to keep those extracurricular activities secret.
The décor had changed to a sleek, silver and black modern look with splashes of brightly-colored abstract art on the walls, but it didn’t matter how you dressed up a pig—it was still a pig.
Very little gave him as much satisfaction as marching through the boardroom doors like he owned the place. The doors flew open with a hard shove and drew everyone’s attention, including his father’s, who was standing at the head of the table with a large monitor showing pie charts and bar graphs behind him.
Kes came to a stop at the opposite end of the long table, staring at the man who seemed shocked for the first time in his recorded memory. Those lining either side of the table looked like they were at a tennis match, their heads turning to stare at him and then back to his father. It had been over fifteen years since he’d laid eyes on him, and the man was not how he remembered.
Facing the dragon of his childhood memories Kes wiped his heart clean of the fear that had always gripped his soul. The desire to prove himself to the man or to do as he wished to stay in his favor was gone.
