“Janice married a Swedish engineer when she was only eighteen, her freshman year in college. Her husband was killed on a dam project a year later. She obviously got all her Swedish antecedents from her husband’s family, including her husband’s engineering degree that’s hanging on your wall. In any case, somewhere along the line, Janice or her father came up with the idea to take you in. And they did take you in. Fooled you completely.
“She admitted to me that she murdered Louey. She hated him, didn’t want her sister to be with him. She smuggled in the bomb that blew him up. Emma and I weren’t the targets. And then when you killed Melissa, her sister, she tried to murder you. Maybe Eve would have tried to murder you eventually regardless of what happened. She didn’t volunteer her plans. I don’t know and neither will you. It doesn’t matter. All of it’s going to stop right now.”
She watched him straighten, knew that the effect must be hurting his chest. Then he was utterly still, even his hands silent at his sides. He said, his voice as gentle as a soft spring rain, “If what you say is true, if she did betray me, then how could it possibly be over?”
She would have preferred rage, not this calm dead coldness. She didn’t know where she found it, but she reached down deep inside her and brought up a very big smile. “Because, Dad, I’ve saved your life and now I’m going to end it all. No one is going to kill anyone. You try to harm Eve or Rule Shaker and I’m going to turn you in. It’s true that I don’t have much hard proof, but I know enough to make things excessively uncomfortable for you. If you refuse to end it, I also promise you will never see Emma or me again. I will not take the chance of Emma getting between you and Shaker.
“There will be no more attempts on your life or anyone connected with you, including me and Emma. Eve and her father have agreed to it. You took one of his daughters and you’re giving the other one back. Louey is dead and you were nearly killed twice. They both know I could bring them down, because, you see, I taped my conversation with Eve and played it for them. One copy is with Dillon Savich of the FBI and the other is with the San Francisco District Attorney’s office. I’ve got it all and I’ll keep it safe. It’s over. Believe me on this.”
He slowly raised his hand. In an instant, Molly thought he was going to strike her. She stood her ground, waiting.
Slowly, Mason Lord lowered his arm. His voice was nearly a whisper as he said, “You’re my daughter and you’re threatening me with this?”
“Yes, I am. It’s my only way to protect both Emma and you. I don’t ever want to have to worry that Emma could be the next victim in your war with Rule Shaker. What’s more, I don’t want him or his daughter to kill you. Now, I want your word that you’ll leave the Shakers alone.”
Mason stared at the daughter who looked so much like her grandmother, who hadn’t wanted Alicia to marry him, who’d looked at him like he was some sort of back alley scum. She’d looked at him and known what he was to his very soul. He’d seen the knowledge in those gray-green eyes of hers-Molly’s eyes-and he’d hated her with everything in him. Now here was Molly, more her blood than she was his, telling him what to do. What was wrong with him? She was just a woman, nothing more.
He wanted to straighten her out but good, but instead, what came out of his mouth was, “I eliminated the scum who hurt Emma.”
His voice was defensive, with maybe even a hint of a whine. It amazed her and heartened her. “Yes, I know. That’s why I haven’t already called the cops. Do you know something, Dad? I don’t think you’re all bad. You tried to protect family. That’s something in your favor. A very big something. Do you agree, Dad? It stops here and now?”