Page 11 of Grave Sins (Graveyard of Hearts Collection #2)

Archer

We stop in front of a gate, and I see Andre in front of us typing in a code that is at least ten digits long before we pass through.

From there, we continue to drive on this road for another five miles before we come upon a huge house.

It is two stories, and it looks like a fortress.

The windows are covered with metal, but I assume it is retractable to let light in during the day. We all jump out, but no one is talking.

I hang back to be last as everyone goes to the front door, where Andre pulls his phone out and calls someone. Maisy is holding my hand, comforting me by gently stroking the back of my hand with her thumb.

The door opens, and it feels like my soul has been cracked open when I see my father. Kendra is the first one he sees, and she starts crying when he wraps her in a tight hug. He speaks softly to her for a moment before looking up and seeing the twins.

“You have babies,” Dad says.

“Yeah,” she sniffles. “Maya and Mateo,” she says.

“You taking care of my girl?” Dad asks Marcus as he hugs him.

“I try, but she’s so damn clumsy, though,” Marcus laughs.

“Bellamy, son. It’s good to see you,” Dad says. He squats down and looks at the twins asleep in their car seats. After a moment, he stands and starts greeting everyone one by one. Eventually, there is no one left but me.

“Hey, Dad,” I say, trying hard not to cry.

Dad breaks and grabs me into a hug. Hearing his emotion brings me to tears.

He doesn’t let go for a while, and I don’t want him to.

This is the first time I’ve seen him in person since he came home from that business trip and found Kendra hiding under his desk.

“Dad, I am going to say this nicely,” Kendra says as she walks over to us.

“I doubt that, but go ahead,” Dad laughs.

“You don’t get to hold anything against him. He is a good man, and I have forgiven him. What’s done is done, and now we can be a family. No fighting. Nothing. We will explain things, and then it’s done. No more talking about what he did.”

“Okay, sweetheart,” Dad says before looking at me. “Archer… I’m so sorry I abandoned you when you clearly needed me. I don’t know what I am missing, but I should have gotten you help, not disowned you. That was wrong of me, and I will spend the rest of my life trying to make it up to you.”

“God, you two are so damn similar,” Kendra says. “The little shit has spent the last year trying to ditch me because he doesn’t think he is deserving of forgiveness, even though he isn’t the same person who raped me. That was the drugged-out version of himself that he no longer is.”

“When did you get so sassy, Kendra?” Dad asks, and I laugh. “You finally start leaving the house, and now you are a feisty little thing.”

“She’s a brat,” Marcus says.

“I encourage it. That’s my bad,” Bellamy laughs.

Dad turns to Maisy and smiles softly. “I am so sorry we are meeting this way, Maisy.”

“You know me?” she asks.

“I do,” he says. “Your father rents rooms at his hotels and resorts out to Harrison to use in his operations.”

“Is my brother involved?” she asks.

“Odie? No. He is the one I am getting information from. He helps me gain access to things that I can’t get remotely,” Dad explains.

“He is actually on his way,” Andre says.

“Hiding anything else?” Maisy snaps at Andre.

“What is it with you bratty women?” Andre laughs.

“You deserve far worse than a little attitude,” Chrissy snaps at him.

“Chrissy,” Andre says, lifting her chin.

“I will happily piss every single one of you off every day for the rest of your lives if it means none of you girls are subjected to a gang rape of fifty-plus men to break you in. I will personally ruin y’all’s day every day to prevent the horrific things Harrison does to the women and children he steals.

Be mad, but this is how things had to happen. ”

“Fine,” she huffs. Andre just smiles and gently kisses her before looking at Maisy. “Once Odie gets here and everyone has caught up to where we are, I will send a notification to Harrison that you and Archer are married.”

“Do we still have to do the public fucking?” she asks.

“It establishes a visual connection, and all of the other groups and families around here will see that and know that you are connected. Because your sister is married to Bellamy, even through just a commitment ceremony, it ties you to me,” he says.

“Wait a goddamn second,” Chrissy says. Is that the only reason…?”

“No, Chris,” Andre says softly. “I pursued you because I was attracted to you. You were not a pawn.”

“You better not be lying to me,” she says with a frown.

“He can make it up to you later,” Decan laughs.

“Deal,” Chrissy says.

“Well, let’s come inside,” Dad says. “It seems like I have a lot to catch up on.”

“Does he know?” Kendra asks Martin.

“He doesn’t,” Martin says. “To make things easier on him, he didn’t get updates on you all.”

“Oh boy,” Marcus says.

“Well, that doesn’t sound like I am going to enjoy this conversation,” Dad says as we go inside. He points for us to sit, and I pull Maisy into my lap.

“Where do you want to start?” Kendra asks me.

“With Kimberly,” I say. Kendra sits next to me, and Dad sits on the coffee table in front of us. Maisy has turned in my lap so she can wrap her arm around my neck. “Fuck… Okay. I am just going to dump this all out at once, and then we can sort through it.”

“Whatever is easiest,” Dad says.

“Jeff killed Kimberly,” I say. “He got me hooked on pills, and I was drunk all of the time. That day, I was so high I couldn’t move because he shoved pills down my throat.

I was made to watch as he raped and beat her.

I tried to tell him that she had a bleeding disorder, but I just couldn’t get the words out.

She died, and I was blamed for it. I understand why, but… ”

“Slow down and breathe for a second,” Kendra says when I tear up. I nod and take a deep breath.

“Jeff had been raping me for… years. Most of my life, really,” I say.

“It got really bad around the time that Kimberly died. It just all built up to the point that I kinda just told myself that if I was that much of a monster, I may as well give everyone a reason to think I was… and that’s what led to me hurting Kendra.

I hate myself for hurting her or anyone, really.

I knew that Jeff was killing women and burning them on the property, but I was just… numb.”

“I’m so sorry,” Dad says tearfully.

“After we thought you died, Jeff popped back up. I was framed for an apartment fire at Kendra’s place, but he ended up using Kendra’s biological twin to lure me in.

I got locked in the basement of your house for…

months. I spent almost every day being beaten and raped by him…

I keep going back and forth about whether I should say this… but he gave me a way out.”

“What?” Kendra asks.

“He told me that all I had to do was help get Kendra there, and I could go. I refused, but she still ended up in that basement with me,” I say. “They ended up finding the tracking information for her necklace and found us that way. This allowed us to trap Jeff, and I killed him.”

“Shit,” Dad says, wiping his face. “I’m sorry I couldn’t be there for you guys…

Archer, son. I’m just so sorry… I spent so much time at work, I just…

I let you down. When your mother died, it hurt, and then Kimberly…

And then finding Kendra… I just checked out, I guess.

There is no excuse for me not realizing my son was being hurt. ”

“I just wish I could go back and not hurt Kendra,” I say.

“I mean, that sucked, but I got Dad out of it,” Kendra says. “Oh. We found my biological parents.”

“They should be up here soon, too. They’re going to help with the babies so you don’t go insane,” Andre says.

“You’re staying here?” Dad asks her.

“Yeah. Is that okay?”

“Of course. Yes. God, I’ve missed y’all,” Dad says. “Son, I know a lot is going on, but when things settle, I’d like us to spend some time together.”

“I’d like that,” I say with a smile.