Page 35 of Trial of Deceit (The Family’s Oath #1)

Chapter nineteen

S tepping outside of the holding station, Jediah tilted his head from side to side.

A satisfying crack rang out, making Jediah smile with satisfaction.

His muscles were stiff from being immobile for such a long time.

Stretching himself, he rubbed at his wrists, focusing on putting one foot before the other as he approached the throttling SUV beside the sidewalk.

Jediah tried not to look too conspicuous as he observed his surroundings. He knew this wasn’t where they’d interrogated him. Wherever it was, it hadn’t been as noisy as this St. Ann police station.

Elias had gone home hours ago. It was his first time being at the station; all he had to say was he didn’t know about the drugs being laundered at his construction sites, but he’d look into it.

The blue collars who got arrested would take the fall; their families would be set for life so long as they kept their mouths shut while serving their prison sentences.

After the construction site got cleared in a few weeks or months, business would resume as normal because it was rare, if ever, that the police would look in the same place twice when it came to an old businessman with a clean track record.

Jediah opened the door, pausing as he noticed who sat in the driver’s seat. His jaw clenched as he slipped inside, settling beside Dimitri, before closing the door. “Why are you here?”

“Hear seh yu did inside,” Cameron replied before driving away.

Dimitri pulled a pawn from his pocket and rested it between them on the seat. “Should I?”

As the station became smaller behind them, Jediah raised a brow at Dimitri. “To who?”

“ Your queen ,” Dimitri spat, his tone laced with vehement disgust. “A the reason this happen.”

“Yu don’ know dat,” Jediah replied before leaning his head against the window. Dimitri’s glare of disapproval clawed at his skin, but he disregarded it.

The drug they’d injected into him — once after the arrest, and another time after forcing him to use the bathroom — made him woozy, but he could feel the effects wearing off.

It wasn’t safe to speak here, but he was desperate to voice his concerns about what they’d given to him.

It was strong enough to knock him out and fog his memory.

Fast-acting too, because he hadn’t been held for a full twenty-four hours, and he knew only trace amounts would be left in his bloodstream for his people to attempt to work from.

It was possible that all of it would be gone by the time he got to the dungeon beneath his home.

Exhaling a ragged breath, Jediah allowed his eyes to flutter close.

Some rest to rid this mental fog would be good for when he woke up.

A clear mind would help him figure out who dared to betray him like this.

Despite Dimitri’s beliefs and that knot of uncertainty in his gut, Jediah knew it wasn’t Ashari. After all this time, it wouldn’t be.

It just couldn’t.

As the car parked in the driveway, Jediah barely had time to rest his hand on the handle before the door was yanked open from the outside.

“Jed!” Reine cried, throwing herself at him. Her arms wrapped around his neck, pulling him close and holding him tight while her face nuzzled into his neck.

“Reine,” Jediah complained, though he wrapped his arms around her small waist. “Wa mi tell yu ’bout making me look soft?”

Reine didn’t pull away. She held him tighter, a choked sob escaping her as wetness gathered on the crook of Jediah’s neck. “Mi did so worried,” she forced out, her lips trembling against his skin as he spoke.

Jediah sighed. Tightening his grip around her waist, he turned his head to the side. Jediah pressed his mouth against her head. “I’m here.”

Sniffling, she pulled away. Tears hung off her eyelids as her lips trembled. “Mi know, but it did so frightening. Yu don’ go in a waa cell since—”

“Reine,” Jediah interrupted, his voice stern. “I’m good .”

She continued to stare into his soul for a few agonizing seconds, bringing up harsh memories Jediah wished to forget, before she nodded and a relieved smile formed on her face. A throat clearing made her look past Jediah to Dimitri.

Cameron chuckled. “Memba him don’ used to seeing sibling affection.”

“Stop gwan like you have bredda or sista,” Dimitri hissed.

Jediah rolled his eyes, causing Reine to chuckle as they broke free. Reine helped him out of the car despite his protests. They walked side-by-side toward the porch while Dimitri and Cameron bickered behind them.

“Mi have a bredda. We just don’ close,” Cameron rebutted.

“Only thing yu close wid a yu likkle online girlfriend.”

“If she’s real,” Jediah threw over his shoulder, causing Dimitri to snicker.

Cameron grumbled an answer as they arrived on the porch.

The door opened from the inside, revealing Bryony.

Everyone stilled as Bryony stood in the doorway, slowly crossing one arm over the next as her cold eyes locked on Jediah.

Jediah stiffened, hesitant to take another breath as Bryony took in his appearance.

As Bryony’s eyes dragged upward from his feet to his eyes, holding his gaze, a shaky breath passed Jediah’s lips.

“Dinner is on the table,” Bryony stated, turning to walk back into the house.

Reine patted Jediah’s arm. “Yu naa go hear the end of it,” she said before moving into the house.

“Good luck,” Cameron added, following behind Reine.

“Yu gon’ need it more than me when yu find out seh yu girlfriend don’ real,” Jediah spat.

Dimitri’s eyes lit up. “Exactly!”

Jediah chuckled as Cameron flipped them off over his shoulder. When he could no longer see Cameron or his sister, he looked to the side. He wasn’t surprised to find Dimitri already looking at him. “Yu really think Ash behind this?”

“Yes,” Dimitri answered almost instantly.

A heavy sigh escaped Jediah as he looked into his house. He rolled his shoulders, the knot of uncertainty forming in him again. He hated this feeling. He needed a clear mind immediately. “Weh Cedella and Reka?”

“Dungeon,” Dimitri said, resting a hand on Jediah’s shoulder. “Come wi go inside. Yu outta it, and mi don’ like dat.”

Jediah stepped backward, causing Dimitri’s hand to fall to his side. “Soon come. Need fi do something first,” Jediah said, walking off the porch. He heard Dimitri sigh before going into the house.

Jediah slipped his ring off his finger, rubbing it between his fingers and feeling the ridges of the fox emblem while walking past groundsmen to get to the backyard.

He opened the gate to a garden of a wide array of colorful, fluffy flowers.

A concrete pathway was between them, the flowers leading the way toward a white wrought iron arch.

Green vines wrapped around the intricate patterns of the arch, welcoming the occasional visitor to the highlight of the garden.

A sudden chill tightened around his neck and made it difficult to breathe. He stopped fiddling with his ring and reminded himself to breathe.

Jediah inhaled a sharp breath, his lungs indulging in the sweet oxygen as his feet moved forward. One step. Two. Three. Four.

He stopped before the grave.

A grave so well-kept, it shone beneath the sun’s rays. The white tiles got polished every weekend, of every week, of every month, for the past seventeen years. Fine marble was engraved with stylish gold letters: his mother’s name, and her death date.

Jediah’s brows pulled together as he stared hard at the headstone. He’d been here so many times, the curve of every letter was embedded in his mind. He was ashamed to admit that he didn’t know as much about his mother as he’d like to.

Her name was Malia Richardson. She had him at nineteen, excelled at chess, and was from Kingston.

From what Kayon allowed Jediah to know, that summarized his mother’s life.

From what he’d learned by himself through the years, her only concern was knowing his likes. His wants. Everything that ensured she was an active mother in his life.

One such duty included listening.

“I’m under so much pressure, Mom,” Jediah said.

“I’m the one keeping this family running, and everybody’s still trying to pull me in every direction by telling me what they think is best. Sometimes, I don’t know how I manage to pull this off, but I do.

Nobody gives me credit that the Valcourts haven’t taken over.

I’m just coming from jail, but don’t worry, they didn’t find anything.

I won’t let anyone sniff around your grave again—” He snapped his mouth shut, looking over his shoulder as he heard the squeak of a gate.

Reine guiltily smiled. “Mi think—”

“English,” Jediah said.

“You said I only have to speak English at school and appearances.”

“That’s not what I said.”

“A dat yu seh.”

“Just speak English, Reine,” Jediah snapped, and Reine’s eyes widened. Jediah’s jaw clenched tightly before he heaved a breath, about to apologize.

“I’ll speak English.” Reine turned her back and closed the gate. “No need to begin a lecture about why it’s important for me to know how to act,” she whispered mockingly.

Jediah briefly narrowed his eyes on her before he looked back at the grave. He tucked his hand in his pocket while Reine stood at his side. “I don’t care about the gate, so I haven’t bothered to tell Kayon.”

“Daddy will throw a fit about that,” Reine laughed.

Jediah scoffed. “He only concerns himself with how her grave looks. It’s the only thing he can see from his room until he’s man enough to come down here.”

“You should cut him some slack… Malia was his wife.”

Jediah sneered. “And my mom.”

“Mine, too,” Reine whispered.

He sighed, his sneer disappearing as his gaze softened at his sister. “I know. Sorry.”

“It’s fine,” she said with a small smile. “Malia meant more to you guys than I can ever begin to imagine, that’s why I figured you were here instead of where you should be. Eli’s complaining.”

“He’s going to give himself a stroke,” Jediah muttered, and Reine chuckled.