Moonlight Scandals by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Devlin couldn’t move. Couldn’t breathe as he stared at Rosie. He’d forgotten. Holy shit, he’d been so lost in Rosie that he’d remembered to not let her touch his back but he’d forgotten when he walked away.

He immediately turned, walking toward the door. Where he was going buck-ass naked, he had no idea, but he had to get out of here. Had to get away from the horror building in her eyes.

“No. No.” She sprang from the bed, completely nude, and darted in front of him. Surprised, he didn’t know what to do when she planted her hands on his chest. “I just told you that I wanted all of you and whatever that is, it’s a part of you. You don’t get to run from me now.”

Another ripple of shock made its way through him. He opened his mouth, but he didn’t know what to say. This was something no one saw. This was something he didn’t talk about.

Her gaze searched his as she pressed lightly on his chest. “What happened to you?”

Dev couldn’t find the words as his brain raced through the years. He stepped back from Rosie and kept walking back as if he were in a daze. He sat on the bed, his gaze following to the dress lying on the hardwood floors. He was so fucking stupid. How did he forget about his back? No one saw it. No one touched it. No one. And now this beautiful, strong, confident woman had seen just how weak he’d once been.

“Please,” Rosie said as she bent down and picked up his discarded dress shirt. Slipping it on, she tugged it closed. “Please talk to me.”

Maybe it was the way she asked him or maybe it was just because it was her asking. Either way, he found a voice—his voice—and he gave sound to something that never had words before.

“Lawrence,” he muttered out in a coarse voice.

“Your father?” She sat beside him. “Your father did this to you?”

He kept staring at the dress on the floor, but he really didn’t see it. He saw the first time Lawrence had hit him. That may not have been the first time. It was just the first memory. It was before the incident . Dev had been running outside. Lawrence had grown annoyed and had backhanded him. “He’s not . . . Lawrence is not my father, Rosie.”

“What?” she whispered.

It was like some kind of seal deep inside him had been snapped in two and everything—everything —he’d been holding back flowed to the surface. “He was the biological father of Lucian and Madeline, but not Gabe and me. Obviously that isn’t something widely known. Hell, we didn’t even know that until this past year, but that man . . . was not my father.”

“Do you know who your father was?” she asked after a terse heartbeat.

Dev finally lifted his gaze and glanced at Rosie. Another truth he hadn’t spoken rose to the tip of his tongue. “I think I know who it is and I don’t even know if Gabe thinks this or not. It’s not something we talk about, but I think . . . I think our father is Stefan.”

Rosie’s eyes widened.

“Twisted, isn’t it?” He barked out a short, humorless laugh. “It’s the only thing that makes sense to me. Both Gabe and I look too much like Lawrence and Stefan. Hell, I’m practically a spitting image of them when they were younger. Lucian and Madeline obviously took after our mother and I know my theory isn’t exactly scientific, but if I’m right, it’s Stefan.”

She slowly shook her head. “Is there any hard-core proof other than that?”

“No. We could find out, but . . . if there was a record of whose child was whose, that could affect a lot of things. Lucian could end up with the company, and he doesn’t want that. I offered it to him, but he doesn’t want that kind of life.”

“That was . . . that’s huge of you to offer it, though.”

Dev pressed his lips together. Was it really huge of him? He didn’t think so, not when there were days when he’d love nothing more than to leave all of this shit behind.

“Now it makes sense. Why I’ve never heard you call him Father or Dad,” she said and then, “What did Lawrence do to you?”

“What did he not do?” Another short, harsh laugh. “He always knew we weren’t his kids and I think he hated us for it, and for some reason, he hated Lucian and Madeline even more for being his kids. The man was a sociopath.” Tipping his head back, he closed his eyes. “He’d lose his temper quite easily and if I was nearby, it didn’t end well. The day I almost died or did die? He hit me and I lost my balance, cracking my head on the corner of his desk. Besson—Nikki’s father—had found me and provided CPR.”

“Wait. Are you saying Lawrence caused that and didn’t even call for help? Didn’t try to help you?”

“Nope. He apparently walked out of the office and Besson just happened to be walking past it when he saw me.” Dev dragged a hand through his hair. “He didn’t know exactly what happened and I didn’t say anything when he took me to the hospital. Everyone just assumed that I’d fallen like kids often do and hit my head.”

“But . . . but it didn’t stop there, did it? It couldn’t have.”

“You know, the odd thing was that it did stop . . . until Lucian and Madeline were born, and then it . . . yeah.” He lowered his hand. “As I grew older, I knew how he was, so I stuck close to him, because I was . . . I was the oldest. The scars are from the night I got in trouble at school, when Gabe and Lucian were trying to sneak out. Lawrence was furious. I was the oldest, the one to set an example, and whatever bullshit he spewed when he found out. Who knew a belt could leave that many scars?”

“God, Devlin, I’m so sorry—”

“Don’t. I don’t want your sympathy or pity.”

“You have my sympathy.”

“It was my job to protect them—”

“It was not your job, Devlin. That is no child’s job.”

His gaze shot to her. It wasn’t like he didn’t realize that now, but it was still hard to shake that role. “If I hadn’t been the one to take the brunt of it, he would’ve done worse to them. I know it.”

Her gaze flickered over his face. “How in the world did Nikki’s parents not see this? Not know it was happening?”

“Lawrence was very good at hiding what he did, Rosie. They are not at fault. I never spoke up. I was too weak and too scared to say a damn thing. I could’ve stopped it. I could’ve—”

“Dear God, Devlin, you weren’t weak. You were a child.” She cupped his jaw, forcing him to look at her when he started to pull away. “Don’t put that on yourself. That is all on the fucking monster who I am glad is dead.”

His lips twitched. “You’re a little bloodthirsty.”

“You have no idea.” She smoothed her thumb over his jaw. “There are few things in life that enrage me. Abusers. Molesters. Those who take advantage of others.” She paused, wrinkling her nose. “And irresponsible pet owners. Pretty much in that order of the rage-out scale.”

Dev folded his hand around her wrist. “No one has seen those scars.”

“Not even your brothers?”

He shook his head. “Never been shirtless around them.” He brought her hand to his mouth. He kissed her palm. “The times I was with Sabrina or anyone else, I never got completely undressed. I was always careful.”

“I’m glad you weren’t this time,” she whispered. “You can’t hide them away forever, Devlin. It would eat away at you.”

Hadn’t it already eaten away at him?

Closing his eyes, he kissed the tips of her fingers. “What Lawrence did to me wasn’t even the worst thing, Rosie. He was involved in some horrific things. I’ve said that to you before, but you have no idea.”

She swallowed as she leaned into him. “Then tell me.”

Dev opened his eyes as he lowered her hand to his thigh. “My brothers know nothing about this and I want it to stay that way. I don’t want them to know what he was involved in, because it’s being handled. I’ve ensured it.”

“I wouldn’t say anything and betray your trust like that.”

He believed her. For the first time, he believed her without hesitation. “Lawrence, one of the wealthiest men in the world, was involved in human trafficking.”

“God.” Rosie lifted her other hand to her mouth as her eyes filled with horror. “Oh God.”

“Before he died, I started to suspect he was involved in something. There were strange trips he took and deposits that looked odd to me. It took months for a forensic accountant to sift through the bullshit. I think that is what Andrea Joan had discovered.”

“So, Stefan is involved, too?”

“Either he is or he was aware, and Andrea trusted the wrong person. That was what was on her iPad. Evidence,” he said. “She went to Lawrence, right? That’s what Ross claims. If so, she walked right up to the viper.”

“That’s terrible.” Her eyes glimmered. “Dear God, I don’t even know what to say. I . . .”

“What can you say? It’s . . . it’s fucked-up. Worst part is that so many people are involved, either actively or covering it up.” Dev though of the old police chief who’d met an . . . untimely fate. “The evidence that Andrea had gathered implicated a lot of people and that evidence is being handed over to the appropriate people. It’s not going to stop it, but . . .”

“But it’s going to take a lot of bad people down and that’s important,” she insisted. “That’s huge, Devlin, and you’re going to be the reason. You and Andrea and anyone else who is trying to do the right thing.”

But Dev hadn’t always done the right thing. Maybe he did what he deemed necessary, but the right thing? That was debatable. “You don’t know everything, Rosie.”

“Then tell me everything. Look, if we can talk about this while you’re completely naked and I’m wearing your shirt, we can pretty much talk about anything.”

That brought a smile to his face. “Good point.”

“I always have good points.” Leaning in, she kissed him and it was too quick. “Devlin, I can handle whatever you’ve got to say.”

Could she? He wasn’t sure. “I don’t deserve you.”

“What?” She tried to pull her hand away but he held on. “Don’t say that.”

Dev was done with the lies—all of them—and he knew if he shared this, there was a good chance this truth could cause him to lose Rosie before he ever really had her. He drew in a deep breath, knowing that he had to tell her if there was any hope of a future.

He lifted his gaze to hers. “That wasn’t me in the cemetery that day.”

Confusion clouded Rosie’s face as she stared back at him. “What?”

“That wasn’t me. That was my twin.”