CHAPTER THIRTY

They took Deirdre off the ferry, allowing the real passengers to board the ship and make their way to Orkney. She wasn't as lucky. Taken to the local police station, she was locked in a room where she refused to speak unless her attorneys were present.

"Give me five minutes," said Zulu to the Scottish official. "Look the other way, close your ears. Just five minutes."

"I wish I could, lad. It's not how we operate here."

"It's okay, Grandpa. Let me speak with her." The officer nodded at Brix, opening the door to the room. Deirdre was cuffed to the table, a cup of water beside her.

"Are my attorneys here?" she asked calmly.

"No. Your attorneys aren't coming. They've said you are no longer their client, and they won't be coming up here to assist you. Another counsel will be appointed to you."

She glared at him, shaking her head.

"You think you've won, don't you?"

"Won what, Deirdre? What have I won? If you mean a beautiful life with Daphne, then yes, I've won. If you mean justice for Randolph and the others you've murdered, no. I haven't won."

"Randolph was unfortunate," she said calmly. "He'd caught on quickly and wouldn't let it go. He wanted answers and found them."

"What do you mean?" asked Brix.

"One of the things Randolph was very good at was research. It always concerned me if he got his teeth into my background. For years, I was able to satisfy him and keep the household under control. Then you came along."

"It wasn't me. It was your blind ambition."

"Blind ambition," she scoffed. "It was as clear as my crystal glasses. I knew exactly where my ambition was taking me."

"Where was that, Deirdre? What was so important that you sent forty-seven children to an orphanage that you built and allowed them to be adopted out."

She was quiet for a very long time, just staring at the young man. She didn't know that Brix was a master of patience. He wasn't going to give in any time soon.

As she stared at him, she noticed how incredibly handsome he was. Daphne had made a good choice and would certainly have babies that were beautiful. She wondered what he looked like naked and, for a moment, felt a rush of heat in her body.

Then she sobered. He wasn't someone that would fall for that. He wasn't an easy target like Marshall. No, this man was going to be a challenge.

"Do you know who their parents were?" she asked softly.

"I know they were all members of the Lightkeepers organization," said Brix. "Those people helped others. They did good in the world, and you stole that from them in one heinous act."

"Good? You believe they did good. For whom, young Brixton? That's the question."

"For anyone who needed it," said Brix. She let out a loud burst of insane laughter, and Brix shrank back a bit.

"No. For those they believed needed it. No one else." Brix waited, staring at the woman, hoping she would continue.

"The first time I wrote to them, I was nine years old. A child. A baby begging for help in my village. My father was an animal, and he treated women worse than animals. He didn't allow us to learn to read or write or do anything other than breed and cook. My mother chose to defy him.

"Every day while he was out with his men, she would allow me to look at books. When we were very lucky, we could walk into Accra when he was gone for days or weeks at a time. That's when I took my chance. I'd read about these amazing people, the Lightkeepers. What a farce!"

"They weren't a farce. They truly helped thousands of people."

"They didn't help me. I begged them, pleaded with them to send help to my village. When my father was killed, I thought perhaps that was their way of assisting us."

"Lightkeepers didn't kill your father. My grandfather and his men killed him." Her head snapped up, and she stared at him. How was this possible?

"Then he is guilty for all of this as well because he left me to a fate far worse than the one I had. My father ensured that I would never have children, never give birth. I was actually okay with that. But the man left in charge used that as an opportunity to do what he wished to me. You left me with the devil."

"Your mother could have helped you," he said, staring at the woman.

"My mother?" she laughed. "My mother was so used and broken she could barely see any longer. Her entire body was failing. Do you know how old she was? Twenty-one. That's right, she was only twelve when she gave birth to me. Twelve."

"I'm sorry that your upbringing was difficult, Deirdre, but it's still no excuse."

"You truly do not understand. They ignored my pleas. Not once, not twice, but three times. When my brother helped me to escape, I was still but a child. Fortunately, I'd learned much from my father.

"By the time I reached Morocco, I was a teenager. I wrote to them again, pleading for help. I was ignored. When I reached London, I thought perhaps they just needed to see me. So, I went to their headquarters. It was just a small two-room office space with an elderly woman at the desk. She was pleasant, kind but not helpful in the least.

"That's when I knew I had to find a way to become one of them. Randolph was my ticket. Or so I thought."

"What do you mean? You wanted to become a Lightkeeper?"

"No. I wanted to destroy them. By getting invited to join, I would be able to tear them apart from the inside."

"But they didn't invite you, did they? They didn't believe you were good enough, rich enough," said Brix.

"No," she ground out. "They didn't. I wasn't rich enough. I wasn't white enough."

"Don't use the race card," said Brix. "There are men and women from all nationalities in the Lightkeepers."

She was silent for a long moment, taking a drink of her water. She carefully set the cup down then looked directly at the double-sided glass.

"Is your grandfather out there? Is he proud of himself for killing my father?"

"I'm proud of him for killing your father. He ordered the kidnapping, rape, and mutilation of twelve little girls. My grandfather and his team were sent in to rescue them, but it was too late." She slammed her fist on the table and leaned forward.

"It's always too late!"

"No. Not for Daphne. She and I will have a beautiful life together with her biological parents."