Diamonds in the Rough Page 26

  Peyton had never seen this side of Courtney before, and she had no idea how to make her feel better, because she was fuming, too. Yes, Britney had been Courtney’s twin, but she was also Peyton and Savannah’s sister. A sister they would never know. Because she had died. No, not died. Because she’d been murdered.

  None of it felt real, but Courtney had the pictures to prove it.

  “So you knew about all of this, too?” Savannah sounded helpless as she asked Rebecca.

  Rebecca ran her fingers over her long strand of pearls and nodded. “My ex and I were friends with Adrian and your mom when everything happened, so I’ve known for years. When Adrian and I started dating again, he made me promise not to say anything. He still blames himself for what happened. I’ve told him repeatedly that he needs to tell you the truth, but he refused, claiming he’s already thrown so much at you, and he didn’t think you were ready yet.”

  “It would have been better for him to be honest with us when we first got here than to have found out this way,” Peyton said.

  “I agree,” Rebecca said. “I wish I could have told you myself, but it wasn’t my secret to tell. I’m so sorry. But you deserved to hear it from your parents. And while I know you might not believe me, I think Adrian was going to tell you soon.”

  “Now we’ll never know, will we?” Courtney hugged the baby book close. She hadn’t let it out of her sight since she’d found it. “I’m going to my room—I need to be alone.”

  “Let us know if you need anything?” Savannah asked.

  Courtney nodded and hurried away, slamming the door behind her.

  “Should we go in after her?” Rebecca looked worriedly at where Courtney had disappeared.

  “No,” Peyton said. “She hasn’t been herself since finding out, and I know how Courtney is—she needs time alone to process everything. She’ll talk when she’s ready.”

  Rebecca wrung her hands together and resumed pacing around the living room. “I knew nothing good could come from Adrian keeping this from you,” she said, stopping to face Peyton and Savannah. “How are the two of you holding up? You both seem to be handling this better than Courtney.”

  “I’m pissed that Mom and Adrian kept this from us. And Grandma, too.” Peyton flopped onto the living room couch, glad to be back in the condo after the day from hell. “I know I was too young when it happened, but I feel like I should remember her. Instead I have nothing.”

  “You weren’t even one when it happened.” Rebecca sat on the opposing couch. “Remembering anything from that age is impossible.”

  “And I have no idea what to say to Courtney,” Savannah said, situating herself next to Peyton. “This is awful for us, but the worst for her. If none of this had happened, she would have a twin sister. She’ll never have that, and she didn’t even know until now that it was something she should miss.”

  “This isn’t going to be easy to get through,” Rebecca said. “The three of you have dealt with a lot, and I know Courtney’s always been there for you. But when she’s ready to talk, you need to be strong for her. And I hope you know that I’m here for you.”

  “Thanks,” Savannah said. “And this might sound strange, but even though I’ve seen the pictures and heard the story about what happened, none of it feels real yet. It’s like Britney never existed, even though I know she did. Maybe it’s because I was never alive at the same time as her…. I don’t know.”

  “Maybe,” Rebecca said. “But I hope that when Adrian gets back on Saturday morning, you listen to what he has to say. He’s carried so much guilt with him. He feels responsible for Britney’s passing.”

  “Her murder, you mean,” Peyton said.

  “I was trying to word it more sensitively.” Rebecca fidgeted with her engagement ring, her cheeks turning red. None of them said anything for a few seconds. “Anyway, are you girls hungry? We could order up dinner or dessert.”

  “I’m still full from Thanksgiving dinner,” Peyton said. Had it really only been hours since she, her sisters, Grandma, Mom and Aunt Sophie had sat around the Thanksgiving table, surrounded by more food than they could finish?

  “I’m just going to go to sleep.” Savannah covered her mouth and yawned. “It’s been a long day, and I’m tired.”

  “All right.” Rebecca stood up and straightened nonexistent creases off her pants. “Brett’s staying with his dad over break, but he knows the three of you came back early, and he asked me why. Now that the truth is out, I have to tell him. But this is a family matter, so I’ll make him promise not to say a word to anyone.”

  “Courtney should be the one to tell him,” Peyton said. Although Courtney had been ignoring his calls and texts since everything went to hell that afternoon. Brett had even texted Peyton and Savannah to ask what was going on, but Courtney had told them not to reply. And Peyton had listened. She’d never seen Courtney shut down like this before, so she didn’t know what else to do.

  “He said he’s called and texted her, but she hasn’t responded,” Rebecca said. “I know my son, and if he’s determined for an answer, he won’t give up. Courtney clearly isn’t ready to talk, so it’s best if I handle this.”

  “Okay,” Peyton said, although she wasn’t sure about that. Despite Courtney swearing that she and Brett were only friends, Peyton didn’t buy that she didn’t have stronger feelings for him. But Rebecca and Adrian were so on edge about Courtney and Brett getting too close, and Peyton didn’t want to say anything that might get her sister in trouble. She was devastated enough as it was.

  “If you girls need anything, no matter what time it is, you can come to my condo to talk,” Rebecca said. “And I truly am sorry you had to find out this way.”

  “Thanks.” Peyton didn’t know what else to say. It wasn’t Rebecca’s responsibility to have told them the truth—it was their mom’s and Adrian’s.

  Once Rebecca left the condo, Peyton turned to Savannah. “Are you really going to bed, or did you just want Rebecca to leave?”

  “I’m really going to bed.” Savannah yawned again. “Today’s been exhausting. But I like Rebecca, and it was nice of her to be here for us when we got back. I truly believe she wanted Adrian to tell us the truth from the start.”

  “Maybe.” Peyton didn’t disagree, but she didn’t feel like admitting it. She supposed Rebecca was nice—in a prim and proper type of way. But she didn’t want to have heart-to-hearts with her.

  “I wish I could say something to Courtney to make her feel better.” Savannah glanced hopelessly at Courtney’s room. “She’s so angry, and it scares me. She’s always been the one who can handle anything, you know?”

  “I know,” Peyton said, and even though she felt the same as Savannah, she had to say something to make her sister feel better. “But even Courtney isn’t perfect. Give her time. This is a huge shock to all of us, but it’s the hardest for her. Once she gets some rest tonight, she’ll be ready to talk tomorrow.”

  “I hope so,” Savannah said. “I hate seeing her like this. She’s such a good person, and she deserves better.”

  “Have you looked around?” Peyton laughed and held out her arms. “We have so much more than any person ‘deserves.’”

  “That’s not what I meant,” Savannah said. “Trust me, I’ve appreciated every second since we’ve gotten here. But I wish we had two parents who loved each other and who loved us—who spent time with us and were honest with us. I saw that picture in the baby book of Mom and Adrian taking Courtney and Britney home from the hospital, and I thought, ‘That could have been our life.’” Her eyes glistened, and she blinked a few times, swallowing back tears. “Instead, Mom’s a lying alcoholic disaster and Adrian never has time for us.”

  Peyton rested her chin in her hands. “The kidnapping screwed everything up, didn’t it?”

  “Yeah,” Savannah said. “It sucks.”

/>   “But that’s just the way things worked out,” she said. “Even if the kidnapping had never happened, who knows how things would have ended up for Mom and Adrian? Divorce happens all the time. And just because they looked happy in pictures doesn’t mean they actually were happy, or that everything would have been perfect for them.”

  “But they would have had a shot,” Savannah said. “And they wouldn’t have lied to us about everything. I hate not being able to trust them.”

  “No matter what, you have me and Courtney, and you can trust us with anything,” Peyton said. “You know that, right?”

  “Yeah.” Savannah nodded. “Evie used to brag about being an only child. And sure, most of the time it was annoying that me, you and Courtney had to share a bedroom and bathroom, but Evie’s bragging never made me jealous. Because I don’t know what I would do without you guys. I guess that’s why it scares me that Courtney’s shutting us out.”

  “She’ll come around,” Peyton promised. “She just needs time. You know that when Courtney thinks, she likes to do it alone.”

  “Yeah,” Savannah said, rubbing her eyes. “But I really am tired. See you in the morning?”

  “See you.”

  She left, and Peyton was alone in the living room, staring out the floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the lit-up Vegas Strip full of partying tourists. It didn’t feel right for everyone to be having fun when Peyton had a fresh hole in her chest for the sister she hadn’t known existed until this afternoon.

  She wanted to talk to someone, but who? Not Rebecca, even though she’d offered. It was nice of her, but Peyton still didn’t feel like Rebecca “got” her. She hadn’t kept in touch with anyone from Fairfield, because while Peyton had had fun with her friends while she’d lived there, she’d never opened up enough to have a strong bond with them, like the bond Savannah shared with Evie. And while she had acquaintances from Goodman, she wasn’t close enough to any of them to share something so personal.

  There was only one person who knew her well enough to listen and maybe care, and that was if he hadn’t known about Britney and had been lying to her, too. So Peyton went to her room, freshened up and left the condo. Even though it was nighttime, she kept her sunglasses on, since her eyes were red and puffy. She hadn’t bothered reapplying her black eyeliner, in case she started crying again.

  Jackson, Teddy and Carl were waiting in their usual spots in the hall. Peyton was glad to have caught them before the night guards took over their shift. Luckily their guards adjusted their schedules in accordance to Peyton and her sisters’, so they also got to sleep in and stay up late on weekends and vacations.

  “You guys don’t get holidays off?” she asked, shutting the door to the condo.

  “We were supposed to get Thanksgiving off, since Mr. Diamond hired local guards in California for your visit, but we were called into work when you and your sisters returned to Vegas early,” Savannah’s guard, Carl, told her.

  “We don’t mind, though,” Teddy added. “Adrian makes it well worth it, and we get plenty of vacation days.”

  “Sorry about that,” Peyton said. “We didn’t mean to ruin your Thanksgiving. But we had a family emergency.”

  Carl assured her it was okay, and she headed to the elevators. Jackson, of course, was right behind her.

  The doors closed, and he watched her, concerned. “What’s going on?”

  “A lot of shit went down at my grandma’s.” Peyton’s eyes watered as she replayed the scene, and she was glad she was wearing sunglasses. “I know you always tell me that we have to have a professional relationship, but I need someone to talk to, and you’re the first person who came to mind.”

  “So you came out tonight to hang out with me?” He didn’t sound like he loved the idea, but he didn’t sound like he hated it, either. “You know I can’t do that, Peyton. Too many people at the Diamond know who we are to risk being seen socializing. Remember when your classmate took that picture of you talking with your teacher?”

  “How could I forget?” she said. “But something big happened, and I need a friend. Isn’t there somewhere we can go to talk?” For emphasis, she pushed her sunglasses to her head. With red eyes and no makeup, she felt exposed, but it was all she could do to show him how serious she was.

  His eyes flashed with compassion. Apparently she looked as disastrous as she felt.

  “Tell your driver to take you to the Imperial Palace,” he said. “When you get there, keep your sunglasses on. I’ll be right behind you.”

  * * *

  When Peyton arrived at the Imperial Palace, she understood why Jackson had picked it. The Japanese-themed building was dinky compared to the other glamorous hotels on the Vegas Strip. The inside was all muted browns, with low ceilings and worn carpets, and it smelled like dust and stale cigarette smoke. No one would think Peyton Diamond, daughter of Adrian Diamond of Diamond Resorts Worldwide, would spend her time there.

  She walked into the lobby, keeping her sunglasses on. Jackson’s Town Car had followed her Range Rover, and he got out after her. But what she hadn’t expected was that he had changed. Instead of wearing his bodyguard suit, he was in a forest-green T-shirt that he could have worn to the gym. He still had on his black dress pants (which looked a little silly with the T-shirt), but out of his uniform, he looked younger than ever.

  “What happened to your suit?” Peyton asked.

  “I always wear a T-shirt as an undershirt in the winter,” he said. “And since we’re trying to stay under the radar, I ditched what I could of the suit in the car. On the way back to the Diamond, I’ll put it back on again.”

  “You look more comfortable in a T-shirt,” she observed. Plus, it brought out the green in his hazel eyes.

  “I never was a suit-and-tie type of guy,” he said. “When I guarded you in California, I wore street clothes, and I preferred it to what Adrian has us wear in Vegas. But it’s worth putting up with for the job.”

  Peyton nodded and looked around the Imperial Palace, which was packed with people in their twenties and thirties drinking beer and gambling. “Where did you want to go in here to talk?” she asked. “I was hoping somewhere private…like a room?”

  Frustration mixed with what Peyton thought was desire twisted in Jackson’s eyes. “You know I won’t do that,” he said. “But there’s a place where we can talk without people paying attention to us.”

  “All right,” Peyton said. It was worth the try. “Lead the way.”

  She followed Jackson up two escalators to the third floor, with a sign overhead announcing that they were entering the Imperial Palace Karaoke Club. But she didn’t need the sign to tell her that—the off-key singing was proof enough.

  The bar was packed, most everyone clustered up front to watch the karaoke performance. Every small, round table had a pitcher or two of beer in the center, and people browsed the karaoke binders, deciding what song they wanted to sing (or butcher, as was currently happening onstage.)

  “This is where you thought to go for privacy?”

  “Let’s sit over there.” He pointed to a table in the back corner, and they sat kitty-corner, their legs so close that one small movement would make them brush against each other. “No one would expect you to come here. Plus, everyone’s too focused on the stage to pay attention to us in the corner, and it’s not as loud as a club, so we can talk without having to yell. Just keep your sunglasses on, and no one will recognize you.”

  The waiter took their drink orders—Peyton asked for a pitcher of beer, since that seemed like the thing to do here, and she was stressed, so it would help her relax. The fake ID she’d gotten last summer was scannable, so it proved no problem. Jackson, of course, ordered a Coke. But when the waiter delivered the beer pitcher to the table, he left them with two cups.

  “You’re really going to drink all of that yourself?” Jack
son pulled his Coke closer, leaving his beer cup turned over.

  “After the day I’ve had, you would, too.” Peyton poured her cup to the rim. “But, no, I’m not going to drink the whole thing. The pitcher was just so cheap, so I figured, what the hell?”

  “I’m guessing something serious happened for you and your sisters to come home early.”

  “You have no idea.” Peyton gulped her beer and placed it on the table. “I know you’ve seen my files,” she started. “But have you seen the files for Courtney and Savannah, too?”

  “Yes,” he said. “Although I can’t tell you what’s in them. I’m under a confidentiality contract.”

  “I understand,” she said. “But could you tell me what’s not in them?”

  He watched her closely, as if contemplating the question. “It’s hard for me to say without knowing what you want to ask. But…you’re free to ask whatever you want.”

  That must be his cryptic way of telling her to go ahead.

  She might as well start with what she’d come here for. “Did Courtney’s file say anything about Britney?”

  His eyebrows scrunched—he seemed genuinely confused. “No.” He shook his head. “I don’t remember a Britney in Courtney’s file. Why?”

  Peyton breathed out in relief. “She’s definitely not someone you would have forgotten. Britney was Courtney’s twin sister.”

  Jackson’s expression went from shock to confusion to disbelief. “Courtney doesn’t have a twin sister,” he finally said. “Something that huge would be in her file.”

  “Unless Adrian was determined to keep her secret.”

  “Why would he want to do that?” Jackson scratched his head, as if he could figure it out by thinking hard enough.

  “This afternoon, Courtney found her baby book at Grandma’s house,” Peyton said. “Except it wasn’t just for her, but for her and Britney, who was her twin.”