“Right!” She snaps and opens her mouth wide. She’s missing four molars in the back of her mouth. “These are all crowns. I had my teeth removed in a painful procedure a month before the accident. I paid the dentist a hefty sum to give me the teeth and over the span of a month I had crowns installed.
“The third body? I didn’t know who the woman was because Trent had brought the cadaver himself, with my loose teeth in her mouth. Sounds strange right? That the police found a skull with its teeth all knocked out? They glossed right over it. Whitsborough police were so amateur and just downright lazy.
“I then left for New York that day with Trent and a new name. I dropped the Laurann and Craven then assumed my very popular maiden name.”
“Our mother was still alive then.” I say to her. “Did you go to her?”
“I did.” She nods and I watch as this formidable entity I’ve been chasing for a year starts to tear up in front of me. “I essentially traded one daughter for another. Rebecca needed me more than Debra and I needed Debra to believe I was actually dead. She inherited the family fortune and married Scott, so I believe me being out of her life was for the best.
“Rebecca was pregnant when I got to New York, huge with you twins growing in her belly. I found out that same day that she was just as much a prisoner with Raphael than she was with her father and it broke my heart. So, I had yet another nearly impossible task in front of me. I now had to escape that place with Rebecca and two newborn babies.”
“It’s true then, our father was never really in love with our mother.” Emmett says quietly.
“Oh no, quite the opposite. I believe he did love her but he was also deranged and his love equated to obsession. Rebecca had just found out that Raphael was not monogamous and he never would be. He had a six year old son already from a teenage pregnancy. The mother was nowhere to be found and according to Trent, she was disposed of. I’m guessing killed.
“We also found out just what the Rampage did for a living. They recruited prostitutes, organized illegal fighting rings,” for this she looks directly at me, “and pushed drugs all over New York. Raphael was essentially setting up his own Cartel and he was looking to expand with a new organization called The Heads.”
My heart begins to gallop in my chest at the mention of the Head Organization. I’m one of them.
“I know you are one of them.” She says, reading my very thoughts. “I heard you stopped the prostitution, child-sex trafficking, and drug distribution in Toronto. I was so proud of you for that but also worried. With doing that, a lot of attention was focused on you and this little town in Canada.
“Your mother and I found out a lot about Raphael’s dealings. One because he would come talk to her, believing she was unable to leave, and I began seeing someone who was very close to Raphael’s finances and money laundering.
“His name was Emmanuel Vergara and he was kind, but also corrupted. He had strong ties to government officials and politicians sat in his pocket. Your mother and I listened quietly to both men, gathering all the intel we would need. I obviously couldn’t be involved with the takedown because my new persona could so easily be blown apart. Your mother was tough though and I was able to smuggle her a burner phone I found in Emmanuel’s office. She found an agent in the FBI who worked with her for months building a case.
“The day she gave birth to you two was an emotional one. She was instantly in love and so was I. There you two were, completely identical but with such varying personalities. Ember, you were intense from day one. You were quiet and observant, watching every single thing. Emmett, you were loud and demanding, wanting everyone’s attention.”
“Nothing’s changed there.” Travis snickers.
“You were both a handful and Rebecca was often so exhausted that the conversations with the agent fell to me. Your mother didn’t want him knowing about the babies and I agreed with her, trusting anyone had become hard for us. She’d given birth in that compound with doctors employed by the Rampage. They weren’t bad doctors, the opposite really. They did a great job and your mother recovered quickly. But she still wasn’t allowed to leave the compound and doctors would come to her and you two regularly for check ups.
“Finally, with stolen documents and our testimonials, the FBI moved in on your father and he was arrested. The Rampage was turned upside down and I had to get you babies and your mother out of there. But that wasn’t proving easy. Calen had taken over in his place and the man despised anything weak, especially women.”
“Tell me something I don’t know.” Emmett mutters and I watch with shock as Talia reaches for his hand and Emmett doesn’t pull away.
“I am sorry you were left with that man. It will always be one of the regrets I blame myself for.” She pulls her hand back and looks at me. “The night we were supposed to leave the compound, Rebecca only had Ember with her. Ember was fussy whenever she was with anyone but her mother and Emmett really couldn’t care less who he was with as long as he was fed and clean.
“Raphael hired a nanny and the woman was kind, her name was…”
“Cassidy or mama Cass as I knew her.” Emmett interjects.
“Yes, Cassidy was a great nanny and she would take Emmett during the nights to help Rebecca sleep, but Ember wouldn’t leave her mother. It was the same on this particular night and there was no better time to leave. Rebecca was insistent we both go to get Emmett but I
