“I have no idea! I don’t know if we were really related or not, not for sure.”
“And the woman in the Virgin Islands? What do you know about her?”
“The Virgin Islands?” Cherry tosses her arms in the air and shakes her head at me. “What woman? Nate, please tell me what’s going on. Why are you asking me all these questions?”
I grab one of the extra chairs we use when we hold large family meetings and pull it around so I can sit in front of her. I lean in a little closer—almost close enough to touch.
“I am going to need some straight answers, Cherry. Right now, things don’t look good for you.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Cherry blinks rapidly as she tries to push herself away from me, but she has nowhere to go.
“It means I don’t believe you. If I don’t believe you, you’re hiding something. If you’re hiding something from me, it’s going to get ugly around here.”
She sucks in a breath and her face goes pale. She glances around the room, but I’m sure she can see she won’t get any help from Pops. She turns back to me, her eyes narrowing as she grits her teeth.
“I have no idea what you’re talking about!” Cherry suddenly yells. “I’ve never been to the Virgin Islands, and I don’t know anyone there! I have no idea what you’re ranting about! Why would I hide anything from you?”
“You have been hiding something from me,” I say. “It was clear on your face when I asked why you didn’t call the cops.” She glances away from me. “Yes…there it is again. Don’t try to deny it. I know you’re here because the Ramsays sent you to me.”
“The Ramsays?” She snaps her head back to look me in the eye. “Why…Nate, I don’t understand.”
“The people who pushed you into my life. Are you trying to deny that?”
“Pushed into your…what? I didn’t push you! You approached me, remember?”
“That doesn’t mean you weren’t sent by them.”
“I don’t even know them!”
“Because you’re not from around here.”
“I told you that when we first met.”
“Just here looking for work, huh? And you’ve never been here before, right? You weren’t here last year when my brother was killed…or were you? I think you were here. I think you found out he was looking into your past, and you wanted to put an end to it.”
“Your brother? Why would your brother be…? Nate, are you drunk or something? I keep telling you, I don’t know what you’re going on about!”
“Don’t fucking play games with me!” I yell. “Not anymore!”
“This is ridiculous.” Cherry lets out an exasperated sigh. “You aren’t going to just keep yelling at me like this! I’m going home.”
Cherry starts to stand, but I put my hand against her shoulder and shove her back to the couch. She pushes my hand away and starts to get up again, but I stand up first. I place one hand on the back of the couch, caging her where she sits, and place my other hand on her chest to hold her in place.
“You aren’t going anywhere,” I say quietly, “not until you’ve answered all my questions.”
“I’m a prisoner now?” She shoves my hand away. “What the hell is the matter with you?”
“Why are you here, Cherry?” I sneer as I lean in, my nose just an inch from hers as I place both hands against the couch, near her shoulders.
“Why don’t you enlighten me, Nate?” She tries to push my arm away but is unsuccessful. “You obviously think you know, so why don’t you just come out and say it?”
“I think you’ve known who your parents are this whole time. I think you’ve been working with them to infiltrate my family.”
“I don’t know my parents!” she cries out as tears begin to form in her eyes. “I don’t know what’s going on, Nate! Stop it!”
“She’ll break soon,” Pops says.
“Why did you really move here?” I yell again, grabbing her upper arm and putting a little pressure against it. “Who was the woman who raised you? What is your connection to the Ramsays?”
“I don’t have any connection!” Her tears begin to flow freely. “I don’t know them! I’ve never met them! Nate, please stop!”
“Lies,” I growl. “I know why you’re really here, Ms. Bay or Ramsay or whatever your name really is. You can stop denying that.”
“Ramsay?” Cherry’s teary eyes stare into my eyes. “Is that what this is about? Are…are you trying to tell me that my birth parents were Ramsays? Those people who live on the west side of town—the ones you have some kind of rival with—that’s my real family?”
“Are you saying you didn’t already know?”
“No, of course not. That’s why…it’s why I’m here in the first place.”
“So you say.” I grab her other arm, squeezing them both. “But you did know. You always knew. Now, tell me what you know about my brother’s murder!” I shake her. “Tell me what you know!”
“I’ve told you everything!” Cherry cries. “Please stop, Nate! You’re scaring me!”
“She’s lying!” Pops screams at me. “You know she’s fucking lying!”
“Nate, think! If I wanted to keep my identity from you, why would I ask for your help finding out who my parents are?”
“You’re lying!”
“I’m not!”
“Tell me! Fucking tell me what you know!”
“Nate, please let me go!” She sobs and turns her face away from me, tears streaming down both cheeks. “I don’t know what you’re talking about! I don’t know anything about the Ramsays. I swear!”
I relax my grip on her arms and swallow hard. What if she’s telling the truth? My chest aches and my breathing becomes more labored as doubt seeps in.
“You can’t let that
