The Last Shadow (Shadows and Strings #3)

Chapter 19

CHAPTER NINETEEN

Frankie

I pace the length of the empty bedroom, my heart hammering like a caged animal against my ribs. It’s like I can feel the walls closing in. I don’t know if I’m doing the right thing—hell, I don’t even know what the right thing is anymore. But staying silent feels wrong and doing my job breaks my heart knowing what I’ve done.

Damien’s been gone a while and I don’t even know how long it will be before he gets here. After investigating the cases and the torture of the dead men, I should be repulsed, disgusted even. But I feel a strange understanding, empathy for a man who should be nothing but a name in a file, not the man I married.

Everything about Damien makes sense now, the haunted look in his eyes, the anger, the relentless need for control. What he and his sister went through, what he’s done for her, everything.

It all clicks into place with a terrible clarity. Seeing Olivia makes me realize that he’s bound to her pain in ways I’ll never understand. For him, this revenge is more than justice.

It’s his way of balancing the scales, a way to heal what can’t ever be fixed.

But then, there’s my badge. My duty. I’m a cop, sworn to uphold justice. Justice for everyone, no matter how ugly or vile they are. That’s the code I live by, isn’t it? Can I bring myself to undo everything Damien has done? Can I really drag this whole bloody mess into the light, lay it out there in the open for others to judge?

And for what? Justice for monsters who ruined lives and walked free? Does anyone truly benefit from that?

“FUCK!” I scream at the wall, my fists clenched. “FUUUCK!”

I inhale slowly, trying to ground myself. I have to do this. I head upstairs and change from lounge pants and a sweater to jeans and boots. The air’s getting colder, and I don’t want to look like a cop—or a hot mess.

As I reach the living room, I hear Damien’s voice echoing through the house. “Frankie?” His voice is loud, then softer. “Francesca?”

“I’m here.”

His brows dip and confusion flickers across his face. “Is everything okay?”

I nod. “No. Yes. Everything will be okay.”

His gaze rakes over me and my body responds to the heated look in his hazel eyes. God, I hate that he has this control over me. “What’s going on Francesca?”

“I need to go somewhere.” I clasp my hands together and keep still, watching as his eyes narrow with uncertainty.

“Where?”

I let out a breath and shake my head. “It’s not jail, and I’m not arresting you.” He studies me, suspicion clear in his eyes. “Please. I need to show you something.”

His jaw clenches like he’s about to break some teeth, and his eyes dart back and forth. “You’re my wife now, Francesca, and you can’t reveal anything I’ve shared with you.”

“I’m not turning you in or revealing anything, Damien. I swear.” I hold up both hands. “It’s a place off Route 66.” I descend the last few steps and make my way to the front door. “Come on.”

He doesn’t move, just watches me. I wonder what he sees—the woman who might be his undoing, or the one he’s bound to protect. “Where are we going?”

“We’re going back, Damien. To my past.” He still doesn’t budge, and I push harder. “You trusted me with your darkest secret, and I’m still here.”

“Fine,” he growls, and closes the distance between us. “Leave your phone here.”

“I have nothing on me, Damien. You’re safe. I swear.” I pat my pockets and turn slowly before we’re face to face once again. “I’ve given this a lot of thought. I need to do this.”

“I’m driving.”

“Good.” I’m too wound up to focus on the road. This is part of my history, a place I’ve avoided for years. I don’t know if it’s the right move, but we’re on the way now, and there’s no stopping.

After a long silence, Damien finally speaks. “When I said I loved you, I meant it, Francesca.”

I scoff, looking out the window. “Hard to believe.”

He clenches the wheel, glancing over. “What the fuck is that supposed to mean?”

“It means,” I sign and turn to face him, feeling my anger rise despite what I’m about to do. “You targeted me, Damien. You sought me out to make sure that I didn’t get anywhere close to solving these murders.” I laugh and shake my head. “A billionaire who gets his own coffee? It was a good show, but it was just a show, wasn’t it?”

He doesn’t confirm or deny it and that’s answer enough. “I wasn’t supposed to fall in love with you, kitten. I only wanted to make sure that you fell in love with me.” He shakes his head. “But I couldn’t stop myself.”

I nod, almost numb. “But falling in love was all part of it. You didn’t romance me because you wanted to. It was a calculated plan.” His silence says it all. “A twisted plan.”

His grip on the wheel tightens and the car speeds up. “I am that man, Frankie. Everything I did was exactly what I wanted to do.” His eyes flick to mine, burning with an intensity that makes my breath catch, and his foot presses down even harder on the accelerator.

The car rockets forward, the speed climbing too fast, too reckless. Panic rises in my chest, and a terrifying thought claws its way in. He’s lost control. He wants to kill us both. “Damien!” I yell, my hands gripping the edge of the seat. “Slow down! We need to turn up here!”

For a moment, he doesn’t respond. Then, his foot eases off the gas, and the car slows, enough that I can breathe again.

“Yes, I wanted you to fall in love with me. I needed you to, but somewhere along the way, you started to matter to me,” he says, his tone lower now, but still threaded with simmering anger. “I thought of ways to make you smile with your eyes, to hear your sweet laugh. I wanted you to love me more than I needed you to.”

The car slows further, and I let out a shaky breath, my pulse finally easing.

“That was just fucking stupid,” I bark, and don’t care how he takes it. It was a stupid move. I lean forward, forcing calm into my voice. “There’s a side road up ahead. Take it.”

His eyes narrow as he glances over. “This isn’t your jurisdiction.”

“No. It’s not.” He steers onto the narrow dirt road, leaving the world behind us. Soon, an abandoned barn comes into view, faded blue paint flaking off, barely standing against the elements. “Stop up there,” I say, pointing to the old willow tree beside it.

He parks, glancing at the empty farmhouse. “Where are we?”

“Bum fuck.” I step out, inhaling the sharp night air, and walk past the barn, stopping at the tree. “This was my family’s house.”

Damien follows, his steps heavy. “Why are we here, Francesca?”

I press my hand against the tree, grounding myself. “To share demons.” I pause, gathering strength. “When I was a teenager, some men broke in. My dad and his partner, Jay, were investigating them, and they didn’t take it well.”

“I know. You told me.”

I nod, my voice tightening. “I didn’t tell you all of it.” I meet his eyes, seeing the impact of my words already. “They didn’t just come to scare us, Damien. They came to make sure we’d never get in their way again.”

His face hardens, his fists clenching.

“What you don’t know is that it wasn’t my dad who shot them. Or my mom.” I swallow hard, forcing the words out. “I wanted to help, so I grabbed my dad’s backup gun.” I close my eyes, remembering it all too clearly.

“Without thinking, I raised the gun and squeezed the trigger, hitting one in the side. I remember being surprised at how loud it was. Another shot rang out, but it was the one that hit dad, and I pulled the trigger two more times.” I remember freaking out and screaming while Mom did the same. I open my eyes and our gazes lock.

“Francesca,” he whispers, taking a step forward.

I swallow hard, the memories flooding back. “There was another guy, and I shot at him, but he got away. The bullet just hit the wall.” My voice wavers, but I press on. “A few minutes later, Jay showed up. Mom was bawling, I was bawling. It was horrific.” I choke on a sob, trying to hold myself together. “Jay sent me to my room, and I watched him wipe the gun clean, then put it in my dad’s hand. When the investigation started, Jay drilled the story into me, making me promise to tell it exactly the way he told me. The story I first told you.”

Damien’s face darkens as he absorbs it all. “Jay covered it up,” he says, his voice low and tense. “You killed those men, and Jay covered it up.”

“Yeah,” I whisper, barely meeting his eyes. “That’s why it’s so hard to accept that you both lied to me for so long. You both used me.”

“Francesca, I think you need to know something. It’s time you knew the truth.”

“What truth? That I’m a cold-blooded killer like you are? Hell, I know that. Wait until you hear what’s behind door number two,” I snort.

“Francesca, listen to me.” Damien’s voice is low, commanding. “I know you’re not going to believe this, but Jason Hawkins is your father. Your real father.”

I stare at him, waiting for some hint that he’s joking, but his expression doesn’t change. He’s dead serious.

“No, he’s not!” My voice breaks, and I feel the anger boiling up, filling my chest like fire. “Frank DeMarco is my father. I’m named after him, for fuck’s sake. Why would you even say that?”

Damien grabs my arms, steadying me, his eyes intense. “Kitten, I know this is hard to believe,” he says, giving me a slight shake. “But as soon as I had the resources to look into Hawkins, I did. It’s how I found out everything about you. Your mother, Suzanne Gloria Garner, also lived at Hope House.”

I shake my head, staring into Damien’s eyes, searching for some hint that this isn’t real. “No.”

“Yes, kitten. That’s where she met Jay. The cop on the take.” He watches me closely, unflinching. “Hawkins was already married, so your mom married Frank DeMarco. But she and Jay kept seeing each other for years.”

“No.” The word slips out, barely a whisper, but it feels like a punch to the chest. “How could you know that? Why are you lying to me?”

Damien’s gaze sharpens. “I’m a tech genius, Frankie. I also have your DNA. And Jay’s DNA.” He pauses, watching the shock settle over me. “I know everything. About you, Jay, your mother.” His eyes darken, voice dropping lower. “Even George McCormick.”

The name hits me like a punch to the gut, freezing me in place. My mouth goes dry, and my legs buckle beneath me as I drop to the ground, shaking. My breath comes in shallow gasps, and before I know it, the tears start, hot and unstoppable.

Damien knows everything.

And it will destroy me.