He held out a hand to her. "Don't look at me like that," he pleaded. "Like I'm some sort of monster. I'm still Buddy, you're still my baby girl."

"No." She took a step back. "Not anymore. Never again."

"You have to understand. I was afraid for my family. I did what I had to in order to protect them." He

took another step toward her. "I had to do it, don't you see? A man protects his family."

"At all costs, Buddy?" she asked. "What lengths would you go? From covering up a murder to committing one?"

"No, never."

"Everybody involved in the cover-up is dead now, Buddy. Everyone but you. What am I supposed to

think?"

"Daddy?" Cherry whispered. "What's she talking about?"

Buddy glanced nervously at his daughter. "It's not true, sweetheart. Don't listen to her. She's had a shock.

She's confused."

"I'm not confused. You killed all your old friends. Why? Did they threaten to come clean? Go to the Feds

because the guilt had become too much for them to live with? Is that why you killed your best friend, Buddy? Why you immobilized him, doused him in diesel fuel and-"

"No!" Lilah cried out. "No!"

Buddy darted his gaze between the women. "It's not true! I didn't have anything to do with that. I

couldn't! I-"

"You went in the middle of the night. He opened the door because he trusted you. You immobilized him with a stun gun. Then you carried him out to the garage, doused him with fuel and set him on fire!"

"No!" His face went white.

"Hunter had nothing to do with any of this. You set up your own son."

"No. You have to believe me!"

"I can't believe anything you say. Not now. Not ever again."

It all made sense now-Lilah's depression and addiction. Hunter's break with the family. Cherry's

dedication to keeping the family together, to making them look happy and normal.

"No one needs to know, Avery." Buddy lowered his voice, tone soothing. "We're a family. We're your family. We love you."

Tears choked her. She shook her head. She had believed that once. Had thought of this family as an

extension of her own. "It's over, Buddy."

"We're all you have left, Avery." He took a step toward her, forcing her backward. "Cypress Springs is

your home."

He took another step. He had her cornered, she realized. Had backed her into a wall, the only way out through him. She tamped down her rising panic.

"I'll need those journals." He held out a hand. "Laurie called me. Told me you'd been there. That you'd left Lancaster a note."

"One of your many spies."

"She was worried about you."

"Right. Worried about me."

"We love you, Avery," Lilah whispered. "You're one of us."

"Yes," Cherry piped in. "Give Dad the journals and everything will be okay."

Avery moved her gaze between the three, heart racing, struggling to stay calm. To assess her options.

Three against one. One of them the size of a tree and packing a gun. Lilah looked on the verge of falling apart. Cherry seemed stunned, her reactions wooden. The little focus she possessed seemed directed toward supporting her mother.

Only Buddy posed a threat to her escape. Immobilize him and she could make it. But how?

Her pepper spray! She hadn't taken it out of her purse.

"Come on, baby girl." He stretched his hand out. "You know we only want the best for you. It's all in the

past. We'll be one big, happy family."

"A family," she repeated, voice shaking. "You're right." She reached into her handbag. Her fingers closed

around the cylinder of spray. She drew the can out and lunged forward, shooting the spray directly into Buddy's eyes, blinding him.

With a cry, he stumbled backward, clawing at his eyes. Avery darted past him. Out of the kitchen, into

the front hall. She heard Lilah and Cherry calling her back.

The front door was locked. She fumbled with the dead bolt; after what seemed a century, it slid back and she raced out onto the porch. She paused there, realizing she didn't have a vehicle.

Behind her she heard the kitchen door fly open, heard the thunder of footfalls.

She leaped forward, hitting the stairs, racing down them. Into the yard. Avery glanced back. Buddy had

gained on her, she saw. He called her name.

Headlights sliced across the dark road. Avery changed direction, running toward them, waving her arms wildly.

The white sedan pulled over. She grabbed the passenger door, yanked it open.

"Thank God! Can you giv-"

She bit the words back, a cry springing to her lips.

"Get in, Avery," Matt ordered. "Quickly, before it's too late."

She froze. Behind her, Buddy closed in.

She saw Matt had his gun. He motioned with it. "It wasn't Hunter," he said. "It was Dad. Come on, he's

almost here."

She glanced back. Buddy was calling her name, going for his gun. She dived into the vehicle, yanking the door shut as she did.

Matt hit the autolock and floored the accelerator. The vehicle surged forward, fishtailing, tires squealing.

Avery swiveled in her seat, craning her neck to see Buddy. He ran into the street, gave chase for a moment, then stopped.

She brought her shaking hands to her face, fighting hysteria. The urge to fall completely apart.

"Are you okay?"

She nodded, dropping her hands. "When did you...how did you find out-"

"About Dad?" He shook his head. "I love my dad. He's got a good heart, but he's weak. A total fuckup, Avery."

She didn't understand. "You're not making excuses for him, are you? He's a murderer, Matt."

Matt smiled. Oddly. Avery frowned, becoming suddenly aware of the closeness of the vehicle, that Matt kept one hand on his weapon, lying on the seat beside him.

The hair on the back of her neck prickled. "Aren't you going to put that away?"

He ignored her. "You were right to trust me, Avery. Dad's over-emotional. He means to do the right

thing, but emotion gets in the way. It's what makes him weak."

Matt was in cahoots with his dad. One of The Seven. An accomplice to murder.

And she had gotten into the car with him. He had a gun.