“Over my dead fucking body,” he growls, moving into my personal space again. “You’re mine,” he snarls. “I own you.”
“Like hell you do.”
He fixes dark eyes on me. “You’re not marrying Charlie fucking Barron.”
I smile sweetly at him. “You don’t get a say.”
“That baby you’re carrying says differently.”
“You can have visitation rights, but this baby will live with Charlie and me. You can’t force me to stay with you.”
“So, you’d marry that motherfucker, and give up your shares in Manning Motors, just to spite Kai?” Rick says, his voice dripping in disbelief.
There was a time I’d gladly have exchanged my shares for my freedom. But not anymore.
Now I know how badly my father wants them, there is no way I’m relinquishing them to him. Not after the things he’s done. Getting my revenge is more important, so I’ll let him believe I’m on board with this new engagement, and toe the line, but he is going down. And I’ll be the one to do it.
“I’d do it to spite your father, because he’s every bit as bad as my asshole sperm donor, and there’s no way I’m letting him steal my shares.” I flick my hair over my shoulder. “But that’s not the reason. I want to marry Charlie,” I lie. “He loves me, and he’ll protect me. He hasn’t bullied me, lied to me, or purposely slept with me to fuel a sick agenda!”
“Your naivety is showing again, sweetheart,” Kai taunts. “You have no clue who Charlie Barron is.” He yanks me into him, cementing his arms around my waist and nudging his hips against mine. “And he doesn’t turn you on like I do.” His eyes blaze with a different heat. “I’m the only one who can fuck you hard, exactly the way you like it.” One hand moves down between our bodies, and he cups my pussy. “This pussy is mine, and you know it.”
“Jesus, Kai.” Rick exhales, jerking his gaze to the hallway. “Tone it fucking down.”
“I’m not a baby, Rick,” Harley says, walking forward. “And I’m sick of both of you treating me like a little kid.”
A wide smile crosses my mouth as I pull back from Kai, stumbling a little and falling into Harley. I reach up, cupping his face. “You tell him, baby.”
Silence descends, and Harley trembles behind me, but he’s too much of a gentleman to push me away.
Kai shoots a cutting look in Rick’s direction while Joaquin attempts to hide his laughter with a cough. “What the fuck?” Kai says, his eyes searching behind me.
“It’s been a long trip. Let’s all freshen up, and we’ll talk after.” Rick slaps Kai on the shoulder, drilling a look at him until he relents. With more gentleness than I’d expect, Rick pulls me away from Harley. “C’mon. I’ll show you to your room.”
I don’t look back as I let Rick lead me away, and I’m barely noticing the beautiful cabin because I’m too strung out at our unexpected reunion. I stupidly thought Kai would try to scoop me up into his arms and protect me.
But he’s an even bigger asshole.
He doesn’t get to be mad at me.
I’m the only one who has an entitlement to anger.
We walk up the stairs, entering a large master suite. “Make yourself at home,” Rick says, opening his arms. “There are towels in the bathroom if you want to grab a shower or a bath, and just come down to the kitchen when you’re ready.”
I nod, sinking onto the soft velvety gray couch, kicking off my sneakers and curling my feet underneath me as I look around.
It’s a massive space, divided between this room—which is a private living room of sorts with two couches, a coffee table, and an open fire with a wall-mounted TV hanging overhead—and a separate bedroom. The walls and floors are polished wood, and the vaulted ceiling has exposed beams. I stand, walking to the roaring fire, holding up my hands and allowing the heat to warm my chilled body.
This reminds me of the night I first met Kai. Of standing in front of the fire in his little cabin by the beach, feeling lost and alone and unsure of my path in the world.
I turn around, walking to the wooden railing and peering down into a huge open living space below. No one is around, so the others must have gone to their rooms, or they’re in the kitchen.
I walk through the side door into a stunning bedroom. A giant four-poster bed, the frame painted in black, occupies prime real estate in the room. It’s dressed in white, pink, and gray linens with a bunch of fluffy cushions thrown over it. A soft patterned rug lines the floor, and retractable blinds cover the large open window at the back. I press the button and open them, leaning into the window as I admire the outside space.
Although it’s dark out, the place is all lit up. The gardens at the rear are landscaped with neat flower beds and boxes housing shrubbery. The area at the front is a cream-colored stone patio arranged around a long pool with a walkway leading down to the lake in the near distance.
If I owned a place like this, I would never want to leave.
It’s breathtaking.
Woodland rims the lake on all sides, and there isn’t a house or a sinner in sight.
It’s remote and private, making it the perfect little hideaway.
I stare out the window, lost in thought, for a while. Eventually, I drag myself away, drawing the blinds closed as I inspect the rest of the room. Matching bedside tables and dressers finish out the room which leads into a huge walk-in closet on one side and an en suite bathroom on the other.
I take my plastic bag and cell with me into the bathroom, closing and locking the door. While the tub fills, I sit on the toilet seat and tap out a quick text to Xavier.
I spend ages in the bath, using some feminine products to wash myself, hoping whomever owns them doesn’t mind. There were men’s and women’s clothing hanging up in the closet, so it’s obvious Rick’s friend has a regular girlfriend. Whoever they are, they have money and good taste.
When my skin puckers like a prune and the water turns lukewarm, I get out, draining the tub as I wrap a towel around my head. I wipe the condensation from the mirror, examining my body in the full-length mirror properly for the first time since all the shit went down. I cup my heavier breasts, and an automatic grimace spreads across my mouth. I don’t think I’ll ever get used to them. I liked my smaller boobs despite popular opinion. I move my hand lower, smoothing my palm over my stomach, fighting a wave of tears.
Suddenly, I can’t bear to look at myself any longer, and I spin around with my heart lodged in my throat. Pulling a large bath towel off the heated radiator, I tuck it firmly around my body. I brush my teeth, pee, and pat my hair to remove the excess moisture before combing it. Checking my cell before exiting the bathroom, I frown when I see the undelivered text. I attempt to resend it, waiting a minute to ensure it’s delivered this time, but it pings back undelivered again, and I’ve a bad feeling about this.
I step into the bedroom and shriek at the hulking form spread-eagled across the bed. Discreetly, I slip the cell into the plastic bag, depositing it on the bedside table as I glare at my ex. “Get the fuck out of my bedroom.”
“Actually, it’s our bedroom,” he confirms. “I demanded the master suite so you’re comfortable.”
“Hell will freeze before I share a room with you again,” I promise.
He slides off the bed, unfurling his long limbs as he stands. His eyes drink me in, latching onto the little water droplets still clinging to my shoulders, and I feel naked. “Can we have a do-over?” he asks, softening his voice.
I snort, pointing at my stomach. “I don’t see how that’s possible unless you have a time machine in your possession?”
“I meant a do-over for earlier.” He walks confidently toward me. Placing his hands on my shoulders, he moves me over to the bed, forcing me to sit. My body tingles in every place he touches me, and a dull ache starts between my thighs. I hate the way he affects me so potently, and I wish my body would accept the memo.
Kai’s deplorable, through and through.
And there’s zero cha
nce of redemption.
He threads his fingers through mine, but I wrest my hand back, tucking both hands under my arms and away from him. Not to be deterred, Kai forcibly removes one hand, lacing his fingers in mine again.
I roll my eyes but give up fighting the inevitable, because there are bigger battles to pick.
“Why do you want a do-over?” I ask, staring straight ahead rather than looking at him.
“Because I didn’t want our reunion to go down like that.” He cups one side of my face, forcing my gaze to his. “Are you okay? Did they hurt you?” His mask is down, and concern shows on his face.
I gulp, taking a moment to compose myself before I lie. “They didn’t hurt me. I’m fine.”
“And the baby?”
The vulnerable look in his eyes almost undoes me, and I can only nod.
“I didn’t know, Abby.” His eyes penetrate mine, beseeching me to believe him. “I didn’t know they did that to you.” He drops his hand from my face, and his Adam’s apple jumps in his throat, as his chest heaves. The truth is transparent, and some knots in my chest unravel. It doesn’t alter the fact he still betrayed me, but it helps take away the sting.
“Why did you always have sex with me without condoms?”
“Because I fucking loved being inside you with no barrier. I was clean, and you were on the pill. Or so I thought.” A murderous look washes over his face.
“Was it Rick?” I choke out, and he bobs his head.
“Why?”
“Because we’ve been conditioned to hate you most of our lives, and when our father said he needed me to do it, I didn’t stop to question it like I should have,” Rick answers, stepping into the bedroom uninvited. Kai narrows his eyes at his brother. “I can’t let you take all the blame,” Rick says, crossing the room.
“And he did all that shit to me because he blames me for losing the love of his life, my mother, and ruining their escape plans?” My voice drips with condescension because it sounds no more believable than the first time I heard it.
“Dad’s fucked in the head,” Kai admits, and I snort.
“That’s an understatement.” My jaw clenches. “He’s the reason they sexually assaulted me.” I grind my teeth to the molars.
“Something else I didn’t know until the ballroom,” Kai says.
“Something neither of us knew, and the extent of his relationship with your mother,” Rick adds.
“I’m assuming he knew I gave my virginity to you, but how did he find out?” My jaw is tense as I question Kai.
“He didn’t find out from me,” Kai says, and a muscle pops in his jaw. “I didn’t tell anyone about our night on the beach.” His eyes plead with me to believe him. “You saw Hunt, Lauder, and Rick’s reactions when you let that slip.”
I did, and I know he’s telling the truth.
“It doesn’t alter what happened. Your father knows the elite. He had to have known what’d happen if that truth came out, yet he still did it. All for the sake of revenge. He’s as bad as the others, and there’s nothing you can tell me that’ll ever justify him using me to further his aims.”
“There isn’t anything to justify it. It was wrong. He was wrong, and I was wrong, but you don’t understand what it’s been like these past ten years.” Rick props his butt against the edge of the dresser. “Kai can give you more of the background, but Dad turned to alcohol when we left Rydeville, and he was a drunk until about two years ago when he got sober. He spent years trapped in an alcohol-induced haze, and his sole focus was getting revenge on your family. Your father took everything from him, and in his eyes, you were the trigger that fired the gun that left him penniless and broken.”
“I was seven years old. I didn’t know any better.”
“We know that now,” Kai quietly says. “But when you’ve had something drummed into your brain every second of every day, for years, you believe it, even if your rational mind knows it’s not fair or true.”
I still think it’s a bullshit excuse, but I don’t probe further, because there are other more pressing questions I need answers to.
“Did you switch out my birth control or put something into the drip?” I ask Rick.
“I switched out your pill,” he admits, and at least he has the decency to look ashamed. “Our uncle Wes owns Femerst. It’s a pharmaceutical company which produces medication solely for fertility-related conditions. They have this award-winning medication that’s used to stimulate ovulation, and we swapped your pills out with it. It was easy for Wes to replicate the packaging and shape the pills so they looked exactly like your prescription.”
I jump up and slap him across the face, relishing the resounding thud that echoes around the room, and the way his head whips back from my powerful strike. “I will never forgive you for violating me like that.”
To think I used to have a crush on this guy.
Unfortunately, my taste isn’t any better now I’m all grown up.
“I wouldn’t expect you to.” Rick rubs at his cheek, but he doesn’t criticize me for lashing out, accepting it like Kai did at the door. “I nearly didn’t go through with it when you admitted you gave Kai your virginity.” He looks at his brother. “He hadn’t told me, and everything clicked then.”
“What do you mean?” I cock my head to the side.
“Kai, Hunt, and Lauder were supposed to manipulate and intimidate you into cooperating so we could get at your father’s safe,” Rick admits.
“But you were too fucking stubborn for your own good,” Kai butts in, and I flip him the bird as I sit back down on the bed, leaving a decent gap between us this time.
“So, Father invoked Plan B,” Rick confirms.
“Which was what?” I have an idea, but I want to hear him say it.
“I was to seduce you and then manipulate you into helping,” Kai says, looking sheepish.
Nausea churns in my gut, and I hate how gullible I was. How easy it was for him to get me into his bed. Self-loathing consumes me, as it has many times in the past few weeks.
“Dad came to me,” Rick continues, “because he was worried Kai was falling for you and losing control.” I snort at the ludicrous nature of that statement, and Kai pins me with a deadly look that might have scared me one time, but I’m not scared of him anymore.
He’s the one who should fear me.
“Dad needed to get into that safe,” Rick continues, “because he believed the proof your mother had collected was in there. Proof that confirmed your asshole father killed our mother, and he could use that to put him away.”
Tension descends for a few beats. “Hang on.” My brow puckers, as I recall the words spoken the night of the engagement party. “I thought you already had the proof. Your dad said my aunt gave it to him.” My gaze bounces between them.
Kai shakes his head. “He was pretending to draw your father out.”
“Wasn’t it in the safe?” I ask.
“We hoped so, but it wasn’t among the contents we retrieved,” Kai confirms.
“Fuck.” I rub a tense spot between my brows. Now that I know Atticus is still alive, I’m banking on him nailing my father’s ass to the wall. If he doesn’t have proof, my father committed murder, it doesn’t leave us with much to go on.
“Dad knew there was a chance it wouldn’t be there. Your father has always outwitted him, at every turn, so this time, he was determined to gain the upper hand,” Rick says. “Dad knew your shares would automatically transfer to your husband upon marriage, so he decided not to outwardly intervene in your relationship. He thought it best to let nature take its course. He figured you guys would fall in love and a wedding would be inevitable.”
“But the bastard took it a step too far,” Kai says, fuming, and I’m surprised at the poison infusing his words. He stands, pacing the floor, wringing his hands in front of him. I eye him curiously.
“It’s like Dad said,” Rick supplies, going on, regardless of his brother frantically pacing the room on the verge of a blowo
ut. “He wanted insurance. He wanted to ensure you had to marry Kai. So, he asked me to switch out your pills, and he made me promise not to tell my brother.”
“I get why you’d have no loyalty to me,” I say, “but how could you do that to your brother?” Rick is no better than Drew.
“I was a stupid fuckhead for agreeing, but I thought I was doing the right thing. Avenging our mom’s death is something both of us want.” He eyeballs Kai. “I figured if Dad was right about Kai falling for you, then it was up to me to see the plan through to fruition.” He exhales heavily. “And I thought having a baby together might not be such a big deal if you were into one another.”
I want to inflict pain on Maverick Anderson so badly, and I sit on my hands to avoid lashing out.
Rick scrubs a hand along his stubbly jawline. “When you told me Kai was the one you gave your virginity to, I was astounded, because he hadn’t told us. I realized then that he was protecting you, and I had second thoughts about interfering.”
He leans forward, resting his elbows on his thighs. “I almost didn’t do it, but there was too much at stake. And I saw the way you looked at one another.” He smiles knowingly at me, and I purse my lips. “You both tried to deny it then, like you’re trying to deny it now, but I know what I see.”
I flip him off, and Kai growls.
“You love each other, and that sealed the decision.”
“You’re delusional. We’ve always hated one another,” I say even if it’s only half a truth.
“I should give you another black eye,” Kai threatens, stalking toward his brother with clenched fists.
“This time, I’ll fight back,” Rick promises, rising and stepping up to his brother as my mind whirls to process all this new intel. “I deserved the beating you gave me, but I won’t be your perpetual punchbag. I’m sorry, and you’ve got to forgive me.”
Kai growls again, but I jump in before this goes south, not wanting to lose the opportunity to learn more seeing as they’re in a sharing and caring mood.
“Does that mean you didn’t know about the real will?”
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