by Nicole Snow
I snicker and roll my eyes, settling in on his warmth. Yeah, he's still a fire breathing asshole when he wants to be.
But he's my asshole, damn it, and I'm willing to put up with his crap for all the joy he brings.
“You useless fucking cunt! If you're not going to help me find them, then get the fuck out of my way!”
I jerk up like the house is burning the next morning. At first, I think the harsh, deafening words are a nightmare, and then I think they came from Ty. But he's sitting up next to me, eyes wide open, tight lipped.
That can't be Gary...can it? Holy fucking shit.
“Wait! Please, wait, Mister Sterner! You can't go down there!” Joan's voice sounds small, muffled, desperate. It cracks like tears are piercing through it.
“Get dressed, babe.” That's all Ty says right before the staircase down the hall thunders.
He doesn't wait for me to move. Ty jerks me out of bed and grabs my clothes off the floor, throwing them into my hands. I try to follow his lead, dressing as quickly as I can, but the world won't wait.
Angry fists start beating on his bedroom door.
Ty doesn't have time to put his shirt on. He stands in front of me like a wall, ready to destroy anything that comes through the door to threaten us. And it does a second later when the door blows open, so loud I think the hinges snap.
“Oh, God! Fuck. Damn it!” Gary's beet red face stops and stares at us. He takes one look at us half undressed and stumbles backward, smashing his trembling fists against the walls. “It's true, it's true, it's goddamned true...”
I notice he's holding a newspaper or magazine in one hand. Ty steps forward, his lips quivering like a dog getting ready to bite.
“Something you wanna say, Dad? Had a funny feeling you'd greet us like this after we came home. Didn't put a scratch on your precious Stingray, in case you're worried. You're gonna give us the same respect.”
He rips himself up in a flurry and stands tall. For a second, I think he's stupid enough to try getting through Ty, into the room, but he stops. The newspaper flies out of his hand and hits the floor where we're standing.
“I've got nothing else to say to you that these goddamned jackals haven't said for me, you ungrateful little idiot. I've got nothing to say to this fucking whore either!”
He shoots an accusatory finger toward me. Despite standing behind Ty, I want to dig a hole into the floor and hide forever. Seeing this billionaire aim his long-bottled hellfire my way makes my heart want to stop.
Still, I have to see what the hell's got him so riled up. Before Ty can lunge and beat his father to smithereens, I reach in front of him, snatch up the paper, and give it a good shake.
BILLION DOLLAR BEDFELLOWS! GARY STERNER'S SON SEXING HIS NEW SISTER, EX-REP. AMANDA FROST'S DAUGHTER!
WHO EVER SAID LOVE, POLITICS, AND MONEY CAN'T MINGLE?
Okay, now my heart really does stop. I barely have the energy to tug at Ty's sleeve and whisper his name. His eyes dart down to the tabloid and skip over the awful headlines.
We're both staring at the same thing – the pictures. Several are from our unforgettable Fourth of July holiday.
There's Ty and me walking around the beach, hand in hand, smiling as we hold our ice cream cones. Then we're on the deck of the ship, locked in a passionate kiss. The real killer is the one that's half blurred. We're both naked and horizontal on the deck while fireworks light up the sky, a thousand word picture carefully shot by some kinda camera with an amazing zoom from the marina.
I want to gag. I want to die. Mostly, I just want to bawl, and the tears are coming, stabby and brutal.
We tried so hard to keep our relationship under wraps for our own sakes. Obviously, it wasn't hard enough.
“You piece of fucking shit!” Ty explodes, eyes fixed on his father, ripping the paper out of my hands and crunching it in his fist. “Who the fuck did you hire to tail us?”
Gary snorts. “Jesus! You think I did this? My God, I really raised a dipshit for a son. Why the hell would I destroy myself when I have your careless, degenerate tryst with your sister to do it for me?”
Ty doesn't move as his dad steps toward us, this time crossing the threshold to his room. I cover my face just as Gary stabs a finger in his chest.
“You're the one who's getting off easy. I've had to live with this nightmare for days. The butt of every late night talk show joke and gossip rag. Poor Mandy, she's heartbroken. She'll be lucky to hold a state rep seat again before she's hit sixty with this kind of scandal. And it's all because you pissed off Jacobsen.”
“Jacobsen?” Ty shakes his head.
My heart slams against my ribs. I feel like I'm going to faint if this was my fault.
“Martin Jacobsen, dummy!” Gary stabs his son in the chest again with his rigid finger. “You know, the big environmental nut. The same man your sick little sister couldn't hold down a job with. Apparently, some knuckle dragging animal got mad because Martin's son asked her out, and fractured the kid's jaw. I know the Neanderthal was you, Tyler, and don't you fucking deny it.”
Gary looks like he's about to blow up and shower us in his gore. Ty looks at the floor, too stunned to speak, undoubtedly feeling the same ruthless ice crawling across my brain.
“Do you know I was supposed to meet the Vice President of the United States next week to talk technology?” Gary growls, shaking his head. “Now, my own goddamned shareholders won't talk to me. It's your fault, Son! Yours, and this sorry little bitch's too! This marriage was a big mistake. Mandy was supposed to bring me closer to the sun, not let her whore of a daughter burn me down.”
His eyes hit me again, blazing with the same nuclear blue fire I've seen in Ty's. I'm stumbling backwards in slow motion, the tears blurring everything.
I feel trapped, pinned down. It's just as bad as the night Karl tried to force himself on me, before Ty burst in to save me. Gary's icy stare violates me, forces me to realize that the damage is already done. Ty can't save me this time when we're already fucked.
I'm struggling to breathe as Gary moves again. I watch in horror as the billionaire thumps his finger on Ty's chest, this time closer to his throat. It's the last spark before the powder keg ignites.
It happens in a blur. Ty screams, grabs his scrawny dad by the arms, and picks him up. One savage throw later, Gary's on the floor. There's a sick crunching sound, and I see his foot's twisted unnaturally, a look of sheer horror on his face.
Gary shudders, holding his hands up over his face as Ty closes in.
“You can treat me like dog shit all day, but don't you dare say shit about my woman again! This isn't her fucking fault, old man, and you know it!” Ty stomps forward, puts his foot on his father's chest, and holds it there until he screams. “This is yours! It's your greed, your little business wars, all this Machiavellian horseshit you call a life.”
My God. I'm afraid he's really, truly going to kill the billionaire asshole in front of me if I don't stop him. I rush forward, tugging at his giant arm, making nonsensical pleas. Pulling on Ty feels like I'm trying to move a thousand pound statue.
Gary's got his hand out, and there's something in it. At first, I think it's just his phone, but it's actually some kind of pager. I'm still screaming as Ty stoops to the floor, picks his dad up, and hurls him against the wall.
Above us, somewhere on the second floor, a woman screams. It's got to be Joan or Mom.
A second later, boots are clattering down the stairs. When I look away from the slow motion murder going on in front of me, there are two big guards in black, men I've seen before with their golden security badges stenciled neatly in their dark shirts.
“Shoot him! Shoot him!” Gary screams, twisting his neck as Ty's fingers reach for his throat. “For Christ's sake!”
My brain wants to shut down. That's when another big guard joins his comrades, and so does Mom, stepping down behind him. Her jaw drops when she realizes what she's seeing, and we both share a look that says it all.
Thi
s. Can't. Be. Happening.
“Claire? Gary? Oh my God.” She blinks, inert for the next three seconds. “Everybody stop!”
No one's listening. The third guard fumbles for something at his side. I can't fucking stand the thought of Ty getting killed in front of me by this monster, but my brain won't let me move, can't fully comprehend there's a gun coming out and it's going to shoot the love of my life.
It's just like a movie.
Father and son are still screaming, struggling as my instinct comes back. I leap in front of them. Something bright and impossibly fast hits me in the stomach, right above the belt, and everything becomes a howling white light.
My whole world turns into needles. All my muscles become crackling ice. I've never felt anything like it – not even close. I can't scream or cry or even breathe. I never imagined being shot would be anything like this, and then I realize it's because it isn't a bullet going into me.
I never find out how many bolts the Taser screams through my body. It hurts so bad I'm certain I black out for a few seconds.
When I come to, my body feels like it's been drained, cooked. I don't know if I've been out for seconds or hours.
All I hear is Mom screaming nearby. Ty's on top of me, shaking, the electric probe he's pulled out of my skin bouncing in his fingers.
Gary roars incomprehensibly as he's pushed aside. Mom and Joan somehow reach me through the commotion. They grab me by both arms and start dragging me down the hall, toward the thick glass and the pool.
I keep waiting for Ty to look at me, but he's shaking like he's grabbed an electric fence, his huge arms and legs twisting unnaturally. Then I see the other guards around him, holding their Tasers. He's been hit by no less than two, maybe three of the goddamned things, and he's still screaming, trying to fight it.
“Get. The. Fuck. Away. Claiiiiiire.” His voice drones, loud and anguished and freakishly calmed through all the lightning wrecking his body.
The last thing I see before my brain shuts down is the love of my life, kicking and bellowing until he hits the floor. Then, he doesn't move at all.
When I wake up, I'm lying on a sofa. I'm in the big family room upstairs, the first place I ever saw Ty, shirtless and magnificent, before I realized the asshole from the club was also my brand spanking new stepbrother.
I never believed Prince Asshole could become Prince Charming then. Now, I can't believe I'm going to see him alive, and it terrifies me.
My muscles jerk when I try to sit up. Huge fucking mistake. It's like the world's worst sunburn, except it's all on the inside.
“No, dear. Lie down. Doctor's orders. Try to stay calm. You're okay.” Joan speaks softly, and I realize my head is in her lap. “Just rest. Any movement right now will be very painful.”
I manage to open my mouth, but the words won't come. When she sees me struggling, she reaches for a tall glass of water, and holds it to my lips. I must end up spitting about half of it out, all over myself.
Joan dabs at my lips with her apron. I'm more ashamed and confused than ever, wondering how long it'll be until my throat muscles work again. Hell, how long will it be before I can walk?
I don't know how long I end up lying in her lap like an injured kitten. Time passes in a haze. My body hurts too much to think too hard about what the hell just happened. It doesn't all come back in any coherent way until I hear the voices screaming. I try to make out what they're saying, but it's too far away, and it stops after a couple minutes.
“Come on, Joan. Help me get her into the car. We're leaving right now.” Mom steps out of the kitchen, her voice bright and sharp with the same ferocious spark I've heard her use during House committee meetings.
My mouth moves like a fish when Mom's over me. I can't remember if I should be disgusted or relieved. She runs a gentle hand through my hair, and whatever anger I've got stewing dissipates.
“You're going to be okay, baby. Just give me a couple hours to get us away from this freak show. We'll stop at a real clinic on the way to Seattle too, I promise.”
I think I groan. I'm not really sure what's happening until I hear more footsteps come storming into the room.
Mom looks up, her face tense and angry. “Jesus, you really have the balls to show your face again? After everything you and your lunatic son did to my poor daughter? I told you – we're done. Stay the fuck away from us!”
“Oh, please, Mandy. We both know he'll be locked up for a long time. He's cut off. Over. I'm not responsible for his shameful actions, and you're a fool if you think otherwise.”
Her heels click loudly on the floor. Joan holds my head up higher, and I sense her suppressing a smile. I'm just in time to watch my mom slap the billionaire across his face.
“We're over, Gary. Don't make me say it again.”
“Well, you've had your chance. I can accept that. What I'm not going to let you do is walk out of here having the last word.” The billionaire moves his lips sourly and smiles. “Thank God for the prenup. If you really want to feed the media frenzy and ruin this family, then I guess I can't stop you. I hope we can at least be partners in Washington – assuming you ever make it back at all. Oh, and if you ever scratch me with the tenderly manicured fingernails I paid for again, I'll have my men escort you out. They're plenty eager to move around after everything else that's happened today.”
I don't want to hear anymore. I've already seen the real Gary Sterner, and this is just an overload.
He's suave. Cruel. Arrogant. Maybe it's just the pain in my body fogging everything, but my soon to be ex-stepfather looks like the devil himself.
“Don't you fucking dare!” Mom snaps, before she turns around to face us, clapping her hands. “Joan! Is she all set? Let's go. I don't care how much overtime I'm paying you, we need to get out of here now.”
“Consider these hours off the books, Miss,” Joan says smartly. She looks at her old boss and frowns. “I know perfectly well what he's capable of. I suggest we all go.”
I try to just breathe and rise above the pain while they carefully drag me to my feet. It takes longer than it should for both of them to hold me, walking me out the huge entry door. As promised, Gary's goons are outside, eyeballing us.
Mom gives them a wild look and helps Joan guide me very carefully down the long marble stairs. The soft black car has its door open for me to lay in the back, waiting to swallow me up.
This is the last time I'm going to see this house. Thinking about it chokes me as I'm loaded in and held by Joan.
It's a relief. The best and worst summer of my life just ended.
The huge mansion disappears through the windshield, and that's when I start thinking about Ty. I don't have a clue what's happened to him, only that he's going to be locked up.
What the hell does that mean? It can't end this way. It fucking can't!
My heart bleeds in my chest, and I have to focus very hard on breathing so I don't have a panic attack. I need to hear his voice as soon as I'm able to hold a phone. I need to know he's okay.
I'm ready and willing to wait my whole life just to taste his lips again, but I start sobbing uncontrollably at the terrible idea that he's been ripped away from me, no different than the memories of his rough lips on mine.
X: Frozen (Ty)
When I wake up, it's like every fucking bone in my body's been broken and fused together again. At first, I think feeling the brutal concrete underneath me means my spine's fucked up and misfiring, but then I stretch.
My palms graze cool, hard stone. I sit up and growl as the worst hangover in the world crashes into my skull. Nope, the hard ass floor ripping at my skin isn't just in my head.
I look up. The prison bars in front of my face tell me where I'm at.
The motherfucker really went and did it. I'm sitting in the county jail, locked up tight, a world away from ever being able to spit in my old man's bitter fucking face again. Of course, spit's too soft for what I'd like to do if I ever get a crack at his wicked ass again.
I don't give a shit about being exiled like this. He hurt my girl, so I hurt him. I did all I could to get his goons off her, and it wasn't enough.
Seeing her twitch when the Taser's probe sank into her skin was the worst goddamned thing in the world. I felt my soul leave my body, bathing me in darkness.
And that's where I saw it – it's not just my bastard father's fault. It's me. I'm the fucking cancer who hurt her, the senseless fuck who dragged her into this situation and nearly got her cooked alive. If I weren't so smashed from getting throttled with current myself, I'd wrap my hands around my own throat and squeeze 'til I pass the fuck out.
It takes me a couple minutes to stagger up. In the cell next to me, a nasty looking old dude laughs, smiling with his rotten teeth.
I walk to the edge of the cell and put my hands on the bars. Fucking shit. Now I know exactly how a monkey at a zoo feels.
Whatever, I barely give a damn that I'm locked up. What really bothers me is what went down before fifty thousand volts friend my nerves and I blinked out like a busted lightbulb.
I deserve to rot in here for what I did to her. Claire's fucked, and it's all because of me. Well, me and that cowardly little pissant she was working for.
I'm used to half the world pointing their fingers and laughing like the criminal in the cage next door. Shit's pretty damned natural when you're a billionaire's son, and I doubt it'll get much better now that I'm officially disowned. But Claire shouldn't have to live with this shit, shouldn't have to claw her way back with a fraction of the resources I've always had.
I'm willing to risk having my body shredded along with my reputation. But I can't stand pulling her into the grinder too, without even knowing it.
Goddamn it. My muscles pulse warning aches every time I move. Too bad it doesn't stop the urge to take my fists to the walls and start beating them 'til something gives way, either the bricks or my own damned bones.
I can't fucking let her go down like this. I have to get outta here, have to make sure she's all right. Then I'm gonna do the soul killing thing I should've always done for this chick who's got my heart in her pretty little hands.