by Janie Marie
His stare made her feel dumb. “Because he’s like a father to her, and he’s been locked away for a crime he didn’t commit for the past seven years. He got out, and instead of having his family there to greet him with a smile, he found out his son fucked her over, and now she’s forced to stay in that big ass house alone.”
She tried to concentrate on the hold music, but she couldn’t. “There are like twenty people at her house. And she could just stay with you. She doesn’t have to be dramatic.”
“You’re the one being dramatic about shit, and it’s annoying. I love when she’s dramatic. She gets all frisky and likes to be touched.” He chuckled, but he wasn’t amused. He was glaring at her as though he was contemplating ways to end her life. “But I can’t have her gorgeous ass all over me right now because Luc is home. I have Logan to thank for that, by the way. So yeah, she has to be dramatic with this cheating shit, and instead of the pictures being something only we had to see, you posted her online. She’s getting bullied about all sorts of shit—like her pretty ass you can’t help but point out has a few scars. When she’s not getting that, she’s seeing disgusting comments from dirty men. A girl who survived being taunted by her rapists is now reading the same type of dirty shit from complete strangers. I have guys scouring the internet to get her picture off porn sites. So thanks.”
“Whatever.” She squeezed her eyes shut, remembering just how quickly the pictures had spread. “I didn’t freaking know. It was all your faults. Not mine.”
He kept talking like she hadn’t spoken. “Oh, and the Knights, they’re not in town—they never are. And while I was making sure Luc stayed away from her, she was alone after her ‘boyfriend’ dropped her off to go play with you in the woods.”
“It was her plan,” she said through clenched teeth. “Stop trying to make me feel bad for the things she did. I didn’t know I was supposed to be fine after seeing my boyfriend kissing her and naked in bed with her. She even admitted she didn’t go to you for help, and that’s not my fault. Like I said, dramatic. Who gets naked to trick someone?”
“No, you’re right,” he said, “it was her fault that she took things so far. It’s her fault for not remembering it doesn’t matter how much I don’t give a damn about Logan or your ass, I’ll still take care of shit because she loves him. It’s her fault she ran to her men and slapped together the most ridiculous way to make it seem like she and Logan were together. That she chose to put me through this just to keep his backstabbing ass safe—and you. The brat who thinks the world stops for her.”
Kylie trembled as every word he said sounded more violent, and the hardness of his face made him look more like a statue carved out of marble than just a moody bad boy.
He shook his head. “You have no idea what Luc is capable of, but she does, and she protected you from him. He was going to use you to manipulate her and Logan.”
“It’s not my fault Luc is here for me,” she yelled over his voice.
“He’s not here for you, idiot. He’s here for Logan—you’re a pawn.” He pulled out a cigarette before growling and chucking it across the room. “Fuck.”
“Last time I checked,” she said, heart racing as she watched his fury bubbling beneath his skin, “Luc was here because you needed Janie out of trouble.”
“I had her out of trouble. She ran off, but I already had it handled.” He looked away from where he’d thrown his cigarette. “Why do you think I kept telling Logan to fuck off about asking for Luc?”
She almost rolled her eyes but stopped. “Because Luc is obsessed with her.”
He shook his head. “He’s protective of her. Logan made him come because he was afraid I wouldn’t help you. He made it seem like I didn’t have things under control, that way Gawain would call Luc. The Knights wouldn’t call him for anyone but Janie. Her brothers know Arthur is too noble to break the law, and that I sure as fuck won’t reach out for their help. So they have a code if I ever fail her—Logan called it in. He used her to protect you.”
“What?” She tried to recall the events that unfolded around the time of the fight. Logan had gotten called by Kevin, then he panicked after calling Ryder. He’d called Gawain. Oh, no. “What does it mean?”
“It means,” he said, speaking slowly, “Logan already had a deal lined up with Luc. The bargain was simple—a contract offering himself to Luc in exchange for power, money, and protection. Grimms are rare, and Luc’s a collector. Having Logan at his disposal would make Janie reckless. It gives him leverage over her he’s been eager to possess. Controlling her means he controls me, the Knights, the Princes, and the Grimms. You’re just extra leverage.”
“Why does she care about Logan so much?”
“Why wouldn’t she care?” He sighed, closing his eyes. “It’s deeper than exes, but it’s not something you deserve to hear about yet. You’re not exactly trustworthy.”
She scoffed. “Once again, your riddles are useless. And Logan could offer himself up at any time.”
“But he hasn’t,” he quipped. “And Janie arranged with Luc to leave Logan be in exchange for their bargain. Logan found a loophole. It keeps Janie tied into her arrangement, so it fucks her over twice. But Logan did it anyway.” He waved his hand at her. “Now go ahead and blame Janie for that.”
“You’re an asshole.” She looked away, wondering where Kevin was. “Ugh.” She ended the call, but she saved the number.
“It’s a shame you never see your reflection when someone talks about her,” he said. “It would tell you a lot about yourself.”
“I know myself,” she said bitterly, blinking because the image of her reflection during her fight with Logan at the gym popped in her head. It had been the ugliest thing she’d ever seen of herself, and Janie had been the source of it. Still, she let him have the truth. “And maybe if you all didn’t shove her down my throat and expect me to worship her, I wouldn’t have a problem.”
“Yes, I expect you to drop to your knees for her. Make sure you bring an offering next time.” His sarcasm made her stomach turn. “You really have a fucking problem with people caring about her. I’ve seen it, you know? How you get that dreamy ass look when you see me or my brothers, then she’s there, and you make the ugliest damn face I’ve ever seen. We all see it. We’ve seen it ever since you moved here.”
Her eyes stung with tears. “I don’t want to hear about how ugly you think I am, or that you think she’s so gorgeous.”
He didn’t let up. “See? That’s all you focus on. You know what I think? I think you’ve fantasized about being her. Not her as in who she is, but having me—a guy who’ll do anything for you. Logan swooped in when you were carrying out some little plan to break your stepsister’s heart, and you found a new guy to replace all your fantasies. And unlike Trevor and myself, he told you that you were special. You fell for it, hard.”
Angry tears swam in her eyes. “I’ve never fantasized about you, and I’d never want to be her.”
“You almost look like you believe yourself.” His lips twitched with menacing glee as he kept watching her. “You thought you could come along and be the center of Logan’s universe, and this new bad boy would solve all your problems. Except you didn’t want him to really help you, did you?”
He paused, letting his words sink in. “He told me you came by after blowing him off when he tried to take you to the cops, then blurted out your abuse. All kinds of red flags were going off in my head as he blabbed like a girl about you letting yourself into his apartment. He thought it was cute and innocent, but I didn’t. Crazy written all over you. Manipulative.”
She gritted her teeth. “I’m not crazy or manipulative.”
“So it’s normal to waltz into a stranger’s apartment and take his stupid ass offer for a fuck-protection service?” He laughed. “Nah, a frightened little girl wouldn’t do that. An abused girl would also show signs of abuse, even if she’s acting. And she wouldn’t scheme to use his shitty cousin to play him.”
Her heart
froze. “What?”
“Logan said how bad you were,” he said slowly, his expression relaxed, but he was staring through her. “You act like a toddler about shit, but I know damn well you had it made while your dad was alive, and I know you’ve never shown signs of abuse at school. Weirdo under your fucking hood who glares at every girl with a boyfriend, yeah, but not physically abused to the degree that had Grimm so frantic. And I know you used Trevor as a ploy to get Logan’s dick.”
Her eyes widened. “You don’t know anything about me.”
He wore an evil smile, his green eyes almost glowing. “Are you sure?”
There was no way he knew anything about her.
He went on. “Grimm might be fucking dumb enough to think your nastiness and stupid ass ability to blurt out shit to people—to have the balls to confront me—is all related to your abuse and being forced to not talk to people, but it doesn’t add up.”
“You wouldn’t know,” she said, breathing faster. “You have no idea what I’ve been through.”
He smiled again, talking so calmly it made her panic grow. “So isn’t it odd you like to dig so much into Janie’s life, and yet you won’t even open your mouth?”
She scrunched up her face and fired back, “Well, it didn’t work for Janie, did it?”
He frowned, but he nodded. “Fair enough. You’re afraid. So what’s stopping you now?”
She could only stare at him, the humming of her pulse drowning out her thoughts.
“You’re smart enough to not have faith in Grimm at least, but I know you see I can make shit happen. So I’ll back you up. I’ll call Than for you right now, and I’ll see that you get taken out of your abusive home, see that you’re never harmed again. Logan won’t have to sacrifice Janie’s life and lie to her when he uses her to save you. I’m telling you right now—I’ll help. No strings attached, other than I know Logan isn’t fucking Janie over again. And you get help from the source.”
Her body shook like a leaf clinging to a branch as her throat closed up.
His normally bright eyes were so dark, it looked like she was staring at the devil instead of the sexy bad boy she did indeed daydream about.
“Buried deep,” he said with a cold-hearted chuckle. “You want dirt on her so you can make it seem like she’s the bad guy. You cried to Logan about your situation, then stopped him from getting help. You made him frantic enough to come up with a plan to keep you safe.”
Kylie didn’t know she was breathing so fast until she gasped. “What do you want from me? Why do you think I have to like her?”
His brows knitted together. “What the fuck is wrong with you? No one’s told you to like her, and that’s not even what we’re talking about.”
“You all want me to like her,” she shouted.
“Wow.” He ran a hand down his face, laughing. “How about I include therapy? You need it.”
“I don’t need therapy.” Her eyes stung. “You should ask Janie to go to therapy. You should ask her why she’s so set on having Logan save her. You should ask yourself why Logan had a sketch of her naked—why she had no problem getting naked for him again.”
“The sketch was from when they were together,” he said calmly. “He lied and told me he only made it seem like she was naked because he’s a dick. Am I happy about it? No. But it happened before me. He’s been hard up for her since things truly ended with them.” He lifted a shoulder in a careless shrug. “So yeah, he kept something to remember the good times instead of the bad. I’ll beat his ass when I have time. But as far as her wanting Logan to save her—you’ve got it wrong. She’s trying to save him, and he’s trying to redeem himself for all the shit he’s done to her.
“Not even mentioning the secrets our families share, he hurt her bad. But go ahead and continue calling her a cheating whore. Insult her because I fucked up by not telling you the plan like she asked. Luc would dangle both of you in front of Logan and make him choose.”
He lowered his voice. “You have no idea what could happen to you, Blondie. And because my brother is that damn protective of her, because she’s the ultimate asset for him, you’re in deep shit. You and Logan have pissed him off, because he doesn’t want to see her used as anyone else’s tool. He’s wanted to destroy you and Logan since Gawain made the call. No one fucks with his queen.”
Her ragged breathing made it hard to speak, but she managed. “You call me crazy, but you’re saying an eighteen-year-old girl is a queen to your creepy brother. I think you know who needs help.”
“Again, pissed because she’s got something little girls dream about. Is it the queen title now?” His false concern felt like acid in her stomach. “‘Cause I can’t wait to see how bent out of shape you get when the rest of us call her what she is to us.”
Her chest hurt so much, she didn’t think she could keep standing. “You’re all stupid.”
“And if I dropped to my knees for you,” he said, dead serious, “and I called you my queen, would it be stupid? If Luc offered you her position, would it be stupid or the best damn day of your life?”
Kylie pressed her hand over her chest as her damn heart fluttered at his words. “I don’t want to be anything to you or your brother.”
“Then why are you so upset that you only matter to Logan?” he asked. Again, so calmly it made her want to run and hide. “That she has all of us?”
“Because she has Logan,” she screamed.
He shook his head, unaffected. “No. It’s written all over your face. Logan’s just a front. You fucking loathe that she’s the center of our universe. You like to blurt out that we want you to like her, to worship her—but what you really mean is why aren’t we worshipping you. Why are we not shoving her aside for your bruises and serving you like you’re our goddess.”
“I just don’t want her shoved down his throat or mine!”
He sighed, shaking his head as he muttered, “I can’t even believe I bother with you. Maybe you and Logan are made for each other. I’ve never seen such ugly, selfish people. You don’t even care he was using you to get over her. Or is that it? You know you’re a replacement, and you can’t stand it’s for a girl you’ve always secretly hated.”
Her pounding heart was unbearable now. “I’m not a replacement. And this is what I mean. You all like to throw in my face how much he wanted her, how much she means to him.”
“Because it’s the truth,” he said, bored. “But you overlook the warnings left and right. It’s like a damn superpower of yours. You can’t help but choose wrong every time.” He pointed at nothing on the floor. “Have some self-respect and don’t offer to be a whore”—he moved his finger, pointing at nothing again—“oh, Logan’s dick, let me put my mouth around it.”
He repeated the process. “Be thankful and polite to the person who risks their safety for yours. Make said girl feel so fucking sad about the loss of her baby and her breakup to the point she cries herself to sleep, then call her a murderer when she’s a savior.”
His eyes roared with rage, and again, he pointed. “Be a tad bit understanding when the dark secret that haunts her every night is revealed.” He jabbed his finger to the other side. “Judge her in her own damn home instead of being thankful Logan is alive. Stare at her like she’s the fucking scum of the earth because she can’t cope with what she’s done.”
He growled the next part. “I was ready to throw your ass out, send you to the home you claim is abusive, and I was ready to kill Logan. But what happened? She convinced me to stay in bed with her, made love to me to remind me what I’d lose if I gave into my desire to get revenge for Logan’s betrayals. That’s why shit is about her, Blondie. She’s sacrificing everything for Logan to keep you. And because she thought for a tiny moment, you were only a girl in need of the support she didn’t have, she held your damn hand when you felt like you were dying because she knew exactly what it felt like. But all you heard was more dirt on her, and you didn’t like that she was adored, even with all her flaws.”
“Are you not one?” He didn’t show any emotion.
Tears blurred her sight, and she couldn’t speak.
“So should I call Than? Or do you want to continue hiding whatever you are?” He leveled her with an empty stare as he hovered his thumb over his phone. “Come on . . . Everything’s about you for the moment.”
“I just want all of you to leave me alone.” She sucked in a shuddering breath. “Just leave me and Logan alone.”
He slid his phone into his pocket. “Logan’s one of us, and he’s got a debt to my brother as well as a lot of shit to make up for with Janie, so you can send the Logan-is-all-mine train out of town. I’ll give you some advice because I know you’re too dumb to walk away from Logan and grow up as you get your shit together.” He settled against the desk again. “You have no idea what world you live in. You need to get over your jealousy because being abused and neglected doesn’t make you matter more than her. Not to us.”
She balled her fists and screamed, “The girl you love chose Logan over you.”
He scoffed at her outburst. “Do you really not care he was literally ready to fuck you and walk away? Or are you stupid enough to get so wrapped up in a guy you know nothing about because he told you you’re special, and he wanted to teach you how to deal with guys and be confident?”
She almost passed out. Had Logan really told Ryder so much? “You’re one to talk,” she spat despite the humiliation. “You got her pregnant like an idiot.”
His eyes flashed and his nostrils flared. “You know nothing about our baby. All you know is the little bit of what she told you and what you’ve heard other people say. Get it through your head—Logan isn’t a saint. But you’ll believe anything if it means Janie looks bad, won’t you?”
She balled her fists. “You’re the ones making it all about her. Things are about me, and you’re turning it into a pity story for her. I don’t like her, and I don’t have to. She’s your girlfriend, and she was in bed with my boyfriend. She had him cross you out. She picked him over you, and you’re too stupid to see it.”