Wrecked for You

by Mayer, Kristin

  What the ever-loving hell? It was like dealing with Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Her parents were upset yet defended Landon and the Fraternity. It was brainwashing at its finest.

  “Mother, I’m not going back. I love Hayden, and I’m staying in Alaska.” Kory seemed calmer and had regained some of the strength in her voice.

  Her mother retrieved another tissue from her purse. “Kory, you have no idea how ruthless these people can be. If we don’t go back and tell them we’ve located you, they’ll kill us.”

  Kory gasped, putting her hand to her mouth. It sounded like they truly didn’t want to expose Kory. Well at least part of them didn’t, anyway.

  This Fraternity having this much power over them was incomprehensible. It was time to cut through the shit. “Are you on your daughter’s side or the Fraternity’s?”

  “Our daughter’s. But it is complicated,” her father said.

  It really wasn’t that complicated. I pinched the bridge of my nose—my patience was growing thin. “Then tell us what we need to know. I’m growing tired of the games, so I can only imagine how your daughter feels.”

  “Landon is going to come to Alaska for Kory. And he’s going to do everything he can to tie her to him. And I mean everything,” her father said.

  “What does that mean?” I stood, aggression radiating from me.

  Her father stood, too. “It means he’ll do whatever is necessary to ensure the survival of the Fraternity. Force her to marry him, carry his child.”

  Now Kory balled her fists. “I would never marry him.”

  Her father sighed. “Kory, he’s not above forcing you without your consent. That’s who he’s become. He’s ruthless. Your mother and I have tried to find a way to get out of this, to get you out of this. But every option ends up with them finding out and taking you anyway. We’d be dead and unable to help you. There is no choice.”

  “Why not find another girl?” I asked. There had to be someone who wanted to be the leader’s wife. Some sick fuck wanting to rule a group of people. It still seemed fictitious, but based on how they’d treated their daughter all her life, somehow it made sense.

  I still held onto the hope that they wanted what was best for her. Or maybe it was a trick. Hell, I wasn’t sure.

  Her mother said, “Our people don’t leave. How would it look if our leader allowed his future wife to leave? It’ll make him look weak. Everyone knows he’s chosen Kory. All the elders have known his choice since he made the decision. Everyone is anxious for the next regime to take over.”

  Not everyone.

  I glanced down at Kory and saw tears streaming down her face. “I won’t let him take you.” I knew I was repeating myself, but every time they reiterated the shit they were spewing, Kory needed to hear that I hadn’t changed my mind about being with her.

  She looked up at me, her eyes sad. “Don’t you see? You wouldn’t be in this mess if I had just stayed away.” It broke my heart to see her like this.

  This wasn’t working. I needed to talk to Kory alone. Emotions were all over the place. And if her parents saw her falling apart, they might mistake it for weakness instead of her simply trying to manage a fucked-up situation with the people who were supposed to protect her. What I had to say wasn’t anything her parents needed to hear.

  I took out my phone and texted the group chat with my brothers and dad.

  Me: Things have gotten complicated. Drake and Kane, can you come in here? Dad, can you stand watch?

  Drake: On my way.

  Kane: On my way.

  Dad: I’m on point. Let me know if you need anything.

  Me: I will.

  I trusted her parents about as far as I could throw them, so leaving them unattended in our home wasn’t an option. “My brothers are coming inside. I’m going to talk to Kory for a minute. Then we’ll see where that leaves us.”

  Wisely, they chose to remain silent.

  Kory looked at me with uncertainty in her eyes, and for the first time, I wondered if she would choose to go back home. My heart might actually break if she left. I would fight to keep her with every ounce of love I had. But at the end of the day, I couldn’t force her to stay. Or it would make me the same kind of monsters as her parents.

  Drake and Kane walked in. They took off their jackets and glanced toward me. The tension in the air was thick. Mariah sat at Kane’s side, the hair on the back of her neck standing at attention. Kane motioned for Mariah to sit by the door. They had some sort of sign language no one else knew. It was uncanny how much Kane connected with his husky.

  Kory’s parents’ eyes widened at the sight of the dog. Mariah leaned forward as if she were stalking her prey. Mariah was an anomaly to her breed. Normally, huskies weren’t effective guard dogs, but Kane had invested a lot of training in her.

  Kory’s mother leaned closer into her father when my brothers walked farther into the room. Yeah, Drake and Kane were scary bastards just from their sheer size and the scowls on their faces. Add in a husky who showed her teeth, and I hoped we came off as people not to fuck with.

  I gave introductions. “These are my brothers, Drake and Kane. This is Tate and Margerie Reynolds, Kory’s parents. Give me a few minutes, guys.”

  Kane sat on the arm of the chair, staring at Kory’s parents in that awkward way that made a person want to squirm. “You got it.”

  I held out my hand to Kory, and she squeezed my fingers. We walked to the back bedroom. I closed the door before leading her to the walk-in closet and shutting that door as well. I wanted as much privacy as possible.

  Kory threw her arms around me. “I can’t believe this is happening. All those terrible things they said. Hayden…” She didn’t finish before she broke down in sobs.

  I held her tighter. Anything she needed, I would give it to her. “I’ve got you, sweetheart. And I’ll never let you go.”

  She gripped me tighter, her nails digging into my back. “Hayden, what am I going to do?”

  This was where I put it all out there and hoped like hell she chose me. “What do you want to do?”

  “Hayden, do you realize what all they said? I believe them. Deep down in my gut, I know what they’re saying is true. It makes so much sense now. I remember times before I turned five when we were happy. Then I just remember them being cold. It wasn’t long after my grandparents died. I thought I had imagined the happy times, made them up because I couldn’t bear to not have their love. But it was true. What kind of people force parents to distance themselves from their child? Threaten parents and takes their children? It’s like they are part of the mob or something like it.”

  I had no idea. But I also noticed she hadn’t answer my question. I had to know the answer. It would be the foundation for every decision we made and might alter my life forever. This desperation I felt was one of the reasons I never wanted to be involved. But knowing how happy I could be with Kory made it all worth it in the end. I swallowed hard, preparing myself for the rejection. “What do you want to do?”

  She pulled back and looked into my eyes. “I don’t want to cause you problems.”

  Again, that wasn’t an answer. I needed to know. I had to know. “That’s not what I asked. What do you want, Kory? If there were no other factors, what would you chose?”

  “I would choose you. I don’t want to leave Alaska, leave you. But I don’t want them to hurt you, either. They said Landon would do whatever was necessary. That might include hurting those I loved.”

  Thank fuck. I put my forehead to hers. “Then you’ll stay here. We’ll find a way to get through this.”

  “I want nothing more than to be with you.”

  I ran my finger along her cheek. “We’re going to get our happy ending.”

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  Hayden

  When we walked back into the room, the tension could be cut with a knife. Kory’s parents stood, their masks not completely in place. Some of the coldness had evaporated.

  Her mother tucked her clutch u
nderneath her arm. “We don’t have much time. We need to leave.”

  Leave? Already?

  Beside me Kory tensed. Her parents’ erratic behavior was hard to follow. They flew all this way, then before we’d had a chance to grasp what was going on, they were ready to go. This had all the makings of a double cross.

  Kory took a step forward, and I made sure to mirror her movement. If they tried anything, I wanted to be ready. “Mother, Father, I have so many questions.”

  The pleading in her voice broke my heart. If I could take this pain away from her, I would.

  “The less you know, the better. If you want a life outside of the Fraternity, we can’t say too much.”

  That made sense. But were they willing to let her go that easily? Her father’s shoulders were more stiff now, though, and her parents were exchanging furtive glances back and forth. Something was off… or had changed. “What’s really going on? Why the sudden change in when you have to leave?”

  “He got a text,” Kane said, nodding toward Kory’s father. “After that, they exchanged a look. I think their plans changed.”

  Kane was an expert at reading people. He sensed the smallest of movements and changes in demeanor. And his less-than-friendly appearance made him a little more scary than the average person.

  No one said a word. Kory’s mother looked down at her feet, and her father adjusted his cuff links. There seemed to be an internal struggle within them.

  Kory pleaded. “Mother, Father. Please. You weren’t able to stop my childhood from being taken, but we can protect my future.”

  For a second, I saw real emotion on her mother’s face before she hid it away. “I’m sorry, Kory.”

  Crestfallen, Kory took a step back. I remained where I was and asked, “Your allegiance stays with the Fraternity?”

  Her parents were unraveling more. Her father ran his hand down his face and let out a long breath. Her mother mashed her lips together for a second to compose herself. “Yes and no. We have no choice. If we leave, we’ll be killed and Kory will be taken.” She turned the attention toward her daughter. “You were always our priority. We had no idea you would be picked for such a prominent role. Most members of the Fraternity live long, normal lives. But the future wife of the president is a different story. There isn’t a day that goes by that we don’t regret having them over for dinner. Our world is cruel at times. And other times, it’s amazing. We have connections everywhere. Money is never an issue. But with anything good, there must be bad. It’s the price we pay.”

  What. The. Actual. Fuck.

  Part of them wanted to care for their child, yet the other part supported what the Fraternity stood for. They seemed to accept the bad just because it was what they were taught.

  Kory closed her eyes for a second. Drake ran his hand through his hair, showing the faintest sign of stress. The only outward sign Kane showed was the widening of his eyes. At least I wasn’t the only one affected. This was some messed-up shit. And I wasn’t sure what it meant.

  “Why was I allowed to go to Alaska this summer?” Kory asked, finding her voice.

  She touched my hand, and I grabbed hers. A few seconds later, she pressed herself against my side. There was some kind of silent communication between her parents before her father nodded.

  “It was Landon’s idea. He arranged it. He’d sensed some unrest in you and wanted to send you off, assuming you’d fail and come home. The weekly reports we received from Maggie never indicated you’d met anyone and generally talked about how miserable you were. On your last day there, she reported you were happy to be heading home. That’s why we came to see you that night—to welcome you back and see if you missed your life. But you were the same as before. It didn’t make sense until we found out you’d met someone. When did you meet Hayden?”

  They had no idea Kory had come home early. None. Maggie had protected her.

  “Maggie was involved?” The hurt was apparent in Kory’s voice. And I couldn’t blame her. Through the summer, she and Maggie had become close. And since arriving in Skagway, Kory had spoken with her a couple of times. But Maggie had also protected Kory. This was so convoluted. But we’d find time to sort through the mess later.

  Kory’s mother rubbed her temples. “In a limited fashion, from what I understand. We weren’t allowed to see any of the communication. I do know Maggie was told you were a troubled person and was given a hefty amount to offer you a job.”

  Kory looked defeated. “It was all a game. Like my life.”

  Her parents had no answer. So… Maggie had probably figured out that Kory’s parents had lied and that she was a good person, and she had stuck it to them. I knew I liked her for a reason. She was a wily thing, but it didn’t completely wipe away her betrayal.

  Kory closed her eyes for a second. “Will Maggie be okay?”

  “It depends on if she lied.”

  With a straight face, Kory lied right to them. “No, she didn’t. I kept Hayden a secret.”

  I imagined that after a lifetime of lying to her parents, she was able to pull it off. This was the Kory who’d kept her parents from me this summer. It was unnerving to see her like this again. Now that I knew what it was like to have all of Kory, I never wanted to go back to this half Kory again.

  Her mother looked away. “Then she’ll be fine. She confirmed as much when Landon questioned her.” She sighed. “We never expected you to meet someone. Landon required us to record our conversations over the summer. We had no idea. He was convinced you were ready to come home. And he was prepared to move forward and make you his wife.”

  By showering her with affection, which he thought Kory was starved for. What a complete asshole. “Why wasn’t Kory told about the Fraternity when she was younger?”

  Her father said, “Typically, our children begin learning about the Fraternity at ten. However, Landon wanted Kory untouched. He wanted to be in total control of her introduction into the Fraternity. It had been his choice to keep Kory out of the life until it was time. He believed it would make her more malleable.” Landon had thought he could play psychological games with Kory.

  Landon planned to save her from her home and then mold her into his toy.

  I needed time to regroup. There were still too many unknowns for us to determine the best path. First, we needed more answers… information… anything. “So, you go home. See Landon and his family. What happens next?”

  Kory’s father stepped in. It was like they were tag-teaming. “Most likely, they know we received the email and that we came here. What we tell them, I’m not sure, but I’m open to suggestions.”

  This seemed to be a small step forward.

  Kane stood. “Mariah, stay. No one leaves. Family meeting, guys.” The husky gave a low growl. Kane looked at Kory’s parents. “I suggest you stay put. You try to leave, it won’t be pretty.”

  Their eyes went wide as saucers. If we hadn’t been in the situation we were in, it might have been comical.

  Kane nodded to me as he walked by. We fell in line with Drake bringing up the rear. The hallway echoed with our footsteps as we headed to the bedroom Kory and I had gone to earlier.

  The door closing behind us made the anxiety in the pit of my stomach grow. There was a table in the corner, where we’d stashed some of the supplies that had arrived. Drake leaned against it. This room was going to be turned into a get-ready room, and Dad was going to make the furniture.

  Kane crossed his arms. “None of this sits right with me. I think they’re telling the truth, but they got some fucked-up loyalties.” Kane softened. “Sorry, Kory.”

  She gave a watery smile. “No, it’s true. I’m sorry I’m a mess. It’s just more awful than I imagined.”

  I pulled her close to me. “Nothing we can’t survive, sweetheart. You’re doing an amazing job.”

  “Damn straight,” Drake said.

  “Those assholes may be the Fraternity, but we’re the fucking Fosters.” Kane inclined his head toward Kory. “Don’t feel
guilty for having screwed-up parents. That’s not your fault.”

  That brought another small smile from Kory. “Thank you.”

  He gave a wink. It was Kane’s way of saying “We got this.” I ran my free hand through my hair. “So, what are you thinking, Kane?” He wouldn’t have brought us back to this room if he hadn’t thought it was imperative.

  Leaning against the windowsill, he crossed his arms. “You’ve got two options. Wait the asshole out. See what he’s going to do. Or you bring him here on your terms. Set a date and a time. Invite him up. He might try to jump the gun, but if he’s trying to get Kory peacefully, he might wait if it’s not too long. It could buy us a few days. Personally, I’m a fan of option two. But I’ll back you guys however you decide to play it.”

  That’s how Kane was. He told it like he saw it, but he backed his family regardless.

  “I like option two as well. Hayden?” Kory looked at me to confirm.

  “I’d prefer to stay in control of the situation,” I said.

  Drake said, “When we go out there, we need to be in control of the game plan. Tell her parents what to do. If they don’t have a plan, I think they’ll fall apart.”

  “I agree.”

  Maybe that was why they were wishy-washy. They were used to being told how to think, act, and what to say. Independent thought wasn’t a luxury the Fraternity granted to its people.

  Drake cracked his neck. “I’ll support whatever play you guys decide to make.”

  I thought for a second. “After her parents leave, Kory can call Landon and invite him up this Friday or Saturday. I don’t know if we could push it much past five or six days. If he asks about me, she can act disinterested and more interested in seeing him. As long as she’s not gushing, he shouldn’t suspect anything. Landon needs Kory to cooperate to make the entire situation easier.”

  “Agreed,” Kane said. “And during those five days we figure out our plan.”

  And hoped to hell it would work.