Even our son’s presence near her wasn’t working anymore. I picked him up and walked around the desk to the others, my eyes tracing for someone to step up and help her. I mostly looked at Adele but her eyes were watering too and she just shook her head.
Jaylyn continued to cry and I didn’t know if anything could stop it. That’s when I felt a cold hand lay on my shoulder and a voice that was all too familiar. “Mind if I try?”
I turned and met the longing stare of the green eyes that gave Jaylyn hers. Every ounce of my soul was telling me to let him through and try. I wanted to see her better but her seeing her father wouldn’t make it better. He’d only make it worse and as much as he could easily become scary, I had to deny him of his request.
“Bryce!” Adele muttered.
“No.” I said. “No. You can’t.”
With my son still in one arm, I pushed the man for whom he’s named out the open door into the hall. I wouldn’t let him in to see Jaylyn; I couldn’t. She’d fall apart more just because of it.
“Troy, do you know who that is?” Adele panicked like something bad was going to happen because I refused him but I didn’t back down.
“Yes, I know and he’s not going anywhere near her. I don’t care what insane reason he has for doing so but he’s not getting passed me. She’s hurt enough and no one here wants to see her be put through more because of you.”
Bryce chuckled in this vague kind of way that almost made me start to worry when I saw him watching me. “Trever was right about you, wasn’t he? You are very protective of her.”
“I care greatly about her well-being and you being here will not end well for her. You know that so I don’t even know why you’re here.”
“I can feel whenever my baby is hurt.”
“She’s hurt because of you and all the secrets that were kept.”
“Which were made to protect her.”
“Yet now they’re torturing her. There’s no use for you being here. We’ll take care of it as we have always done.”
“Always, Troy, really? You haven’t even told her what will kill her; what killed me. You can understand the reason for secrets.”
I was still now. I could understand.
“Troy, what is he talking about?” Adele asked.
It was an easy question but I couldn’t say the answer. If Jaylyn found out that my father was responsible for her father’s death and she married me, I couldn’t even begin to think of the regret she would have. I couldn’t let that happen. I loved her too much.
“I see you haven’t told anyone. Not the greatest conversation starter, I suppose.”
“Just leave. You’re only making it worse.” I said it offensively and I meant it offensively. I just wanted him gone.
“I’ll give you a day to fix it on your own then.”
“A day?!” I was furious. “You’ll give us the rest of our lives to fix this! You’re not a part of this world anymore! You don’t get a say in it!”
I was proud of myself but the look on everyone else’s face said that I had just done something wrong. The air grew cold around me and I could no longer move my own body against Bryce’s stare. His hand lifted and my son was taken from me while I was removed from my feet as if being hung by my neck but I still couldn’t move myself.
Bryce leaned in, his pointer finger pushing up under my jaw like he was holding me there. It became hard to swallow and his voice was the most threatening I’ve ever heard. “I will always get a say in my daughter’s life and I’m saying you only have a day as your request because a day is how long your life will be if you don’t fix this.”
He tossed me backwards and that was the last thing I remembered of him. There was darkness and I was waking up in my own bed.
“There you are.” Zayden said. “Are you all right?”
I tried sitting up but my head; I’ve felt this feeling before while trapped in that damn bandit hole. It was heavy and throbbed like crazy. I must have gotten hit again.
“What happened?” I had an idea but I asked anyway.
“Bryce threw you into a wall but you’re okay.”
“Aside from this headache. How long was I out?”
“About eight hours.” Darius said it like it was no big deal.
“Eight hours! That means I only have sixteen hours left to fix this and none of you are worried?!”
Zayden laughed. “That was just Bryce acting out on behalf of someone he loves. He apologized to us after you went unconscious.”
“That’s great but he apologized to the wrong person. It should have been to me.”
“I planned it to be.”
It only took me about half a second to realize Bryce was in the room. I just hadn’t been able to really turn my head and look until he was in front of me.
“Well, forget it.” I said, forcing my aching head to get up with me. “I don’t believe it.”
“Please. I never really intended to put a deadline on your life. My little girl—”
“Is a grown adult and has little use for a father as I do patience. Now, where is my son who I am honestly considering a name change?”
“He’s downstairs safe with his mother.” Zayden said. “And you know you won’t.”
“I said I was considering it. Don’t doubt me.”
I walked out of the room, ready to make sure Jaylyn was really okay.
“Troy, wait!” Darius chased after me.
“What?”
“Just so you’re not surprised, she’s doing better because Trever is here.”
“He got here in eight hours?”
“No, he got here about seven hours ago with Bryce’s help and you think I’m happy about this? Ruby’s been locked upstairs all day just so she won’t see him.”
“Thanks, I guess.”
“Oh, and Ryon is here also so Jaylyn thinks he’s how Trever got here.”
“Thanks for letting me know. Have you seen Jaylyn much while Trever has been here?”
“Not that I wanted to but she seems okay now.”
“What does she think I’ve been doing for the last eight hours?”
“Sleeping because you’ve been up as long as her, worrying.”
It sounded completely believable like it was something I would have truly done. “Okay and she has no idea her atrocious father was here?”
“Cut him some slack, Troy. Killing you would just make her hate him and you should know he’d never want that.”
“So, I should be thankful? It bothers me that you like him so much.”
“Why? He really is a good guy just as much as everyone has been saying.”
“Well, I don’t believe it.”
“Okay, but he’s going to keep coming around here until you do.”
He went back up the stairs and let me go down the rest of the way.
I heard the talking but I guess you could say I still wasn’t happy about it. Trever sounded so much like his father that it almost made me start to hate him. It wasn’t right. I never had a reason to except for maybe one thing that I became eager to speak with him about.
I headed downstairs a little faster and met Jaylyn’s warming smile. “There you are. Sleep well?”
I tried to make it seem like it was what I needed but my mind was really still on one thing. “Yeah and I heard Trever got here. Mind if we talk for a moment?”
Trever’s eyes traced to Jaylyn and I knew he already knew what I wanted but he started to get up, acting like he didn’t. “Of course.”
“Troy, I’m fine, really.” Jaylyn said, trying to assure me that we didn’t need to talk but this was about something she could never find out about.
“I know you are and I’m glad. This is just taking precautionary measures to make sure it stays that way.”
She seemed unsure but kept that beautiful smile I loved so much and let us walk into the kitchen.
My smile was gone from me the second I turned from her and all I wanted from this was an explanation. “Well?”
/>
“You’re the one that called me in here, remember?”
“Don’t act like you don’t know. Why didn’t you ever tell me the truth about your father?”
“You mean that he’s a possessive controlling tyrant with little care for anyone other than his precious little Princess?”
“Something along those lines.”
“How could I tell you? Would you have believed me if I did? My father was a great man—just not so much to everyone. He always expected too much, especially from me. When Jay was born, he kind of lost sight of me for a while and went a little crazy. The last time I saw him alive, we had a fight.”
“Has he always come around this much?”
“Only when he wants something or thinks he needs to guide me a certain way—his way.”
“Yeah. He thought he’d apologize for leaving me unconscious for the last eight hours.”
“Times like this will go away. Sometimes he feels this need to be near Jay when she’s truly upset. It’s not so much with the little things. It has to be stronger.”
“He says he can feel when she’s in pain.”
“That maybe what calls him here but he never stays and she never sees him. I’ve always made sure of it and I’m glad you did too.”
“I truly thought about not doing it. I just wanted her better but I still stick to my decision. It would have only made it worse.”
“That it would have. She’s always been very attached to him. He was one of the very few people he would let her get close to and as you know, she’s bound to familiar things. He was her greatest hero.”
I’d like to think that I was her greatest hero. She has no use for him as I’ve said. He needed to just let her live her life and not interfere. He needs to trust that I can take care of her but I don’t think that he does—that’s why he’s here.
“It’s been just as hard for him to let go.” Trever said. He must have been listening to my thoughts. “He did die for her after all as foolish as it may have been. He’s always going to feel like she needs him.”
“Well, she doesn’t.”
“It’s just a father’s way and as long as she never sees him, I don’t see the harm in letting him care about her.”
“Accept now I have to deal with him.”
“It’s still better than her.”
I admit he was right—he always seemed to be right. I shouldn’t care so much that Bryce just wants to make sure his daughter is well. That’s all I could ever want for my son but now it wasn’t just Jaylyn that worried me. Bryce continuously coming here was a problem. I never want my son to remember it. He’s seen him. I had to get Bryce to be satisfied with me being Jaylyn’s new hero so he’d stop showing up whenever he felt she was troubled. I had to make him believe that I can take care of her.
The recent reason for him being here wasn’t because of me. It was because of him and that stupid journal that’s been kept from her until now. I still had a secret but it wasn’t one she ever needed to hear. It wouldn’t change anything just by her knowing. We were both kids when it happened. I didn’t help my father plan his death. I would have known from the beginning if I had and I would have told her then before we really got involved.
“Whatever you decide, I’m sure it will be worthy. You’ll have to stand up to him again, only this time, better. Remind him that he’s dead and you’re her sole caretaker now. He won’t have a choice because he’ll know you’re right but I’m sure he will protest. Just don’t budge on your decision for a second. One slightest eye twitch and he’ll know he’s getting to you and he won’t ever stop. Be firm and confident.”
“Thank you. It’s probably where I went wrong earlier.”
“He saw your fear and used it against you. Don’t let him have that advantage again and I guarantee you won’t see him for some years or maybe never again until—well, you know, the inevitable happens.”
“I die. Right. I’ll try when I see him again. Darius said he’d probably be around here a lot until I started seeing how great of a man he is.”
“Really? Darius said that?”
“He seemed pretty happy about it. He actually likes your father.”
“It shouldn’t surprise me. My father doesn’t like me most of the time. He still tries to steer me in his direction.”
“I think it had something to do with that.”
“What’s going on in here?”
I turned and Ryon walked in holding Seth.
“Nothing.” Trever said. “We’re done.”
“Oh, well, it’s eating time apparently. I forget that you people do that.”
“Good. We should all have some and then you can send me back.”
“You’re leaving?” I asked.
“I think everything is well under control now. I don’t want to be the one keeping Red locked away upstairs forever. I should be getting back.”
“Yeah and guess who else wants him back?” Ryon joked. “Bianca is probably creating ruts in the floor from pacing since you were first brought here.”
“She misses you that much?”
Trever laughed. “No. She’s afraid for me. She’s not comfortable with me being around Darius, especially if I’m alone.”
“She doesn’t have to be now that you’re taking a break from seeing each other.”
“Wrong.” I watched Trever’s eyes shift first to who came into the kitchen next. It was Darius with that voice that easily made everyone know he wasn’t pleased.
Chapter 37
Darius
“He’s taking a break from seeing Ruby, not me.”
“Yes and at a severe inconvenience, I know.” Trever replied.
“My choice. I’m not going to hide from you. This just ensures you don’t get anywhere near her while she’s trying to forget you.”
“She’s trying to forget me?”
“Isn’t that what you’re doing?”
“Come on, Darius. You know it wouldn’t have been that easy. I’m just—trying not to think she needs me so much. Old habits are hard to break. I’m sure you know all about that.”
“It was easy because I knew what I wanted but you, what you want is out of your reach and can never be touched. You’ll never break that habit if you keep coming here.”
“I didn’t come here for her at all.”
“Maybe not but you know she’s here and have already thought about seeing her maybe just by accident. That’s enough for you to never stop. So, why don’t you run back home to your scared little wife before I send you to her in pieces.”
“Killing me wouldn’t solve anything.”
“I didn’t say I would kill you. You’d just be in pieces. You can live without a few of those limbs, isn’t that right, Ryon?”
It was the first time someone else was involved in the conversation but Ryon didn’t seem happy that it had to be him. “Please. Darius, as much as I’ve grown to like you, don’t drag me into whatever this thing is you two have because I can’t choose your side. It’ll always be his and I don’t want to have to step in to stop you. I’m not here for any kind of confrontation. I’m here for Seth, that’s it.”
“It was really only a yes or no response I was looking for. You’d know best if someone could live without their limbs.”
“Possibly if they don’t bleed out but they wouldn’t be happy about it.”
“I wouldn’t do it to make him happy. That was kind of the point.”
“You don’t have to at all.” Troy said. “Trever was just getting ready to have Ryon send him back.”
“Good. Get on with it then. I can get Seth something to eat while you do. I just came here to get Dirk something.”
I heard a loud cracking sound and looked at the wall that separated the kitchen and dining room. Dirk was standing on the other side of a large hole he just made by pushing on the bricks.
Troy laughed. “I think he’s impatient.”
I didn’t laugh. I turned fully with a growing sigh. “Dirk! Couldn’t us
e a door?”
“Hungry.”
“I know! What do you think I’m doing? Sit over there and do nothing until I get it.”
Dirk pouted but listened and sat on the floor where I had pointed.
“Shit. I can’t leave that kid alone for a second before he destroys something only Adele can fix.”
“Not quite.” Ryon looked at the wall and the bricks reformed back to its solid state.
“Thank you.”
“No need. I know what it’s like to have Adele angry. It’s better this way.”
“At least until we can get him to control it. Ruby’s been working with him but he just has this unusual want to destroy things.”
Trever laughed. “Gets that from you.”
“Weren’t you leaving?”
“I suppose. Ryon, if you don’t mind?”
“You’re not going to stay and eat first?” Troy asked.
“I think it would be better if I didn’t.”
“For once you’re right.” I said.
Ryon grabbed Trever’s wrist and they were both gone out the kitchen door before he could have said anything back. I didn’t care. I was just glad that he was gone.
“Good. So, what should we eat?”
“How should I know? I kind of have my own problems.”
“Eating is important.”
“You know what I mean.”
“Hungry.”
My head slowly turned and Dirk was looking at me with his mother’s eyes. They were soft and gentle yet still getting the point across.
“I know. I said I’m getting it. Sorry, Troy. Your so-called problem will have to wait.”
“Don’t joke. It is a problem.”
“I’m sure you’ll fix it and everything will be fine.”
“Is he still here?”
I shrugged while I tried focusing more on getting the boys something to eat. “I don’t know. Zayden was still with him when Ruby asked me to feed Dirk. Someone should probably tell her she can come down now.”
Rising Sun (Fate's Intent Book 9) Page 21