My eyes blink excessively as my mind grapples with this latest information. “What the hell is going on, Alex? Did you really promote her to VP?”
She knots her hands in her lap. “I had no choice, and she’ll be our new VP unless she makes some catastrophic error in the period before her promotion takes effect, which I highly doubt, because she’s too conniving to make a mistake when she’s so close to everything she wants.”
“I still don’t understand.” I frown.
Alex leans forward on her knees. “There’s a lot I don’t know yet, which is why I need ears on her.” She gestures toward the brown envelope in her hand. “She’s trying to ruin me, to take everything from me, and she nearly succeeded, but thankfully, I’ve come to my senses in time. I’m not going down without a fight.” Steely resolve glimmers in her eyes, and I’m relieved to see the woman I first met when I moved here. “What she fails to comprehend is that I can be a formidable enemy in my own right. She’s going to regret this. If it’s the last thing I do, I’ll bring that bitch down. She’s going to get a taste of her own medicine.”
Hell, yeah. There’s nothing I’d like to see more. I take the envelope from her hand. “I’ll do it. I’ll help you.”
She exhales gratefully. “Thank you, Faye. I knew I could count on you.”
I’m about to head downstairs when she pulls me into an embrace. “You’ve no idea how much this means to me,” she whispers in my ear.
“I want to help, and I’ve never liked her. You know, when I first met her, I was taken aback at how much she looked like you. That’s on purpose, isn’t it?”
“I think so. I didn’t realize she had issues with me until it was too late. I was too busy to see what was right under my nose.”
I pat her arm. “Whatever is going on, I’m sure it isn’t your fault.”
A strained expression appears on her face. “We’re not completely faultless in this. If you give people ammunition, they won’t hesitate to use it.”
She kisses me on the cheek, smiling. “I’m not going to go quietly, and she’ll soon realize that.” I’m delighted she’s reclaimed her fighting spirit. Something tells me she’s going to need it.
“What was that all about?” Kal asks when I reach the bottom of the stairs. He’s lounging against the wall, examining me with inquisitive eyes.
I tweak his nose playfully. “That’s for me to know and you to find out!” I tease, preferring to deflect rather than outwardly lie. He pushes off the wall, looping his arm through mine as he smacks a loud kiss on my cheek. “What’s that for?”
“That’s for putting a smile on Mom’s face for the first time in weeks.”
Chapter Twenty-Seven
I’m walking to my bedroom when the sounds of girlish giggling pique my curiosity. Bypassing my bedroom, I head on to the games room. A petite girl with a mass of strawberry-blonde corkscrew curls is seated beside Keaton on the sofa, laughing at something he’s said.
“Hey.” I saunter into the room, smiling at my cousin. “Are you going to introduce me?”
“Melissa, this is Faye. Faye, Melissa.”
She gives me a small nervous wave. “Hi.” She’s softly spoken, and a delicate flush stains her cheeks.
I plunk down on the edge of the couch, beside my cousin. “Nice to meet you. I was beginning to think you were a figment of Keaton’s imagination.”
Keaton nudges my shoulder. “Funny, ha, ha.”
“How did you two meet?” Keaton has been extremely taciturn over his girlfriend, and I know next to nothing about her.
“We go to O.C. together,” Melissa confirms. “And we’ve known each other since sixth grade.” Her gray eyes lock on Keaton’s, and she beams at him. It’s so darn cute.
“Melissa is friends with Brad’s sister, Hope,” Keaton adds.
“You must miss her.”
“I do.” She bobs her head. “And I didn’t even get a chance to say goodbye.”
“You should talk to Brad while you’re here. I’m sure he’d love to see you. He misses his family a lot.”
“We’ve spoken a few times. I was hoping he might’ve had some way of contacting Melissa.”
I stand up. “It’s a sucky situation,” I empathize. “I’d love to stay and chat, but my shift starts soon. Catch you later, dude.” Keaton and I high-five. “Nice meeting you, Melissa. Hopefully, I’ll see you again soon.”
“Faye!” Ky calls out as I stroll past his room. I turn around and my heart thumps excitedly at the sight of him. He’s wearing a fitted gray shirt that hugs his muscular chest perfectly and expensive-looking jeans that showcase his toned, long legs. Visions of sliding my hands up under his shirt have me hot and bothered in a millisecond, and I shove my hands in my pockets to fight the urge to run to him and live out my fantasy.
He jerks his head to the side. “Keven is here. He has some news. You need to hear this.” He opens his door wide as I step toward him, my heart pounding harder with every step I take. Keven and Brad are in the room, slouched in chairs, talking quietly among themselves. I step into the room, and Ky closes the door behind me. I’m acutely aware of his warm, inviting body at my back. “Hey. You doing okay?” he whispers in my ear.
My entire body trembles, and in a moment of weakness, I lean back, stifling a moan when he presses up against me. The talking in the room stops, and we jump apart but not before Keven sends us a curious stare. Ky reclines against the wall, crossing one ankle over the other while I stand rooted to the spot, uneasy under Keven’s scrutiny. “Keven has proof that Addison and Jeremy were behind the email and the recording I was sent,” Ky confirms.
I whirl around. “Fantastic. We can use it to get her to back off?” I hate how much hope there is in my voice.
Ky pushes off the wall and walks toward me. “I wish it were that easy.” He smooths a hand over my hair. “She recorded it without Brad’s consent, but that’s all we have to bargain with. It’s not enough, and she’ll know it if we confront her now.”
“We need to keep digging,” I surmise, and there’s no disguising my disappointment.
Ky reels me into his chest, circling his arms around my waist. I cling onto him as he kisses the top of my head. “I’m afraid so, babe.”
“Would someone mind explaining what’s going on?” Keven sounds bewildered as he stares at us.
Tucking me into his side, Ky turns us around to face his brother. My mouth opens and closes as I struggle to explain the convoluted mess that is our relationship. Ky has no such qualms. “We love each other, and we’d be together if it wasn’t for my manipulative ex.”
Keven’s eyes dart wide as he folds his arms and stares at us with an indecipherable expression. “Do Mom and Dad know about this?”
“Yep. Kal and Keaton, too.” Ky’s arms tighten around me, and it’s hard to restrain my sigh of contentment.
Keven turns to Brad. “I thought you two had a thing.”
A flash of hurt splays over his handsome face before he looks down at his feet. “Nah, man. We’re just faking it to keep heat off Faye at school.” He gives a lopsided shrug.
“Uh-huh.” Keven’s gaze bounces between the three of us.
“What the hell does that mean?” Ky’s whole demeanor transforms instantly.
“Nothing. Only an observation.”
Ky glares at him.
“I hope you two know what you’re in for when this gets out.”
“I don’t care.” Ky runs his hand up and down my arm, igniting the usual flame inside me. “Faye is all I want. I can deal with whatever shit people throw at me.”
Brad kicks at imaginary dirt on the floor with the toe of his boot.
“You should tell Kaden. He’ll be pissed if he’s the last to know. You know how he gets.”
“Don’t say a word. I’ll tell him.”
“Fine.” Keven rises.
“I’ll keep digging for dirt on Addison, and I’ll let you know as soon as I find anything.”
“Thanks, man,” Ky says. “You sticking around?”
“Yeah. Mom wants me to stay for dinner, and apparently, we’ve another family meeting later.”
“I heard, and it’s hardly a coincidence they want to talk to us after today’s reports. The press is having a field day.”
“Fucking parasites,” Keven seethes on his way out. “Catch you later.”
Brad is up on his feet, scurrying out after Keven. “Homework,” he mumbles, shooting us a weak smile.
“Why is Brad acting all weird?” I frown.
He sighs. “Why’d ya think?”
I don’t want to even acknowledge the implication let alone discuss it so I ignore the question, slipping out from under his arm. “I need to get ready for work.”
Ky presses his lips to my forehead, and a tiny whimper slips out of my mouth. “I miss you,” he whispers. “Please, leave your window unlocked tonight. I need to hold you.”
I worry my lip between my teeth. “That’ll only make things worse, and you know we won’t be able to keep our hands to ourselves if we’re in bed together.”
A seductive grin lifts the corners of his mouth. “Why do you think I suggested it?”
I smile despite myself. “You’re incorrigible.” I step around him, smoothing a hand over his delectable butt. “And far too tempting.” I jump out of the way before he can drag me back into his arms. A girl only has so much self-control.
I’m at the door when he calls out to me. “So, what about later?”
I spin around and send him a cheeky grin. “I’ll think about it.”
I’m still thinking about it an hour later as I arrive at work.
“Girl, I know that grin,” Rose smirks. “I thought you and loverboy were steering clear of one another until you’ve dealt with the trash?” I’ve told Rose the latest with Ky and me so she’s completely up to speed. I lean against the counter with my back facing the open floor. It’s quiet in here tonight for a change.
“We are, but my willpower is stretched to the limit.” I fill her in on Ky’s tempting offer.
“The girls in school would parade butt naked through town for the chance to have Kyler Kennedy warming their bed, and here you are considering turning him down.” She fake tut-tuts and I bark out a laugh.
“I can’t stand the thought that he’s coming straight from her to me.” My good humor instantly dissipates. “You know that.”
“He’s not coming straight from her bed to yours. Besides, how is what he’s doing all that different from what you’re doing with Brad?”
“I’m not kissing Brad or dry humping him against the wall.” I shudder as the image of Ky and Addison at the party replays in vivid Technicolor in my mind. Ugh.
“For the record,” a familiar voice says behind me. “I’ve no problem with either of those things. No issue whatsoever.”
I spin around, slamming a hand over my chest where my heart is pounding frantically against my ribcage. “Jeez! Brad! You scared the heck out of me. I didn’t know you were there.”
“Just call me Mr. Invisible,” he drawls without any trace of humor. At the last second, he takes stock of himself, offering me a clearly forced smile.
“Faye.” A stern voice chastises me, and I mentally curse. I turn around and face my boss. David is standing in the doorway with a strange look on his face. “Stop flirting with your boyfriend and get out on the floor. There are customers that need serving.”
My cheeks flare up and I’m too embarrassed to correct him or to argue the point. “Of course, David. I’m sorry.”
Rose’s brows lift as she shoots me a “What the hell’s gotten up his butt?” look.
David has barely had any engagement with us since he returned to work after his hospital stay, preferring to hide out in his office rather than speak with his staff. Most shifts, he comes out at some point and stands wordlessly behind the counter, quietly observing everything, before ducking back into his office for the rest of the night. He’s lucky we are conscientious and that we can effectively run this place with our eyes closed. I’m not sure what I’ve done to annoy him, and it hardly seems fair. Rose flirts with every male that steps foot in this joint, and he doesn’t seem to have any issue with her.
David sends Rose home an hour before the diner closes, and I’m left twiddling my thumbs with nothing to do and no one to talk to. It’s like a ghost town in here tonight, and apart from a couple of guys at the counter and one full booth, the place is empty.
I start the cleanup when the chef on duty strolls out the door with a wave, and the last of our customers leave. The empty quietness is a little creepy so I grab a rake of quarters from my purse and line up some tunes on the jukebox. My hips sway to the music as I mop the floors and wipe down the booths. I’m cleaning the hot plated area when David appears in the doorway, crossing his arms as he frowns at me. I stop what I’m doing, glancing up at him with an inquisitive look as I wonder if I’ve forgotten to do something. David stares at me wordlessly, his frown expanding. His lips turn down, and his eyes narrow as he steps toward me. All the tiny hairs on the back of my neck lift, and I gulp as a sudden uneasy feeling sweeps over me.
“Is something wrong?” I ask, hating that my voice trembles a little.
“I don’t know. You tell me?” He glares at me, and instinctively I take a step back toward the counter.
I force a smile on my face. “Nope. Nothing’s wrong. Everything’s good. I’m almost finished and my ride should be here at any moment.”
He takes a step toward me, and I move back again. “Your ride?” His face contorts unpleasantly, and I instinctively step back, my spine hitting the solid edge of the counter.
David moves in, planting his hands on either side of me, effectively caging me in. I jolt back, scared by the ferocious look on his face. I don’t know what I’ve done to set him off, but he’s scaring the hell out of me. I know the last few weeks have been very difficult for him, and I sensed he hadn’t fully recovered from his breakdown, but this is still way out of line.
Straightening up, I put my hands on his chest and shove. “Please move away from me. This is completely inappropriate and you’re scaring me.”
He reaches up, yanking my hat off my head and removing the tie from my hair. My hair falls in tousled curls down my back and he rubs a few strands between his fingers. “I know you do it on purpose.”
I shove at him again, but he doesn’t budge. Adrenaline is coursing through my veins as he pins me with a contemptuous glare. “You’re just like your momma.”
Wait? What? “I don’t understand,” I stutter, eyeing my bag on the end of the counter. I need to get to my phone. I don’t know what’s going on here, but I don’t have a good feeling about this.
“I know you’re sleeping around, and you’ve no idea how much it disgusts and disappoints me. You were such a sweet little girl. Where did it all go wrong?” He grabs my wrist and squeezes.
Butterflies are careening around my chest and a line of sweat coasts down my spine. “David. You need to let me go. I want to go home.”
He grips my chin, pinching it painfully. “You think I don’t know what you’ll do when we go home? That I don’t know how you sneak out of your window at night? Who is it this time? Who are you whoring it with now?”
His eyes glimmer with rage, and terror grips my heart in an ironclad lock. Lifting my leg, I ram my knee into his crotch with force. He drops his hands to his groin, emitting a loud roar. I dart out of his reach, grab my bag, and run out into the corridor toward the emergency exit. My feet slap against the tiled floor as blood rushes to my ears. I race down the corridor toward the exit, glancing over my shoulder as I run. I crash into the door, nudging my shoulder against it, thrusting violently, but it doesn’t budge. My heart rate s
pikes to coronary-inducing proportions as I look up at the large padlock securing the door at the top.
Cursing, I fumble in my bag for my phone.
“You little bitch!” David roars, and I lift my chin, screaming as he hobbles down the corridor toward me. I dash into the nearest room—his office—and shut the door, tugging the leather couch over and pushing it up against the door. A large thud knocks against the door, and David emits a guttural roar. With trembling fingers, I search for my phone. Emptying the contents of my bag on the desk, I snatch up my phone and pull up Ky’s details, pressing the call button. The shunting at the door is getting more forceful, and I scream as the door opens a smidgeon and the couch moves back. My eyes flit around the room in panic.
Answer the Goddamned phone, Ky! The shrill ring tone taunts me as I work hard to quell the rising nausea. David yells and the couch moves forward some more. I scream at the top of my lungs, and my heart is beating so fast in my chest it feels like it’s about to sprout wings and fly away.
The dial tone rings out, going straight to voicemail as my eyes lock on the rectangular sliding glass frame built into the far wall. David had it installed so he could keep an eye on the diner from his office. I dart toward it as Ky’s recorded voice asks me to leave a message. I slide the glass window open but the space is far too narrow to get through. Glancing frantically around the room, I pick up the large dumbbell resting on the floor under David’s desk as I leave a message for Ky. “Help me! Call the police! I’m at the diner, and David has lost his mind. He’s going to hurt me.” I scream hysterically as the couch lurches across the floor and David appears in the doorway with a murderous expression in his gaze. The phone drops out of my hand. Throwing the dumbbell at the window, I hurl myself through it as the glass shatters into pieces. My body is halfway through the frame when David grabs my legs and pulls. A sharp pain rips across my stomach and I scream.
Losing Kyler (The Kennedy Boys Book 2) Page 25