A panicked feeling slammed into my middle like I’d been punched right in the gut.
The crowd shifted, and I caught a full-on view of our uninvited, unwelcome guest.
Zach’s father.
Chapter Thirty
Romeo
She winked at me.
She. Fucking. Winked.
I’d given out lots of winks in my lifetime. They never ceased to make the ladies giggle and panties drop.
Can’t say I’d ever been on the receiving end of a wink.
Until now.
Until my wife went and freaking mastered the sexiest wink in the history of sexy winks.
On her first try.
Day-um.
When I pulled her out onto the dance floor, all I could think about was the time at Screamerz when we’d done a little more than dancing. I had to restrain myself tonight. I mean, this wasn’t a nightclub, the lights weren’t near dark, and my parents were in the room somewhere.
That last thought was enough to make the boner I was starting to rock die a swift and painful death.
This wasn’t my first time at an event like this. I made some appearances last year during the season, attended a few events. And I grew up with my mother. She hosted crap like this on a regular basis. That meant I was used to it. Rim wasn’t.
But damn if she didn’t own the room.
You’d never know by looking at her that she hated this kind of stuff. She made it look natural. There had to be five hundred people here, easy, but she outshined them all.
Even from across the room, I felt her pull. The warmth of her smile, the light sound of her laughter. More than once, the shine of her wavy hair caught my attention when she shook her head beneath the lights.
And her legs.
Damn, what a pair of stems.
I don’t know what the hell kind of magic those gold heels and flirty short/long dress of hers was wielding, but I was completely under her spell.
And it wasn’t just me.
I saw people looking.
Hell, I looked for people looking (a guy needed to know who was checking out his girl). Eyes went back to her again and again. I even caught a few members of the Knights totally checking her out.
It pissed me off, but I didn’t say a word. This wasn’t the time or place. But once we got on the field, I’d deliver some payback.
Besides, she was mine. Totally. Completely. It didn’t matter if men looked at her, because she didn’t want them and she never would.
I knew how to keep my girl happy, and I’d spend the rest of my life doing it.
I sensed when he walked in. I didn’t know who was here, just that someone or something that wasn’t supposed to be was.
The heaviness that suddenly befell the room was intense. Even in a crowd, his presence rippled through swiftly until it stopped at me.
Robert was by one of the wide archways that led out into the hall that led outside. He was in a suit, but it wasn’t in any presentable shape. The color was dull gray, and it only served to make him look worse.
His hair was disheveled, his jaw unshaven. The gray in his hair seemed a lot more pronounced, like he was aging at some exponential rate. The second Rimmel saw him, she pulled out of my arms, her body went rigid, and her face went pale.
It pissed me off, and I growled something, but I didn’t think about what it was because Robert started yelling.
“I’ve come to congratulate the happy couple! No thanks to them, my son will never see an occasion such as this!”
I moved to stand in front of Rim and at the same time sought out Braeden in the crowd. I found him immediately. He was still standing with the two reporters, and my jaw tightened. He did not need this tonight.
He was well aware of who was here. He might have only heard that voice once, but it had been enough.
A man didn’t forget the sound of the voice that accused him of murder.
Drew was on the dance floor, closest to Rim and me. I turned swiftly and picked her up, her bare feet dangling over the floor as I stepped over to Drew’s side. He’d been dancing with some brunette, but when he saw us, he stepped away from her and toward my girl.
“Watch her,” I ordered low and plunked Rim down beside him.
“I got her,” Drew replied and put his arm across her shoulders.
Rimmel opened her mouth to argue, but I gave her a hard look. “Stay with Drew.”
Her mouth slammed shut. I never talked to her like that. Sure, I bossed her around, but I never really meant that shit. I only did it ‘cause I thought it was cute when she got pissed off.
But I wasn’t joking now.
Drew angled himself in front of her, and I turned back. She might be mad at me later, and she could be mad all she wanted. At least she’d be safe and out of the crossfire that was surely about to start.
The crowd parted as I made my way toward Robert. He was leaving. Now. Somewhere not too far away, I heard my mother summoning security.
He’d be gone before they got here. I didn’t like to make a scene, but sometimes it couldn’t be helped. At least I wouldn’t ruin his ugly-ass suit when I threw him out on his ass.
His hollow eyes locked on me. It wasn’t a look of a man bent on revenge. It wasn’t even a look of hate. Zach had those looks down to a science.
No, Robert Bettinger was a man in pain. He was a lost man acting out because he didn’t know what else to do.
I felt kinda sorry for him.
Kinda.
This wasn’t the time or place for his issues. He could put them back in his bag and check them at the door.
“Where is he?” Robert asked, his voice loud enough to carry. Not that it mattered. He could whisper, and everyone would still hear. The place was quiet enough to hear a mouse fart. Even the band had stopped playing.
“You aren’t welcome here,” I answered. “Please leave.”
“Not too long ago, I’d have been on the guest list.”
Yeah, well, that was before your son tried to kill my family.
“I bet the bastard who killed my son is on the guest list!”
I sucked in a breath and hurried the rest of the way toward him.
A few things happened at once.
Ivy entered through the same wide archway Robert had just come through. She must have been out in the bathroom in the hall. The second she saw him, her steps faltered and she took a step back.
I gave her a look, silently telling her to get the hell out of here before he saw her.
But, of course, Robert followed my gaze and all his attention went to Ivy. “You,” he spat, with more dislike in his voice than before. “Have you been filling the society elite’s head with lies about how my son raped you!”
A collective gasp went through the room.
All the blood drained from Ivy’s face. She turned so white, so fast it scared me.
Braeden shoved through the crowd and stopped beside me just in time to see Ivy wobble on her feet and reach out a steadying hand to catch herself on the wall.
“You son of a bitch!” B roared and lunged forward.
I caught him around the waist, barely able to restrain him. As much as Robert deserved it, Braeden attacking him in a room full of people would only hurt B. Robert could use it as ammo in the case he was trying to build, and an entire room full of people including all the important Knights staff would get a front row seat to B’s temper.
That would not be good publicity.
“Man, not now,” I told him quietly. “Think about your future. Think.”
Braeden fought against me some more. I put him in a tighter grip. “Look at Ivy,” I demanded. “She’s going to fall over. This is too fucking much. You need to take care of her.”
The fight left his body instantly. He went completely slack.
I let go, and he rushed past Robert and lifted Ivy into his arms and hurried out of sight.
I gave the lead singer of the band a what the fuck Look and motioned for him to start playi
ng again. Hopefully, the music would drown out Robert’s yapping.
Gentle would be the last word used to describe how I was when I grabbed Robert right up under his armpit as the music began. It was some upbeat, happy song, and I wanted to laugh.
I towed Robert out of the room, my father hastening after us.
“I can’t believe you had the nerve to show up here,” Dad told his old colleague.
“I can’t believe you had the nerve to throw a party! My son is dead.”
“And we’re all very sorry about that, Robert, but Zach’s been gone for several months, and our family has a right to move on.”
Security came around the corner down the hall and rushed forward.
‘Bout fucking time.
Robert opened his mouth to say something no one wanted to hear, and I slapped a hand over his face. I was well aware of the reporters and cameramen watching from inside the door. People were riveted by whatever personal drama was conspiring right here under their noses.
“If you don’t shut the fuck up right now”—I leaned in close so only he could hear my words—“you won’t be the only one building a lawsuit.”
His eyes flared and he tried to say something, but my hand blocked the words.
Dad sighed. “You know as well as I do that Romeo would be within his legal rights to file a restraining order. Is that what you want, Robert? Another dark cloud over your family? Would you like a lawsuit for defamation of character?”
Beneath my hand, his nostrils flared. He was like a bull in a china shop, a bomb about to detonate.
“What’s going on here?” one of the security members asked.
“He needs to be escorted off the property,” I said. “Now.”
Robert was seized by both arms and all but hauled away.
“My son was nothing but a victim!” The broken sound that ripped from his chest made the back of my neck tighten. “He was a victim his entire life. It’s all my fault.”
Dad and I stood there for a long time, staring after him, even after he’d disappeared.
My father turned to me. “I hate to say this, but it was a good thing he showed up tonight.”
“How much beer have you had tonight, Dad?” I muttered, still watching where he’d gone. If he came running back in here, I was gonna take him out.
I didn’t think of Zach as a victim. I thought of him as an aggressor. But I guess it wasn’t so out of left field that the guy had been a victim of something in his life. How else would his wild behavior make any sense?
“Not near enough.” Dad chuckled and shook his head. “He just set fire to his credibility, and no less than five hundred people were here to see how unstable he behaved. If he ever somehow gets charges filed against Braeden, they won’t stick because he clearly can’t remain objective.”
After I was sure he wasn’t going to come back, I looked around for B and Ivy. They hadn’t come back in. “I’m going to go talk to Braeden,” I told Dad.
He nodded. “I’ll let Rimmel know you’re okay and with Braeden.”
“Thanks.” Dad turned back, but I called his name. I stepped close to him and spoke quietly. “How much damage did Robert do to Braeden tonight?”
He sighed and rubbed a hand over his face. “I don’t know. I would say none because he never actually accused Braeden directly, but you and I both know everyone realizes Braeden and Ivy were at the scene of the accident. Those details spread like wildfire.”
“I can’t believe he tried to make it sound like Ivy was lying. That was really fucking low. No one had to know she was raped.”
My father’s expression hardened. “I agree. That was uncalled for. I’ll go inside and try and do some damage control, see what people are saying.”
Yeah, maybe it was callous to be standing here talking about doing damage control for Braeden’s reputation and career. But this was my brother. His life. I wouldn’t let Zach take anything else from my family.
“Excuse me!” a familiar voice echoed from the crowd. Seconds later, Rimmel emerged from the gathered people and burst into the hall. Drew and Trent scrambled along behind her, and it kinda made me smile.
It was Snow White followed by two of her dwarfs.
Well, really big dwarfs.
“Is he gone?” she asked the second she saw me.
I nodded and held out my hand. She rushed forward and slid hers home. Drew and Trent hung back a little, and I hitched my chin toward the doors leading outside. “Ivy’s out there.”
Outside was dark and cold. Patches of snow clung to the sidewalk and the grassy area beyond. The wind wasn’t blowing very hard, but there was enough of a breeze to make it feel even colder.
I stripped off the black suit jacket I was wearing over my white dress shirt and gold tie as my eyes scanned the dark for B. They weren’t too far ahead, leaning against the outside of the building close to the large wooden deck, which was closed for the winter.
Rimmel started forward first, and I draped my jacket around her as she went. That dress was beautiful, but she was gonna freeze her ass off. Thank God she put her shoes back on or I’d be stripping mine off too, and she’d been walking around in boats.
She shoved her arms through the sleeves as we hurried forward, the long length of her hair trapped beneath the coat, and she made no attempt to pull it free. She likely didn’t even notice, as she was too focused on our family.
“Ivy!” Rimmel fretted. “Are you okay?”
“What the hell is wrong with my sister?” Drew said, alarmed. His footsteps quickened on the pavement as he went around us all to stop right beside Braeden.
Ivy was leaning against the building, B’s suit jacket pulled around her shoulders and her hands tucked up beneath the lapels, holding it in place. Braeden had both hands leaning on the building on either side of her body, as if he were worried she might fall over and he’d need to catch her.
“I’m fine,” she said, her voice a little shaky. “I just wasn’t expecting him to show up and tell everyone I was raped.”
Rimmel’s hand found mine and clutched. I glanced down at her, but she wasn’t looking at me. She was looking toward Ivy with a concern on her face.
“Are you feeling all right?” she asked.
Ivy nodded, an action I knew Rim couldn’t see because of B and Drew standing in front of her.
I looked at B, trying to gauge where he was with his emotions. His face was shuttered, but his shoulders were so tense it looked painful. He was fucking pissed, but he was holding on to it all for Ivy’s sake.
“He’s been escorted out of here. He’s not getting back in. He might have said some shit in front of the reporters to stir the pot, but he lost all credibility with that stunt.”
Braeden shoved off the wall and swung to face me. “You think I give a flying fuck about my career right now?” he yelled. “That motherfucker just accused Ivy of lying about what his scumbag son did to her! Acted like it was her who was in the wrong.”
“He’s his father,” Ivy said miserably.
Braeden’s eyes flared. “That’s no fucking excuse! If my son did something so fucking reprehensible, I would never defend him!”
I agreed. One hundred percent.
But Braeden’s words seemed to upset Ivy more.
A sob tore from her throat, and she started to cry. Drew pulled her into his chest and hugged her close, glaring at B over her head.
“Ivy…” Braeden sighed and most of his anger dissolved. He looked tired when he turned to me. “I’m gonna take her home. You cool with that?”
I nodded, wishing I could leave with them. This was my fucking party, and I had to at least go inside and smile and act like nothing was wrong. If the media smelled trouble, they’d be all over us all. Braeden might not care right now, but he would if the press was swarming outside our house.
“Get the hell out of here,” I said and pulled my car keys out of my pocket. “Take the Cat. I’ll have my parents drop us home.” The four of us had driven togethe
r, leaving B’s truck behind.
“I have my Mustang,” Trent said from beside Drew. “I’ll drive everyone home, and you and Rim can keep the Cat here for when you can get out.”
“Thanks,” B said and motioned for me to keep the keys.
“I’ll go pull it around,” Trent said.
“C’mon, Ives,” Drew said gently and started to lead her away.
“Hells no,” Braeden snapped and reached for her. “She stays with me.”
She fit herself into his side with a sigh. Drew looked like he wanted to argue, but Ivy shook her head. “It’s fine. Go with Trent. My feet hurt. I’ll wait here.”
Drew jogged after Trent, and then it was just the four of us.
“I’m really sorry about tonight, princess.” I called her by the nickname she hated, hoping it would get her to smile.
It didn’t.
“I should have had security at the door watching for him.”
“This isn’t your fault, Romeo,” Ivy said, sounding a little more like herself. “I shouldn’t let it get to me. It’s just now everyone knows. Now, whenever they look at me, it’s all they’ll see. I don’t want to see what I’m trying to move past in everyone’s eyes when they look at me.”
Braeden closed his eyes momentarily and his throat worked when he swallowed.
“We’ll find a way to put a gag order on him,” I vowed.
“Damage is done,” B muttered. “I outta go find that—”
“Stop right there,” I intoned. “You already have enough to worry about without adding Robert crying assault.”
“Fucker deserves it,” he muttered darkly.
“He ain’t worth it,” I reminded him.
A few yards away, Trent’s silver Mustang slid up to the curb just on the other side of the grass.
“I left my clutch inside,” Ivy said, straightening.
“I’ll go grab it for you,” Rimmel offered and then went rushing off inside.
Before the door behind her could swing shut, it was pushed open and a few of the Knights walked out. “There he is,” Thomas said when he saw me.
I hitched my chin. “What’s going on?”
“Nothing, just wanted to come offer our support to our quarterback and our rookie.”
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