Loyal Love

by Henry, Max

  “For us,” Dad corrects her. “They’re our children, Alicia.”

  She remains mute, flaring her nostrils instead. I take a step forward, still holding Colt’s hand for comfort.

  “Why are you here, Mum?”

  She gestures for Derek to answer on her behalf. “James, I believe that Alicia’s parents invested in your career by way of paying for your university degree.” He rolls his lips before continuing. “She has asked that you settle the costs for my services in defending Colt as a repayment.”

  Dad turns red in the face. “That was a gift, Alicia. A wedding gift.”

  “And now we’re getting divorced, so …”

  I can’t believe the callousness of my mother.

  “You know I can’t afford to do that, Derek.” Dad takes a step toward him; fist clutched between them.

  “Then Alicia has requested I draw up documents to sue you for recompense.”

  “Mum!” Colt hollers. “What the hell?”

  “What he did,” Alicia yells, gesturing to Dad, “left us with nothing. I have to get by however I can.”

  “Did you entertain the idea of getting a job?” Colt asks.

  She pulls a face at him as though she’s unamused by his dry humour.

  “You can’t do this to him,” I add. “Dad can barely support us all as it is.”

  “Why are you here then?” she asks matter-of-factly. “You should have stayed in Riverbourne if you knew your father wouldn’t be able to feed you all.”

  “Yet,” Colt says. “Unlike you, Lacey and I are prepared to find employment to help out.”

  We are? He does know minimum wage jobs are at a premium in Arcadia, right?

  Our argument is brought to an abrupt halt when a cream sports car careens into our driveway, narrowly missing Mum’s Mercedes. I recognise the emblem on the front of the coupe and the custom gold trim around the grill immediately.

  Marion Mayberry has arrived.

  “You,” Christian’s mum screams before she’s finished opening her door.

  The engine stays idling as she strides toward Derek on pin-point heels unsuitable for the terrain out here.

  “How dare you.” Her face is a proper storm. “And you,” she cries toward Alicia. “You home-wrecking whore.”

  Now, in times past, this is the point where my chivalrous father would have stepped in to defend Mum’s honour. Yet funny things happen when people show their true colours. Their once allies suddenly lose interest in what hurts them and, as Dad does now, find it a lot easier to stand by and watch while the person is torn to shreds.

  “Marion!” It’s Derek who steps in to keep the women apart. “What is the meaning of this?”

  Her tone takes on a scarily low level. “Oh, don’t you play the innocent lawyer with me, Derek.” She reaches into the pocket of her skirt and hauls out a sheet of hastily folded paper. “Explain this.”

  Marion thrusts it at Derek. He scans the page and visibly pales a few shades.

  “What is it?” Alicia leans over his shoulder, yet her reaction is quite different. “You think a few charges on a credit card will back up whatever wild theory you’re cooking?”

  Marion steps around a still shocked Derek to press a stiff finger into Alicia’s collarbone. “They won’t, but the security camera footage will.”

  “She’s bluffing,” Derek finally says. “She couldn’t have got that.”

  Dad retreats from the drama unfolding before us and moves to stand with Colt and me.

  “Tell them that your card was stolen and that you need help identifying the thieves, and employees are only too happy to oblige,” Marion explains. “You’re not the only cunning one in our house, Derek.”

  Christian’s father glances toward Dad of all people.

  Dad lifts both hands. “Hey, man. She’s all yours now. I don’t care.”

  “This is gold,” Colt mumbles as the three return to bickering. He looks away to retrieve his phone.

  I glance down when he holds the screen for me to see. A message from Christian shows as a notification.

  C: You’re welcome.

  “What does he mean?”

  Colt gestures to where Alicia bolts for her car, Marion throwing anything she can lay her hands on after her. “I assume he means this.”

  “James?” Derek asks, somewhat sheepishly. “Could we adjourn this for another time? I need to go sort this out before anyone else hears of it.”

  Dad can’t keep his amusement hidden. “Sure.” He frowns, fighting his smile. “I can see you’re a busy man.”

  Derek nods and then turns for where Marion already guns her engine. He tentatively gets in the car, carried away with a squeal of tires as she hits the road.

  “Well.” Colt lifts both eyebrows. “That was interesting.”

  “Indeed,” Dad agrees.

  I chew my bottom lip before asking. “But what does it mean?”

  “It means,” Dad explains, “that whatever bullshit Derek cooked up for Colt has lost its credibility.”

  “It means, little sis,” Colt adds, wrapping his arm around my shoulders. “That we, the black sheep, now have the upper hand.”

  I suppose we do.

  SURPRISE!

  I know Loyal Love was supposed to be the conclusion of the Arcadia High Anarchists series, but Lacey and Colt demanded better explanation on how they get their resolution.

  And who am I to argue with these guys ;)

  PREORDER DONE DEAL, the finale (yep, I promise it will be), here!

  DONE DEAL: Arcadia High Anarchists #5

  The page-turning conclusion to the Arcadia High Anarchists series!

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  ALSO BY MAX

  Visit Amazon here: amazon.com/author/maxhenry

  STANDALONE

  Malaise

  Tough Love

  Echoes In The Storm

  DARK TIDE SERIES (Rock star)

  Down Beat

  Amplifier

  Coming Soon

  Bottleneck

  TWISTED HEARTS DUET (New Adult/Age Gap)

  Desire

  Regret

  FALLEN ACES MC SERIES

  Unrequited

  Unbreakable

  Tormented

  Existential

  Misguided

  BUTCHER BOYS SERIES

  Devil You Know

  Devil on Your Back

  Devil May Care

  Devil in the Detail

  Devil Smoke

  RED HOT READ NOVELLAS

  One More Night

  Playing with the Boss

  Lady Killer

  Physical Therapy

  THE MUSIC

  Listen to the songs that encouraged the book here: https://spoti.fi/2YQSdIR

  “Beautiful is Boring” – BONES UK

  “CAMPION” – Bishop Briggs

  “Creature” – BONES UK

  “Damn Loyal” – Eves Karydas

  “Dance Monkey” – Tones and I

  “Day Drunk” – Morgan Evans

  “Doin’ Time” – Lana Del Ray

  “Gold (Stupid Love)” – Excision, ILLENIUM, Black Tiger Sex Machine

  “The Good Life” – Thirsty Merc

  “Hurt” – Oliver Tree

  “The Kids Are Coming” – Tones and I

  “My People” – The Presets

  “Rescue” – Zeds Dead, Dion Timmer, Delaney Jane

  “Teach Me To Fight” – YONAKA

  “Wake Up Little Susie” – The Everly Brothers

  “Where We Go” – P!nk

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  Born and bred in Canterbury, New Zealand, Max now resides with her family in beautiful and sunny Queensland, Australia.

  Life with two young children can be hectic at times and, although she may not write as often as she would like, Max wouldn’t change a thing.

  An avid lover of stories from a young age, she enjoys nothing more than to get lost in the pages while the characters dictate wha
t direction she takes. Her favourite genre to write is young/new adult and the events in her stories may or may not be related to real life experiences (only she will ever know for sure).

  In her down time, Max can be found at her local gym brainstorming through a session with the weights. If not, she’s probably out drooling over one of many classic cars on show that she wishes she owned.

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