Page 62 of Shattered Vows

“He has not!” I stomp my foot like a toddler.

“Look at you.” My mom waves her hand up and down my body. “Short skirt, your hair is all gone, and you look like a trollop with that makeup. Is this all in an effort to keep him interested? Mark my words, Rapsody, one day he’ll tire of you and set you aside as if you meant nothing. And you’ll be heartbroken and all alone. A man like Kol Voss, a man who can have anything and anyone he wants, isn’t going to stay satisfied with the likes of you.”

Her words cut deep.

“He will not.” I wish I sounded more confident, but despite myself, her words are penetrating the cracks in my self-esteem formed by being raised in a locked apartment.

A caustic laugh erupts out of her, and she shakes her head. “You’ll see. And I’ll be ready and waiting when you do.”

She slips out the bathroom door, and I’m taken aback that she just gave up. A big part of me wants to follow her. I miss my mother. But I can’t live under her reign any longer. And the things she said… I know she’s only trying to help me, prevent me from being hurt, but no. I’ll show her. When Kol and I are still going strong in a few months, I’ll reach out to her, change her mind about him. Maybe the three of us can get together, and she’ll see that he’s not who she thinks he is.

I gather myself before leaving the bathroom. When I glance around the bar after entering the main room, there’s no sign of my mother. How did she even know where to find me?

Sliding into my seat beside Anabelle, I give her my best version of a natural smile. I’m still shaken by my encounter with my mom.

“I was about to send in the search party,” she says, bringing her wine glass to her lips.

“Sorry, I was just making sure my makeup still looked okay.” It’s a lame excuse, but it’s all I can come up with.

“No worries. Now tell me about how you and Kol first met. I’ve never heard the story.”

Yes, that’s exactly what I need. A reminder of the Kol I first met and the man who emerges a little more every day.

Chapter

Twenty-Seven

KOL

Where the hell is she?

She’s been gone for hours. How long can it possibly take to get your hair cut?

I’ve been trying to keep myself busy with work shit that needs to get done, but that’s been ineffective. I can’t concentrate for more than a few minutes, so I shut my laptop with a sigh and stand from my desk.

Asher.

Asher will know what’s going on.

He’s as protective as, if not worse than, me and surely he tracks Anabelle.

I make my way through the manor from my wing over to his, the west wing.

It took every ounce of my willpower to let Rapsody walk out of here after lunch. The fear that she may disappear and not come back like she did once before is a living, breathing nightmare. I made sure to have Anabelle promise not to let Rapsody out of her sight, but it still isn’t enough to satisfy me.

I’m possessive where Rapsody is concerned. More than I should be. More than is healthy, I’m sure.

I walk into Asher’s office without knocking.

He looks up from behind his desk, sees me, and leans back in his chair. “To what do I owe the pleasure of your company, brother?” A sly grin creases his lips because he fucking knows why I’m here.

Asshole.

“Have you talked to Anabelle?” I shove my hands in my jeans to calm them.

Asher may wear designer suits to work from home, but the fuck if I will.

“I talk to her all the time. In the morning, during the day.” He points toward her desk on the other side of the room. “Nighttime. Well, I don’t talk to her a lot at night, but there is talking.” He waggles his eyebrows.

---