Page 142 of Forbidden Lyrics

It’s the way he says it that makes me pause. The determination. The promise.

I believe him.

But it’s not enough.

“Can I trust you to keep Marty away from him?”

Donny stays quiet, but his expression is stricken with guilt, and it spurs me on.

Waving my arm at my brother lying in a hospital bed, I spit, “Marty did this. You guys are both so blinded by your relationships with him that you don’t see he’s a poisonous snake who will bite you as soon as he decides it benefits him. Look what he did to Fen. Look what he did to me and Dove. He’s poison. And I can’t let him hurt the people I love anymore.”

“I understand,” Donny replies. “I’ll make sure he keeps his distance.”

“And if he doesn’t?” I challenge.

“He loses my financial support.”

I flinch back, convinced I’ve heard him wrong. “You’d pull his funds?”

“To protect my other sons? Yes,” Donny promises. “I’m not naive, Gibson. I understand Marty has his own issues. But to push them on either of you? That’s unacceptable, and it won’t be tolerated.”

My eyes narrow as I take in his somber expression. His tight posture. His determined stare.

“Good,” I decide.

“Good,” he repeats. “You can take my private jet. My driver’s parked outside. He’ll set everything up.”

“I don’t need your help––”

“So do it for Miss Walker. From what I gather, she needs you.”

She doesn’t need me. I’m the one who needs her. And I’m the selfish bastard who’s able to admit it. Hell, I’ll scream it from the rooftops if it’ll convince her to talk to me. But leaving my brother in a hospital room isn’t exactly easy.

I sigh and turn to Fen. “You gonna be okay?”

He nods toward Donny. “He’ll take care of me.” His attention shifts to his lap, where the thin cotton sheets are bunched. “Listen, I’m sorry––”

“Don’t apologize anymore, Fen. Focus on getting better.”

“Only if you focus on fixing your shit with Dove and taking Broken Vows to the next level.”

I snort and shake my head. “I’ll see what I can do.”

“Good. We’ll talk soon, Sonny. I know how to reach you. And I’ll make sure you know how to reach me,” Fen adds. “Now, get out of here.”

Chapter Thirty-Five

Dove

The loud knock at the front door sounds like a stupid bull trying to barrel into the family room of our apartment. But I’m too terrified to answer it.

No one knocks on our door. Even UPS and FedEx don’t bother. They just leave our packages on the welcome mat. Which means that a certain someone is on the other side of the door. And that certain someone is stubborn as an ox––or a bull from the sound of it––and isn’t going anywhere until I answer.

“You gonna get that?” Mads asks, leaning against the doorway to my room. I’ve been holed up in here for what feels like weeks. My desire to do anything is less than stellar. Even after our conversation, I haven’t been able to find the enthusiasm to face life. Or it’s problems.

So many problems.

“I can tell him to leave if you want,” she offers carefully. “But you know my stance on––” She pauses and presses her hand to her stomach, her brows pinching as she lets out a slow, unsteady breath.

---