Page 6 of Commit

He smirks, crossing his arms over his chest as he continues, “Yeah, almost three years ago. I didn’t even know about it until after they’d tied the knot. She probably knew I would have locked her in my trunk and kidnapped her. The woman always did have shitty taste in men.”

“Boy,” I growl in warning.

“I’m not a fucking boy. I’m a man. You would have noticed that if you had stuck around.”

“Where’s this fucking husband?”

“Derek Rivers is long gone, thank God. But not before he took every penny she had. Drained her bank accounts, including Abbot’s college fund and our trust funds.”

“What the fuck? You better tell me where this fucker?—”

He holds up his hand and shakes his head. “When I said he’s gone, I meant in a permanent way. The stupid fuck gambled it all away. Every penny is gone, just like that,” he snaps his fingers.

“Didn’t stop him from placing more bets, though, leveraging the house and the cars. In the end, he found out the hard way what happens when you borrow from the wrong kind of people and don’t pay them back. You’d know all about that, though, wouldn’t you?”

I growl at him, but his shoulders slump, going from pissed off to defeated in seconds.

“I didn’t know about the gambling. I’m living in Boston now. I got a job as a junior associate at a high-powered law firm. I share a house with three other guys because rent is expensive as fuck, but I like it.”

“I can buy you?—”

“Don’t do that. Don’t come back now and try to buy your way back into our lives. I’m proud of what I’ve accomplished. I worked my ass off, and I’ll be damned if I let you taint that now.”

As much as I want to smack the disrespectful shit upside the head, I don’t. If the shoe were on the other foot, I can’t say I wouldn’t feel the same way. Hell, I wouldn’t have given myself the time to speak. I would have thrown a punch first and asked questions later.

“Alright, I get it. I’m a piece of shit. If that’s what you need to believe to get through this, Landon, then fine, so be it. But what about Abbot? What does he need? And who the fuck is the girl?”

Landon’s fists unclench as he looks at me. “He needs to stay here with you. I share a house hours away from here, and he’s almost done his senior year. I don’t want to uproot him when he has enough going on.”

I blow out a sharp breath. It’s on the tip of my tongue to refuse. This is the kind of thing I’ve avoided to keep them out of trouble. Yet trouble found them anyway.

I think back to what Kenzo and Atlas said about things being different now, and I hope to God they’re right.

“Okay, I’ll take him.”

He nods, and I don’t miss the surprise on his face. I’m sure he expected more of a fight, which makes me feel like an even bigger prick.

“The girl. Is she his girlfriend?” I can’t get a good look at her from here with her hair covering her face, but I know I don’t know her.

“She’s… complicated,” he admits with a sigh. “Her name’s Starling, and she’s our stepsister.”

Chapter Two

Hudson

Irun my hands through my hair, realizing this fucking thing just got a whole lot more complicated.

“Where’s the rest of her family?”

“There isn’t any. Her mom died when she was a baby. Grandparents a year before that. And her dickhead father was an only child.”

Landon looks over at her, his face softening.

“She’s a sweet kid. Mom adored her. Sometimes, I wonder if she stayed with Derek so that she wouldn’t lose Starling. When she found out Derek was dead, she changed her name back to Peters and got rid of Rivers. She kept Starling, though, even when legally she didn’t have to.

“Look, she’s eighteen in less than a month. If CPS gets their hands on her, she’ll be out on her ass as soon as she ages out. And truthfully, Derek still has a lot of enemies out there that would be more than happy to take Starling as a late payment if they found her. She doesn’t deserve that. I know we don’t see eye to eye on most things, but if anyone can keep her safe, it’s you.”

“Jesus fuck, Landon. Do you know what you’re asking? She doesn’t even know me. I’m a fucking stranger. She’ll?—”

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