Page 98 of When Kings Fall

“She’s a biker princess. Or, she was. Of the Steel Dawn MC. Heard of them?”

“Certainly not,” my mom said. “We don’t consort with the likes of those sorts of people.”

“Which you well know,” my father seethed.

“You mean honest people? Raw and real?” I gestured between them. “A far cry from the two of you who are so concerned with appearances and some dictated grandiose scheme you have laid out for me that doesn’t for a moment take into my preferences or even my free fucking will that you’d hurt your own son over and over, using him like a pawn rather than your flesh and blood.”

They didn’t even hear me.

Not at all.

Especially not my father who waved his hand dismissively.

“Enough of this foolishness. You will return to college immediately.”

“That won’t be happening. I have other commitments.”

“There are no other commitments, boy. You will return and get back on track, or I will take everything from you.”

“By releasing that tape, yes?”

“Yes,” he hissed.

I signaled behind me at Bree and Colt.

My father’s eyes widened as he noticed for the first time that we weren’t alone.

That I wasn’t alone.

They made their way over, Bree looking the epitome of her Barbiecore self in her pink houndstooth jacket and matching skirt, along with a pair of thigh-high gray boots, and Colt bringing his bold style forth in a pair of black leather pants and his zebra-print shirt only buttoned at the middle. His mohawk was out in full force too, while Bree’s hair was cascading about her face in beautiful silky waves.

I’d already seen my father turn his nose up at my get-up of a pair of ripped blue jeans and a distressed gray muscle tee. My hair was also wild as fuck as I’d only run my fingers through it since we’d dried and gotten dressed from our pool fun earlier.

“What is this?” my father demanded.

“This?” I said, wrapping my arm around Bree on my left and holding Colt’s hand on my right. “This is a real family. My new family.”

He glared heatedly at Colt, then frowned at Bree curiously.

Colt stared daggers right back at him, giving as good as he got.

Bree turned her nose up at him.

That was about right.

“Enough of this nonsense.”

“We’re done here,” I told him.

“Done? What are you talking about?”

“I won’t be returning to Stonewell U. I won’t be walking away from Colt, Brianna, or Levi. I’ll be returning to the career I wanted, my artistic career that you tried and failed to beat down. Once my business is concluded here, it will be put into effect.”

“The hell, it will. You better—”

“Better what? Fall in line. Nah. Like I said, we’re done here.”

“I will release—”

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