Page 20 of Brutal Savage

I definitely don’t.

Though I know one thing: I don’t need a man in my life.

Especially not someone like the handsome stranger from the café.

CHAPTER 6

TYNAN

ONE WEEK LATER

The past week, I’ve been watching her more than usual, unable to stop myself.

I know when she gets home from work.

When she eats dinner.

The exact time she goes for her runs.

I’m always there, watching like a fucking psycho.

I’ve become obsessed with knowing everything about her, and I won’t rest until I uncover what she’s hiding.

Brody has warmed up to her even more these past several days. She’s the only one he allows to be near him. He doesn’t like to be around anyone anymore. It’s like he doesn’t want to feel shit after his parents. Like it hurts too much, and he just doesn’t know how to say it—that he’s in pain.

I swear I’d do anything to take it away. But I can’t.

Maybe she can.

Maybe Elara is the key.

I should hire her to watch him after school or do his homework with him. Anything to get her to give him more attention. To allow him to open up to her. The therapist he sees hasn’t been able to get him to do that. I’m losing hope.

She still has no idea that I’m his caregiver. Whenever I get him from school, she’s too busy with all the kids; she barely pays attention to me.

Although I make sure to have my sunglasses on, so it’d be harder for her to realize we’ve met before.

That I’ve had my hands on her.

That I’ve thought about doing much more than that.

But I think it’s time Ms. Hill and I had a proper introduction.

Arriving at my father’s home, I enter past the guards at the door, already hearing voices. He asked me to come by today, and I don’t know why.

Fuck me. If he starts on the whole “get married” shit, I’m gonna walk right out.

When I step into the den, I find him and his wife, Fernanda, along with both of my brothers and my younger sister, Eriu, with her new husband, Devlin.

Devlin is an enforcer for my father, and he was once Eriu’s bodyguard. But he had a thing for my sister before he ever admitted it to himself. We all knew it, though. Glad he realized it sooner than later. Devlin is good for her. He believes in the sanctity of marriage and all that horseshit.

Not me, though.

It’s all bull.

“Hello, son.” Dad nods in greeting, and everyone else follows suit.

“Why am I here?”

---