Page 38 of King of Wrath

“Your brother is not my father,” I whisper and then I flick my blonde hair over my shoulder. “My mother’s a brunette. All of the Kincaids have dark brown hair.”

“So does Toni.” He reaches for the wet strands, letting them slip through his fingers. I swallow down a lump because he’s hit the very heart of it.

It seems dangerous to tell my father’s enemy that I’m not actually the daughter of the man he wants to hurt.

But honestly, I’m bad enough at this game that I don’t know how it might come back at me. Will it make me less valuable? Would he let me go? Or just throw me away? “Yep. Toni has dark hair too.”

“My brother wasn’t your mother’s first affair.”

It’s the tone of his voice. It’s changed. Even with his hands on me, it’s grown harder, developed an edge. I don’t like it. “If you want a detailed account of her sexual conquests, I was a child. I wouldn’t know.”

“I’m not looking for a list, Nia. I just…” But I turn again, starting for the bedroom. I can feel more tears welling in my eyes.

“I look like her, you know.” I toss over my shoulder. He knows that Toni beats me up. I’ll let him decide if that means Toni loves me more or less. But I’m done talking about this. I’m done talking to him.

And that thing we did this morning. Pretty sure we’re done with that too.

Which is a shame. As a girl who has always been caged, when Jake was touching me, I’ve never felt freer.

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

Jake

I knowI fucked it up.

I did not learn what I was after in terms of information, but that isn’t even what’s bothering me.

Today, I watched a beautiful woman start to come alive under my fingertips, and then I scared her right back into her shell.

Fuck.

I hate that I scared her. Hate that I hurt her.

I don’t know what’s happening to me. I’ve spent a decade dreaming of revenge on Toni Carcetti.

I’ve plotted, and planned, and punched my way into this position. And Antonia Carcetti, my sweet, innocent temptress, is dismantling my dreams and reshaping my intentions one blue-eyed glance at a time.

How do I explain to her that lately, I could feel myself slipping into the abyss that I’m sure consumed my brother. I’d stopped caring about life. I’d wondered what it might be like to let the darkness take me.

That’s why I’m getting out.

Nia’s right about what her family will do to her if they find her. But if I claim her, I’m never leaving this life. I’d have to stay to keep her safe.

But the thing is…when I’m with her, the world is far brighter.

I want to trace her curves far more than I want to hurt anyone, including her father.

I enter the bedroom to find her under the covers of her bed, the blankets pulled up over her head.

Fuck.

Not even bothering to dress, I pivot and head out to the kitchen, making her a cup of coffee that I carry back into the room.

Beneath the blankets, she’s softly crying.

“Sweetheart,” I croon, sitting on the edge of the bed. “I’ve brought you that coffee.”

“All right,” she says, not coming out.

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