Page 55 of Glass Omega

Turning, I put a hand on Rhodes’ chest, waiting for him to stop glaring at my brother and finally look down at me. “Can you give us a few minutes?”

Rhodes looked down at my hand, his pissed-off expression melting a bit. “I’m supposed to keep you safe.”

“Then you can keep me safe from over by that tree.” I pointed to the tree in question which was about twenty feet away from where we were standing. Rhodes opened his mouth, probably to tell me no, but I didn’t give him the chance. “Please, Rhodes.”

Something about the way I said it must have gotten through to him because his shoulders finally relaxed a bit and he gently pulled my hand away from his chest. “You have five minutes.”

Romey continued to glare at him as he turned to walk away. “She’ll have however long she wants. Last time I checked you’re not her husband, you’re her employee.”

“Romey!” I barked, surprised he would treat anyone like this. “What the hell has gotten into you? You never used to treat people this way.”

Romey was always the first to stick up for the employees that worked in the mansion we grew up in. Our nanny had always instilled in us an appreciation for the people who worked tirelessly to make our privileged lives more comfortable, so it was odd to see Romey speak to anyone like he had Rhodes.

“I don’t like him, Perrie. I don’t like either of them,” he said, obviously referring to my husband.

“You don’t have to like them, but don’t treat Rhodes that way. He’s here to protect me whether you like it or not. Now, will you please tell me why you’ve been ignoring my texts?”

My old phone had been left upstairs in the waiting room on the day of my interrupted wedding to Pack Ricci, and the one I had was the newest model that Edison and Rhodes told me was untraceable.

But even with the new number I’d made sure to get Romey’s number and let him know that it was me.

“I don’t have my phone. Dad took it away as soon as I got back from the wedding because he’s pissed.”

I examined Romey’s face, trying to read between the lines of his words. “He didn’t hurt you, did he?”

It was rare for Ethan Chandler to raise a hand to either of his two children—that was too much parenting effort for him—but I could count a handful of times we’d disappointed him enough that it wasn’t completely out of the realm of possibility.

“No—not in that way—but he told me I wasn’t allowed to talk to you anymore.”

“So you just decided to leave it at that?” I couldn’t keep the hurt I was feeling from leaking into my voice. “Never talking to your older sister ever again?”

“It’s not like I want to, Perr,” Romey insisted with a shake of his head, his gray eyes looking moist almost like he was about to burst into tears but didn’t want to cry in public. “But I’m not like you. I can’t just go home to my scary husband. I actually have to live with Mom and Dad every day.”

“Why did you come to the wedding then?” I’d been so happy to see him that day and have him walk me down the aisle, but now the memory was going to be forever tainted because of this interaction.

“I was hoping that you would come back home with me and we could fix everything.”

A harsh laugh left me. “And what? That I would marry into a different one of the five families and pop out a bunch of babies for a pack that can barely stand to be in the same room as me?”

“They don’t hate you—they came to get you that day too, you know?”

As soon as he said it, Romey’s mouth snapped shut and his eyes widened like he’d just revealed something he wasn’t supposed to.

A little lightbulb of understanding popped on in my head.

“You’re the one who let them in that day, weren’t you? You’re damn lucky they were caught early or else you would have had their deaths on your hands.”

I didn’t like Pack Ricci as far as I could throw them, but I also didn’t want to see them be shot and killed on my account.

“No I didn’t, Perrie, I swear. But Elio mentioned something—”

I cut him off. “Elio? You talk like you’re friends or something.”

Romey started to say something else, but my temper was already stoked and I was done listening to a little brother who wouldn’t even stand up for me.

“I’m going to go back to Rhodes now. If you see me on campus, do me a favor and continue to ignore me.”

Turning on my heel I hurried away from him, ignoring him when he called after me.

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