Page 48 of Fearless

She shrugs. “I wasn’t in charge then. I’d like to think it would be different now.”

I snort. “I’m sure you would, you being mother of the year and all.”

“And what, exactly, do you know about parenting?” Her eyebrow quirks.

“I’d like to think, at the very least, I’d know not to abandon my own child.”

She laughs as if I’ve just cracked a joke. “What is one child in comparison to a whole country?”

“It’s not a country. You’re not the fucking queen. It’s a job. An agenda. A temporary bit of power before you retire to write opinion articles for some shitty newspaper.”

She swallows. “This goes beyond that.”

“Are we done here? Is there an actual point to this?”

“We’re done as soon as you understand that the only reason you’re not behind bars right now is because I allow it.”

I laugh at her. “Then put me away. It’ll be, what? A whole month before someone replaces me? They can pick up right where I left off. I’ll be sure to CC them in the photos of Meisie I send to the papers.”

She stares at me for a second and then looks away.

“Better the devil you know, sweetheart.”

When she taps the driver on the shoulder and mutters something under her breath, I assume we’re done.

We drive in silence back to the club, and before the driver’s had the chance to put the handbrake on I’m already opening the door.

She shouts across the car to me as I’m getting out, “You come and see me when you’re ready to cut the dead weight.”

I’m about to slam the door in her face. I fucking should. But for whatever reason I don’t. My fingers clench around the metal, nails digging into the glass so hard my knuckles surely turn white.

“Oh… your daughter? Remember her? She’s a fucking mess by the way. I’ll tell her you were asking after her welfare.”

Helen watches me with an imperious stare, but after a second, it slips. “Tell her… Tell her I’m sorry. For everything. She’ll know what I mean by that.”

We stare at each other, her face now mostly hidden in shadow and mine likely spitting venom. “I’d tell her that if I thought for one second it was true.”

Then I do slam the door in her face. That’s fucking plenty from her tonight.

I’m already storming into the club and trying to think of an excuse for where I’ve been. Cole won’t like this, and his plans get even more batshit when he’s riled up. Nope. Better if he thinks I’ve been dealing with a shipment.

He’s still sitting where I left him, the whole VIP area filled with people now, bottles of vodka and champagne being passed around like bongs.

“Office,” I shout to him.

I don’t wait to see if he follows me. He will. He won’t want to think he’s missing out.

I’ve barely made it to the desk in the corner of the room before the door swings open, and he comes in with Sarah trailing along behind him. Fuck’s sake.

“So I’ve been thinking, we need to fuck her up prop—“

“Stop, Cole,” I tell him. “Just fucking stop.”

His eyes widen. Sarah’s eyes look like they’re about to pop out of her head.

My thoughts are already spinning out of control. I’m about to tell Sarah to fuck off, but I stop myself. For once in her life Sarah might actually be useful.

“We’re having a wedding,” I tell them. “A massive fucking wedding.”

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