Page 87 of Provoke You

I wrapped my arms around his waist, resting my head on his chest. “I promise you never have to worry about seeing me like that again. That wasn’t me.”

“I know.”

“Hey, Boss. We got a bit of a situation.” Kitt came in the room.

Of course, we did. Could this day be over already?

“What now?” Matt released me to face Kitt.

“Ben called and wants to see Ela tonight. He says it can’t wait.”

“She needs rest. I’ll call him back.”

“No. I don’t need rest. I want this thing with Dad over tonight. Just give me a few minutes to wash all the mess off me.” I finger-combed my hair away from my face.

“Go. Take your time.”

I walked into my bedroom and sat on the bed. For two whole days, I feared I’d never see this room again, my things, and Matt. I bent over and hugged my stomach, letting the tears flow. How could Dad do this to me? He loved me once—I knew he did. When I was little, we were a family. Why did he change? What did I do?

Wiping my face, I padded to the bathroom and ran the water. I removed my socks and hospital gown and threw them in the wastebasket. Under the steamy shower, the soot slid off my skin and pooled at my feet before it disappeared down the drain. I grabbed my shampoo and squeezed two big dollops on my hand to wash my hair.

The lavender scent had a soothing effect on me. But I couldn’t relax and let my guard down just yet. As soon as Dad found out I escaped the special ward, he’d do something to cover up what he did. Would he send his men after me again? I had no intention of staying put to find out. I shut off the water and quickly dried off with a towel.

I opened the bathroom door to let the steam out and get my clothes. I opted for jeans, a T-shirt, and a pair of Converse. No way I could wear heels right now. I got some Band-Aids out from my bag and patched up my feet as best I could before I pulled on my socks.

Wiping the mirror, I inspected my tired face. Yeah, I definitely needed some makeup. I didn’t want to give Matt an excuse to leave me behind. By the time I finished blow-drying my hair, I felt and looked like myself again.

I met Matt in the kitchen. He’d made some kind of egg scramble and had two plates set up. “I’m not hungry.”

“You have to try.” He pushed the plate toward me. “We’re meeting Ben in half an hour so you can sign the papers. Umm.”

Umm was never a good sign when it came to Matt. “Just tell me.”

“You want the bad news or the good news first?”

“Bad news. Always bad news first.” I sat in front of my plate and ate. The dish was surprisingly good. How about that? Matt could cook. “This is delicious.”

“Don’t sound so surprised.” He smiled and waited until I was finished to deliver the bad news.

I pushed my plate away from me. “Shoot.”

“Your dad filed for official custody of you. I’m not sure about the legal logistics of it, but in short, since you’re now officially incapacitated, he’s requesting to be in charge of you and, of course, the LeBlanc fortune.”

“Of course, that’s his move. I guess he’s done with pretenses.”

“Yeah. Ben wants us to meet him at the courthouse tomorrow to show the judge that you’re not what your dad says.”

I nodded, ignoring the pang in my chest. A part of me would never stop hoping things would go back to the way they were before Grans passed away. “What’s the good news?”

“More like better news, not so much good news.” He leaned on the counter and placed the badge he showed me earlier in front of me. “Your attacker has a face and a name now. His name is Andy Benoit.” He met my gaze and waited for me to connect the dots.

“Dad’s son?”

“Yes. From what Kitt could find out, Andy’s mom died ten years ago. That’s when he came looking for his dad. Doesn’t look like he knew he had a son before then. He gave Andy his last name only three months after Andy’s mom passed away.”

Dad had a son? Why would he keep that a secret? Who cared if he had a son? “So you’re telling me that my own stepbrother is the one trying to kill me?”

“It explains why he’s been so determined to get the job done.”

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