Page 35 of Twisted Kings

“How come you’re his cheerleader all of a sudden?”

He scowled. “I’m not. He’s a stupid cunt for not trusting you. But without his help, we wouldn’t have rescued you, so I don’t completely hate his guts anymore. But make no mistake, if he ever hurts you again, Iwillkill him.”

And there he was. The overbearing asshole I knew and lov…No. I didn’t have feelings for him. Panic pushed my pulse rate sky-high as unwelcome emotions hit me hard. I didn’t love Kyril.

I wasn’t capable of loving anyone.

Torrance had beaten it out of me long ago. Love equaled pain.

The only person I could afford to love was my sister.

A memory slammed into my head with the force of a semi-truck.Torrance held his gun against Verity’s head while I stood, helpless.

“Where’s Verity!”

“Shh, she’s OK. We have her here, on the plane.” Kyril squeezed my shoulder, but I shoved him away.

“I need to see my sister.” She’d be upset. She needed me. “Is she hurt?”

“Thea, she’s OK. She’s still out cold, but there’s nothing physically wrong with her. Declan’s medic says she’s been sedated but it should wear off soon.”

“Is Mrs. Gia here, too?”

From the blank look, I guessed not.

“No, we only rescued you and Verity. Sorry.” My heart fell. Poor Mrs. Gia. Knowing my father, she’d be dead by now. Along with everyone else blamed for losing me and Verity.

“And my father? Torrance? What happened to them?”

“They’re both still alive.” Kyril didn’t sound happy about that.

“Milo and Landon? Are they here, too?” I hated the way my voice cracked when I said their names. Knowing they probably wouldn’t want to see me hurt like a bitch.

“They’re with Eden at the house in Ireland.” My chest deflated, some of the tension easing. If they were waiting for us, they didn’t hate me, right?

“And Cassian?” It was hard not to feel a jolt of pain at the sound of his name. By rights, I shouldn’t give a fuck about Cassian. We barely knew each other. Other than the night in the bar, when we’d shared things about ourselves, the man was a closed book. A bit like me.

Maybe that’s why I’d been drawn to him from the start. He had secrets and hid his pain well. Like Landon, the guy who pretended to be a flirtatious fuckboy to the world when all he wanted was to be loved for himself, not for what he could provide.

“No, Cassian’s father took him away the night of the fire. He’s at Blackwood.”

That didn’t surprise me. Lucian Forsyth must have been furious about the sex tape. Shit like that would damage his son’s credibility and make it very difficult for any of the Forsyth family to move around without the press following their every move.

Was that why my father had done it? I assumed so once the drugs bust failed. Although it seemed like a strange move to make. A sex tape felt like a more personal attack.

“Thank you,” I said after a moment. “For rescuing me and Verity, I mean.” Shit, this was awkward.

“I’ll go fetch you some clean clothes.” The way he grimaced as he looked at my outfit told me all I needed to know. “We’ll be landing soon, so unless you want me to kill anyone else who gets to see you in that dress, I suggest you change.”

After taking a shower in the small attached bathroom and changing into some joggers and a sweater, I felt more human. There were still more holes in my memory than a Swiss Cheese, but hopefully, it would all come back to me soon.

Verity lay unconscious on a small cot, an IV in her arm. Her sunken cheeks and protruding collar bones told me she hadn’t had regular meals for a while. While I’d been living my best life in Scotland, our father had neglected her. Knowing him, he’d forbidden the kitchen staff from taking any extra food to the attic. My sister was - and always had been - a possession to him.

I stroked her cheek, remembering how she’d loved being cuddled when we were younger. When she was born, I’d been so excited. So happy to have a baby sister to play with.

A nurse wearing a starched gray uniform placed a bassinet on the table by the window.

She turned to me and said gravely, “Your sister will need you.”

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