Page 72 of King of Hearts

I flushed red, loving that her rounded eyes went to my belly but also feeling a strange sense of panic that I was bigger than normal or something.

“Not that big.”

My sister’s arms wrapped around me in a tight hug, and I nearly broke. She was my rock, my person when the world sucked, and it had been sucking so much lately, but I hadn’t told her about any of it.

Disconnecting, I tried to take solace in her calm green eyes and wild russet hair. She had on red lipstick and wore a pair of ripped jeans with a loose tank top.

Crinkling my brows together, I moved into the entryway with her. “Why are you dressed so informal?”

“I don’t know, because I want to…” She laughed, walking toward the back yard.

“Not once over the summer did I find you wearing anything remotely informal…so what is going on?”

“I’m spending less and less time at the office, and we’re training someone new—which means I’m writing more for Kline Global!”

I pulled her into a hug. “Oh my god, that’s incredible!”

“I know…Dad promised it wouldn’t be that permanent, so I’m excited.”

She walked toward a new area that looked recently renovated. There was a small cooler and fridge space, and she pulled out two cold bottles of water. My gaze flicked toward the middle of the massive yard, where my sister’s husband walked in a straight line, pushing a red mower. Bare skin glistened under the sun and bounced off the dark bill of his hat. He certainly wasn’t hard on the eyes, but he wasn’t Juan.

I looked down, feeling my chest pinch tight and an ache that went so deep tears began lining my eyes.

“Hey, you okay?”

I grabbed the water bottle she extended and shook my head. “Just hormones…and some other stuff. I actually need to catch you up on several things.”

“Okay, yeah…I don’t like how pale you just got. Not at all.” She leaned forward, putting her hand to my forehead.

Was I pale? I felt a little nauseous and weak, but I probably just needed a snack.

“I’m fine…”

Mal gave me a reserved look but sat back and settled into her chair. “Okay, tell me what’s going on.”

I rubbed down the length of my belly, unsure of where to even begin.

“Did I ever tell you about my birth father?”

Mal tilted her head, leaning forward to grab her water. “My dad actually told me a bit about him. He sounds scary as hell…”

That was putting it mildly.

“When I was growing up, he used to talk about the people who betrayed him paying penance. I had to watch him execute those people…and when it was time for my own lessons, they were taught in a dark warehouse, where blood splattered the walls and animals were brought in and tied up for me to shoot.”

Mal gasped, putting her hand to her chest. “What the fuck?”

I blinked, moving forward. “I was a piece of property to my father, a game piece to be moved around as needed…and he determined that he wanted me on my twenty-first birthday. It was how we got away from him for so long…my mom made a deal.”

My sister’s eyes went wide with surprise, her dark brows hitting her hairline. There was silence while she seemed to slowly connect the dots. “Which is why she married my dad so quick…”

I nodded, looking out over the lush grass, the fresh scent of it being cut hitting me hard.

Another gasp from Mal brought my gaze back to her. “Tay…you turn twenty-one in a month.”

So I told her everything. I explained my father breaking into Juan’s house, how her best friend saved my life, leaving out why he felt so empowered to do so. I told her nothing about Juan’s family, just like he’d asked. I could tell by the way her eyes questioned there were pieces not matching up for her.

My sister was pacing the patio at this point, her hand at her chest. Decker had looked over at us a few times from where he worked on something with a motor near the garage. Worry lined his face, but he didn’t make a move to come closer, which I appreciated.

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