Page 51 of In Their Arms

The second I step through the door and say my greetings, Luca’s mother is speaking with someone before hurriedly hanging up. I barely have time to ask who that was before a sharp slap cracks across my face. My head snaps to the side, my skin stinging, and I don’t even get the chance to react before she’s snarling at me, her perfectly manicured nails digging into her palm.

“You ruined a good thing.” She’s seething, her expression full of anger, no doubt because the deal went bad.

I slowly turn back toward her, biting down the immediate, burning desire to retaliate.

She glares up at me, her face twisted with disgust. “He just called here,” she hisses. “Demanding answers because you couldn’t get it done.”

I bristle, my hands clenching into fists, but I force myself to keep my expression neutral. “It’s not my fault,” I grit out. “I didn’t account for Blake Keller.” My voice dips lower, anger spilling into my tone in a way that’s been festering ever since this all started unraveling. “He wasn’t supposed to be a problem. A problem that you said would have been taken care of.”

Her eyes narrow, her shoulders squaring as she steps forward, her presence just as venomous as it was three years ago. “You think this is my fault?” she sneers. “That’s rich coming from you.” She turns her back on me, stalking deeper into the house, her heels clicking against the marble flooring.

I exhale sharply through my nose before shifting my gaze to Luca’s father, sitting in his oversized chair, watching us like he’s above it all. He doesn’t say anything. He just swirls the whisky in his glass, taking a slow sip before his lips curl into something close to amusement.

I hate him the most.

“You told him to accept his fate,” I hiss. “Like he wasn’t your own fucking son. There had been a buyer. Everything would have worked out just fine. It almost had.” I let my gaze flick between the two of them, the people who fucked this entire operation beyond repair. My teeth grind together as I shake my head. “But no. You just had one more requirement. Wanted a little more money. Thought you could squeeze just a little more out of the deal. And that little pause? That hesitation? It gave Luca time for his plan. Luca being at Hearthstone was perfect,” I mutter, more to myself than to them. “Until someone gave him the means to get that bite removed.” The words taste like acid in my mouth. Like failure.

I drag a hand through my hair, my patience unraveling.

“I’ve lost everything I was working toward,” I hiss. “Because you two couldn’t sit down and shut up.”

The mother narrows her eyes, her mouth twitching like she wants to argue, but then she freezes. I know exactly why.

“For a while, Luca was mine,” I murmur, tilting my head, studying her. “And then, when I found out he was pregnant—”

She gasps, her expression flipping in an instant. “I’m going to be a grandmother?”

I laugh, a sharp cruel sound that I’ve practiced over the years. Her face falters, uncertainty creeping in as I keep laughing, letting it build, letting it tear through the room. When I finally stop, I step closer, a razor edge to my grin. “Bitch, you’re not going to be in that boy’s life after what you’ve done to him.”

She flinches like I struck her, her mouth opening, closing, trying to find something to hold onto, some kind of defense.

“He’s never going to let you see that baby,” I say, voice thick with amusement. “Ever.”

Her expression crumples, brows pulling together in confusion, because she’s never considered that she might actually lose. “But…” she starts, weak, lost.

“It’s not my child,” I cut in, smiling, enjoying the way she visibly recoils.

She blinks, her entire face going blank. “What?”

I tilt my head. “I’m sterile.” I let it sit, let it sink in, watching the horror bloom in her eyes. “Can’t have kids. Why the fuck do you think I never minded giving these Omegas to Hearthstone?” I chuckle at the way Luca’s father frowns, his brows furrowing. “Because I have no desire to keep them. Rough them up a little, give them away, then get a new one? It’s like going on a billion new dates and getting to romance another person without having to deal with breakups or clingy relationships. It’s perfect,” I murmur, thinking about all the pretty little things who’ve passed through my hands. “They’re always so submissive, so compliant. They melt in my hands. Not Luca, though.”

And that had been fine. That had been manageable. A challenge, sure, but one I could handle. Until everything fucking fell apart.

“But now,” I mutter, grinding my teeth, my jaw tightening as the words force themselves out. “Now he’s got three bonds, and it’s going to be damn near impossible to get him back to Hearthstone.” I pause, my stomach twisting, my fingers curling into fists. “Not now. Not with him pregnant.”

“Well,” she says, voice clipped, matter-of-fact like we aren’t standing in the middle of a goddamn disaster of her own making. “You do what you have to.” She flicks a hand toward me, dismissive, bored. “You said you had a buyer, so get Luca to him so we can get our payout.”

“You’re both fucking ridiculous,” I say, shaking my head. “The deal is off. And I’ve paid you both enough money for a lifetime.” My voice drops lower, as I step closer, watching her carefully, watching the way her mask starts to slip. “It’s not my fault if you squandered all of it. Maybe call Luca’s pack and ask them for a handout, because it sure as hell isn’t coming from me.”

I need to get the fuck out of this city. People are starting to look in my direction, whispers curling at the edges of the room, too many fucking eyes watching me, and I can’t have that. I can’t afford that. “I got a call from the Vizant pack. Luther is poking his nose where it doesn’t belong which means it won’t be long until everything falls apart..”

There it is. The shift. The way her spine locks up, the way her fingers twitch before she clenches them into fists, the way the tension in the room turns razor-sharp.

“So that means I’m laying low for the time being. You’ll need to con somebody else into all that money you want.”

“What about Luca?” she demands. “You tried so hard to get him back.”

“Yeah,” I admit, tilting my head slightly, letting my mouth curl into something mocking, sharp. “Because the buyer will have my fucking ass.”

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