Page 32 of Mind Maze

Was it really fucking, Caius?

The tender kisses, desperate moans, needy whimpers…It was more than just that. I’m not too much of an asshole to admit it either. We’d connected in an unexpected way. She made meshed my carefully cultivated exterior, glimpsing the vulnerable man hidden beneath. In those sweaty, passionate moments, we were one and it felt good, dammit.

Which is why it can’t happen again.

Losing myself in any woman is a risk, but this woman? It’s beyond risky. It’s asking for trouble.

Tearing my gaze from Romy, I seek out Kaitlyn. She clings to Theo’s side, warily eyeing Gideon and Eva. My chest aches with pain. The kid is another unnecessary complication. Gareth created too many problems. Adopting a young girl after getting caught being a pervert with another one, should have been something I could have prevented. Dad, though, is still the ruler of our world.

I demanded a nanny thinking it would help stop him from being a sicko.

It was a stupid delusion, especially since Vivienne victimized Kaitlyn too.

Out of all the potential nannies, why did Dad choose Vivienne? Until yesterday, I had no reason to question it. Now I question everything. Dad’s playing a game I’m clearly not in on. What exactly is he doing?

Years of distrust toward my adoptive father weigh heavily on me. I haven’t ever trusted him fully. This brings those feelings to the surface again, reminding me I’m not truly a part of them.

Someone knocks on the front door and Romy jolts. She lifts her chin and starts for the door. I block her path, grip her jaw, and tilt her face to meet mine. I press a soft kiss to her lips for her father’s benefit before releasing her. With a barely suppressed growl, she pushes past me. I follow after her and watch as she answers the door.

A man, tall with hawkish features and resembling Gideon, lights up upon seeing Romy. His face breaks into a huge grin as he nearly tackles her with a fierce hug. She’s tense in his hold butfinally hugs him back. Megan, also entering the home, offers a pleasant smile.

Romy pulls away from her brother’s hold and stares Megan down. I’d wondered how this interaction would go down. Everything Romy claimed was true. Megan was her classmate and then she was gone. No one was supposed to notice, though. Romy, who misses nothing, just happened to be her partner.

Fuck.

This isawfullycoincidental.

Did Dad set all this up knowing Romy would look into us and knowing I’d want to swoop in and fix it? An unsettling sourness churns my gut. I get the sense I’ve been played. By my own father, no less. While not surprising, it doesn’t make me any less pissed about it.

For years I’ve been searching outward for Calista. Maybe I should have looked inward instead. Spent my time figuring out my father and his inner workings rather than my sister’s ghost.

One thing’s for sure. I need to rethink my game and rethink it quickly.

I stride over to Romy, wrap a possessive arm around her, and offer my free hand to Bastian. “Caius Crowne. Pleased to officially meet you.”

His gaze darts between me and Romy, then over to Megan, and then back to us. The bright smile he had for his sister fades as a flicker of fury replaces it.

Yeah, that’s right, man. The Crownes have your little sister and we provided your girlfriend.

When Bastian doesn’t shake my hand, I smile at Megan as my hand drops. “So odd that a former classmate of Romy’s, on the other side of the country, would find her way into a relationship withtheBastian Langston.”

Romy bristles with irritation and Bastian doesn’t miss her reaction.

“Imagine my surprise,” Romy says hotly, eyes on Megan. “Good seeing you again,friend.”

Bastian’s face reddens. These Langstons can’t keep their emotions off their faces. They’re certainly not Crownes.

“Can we talk?” Bastian asks Romy. “Alone.”

“We have a lot to discuss,” Romy says, visibly trembling. “I’d like to know your part in all of it.”

I kiss the top of her head and then add, “He’s just as guilty as the rest of us.”

If looks could kill, Bastian would be charged with murder right now.

Something about him puts me on edge. It’s the only way to explain my visceral response to him.

He’s as shady as his father.

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