Page 26 of His Dark Purpose

His gaze slid to the phone, which was still vibrating with the incoming call. “Okay, but only I talk to him.” He patted her ass firmly. “Understood?”

The furrow in her brow deepened. “Why?”

“Do. You. Understand?” He punctuated each word with a fresh slap to her behind. “One peep out of you and I end the call.”

“Yes.” Exasperated, she slumped over him, and with one final swat, he answered Jonah’s call, flicking on the device’s speaker so they could both hear.

“Jonah?” Kyle’s attention flitted from the phone to Amy’s red ass. If only the man on the other end of the line could see what was going on in Brock Hall. What would the young graduate think? “Is everything okay?”

“Oh, hi, William.” Jonah sounded out of breath. “I was about to give up!”

“Yes, sorry.” Kyle laughed. “I had to run for my phone. What’s up?” Something had to be wrong. Jonah hadn’t contacted Kyle since he’d returned to university to take his exams.

“I’ve been trying to reach Mum, but she’s not answering.” Jonah sighed. “Do you happen to know where she is?”

Kyle exchanged a withering stare with Amy, daring her to defy his command. He’d meant what he said—one sound from her and he’d hang up the phone. After all, Jonah wasn’t his son.

“Yeah, she’s been a little tied up for the last day or so.” He clasped her punished skin, fighting the urge to snigger as her legs created scissor-like motions in the air.

“Oh, right.” Jonah sounded unsure how to take the news. “Can I speak to her? I have some news.”

“Ah, she’s sleeping now.” The lie rolled from his tongue as he glowered at his little girl. “Can I take a message?”

“She’s sleeping at this time of day?” Jonah’s bewilderment made him wonder what time it actually was. In the excitement of the last few hours, he’d lost track altogether. “Is she unwell?”

“We’ve been burning the candle at both ends, and she just needs rest,” Kyle assured him. “It’s nothing to worry about.”

“Right...” Jonah hesitated.

“Give me the news,” Kyle demanded. “I’ll make sure she hears it word for word.” On that point, at least, he wasn’t lying.

“Okay.” Apparently, that wasn’t what Jonah wanted to hear, but he carried on regardless, seemingly keen to say whatever was on his mind. “It’s about Seth.”

Amy tensed over him.

“Seth?” Kyle clarified, though, of course, he recalled the arrogant little twerp he’d met at the house in Aspen Way. “Your brother?”

“Yes,” Jonah confirmed.

“Isn’t he in prison?” His eyebrow arched as he met Amy’s gaze, her head shaking as she turned toward the leather.

“He’s been released early.” Jonah pulled in a breath, the noise masking Amy’s gasp that filled the air at the same moment.

“Early?” Kyle reached along her back and tugged sharply at her hair, wrenching her head toward him. Technically, her gasp had been a noise, and he should be ending the call as penance, but Jonah’s news had intrigued him. He wanted to know what had happened to Amy’s eldest and most unruly child. “Why?”

“I don’t know.” Jonah was starting to sound irritated. “I just heard from him. Apparently, he went to Mum’s old place, but of course, she wasn’t there.”

“Right.”

“I think he’d like to see her,” Jonah went on.

Amy twisted over her shoulder, her eyes wide with a hundred questions Kyle wasn’t prepared to answer. Only good girls got answers, and only good girls got to see their sons. Since Amy had definitely not been good, he was giving her nothing.

“Can you ask Mum to call me when she’s awake?” Jonah was still prattling on, but Kyle was hardly listening, his attention drilling into the desperate expression of his lover. “I think she’d like to know about Seth.”

“Of course, I can.” Kyle gave the sweetest answer he could muster. “How are you, Jonah? Are you enjoying life?” Not that he could give a shit, but he wanted to lead the conversation away from Seth. The last thing he needed was another fucking wayward son landing on his doorstep.

“I sure am.”

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