Page 6 of Unspoken Truths

“Come in!” I call out, embarrassed. It’s going to take time for me to get used to that, though I think that I’ll still lock my door before I go to bed at night.

Some habits die hard, and I don’t trust my stepbrother very much. It may seem harsh, but I don’t really trust anyone.

Emil opens the door easily, not upset to be kept waiting. There’s a small box in his hands, and he shuts the door behind himself.

“I bought this with the intention of giving it to you when you moved here last month, but I forgot with everything going on,” he says, looking abashed.

They met online, did a lot of video dates and chats, and then he began flying down regularly four months ago to see my mom. I met him once before we moved in with him. The purpose of the dinner was so they could tell me together that they were getting married.

I think my head spun, I couldn’t get over how fast it felt. It’s clear that he cares about my mother though. It’s sweet that he thought at all about me too. I’m not used to being much else other than a second thought until recently.

Emil hands me the box, and it almost appears to be a phone. Confused, I open it to find a stun gun.

“It also has pepper spray and a flashlight to blind someone,” he explains. “Your uniform jacket should have pockets. Carry it with you. Anyone who touches you will be sorry. I know you want to change schools, but get through the rest of this semester, and then we’ll go from there.”

“Okay,” I murmur, blowing out a breath. My body is sore, and I’m beginning to get hungry since my lunch didn’t stay in my stomach today. “I feel as if there’s a different set of rules at Carlysle Prep that everyone just grows up with, but I don’t know. I managed to do everything wrong.”

“You want to fit in,” Emil assumes.

“I don’t want to stick out as a target,” I correct him.

My stepfather thinks to himself for a moment before grunting, “One of my associates has a daughter that seems nice enough and has a backbone. She goes to your school, and is in your grade as well. I’ll have her pick you up and take you to school, since I believe my son has been less than kind to you. She will show you the ropes. Please take the stun gun with you tomorrow.”

“Are you going to be okay?” Mom asks, worried.

Gazing down at the stun gun, I say, “Yes, I think I will be. It has to be better than today was.”

“Hungry?” Emil asks. “I have the strange feeling you may not have eaten much today.”

Startled, I meet his fierce hazel gaze and realize there’s something there that his son doesn’t have and its protectiveness. The last man to feel like that about me was my father.

“Yeah, I think I am,” I tell him.

“It’s dinner time,” Mom says, standing. “Join us?”

“Ignacio went out with friends so it’ll be just us,” Emil says quickly. “You don’t even have to change. It’s been a long day, pajamas are a good way to finish it.”

That’s how I end up having dinner with Mom and her new husband, and I realize I may not hate him.

CHAPTER2

IGNACIO

Idon’t understand why Dad is so concerned with Rachelle and her mother. He has never expressed much interest in dating before this, and after my mom left us when I was little, it’s always been just us.

He told me to take a drive tonight and find something to do because I made my new stepsisteruncomfortable.What a crock. I would say that she should play the poor little victim to her father, but I think he may be dead.

Either way, I want to pack Julia and Rachelle’s bags and kick them out.

I watched from across the field today while Jared pushed her face into the mud, I even palmed my cock when it got rock hard and considered jerking off to it. Except, I also wanted to walk over and fuck her, which isn’t something I should want.

So instead, I ended Jared’s fun early, because I could see how hard he was from his disagreement with Rachelle, the one where he tortured her in the daylight hours, and she screamed at him to stop.

We rule the school here, outsiders aren’t welcome. Except, my father is changing the rules.

I spent forty-five minutes steam cleaning the mud Rachelle brought into my beloved car. She used the blanket and the mat, but her shoes were still filthy.

Cursing under my breath as I now drive through the streets of Portland, I pull up my group chat with the guys as I roll to a stop at a red light.

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