Page 30 of Power Twist

“What do you have in mind?”

I glare at the shuffling sound behind me and immediately regret it. Sprawled back along a crimson chaise lounge, Jessica swirls the red wine, eyes locked on mine. Ugh, she’s pulling out all the stops tonight, isn’t she? Wonder if she’d be this forward if she knew Randi and I are together. Too bad she can’t. No one can.

“Not what, but who.”

Her brows shoot up her forehead. “You’re joking,” she says after a minute. “Our parents?” I tip my chin in acknowledgment. “There’s no way they’d do anything without some kind of benefit for them. What are you willing to offer them, your soul?” She laughs and breaks our stare. “You know they probably created the insane bill with Kyle, right?”

I glide my fingers through the lengthy part of my hair, tugging at the ends. “I know. Fuck, I know. But we can't let this vote go through. It’ll kill her.”

“Why do you care so much?” Suspicion creeps into her voice. “What’s in it for you?”

“Nothing’s in it for me except supporting her cause. And to answer your earlier question, yeah, I know they’ll want something in return.”

“What are you thinking?”

“We give them what they both want.”

Seconds tick by with her brows furrowed in concentration. “Oh,” she gasps, finally realizing what I'm referencing. “You'd do that? Something you've fought against for years, all for Randi, for her cause?”

“For our country,” I bite out. She can't know how much Randi means to me or that Randi's the sole reason I'm offering up myself like a sacrificial lamb.

My agitation and sliver of despair at what I’m about to do urge my need for a drink. I stomp to the wet bar and search through the various bottles of bourbon before settling on Blanton’s. “Go put some damn clothes on, Jessica. We need to go over my plan. It’ll be a long night for both of us.”

* * *

The puddlesof melted snow splash beneath my boots as I march up the walkway, the remaining bits of yesterday’s storm disappearing thanks to the sweeping spring temperatures that followed like predicted. The warm sun, budding trees, and the crispness of a fresh start swirl in the sweet-smelling air. A fresh start for everyone but me. Hell, every breath feels like dark poison seeping into my lungs, crippling the ability to breathe normally.

I continue walking through the pain, knowing it's all for her. I can do this for Randi. Anything to shift that dark cloud that's hung over her head since the meeting with Jessica. Randi and I did come up with a solid plan to gain more votes, but it wasn’t enough, so I stopped by Jessica’s last night and made a deal with her, which leads me here today.

This town is all about who you know and your family name—and the money tied to it. If I don't do this, if I don't step in, she’ll lose the vote, then lose her confidence. And then I’ll lose her.

That can't happen.

Even if it costs me everything.

At the door, I pause and take a deep inhale through my nose, calming the growing agitation at just being on this property. After a quick knock, I dig my hands into the front pockets of my jeans as I wait for the butler to answer.

That's right, I knock at my parents’ house. This is my childhood home—not that I was here much between boarding school and lavish family vacations—yet here I am knocking on the fucking door like a vacuum salesman.

Fuck, I hate my pompous parents. To think I could've grown up to be exactly like them. If it weren't for the last-minute decision to go to college on the West Coast, I would have. There, without their daily oversight and the impact of my family name, reality set in, making me realize how ludicrous our lifestyle and way of thinking really were. It was that clarity which caused me to dig my heels in, stopping their constant control over my life, and join the army.

College and the military. Those two decisions not only shifted me from an undeniably miserable life but also led me to the two people who would eventually make my life one worth living. Tank and Mess.

I won't let them down. A deep ache creeps into my heart just at the thought of either of them being disappointed in me. Tank jokes about my desperate need for approval and love, and maybe he's right. The loveless childhood I was raised in made me desperate for it. Maybe that's why I stayed with Rachel as long as I did. Even if it wasn’t love, at least we pretended well together. Now though, after Randi, that's not enough. Fuck, it's not nearly enough.

I want—no, I deserve someone who's desperate for me. The real me, not the money or the name, but me, Trey. That’s what Randi has shown me. That I am enough, for anyone. I might not deserve her or the trust and loyalty she easily hands over, but I for fucking sure will do whatever I can to never let her down.

The large solid dark oak door swings open on silent hinges. A familiar sour face scowls back at me from the other side.

“Ah, Gerard. Long time no see, man. How's life treating you?”

The old man purses his lips, fighting a smile. Gerard and his wife have been with my parents since I was a kid. Any kind word or encouragement was given by those two instead of my own parents. They were the type of parents I wish I would've had. Loving, considerate, grounded.

“Sir, welcome home.”

Ugh, now I see why Randi hates the formal shit. I already feel older.

“It's Trey, and I'm not home.” I pat the old man's thin shoulder as I step over the threshold. “Just stopping by to talk to the overlords.”

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