Page 36 of Unconditional

He didn’t answer me and I didn’t expect him to.Almost instinctively I leaned in and pressed a kiss to his bare shoulder, lingering for only a small moment when his muscles tensed, then curled up in the other direction.It was a long while before sleep came.

twenty-five

Talon

Thewomanknewhowto get under my skin.We’d laid here in the silence for hours, neither wanting to concede.The issue was that she was right and I didn’t want to admit it.I’d been suffering through the same inner battle from the moment Milo took off.

I didn’t want to go after him just to drag him back; I had no desire to fuck up whatever outside life he’d created for himself.We could go round and round in circles about family and loyalty forever and it still wouldn’t change the fact that this illusion of family we’d created was a sham.We didn’t mean anything to Kyle outside of how we could serve him.Hell, I couldn’t say if we even meant anything to our own sister.

So, what was the point of all this?Being trapped under some douche bag who’d never given a fuck about us to begin with.Not so much as asking ‘how high’ when he says jump.Ihadcreated something for myself—I’d opened a garage, and it was a damn successful business because ofmyhard work.But Kyle was in trouble now, thanks to Milo, so I was supposed to stop everything I was doing?Up and leave my shop and employees and life to do Kyle’s bidding?Just another sacrifice in the never-ending loop of my life.

Because he demanded it, and if I didn’t obey, the consequence would be on a kid.A fucking child.As if he hadn’t done enough to destroy the lives of my siblings and me, he had to infect another innocent childhood with the poison that is Kyle MacArthur.

Misely’s breathing leveled out to a soft snore, the only sound in the darkening van.The storm still raged on outside, matching the chaos inside my mind.Would it ever fucking stop?I shifted, staring at the ceiling above me, reaching out to whatever higher power there was for some damn clarity.

She was right about everything; of course she was.It’d been damn near twenty years since we were forced into Kyle’s care, but I’d had fifteen years to get out of this.Fifteen years I’d spent wallowing in my own self-pity.Fifteen years I’d spent letting the motherfucker win.

Milo, the little shit, was taking back his power.He was doing something to better his situation, and despite that lingering feeling of betrayal I couldn’t quite shake, I was proud of him.I even envied him for doing what he had to do to get what he wanted.I glanced to the woman who was snoring lightly beside me.I thought of Leo and the father he’d gotten in someone else because I had been too cowardly to strike out on my own and fail.All the sacrifices made because I was too afraid of losing the fragile image of control I’d created in my life.

I didn’t want to make any more sacrifices.Not for Kyle.Not for the bullshit lie he’d framed as familial loyalty.

When Misely woke I had been driving for around an hour.She’d slept through the rest of the storm and the plow trucks and road crews that had cleared the highway.One of the plow drivers had knocked on the window and guided me as I maneuvered the van off the snow packed shoulder and onto the freshly cleared road.Apparently, we weren't the only ones who’d had to pull over to wait out the worst of the storm, and the crew had been out there for hours getting people moving again.

Sleep had never found me, and my eyes felt heavy as I double checked the GPS that we were moving in the right direction.The sun was rising over the horizon, the first orange rays touching the dashboard as Misely shimmied up into her seat.

She hadn’t bothered to put on her own clothes and the sight of my worn-out t-shirt sliding up her thighs while she buckled in had my throat bobbing.Several long moments passed in silence, the air between us tight with tension.But the glorious sight of the orange and purple sunrise had Misely gasping in awe, the small sound sending a rush of dopamine directly through my system.

“It’s beautiful,” I said, but it sounded wrong coming from me.I didn’t know how to do this.How to act with a girl after I’d done or said something stupid and genuinely felt bad about it.I’d never cared to, and fuck, I knew I wasn’t supposed to care with her either.

Misely continued to stare ahead for another long moment before finally sighing, the sound almost content.“It is.”

I risked another glance her way, taking in how she sat with one bare foot up on the seat, her knee tucked to her chest and her head resting on the support behind it.She was a disheveled mess—her makeup from the day before smeared below her lashes, her hair tangled and out of sorts.So unlike her usual well-kept, highly fashionable self.Still, she was the most stunning person I’d ever seen.

Again she sighed, her eyes pinching shut.“I’m sorry for pushing you last night.”

Her apology caught me off guard, making me choke.After everything I’d put her through, she was apologizing to me?It felt wrong.A sick sense of shame washed over me and I couldn’t stand it.Couldn’t take another moment of it.

“Don’t.”

“Talon, really, I—”

“No, Misely, don’t.You have nothing to apologize for.”

Her jaw snapped shut, her teeth clicking together sharply.

“It should be me.I’m…You were right about me from the start.”

I felt her gaze narrow in on the side of my face but I made no move to meet it.After another long pause, she said quietly.“I’m beginning to wonder about that.I’m beginning to think I was wrong.”

“You weren’t.”I cleared my throat.“I am just a puppet for Kyle and his scheming.Everything I’ve done…I can’t take any of it back.I’m sorry I roped you into it.”

“He’s threatening Leo isn’t he?”It didn’t surprise me that she’d been able to piece the picture together.She was intuitive and paid attention to everything.Not that I’d done a very good job of hiding the truth from her.

I nodded.“I tried to keep him hidden from Kyle and…well, everyone.For his safety.I knew if I didn’t, my uncle would pull something, and I was right.Apparently, I didn’t cover my ass enough because five months ago Kyle waltzed into my garage and slapped down a photo of my son.”

The fury in my voice grew with every word, my grip on the steering wheel nearly painful.Misely’s small hand slid over my thigh and squeezed with gentle encouragement, not saying a word.

“He gave me six months to find Milo and bring him back, dead or alive.”

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