Page 75 of Scandalous Kingpin
The cacophony of stomping boots and whispered voices came from another room, signaling my brothers were approaching.Great. I was thankful I had my brothers’ support, but I needed space. Time. Answers.
If only I wasn’t so afraid of them.
“Look what I found,” Caelan announced when he stepped through the open door.
He grinned at me where I was cuddled up near the crackling fireplace, nothing but leather-bound books surrounding us. This used to be our parents’ favorite room in the house and all of us had always gravitated to it when we were troubled. The only thing missing was Cobra, who I yearned for with a fierceness I hadn’t expected.
No sooner had Caelan walked in than my other two brothers followed, wide grins splitting their cheeks.
My brow furrowed at their appearance.
Caelan looked downright ridiculous with a bowl of popcorn in one hand and a bowl of ice cream in the other, a set of rubbery pink eyes stuck haphazardly on his cheeks. Aemon and Bren weren’t far off, although their grumbling expressions offset the apparent spa-night accessories.
My brothers tried their best to put on happy faces around me, but I heard their whispers and saw their sidelong glances. They were worried. Really worried. And then there was their fury: at Juliette and at the DiLustros.
“We need to talk,” I said, folding my legs under me. My brothers exchanged glances before returning to stare at me with concern scrawled all over their faces. “First, what in the hell are you wearing?”
Bren slapped a hand to his face, pulling off the ridiculous pink sleeping mask and shaking his head. “I told you this was stupid,” he grumbled.
“Pink makes girls happy,” Caelan muttered. “I read that somewhere. Pajama parties, bubble baths, junk food, and chick flicks are how girls get over a breakup.”
“And you’re a fucking expert, right?” Aemon followed suit, tossing his mask on a nearby desk. “I should beat your ass for making me wear that shit.”
Caelan rolled his eyes. “You can give it your best shot.”
“I should just smother you both so you’ll shut the fuck up,” Bren grumbled. “This is about Ivy, remember?”
I sighed, pinching the bridge of my nose. I’d been seeing a therapist to help me talk things through, although I was starting to think that maybe a talk right now wasn’t the best idea. There was nothing I wanted more than to seek oblivion in sleep. If only I’d stop dreaming abouthim. Maybe lying in the dark and listening to a sad-girl playlist was the answer.
I stood up, but before I could make a single step, Aemon came up to me. “Nope. You’re not running off and hiding in your bedroom.”
Bren nodded. “You wanted to talk, and we think that’s a great idea.”
They sat down, Bren and Caelan taking the sofa that protested under their weight and Aemon the leather recliner.
Resigned, I settled in and met my brothers’ determined gazes.
“Okay, now let’s talk,” Bren demanded.
I didn’t know where to start. Truthfully, I wasn’t even sure where all this would end either. Sometimes oblivion was a blessed state, but I couldn’t bury my head in the sand anymore.
“Athair had an affair with Sofia Volkov,” I began, taking a deep breath and meeting their eyes one by one. “And I know it went on long enough to produce twin daughters, who are now adults and around my age.”
The oxygen in the room thinned, every breath was downright painful.
Aemon’s shoulders tensed and he shared a glance with our brothers before meeting my eyes. “How do you know?”
I rolled my eyes. “I overheard you two talking.”
“I didn’t want you learning that about Athair.” Aemon’s face softened a smidge. “You idolized him so much.”
I shook my head. “You all have to stop shielding me. I’m sick and tired of being treated with delicate gloves. After all, I didn’t lose my shit when I learned about Sofia Volkov, did I?” My brothers seemed stunned into silence. “Now, tell me what you know.”
“I don’t know much. Just that the twins are older than you.” My eyes shot to Aemon, and for the first time in weeks, I spotted fatigue in his expression. “They’re a few years older than you.”
“Alive?”
“One is,” Bren answered.
