Page 72 of Toxic Salvation
“I found out recently. I wanted to tell you, but?—”
“But what? You thought I’d be cool with it? You thought I’d just shrug it off?”
“I thought you deserved to know the truth.”
I laugh, but it comes out broken and bitter. “The truth. Right. Well, here’s a truth for you, Kovan. My father may have been a criminal, but he was still my father. And your father took him away from me.”
“Vesper, please?—”
“No.” I head for the door. “We’re done. This thing between us, whatever it was, it’s over.”
“You don’t mean that.”
I pause with my hand on the doorknob. “Don’t I?”
“Think about what you’re doing. Think about our son.”
“Iamthinking about him! I’m thinking I don’t want him growing up around people who solve their problems by threatening to murder entire families.”
“That’s not who I am.”
“Isn’t it?” I turn to face him. “Your father killed mine. Your organization destroyed hundreds of lives. You’ve spent months lying to me about all of it. So tell me, Kovan, who exactly are you?”
He stares at me for a long moment. “I’m the man who loves you.”
That stops me cold. Three words I’ve been waiting months to hear. Three words that should change everything.
Instead, they break what’s left of my heart.
“That just makes this harder,” I whisper.
Then I walk out of his office and don’t look back.
26
VESPER
Waylen grabs two cartons of milk from the refrigerated case in the grocery store. “You want to tell me what you and Kovan are fighting about this time?”
I maneuver our cart closer so he can drop them in without having to reach. “Not really.”
“You’re not talking to Kovan. You’re not talking to Mom. You’re barely talking to me.” He sets the milk into the cart. “How bad is it?”
I push the cart onward, wheels squeaking against the floor. “It’s really inconvenient living with you, you know that?”
He actually laughs at that. Then his hand shoots out to stop the cart, forcing me to look at him. “I’m your big brother, V. If you can’t talk to me, what’s the point of having one?”
“Maybe I’m trying to protect you.” I keep my eyes on the shopping list crumpled in my palm rather than meet his gaze. “It’s true what they say: Sometimes, ignorance really is bliss.”
His jaw does that thing where it juts out when he’s getting stubborn. Mom always said he got that from Dad. “It’s not your job to protect me, Vesper. Besides, if you don’t talk to me, I’ll go straight to Kovan. And unlike you, he’s not worried about protecting my delicate sensibilities.”
My head snaps up. “You’d really go to Kovan?”
“Yes, I would. And if necessary, I’ll beat his ass until he tells me what’s going on.”
“No!” I grab his arm, my fingers probably leaving marks through his jacket sleeve. “This isn’t his fault.”
Waylen rolls his eyes in disbelief. “Right. Sure. You expect me to believe that El Doucho?—”
