Page 123 of Relentles
“I’m sure,” Rebel grouched. “You overlooked her marriage and had a fit when yours was threatened.”
“Would it matter if she knew I’ve since divorced?”
“Nope. My father. Remember? Her husband. Who she loves and trusts.”
“She does love him a lot. But he’s a man, Rebel. You were there when I told her sooner or later he’d cheat.”
Fuck, finally.
“I was.” She met her father’s gaze and held it, refusing to let him look away, silently crucifying him and vowing she’d never forgive him. “And what did my mother say?”
“That he’d never do that to her,” he said with distaste. “She thinks the man is a saint. She is mistaken. Lust overtakes all men, no matter who they are married to.”
“I didn’t believe it then,” Rebel said quietly. “I do now.” A knot settled into her stomach. She no longer cared about Brett’s fate. He was a man, and every man in her acquaintance stood by her father while he betrayed her mother. “I have to go.”
“You’ve called me, Rebel, so that means one thing.”
Rebel drew her brows together. “It does?”
“Of course. I’m a fine man. Thirty-five and well-maintained.”
“It doesn’t matter, bro,” Rebel said. “Momma still doesn’t want—”
“Nother.You. You need to get on birth control and come to me—”
CJ’s eyes bulged, rushing toward her. “Motherfucker, are you fucking out of your mind?”
“Rebel, who—?”
“You a dead motherfucker!” Daddy kicked the chair closest to him, while she was trying to dodge CJ, who looked like a wild lunatic.
“Do you have me a speaker?” Brett demanded, not only a creep but a stupid one.
“Fuckhead,” Daddy snarled, lunging for her phone.
“My daddy just walked in,” Rebel interrupted, hurriedly disconnecting.
“What’s the motherfucker’s address, Rebel?” CJ demanded as their father announced, “I’m killin’ him.”
Rebel stuffed her phone in her pocket, ignoring CJ and all the other outraged faces. She focused on her father. “Which you’d planned to do before you heard just how big of a creep he was. It was merely because he wanted to be Momma’s friend.”
“Maybe, she started out as his friend,” he spat the word, “but he want pussy from her. I can’t fuckin’ believe Megan kept that from me.”
“Really?” She folded her arms. “The fucking irony.”
“He dyin’ a painful fuckin’ death. First for fuckin’ with Megan. I’m killin’ that motherfucker again for fuckin’ withyou. Now, I’m killin’ him first for that. You not a grown bitch.”
Blah, blah, blah.
Daddy walked up on her, but she lifted her chin. If he wanted to beat her, let him. Momma hid that stupid motherfucker to save his fucking life. Daddy hid that bitch because he was a stupid motherfucker.
He grabbed her and shook her. She held her ground.
“No matter what the fuck it looked like, it wasn’t what you saw.” He shook her again. “You causin’ the fuckin’ chaos right now, Reb.You. I spent yesterday straightenin’ shit out. Torie don’t mean anything to me, other than bein’ your sister’s nurse. How many fuckin’ ways do I have to tell you before I finally get that through your fuckin’ head?”
If the nurse was leaving, it should’ve been a moot point.
“Stop trying to convince me of your innocence,” she said with venom. “If you can face yourself in the mirror every day with a free and clear conscience, then nothing I say changes that.”
