Page 21 of Fractured Loyalties
“This sounds like quite the conversation,” she says, her voice clear as glass while her eyes linger on the bruises on my face. “Some of us are preparing for the weekend. You’ll want to cover that.”
Robert’s attention veers instantly to her. “Irena, my love.”
Her eyes flick between the two of us, but there’s no emotion in them. “The Harringtons are coming on Saturday. I expect youbothto conduct yourselves accordingly. Family comes first.”
“Of course, darling,” Robert says, shooting me a glare. “We will be on our absolute best behavior for you.”
I snort. “I’ll try not to bleed on the guests.”
She doesn’t smile, and her cold eyes bore into mine. “Good. Because it’s not your reputation that’s at stake—it’smine.”
I curl a lip in disgust at her. “Noted. Anything else,mother?”
She flinches at the word, and for a second, I’m ten years old again, watching her walk into my life as if she belonged. “That will be all,” she says, and turns her back to me.
Robert’s already buried back in his paperwork and ignoring us both.
I leave without another word, my heart pulsing acid with every step I take down the corridor. I want to set this place on fucking fire and watch it burn to ashes.
But oh yes,family comes first.However, the only family member I care about coming is Ivy. And I want her to do that all over my cock.
That thought leads me to the garage; it’s time to pick up the new addition. And hopefully, there’s no spilled milk today.
Moments later, I’m gunning the black SUV down the rain-slicked drive, its tires spitting gravel behind me. My knucklesare white against the wheel, my grip so tight I can feel the bones flexing.
All the way to the school, my mind spins on a loop—the sound of my father’s voice, the taste of dried blood on my lips, and the burn of fucking shame.
“You’re exactly like me.”
Well… Fuck you.
Woods Private looms out of the weather like a haunted cathedral. The front lot is a grid of luxury sedans, with not a single vehicle worth under a hundred grand. The rain beads and slides in sheets off the mirrored windows before pooling in gutters and spilling over onto the walk. I pull the SUV up under the portico, the engine idling and the wipers hammering out a rhythm of rage.
I don’t get out.
The last thing I want is all the fucking vultures to see me like this. Instead, I sink lower into my seat and scan the entryway through the glass, watching the kids spill out in cliques and knots, each trying too hard not to care.
Pathetic.
Eventually, I spot her… My little lamb, her hair damp and her cheeks flushed, laughing as she darts beneath the overhang. I almost smile, but then realize…
She’s not alone.Some fuckwit in a hoodie is shadowing her steps, grinning as if he’s just discovered pussy for the first time. I can’t make out his face as he jogs to keep pace with her, his hand reaching out to brush her elbow as they talk.
My blood pressure spikes.
Ivy leans away slightly… but not enough. The two of them stop beneath the covered walk, just beyond the blast radius of the front doors. The boy leans in, saying something that makes her smile again. Her mouth moves, wide and unguarded,a genuine fucking smile. She’sneversmiled like that in my presence.
And I haveneverhated anyone so instantly.
I realize I’m staring, so I look away. I count to ten. I breathe, but all it does is stoke the engine inside my ribs. I look back, and the bastard is still talking to her, thumb flicking through his phone. He holds it out, angling it so they both fit in the screen. Ivy’s face freezes at the intrusion, but she recovers, and then she tilts her head just enough for the selfie.
Fuckingperfect.I still can’t see who the fuck it is.
I hold my breath as I watch the horror show proceed. They exchange numbers. He holds out his phone, she taps in her info, then hands it back, biting her lower lip as she does. There’s a piece of her hair stuck to her cheek, and I wonder if he wants to reach out and move it.
I hope he does. I hope he tries it, so I can rip his fucking throat out…
Family comes first.My fists curl tighter.
