Page 39 of Fractured Loyalties
I lean back, the pain in my chest flaring, but I don’t let it show. “Anything else, Father?”
He checks his phone and then sets it down, glaring at me. “Yeah, actually, one more thing. If anyone comes asking about this boy, you send them to me. Donottry to deal with it yourself. You won’t be able to handle it.”
I nod, swallowing the jab but loving the revenge. “Understood.”
“Good,” he says. He finishes his drink in a single swallow and then stands up, leaving his plate untouched. “Your mother would be proud of you… If she were still alive. She always was one for fucking things up for me.”
And that’s his way of saying goodbye. He walks away from the table, leaving me with the bill and a glare.
I watch him go. Surprisingly, I don’t feel hate. I just… feel nothing at all.
And that’s precisely why I need to get my head on straight. I need to get some fucking space, and Ivy needs to stew. I need to make her sweat.
Then, maybe she’ll miss me.
And realize Iamthe only safety she has in this world.
Sixteen
IVY
“Can’tI just get dinner sent to my room?” I stand at the threshold of the kitchen, staring up at Edward, who looks at me in amusement. I’m still in my school uniform. I’m still wired from Kade’s disappearance, both digitally and physically.
“Mr. Woods requested the whole family be at the table this evening.” His tone is flat, but there’s something about the way he’s looking at me, not really looking at me, that bothers me.
“Fine,” I mutter under my breath, slipping past him and into the dining room. The room is empty, except for the placed settings for four, already ready with food.
Ugh.
I pick the seat facing the door in the middle of the table and stare at the plate across from me.Freaking Roman.
Irena floats in a few beats later, a glass of water balanced in her hand. She doesn’t look at me as she sits, only smooths the linen napkin in her lap and begins to read the folder of mail sitting beside her place. I hear the papery whisper of her fingers as she sorts, discards, sorts, and discards.
I shift my eyes to my own plate. The food is beautiful, and arranged with a precision I don’t even understand. I don’t wantany of it, but the chances of me getting out of this family dinner are next to none.
“You can eat,” Irena says, startling me sideways. “I’m sure Robert and Roman will be late. They always are. You’ll learn not to wait.”
I make some sort of agreeable noise and then pick up my fork, scooting around the asparagus. My heart thumps unevenly in my chest as my mind tries to run back to the still-missing Kade.
At least I made a friend today. Tess is cool.Hopefully, she doesn’t go missing, as well.
I wince at the intrusive thought.
Robert enters right as I take my first bite of chicken, but I make it a point to remain fully engrossed with my food. Roman isstillmissing from the table, and I have no idea whether to be relieved or worried.
“Ivy,” Robert clears his throat, finally catching my eye as he sets his napkin across his lap. “How was school today?”
“Um…” The question knocks me off guard, and for a moment, I forget that I know how to speak at all. “It was… okay. We had a chemistry test. I think I did alright, given I haven’t been there for most of the semester.”
He inclines his head as if considering this, then pours himself a glass of wine. Edward retreats from the room, leaving the three of us in the echo chamber of crystal and clinking cutlery.
“You know, I ran into Mrs. Valdez today at the club. She said your uniform looked positively tragic your first day,” Irena laughs lightly, as if the dress code violation didn’t permanently scar me. She sips her water, then sets it down with a click. “I’m glad we fixed that.”
I glance up, trying to read her face. I can’t tell if she’s trying to be cruel or funny. With Irena, I’m not even sure there’s a line between the two.
Robert’s eyes flick to me, appraising. “It happens. I think it’s probably time for us to make some changes.”
I blink at him, once again unsure how to read these two people. “Okay…” I eye the door, still waiting for Roman to show up.
