Page 21 of Free to Judge
Bickering ensues between the family members about the definition of loyalty. I could provide them a whole new perspective on it if I was allowed in this meeting, but Keene said now wasn’t the time to bring me into the equation. “Like my wife, Kalie’s fierce about those she cares about,” Keene explained.
“I have the bruise to prove that. Thanks for the intel.”
“She’s not ready to listen to what we have to tell her about you.”
“But she will,” Liam tacked on. “The women in this family are incredibly resilient. Honesty is the best way to handle them.”
After the shit show I’m watching, I’m beginning to think Liam has the right answer. Yet, without the correct information, they’re priming my body for a quick burial. “Hey. Did you know you can get a body bag online? We can have it delivered overnight,” Alison calls out in the Amaryllis conference room.
Kalie’s eyes light, causing my dick to go rock hard, despite the fact she’s talking about plotting my murder with ease. Christ, a single smile from her, and I’m solid. What would I ever do if it were aimed directly at me?
Next to Kalie, the refined older man referenced as her godfather—renowned lawyer Jared Dalton—sits with an unnerving calm before he shuts down the idea. “I’m good for bail, not murder charges.”
All the women pout at him, easing some of the tension in the room before Kalie decrees, “You’re no fun, Uncle Jared.”
“Shall we get on with this?” Jared’s cool, measured voice shreds through the tension that clings to the room like a noxious mist. With deliberate calm, he places a hand on Kalie’s shoulder. When she turns and offers him a smile, my breath catches. This is the woman who managed to slip past every defense mechanism I erected and strike me down.
Why the fuck am I so drawn to her?I’ve been surrounded by beautiful women before. None of them have the same impact to my senses the way Kalie does.
Kalie isn’t holding any of her vitriol back. She casts venomous glares at every male member of her family and then abruptly cuts the tension with, “I agree. Let’s get this show on the road. I have plans tonight.”
“Want to catch dinner?” Jon ventures hopefully, as if the simple act of sharing a meal could atone for what she perceives as his sins.
Her mother and aunt share mocking snickers, and even her father rolls his eyes in anticipation of the verbal storm about to break. With a deceptive sweetness, she announces, “I wouldn’t be caught dead sharing a meal with you. No, tonight I have a pressing appointment to remove the dirt I collected between my toes in that sorry excuse for a room.” Then her tone hardens, weaponized steel clearly inherited from her father. “So, can wefinally get down to why I was forced to come here rather than go home?”
Her father lets out a sigh, which I know he’s forcing out. But during our brainstorming session earlier, we decided this was the best course of action for Kalie to take, hopefully lifting the target she doesn’t know is on her. “He dropped the charges because we assured him you would offer a formal apology.”
Her response drips with mocking pity. “Bless your heart.”
The urge to burst into laughter at the southern fuck you nearly makes me drop the tablet I’m holding—if only I didn’t know how utterly necessary it was to try to tame the Byrne family from acting on their threats.
And making me burn the entire operation to the ground for a woman I barely know instead of for the one I shared every day with for years.
Unaware I can hear her, Kalie verbally dissects me, my lineage, and ridicules every future creation spawned by my sperm. Yet, I’m fascinated by the woman whose strength borders on fearless. On the surface, she embodies the high life, rich and untouchable—but as I’ve painfully learned, there’s so much more beneath the dazzling veneer shown to the world.
What else would I find out about her if I were free to do so? From the moment I first saw her all those years ago, no other woman sparked my interest in quite the same way. Now, since Tanya, my life has been riddled with regrets while trying to stay alive.
But if I hadn’t made a vow as strong as hers…
Keene is clearly across the table from Kalie. I can tell from the sound of his voice he’s teetering on the precipice ofcontrol. Meanwhile, Caleb stands by his son’s side. His face is unreadable. Jon’s expression is a shattered wreck. It’s painfully obvious this family shares a unique bond, but for Kalie to cut into Jon the way she has means he’s done more damage than a simple conversation can repair.
No, not damage. Something. Someone. Me.
Taking the offensive, Kalie snaps, “When do you want this to happen?”
Jon’s eyes bore into hers. “Soon.”
“Will you be writing me a statement?” Before he can reply, she sneers, “Because that’s the only way I’ll get through it sounding in any way authentic.”
“Damn it, Kalie. Can’t you meet us halfway?”
“Who, Dad?”
“Who, what?”
“Meet who halfway?”
“Your family.”
