Page 11 of The Prom King & The Ice Queen

Her head jerks back a bit, and her eyes wide with surprise.

I look away from her searching look.

I’ll admit, I’d said that a bit harsher than intended. It’s not like me to lose my patience so quickly, but lately I’ve had an incredibly short fuse.

Maybe Vincent’s anger issues are catching.

“No, Leo,” she drawls. “I don’t need help. I’ve got a lot of experience when it comes to work. Unlike some people.”

I roll my eyes. Here we go. “Right, I forgot.”

I head back out and am kinda aimlessly milling around when it happens. That drama I’ve been waiting for? It erupts like a volcano with one statement from my grandmother.

“Is this your idea of a joke?” She’s staring at Vincent, my grandfather’s illegitimate son and the bane of my existence.

My grandfather walks over to her side as the room falls silent. The guest of honor isn’t here yet but the rec room is filled with guests and they’re all tense as if they too have been waiting for some sort of blowup.

My jaw clenches and I catch my mom’s eye. Her brows are knit tight with worry.

“My ring,” my grandmother says, holding up a ringless hand. “It’s missing.”

Her voice is cold as ice as she glares at Vincent.

And I get it. I do.

My dad’s somewhere behind me and I hear him mutter something about that’s what you get when you let the trash in.

Vincent’s glowering back at my grandmother. I’m starting to think that’s the only expression he’s capable of. “You think I stole your ring?”

My grandfather breaks the silence. “No one’s saying that, Vince. No one is accusing you of anything.”

He looks to my grandmother and I swear I can see some of her tension melt during their odd silent exchange.

See, my grandmother might be tough, but she loves my grandfather. And she’s already admitted to me and Vincent that she’s partly to blame for our family ignoring him for as long as they have.

“No. I’m not accusing,” my grandmother says in a much warmer tone. “I just want to know who took my ring.” She points toward the bathroom off the pool area. “I always leave it there and now it’s gone.”

My heart surges up into my throat. My guts twist as the words call up an image…

I glance around until I spot her.

Savannah.

Her face has gone as white as her wig. And if I had any doubts, her current wide-eyed horror erases them.

I know without a doubt that she took the ring, but…why?

It’s so crazy out of character for the smug, self-righteous ice queen that it’s not even funny.

Actually, nothing about this is funny.

I’m so caught up in watching Savannah’s reaction that I don’t realize until too late that my poor excuse for a father has stepped into the fray. “I’ll be more than happy to call the cops.”

Vincent fixes him with an ugly sneer. “Go ahead.”

“See? What did I tell you? Once trash, always trash.” My dad jabs a finger but then he’s backpedaling when Vincent takes a step toward him.

My stomach drops at the sight. My dad, ladies and gentlemen. A big tough guy…until anyone stronger than him has the guts to go toe to toe.

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