Page 62 of Make Me Lie (Rich Demons of Darkwood 1)

A nerve near my eye twitched, a sure sign of how stressed I was, but I said nothing. I just stood there waiting for him to stop torturing me and speak.

At least twenty minutes passed before he realized he wasn't going to get the reaction he wanted from me, and he sent the girls away in tears—after finishing loudly, of course.

He leaned on his desk, his hands folded in front of him in his signature power position that the press always raved about. "Do you have an explanation for tonight?" he said sternly in a voice that would have starred in my nightmares if I had any. Sleeping pills every night made sure that wouldn't happen.

"A harmless side hustle," I told him, and he chuckled darkly.

"Is that what you called tonight's date with The Demon's daughter?" he purred, his eyes sparkling maliciously.

I snorted, although my insides felt anything but amused. "Your sources are wrong, old man, if they told you I was on a date."

"Really?" he asked, pressing a button on his phone. He picked it up to show it to me and started scrolling through picture after picture of me next to Aurora. In all the pictures I was staring at her like a man obsessed, the cameraman obviously catching the wrong moment and the wrong angle to create an image that hadn't actually happened.

"I think you of all people know how a situation can be skewed under the right lens," I commented, making sure to keep eye contact and my voice steady so he couldn't tell that my pulse was beating for reasons I wasn't really sure about.

I already had enough people I had to keep safe. The last thing I needed was a serial killer's daughter being added to that list.

Not that Aurora was even a thought for that.

It just made me sick to hear her name on his lips. Because everything about him made me sick.

That was all.

"The last thing I need is my wayward son being seen with a murderer. Don't let it happen again. You won't want to see what happens."

"When are you going to realize that you're not in charge anymore," I said darkly, immediately regretting the words as soon as they left my mouth.

My father leaned back in his chair, a wide smile breaking out across his face.

"Paul," he barked.

A moment later I heard the soft sniffling of my little brother as Paul dragged him into the room. My brother Andrew was clutching his teddy bear, dressed in a pair of dinosaur pajamas as tears ran down his face. "I'm tired," he cried out before he saw me. He tried to run towards me but was hauled back by the scruff of his shirt by Paul.

"Still think I'm not in charge, Remington?" my father asked triumphantly.

I gritted my teeth, trying to resist the urge to drag my brother away from Paul's nasty grip and get us both the hell out of here.

But then there was my little sister to think of.

My father held all the cards, and as always, I was just playing to survive...never to win.

"Is she going to be a problem anymore?" my father sneered.

"No," I muttered.

"No, what?"

"No, sir," I added reluctantly.

"That will be all, Remington," he said, already picking up his rolled-up bill to snort some more coke.

I quickly strode towards my little brother and practically ripped him from Paul's grip, hustling out of the room before he could see anything.

"I love you, Remy," Andrew sniffled into my shoulder.

"I love you too, buddy," I murmured, rubbing his back as I strode up the stairs to place him back into his room.

I put him into his bed and walked towards the door and locked it, sliding down to sit in front of it.

---