Page 66 of Disorder (Elite of Elmwood 2)

Chapter Fourteen

“What happened to your car, Josie?” Dad asked as the Lexus was being loaded onto the tow truck. Brock took his leave after the news of my car being impounded with the whispered promise of seeing me later. The look he gave before he left was one full of wickedness, threads of sympathy, and underlying tendrils of anger.

I pouted, still on the couch, facing my father. “Mom sold it,” I told him. “She wanted me to fit in.” The bitterness was evident in my tone. I still held a grudge for her selling my old car right under my nose.

Dad swore under his breath, losing his usually neutral position in this divorce. Rarely did he ever badmouth Angie, despite her deserving the bulk of the blame in their failed marriage. Dad deserved so much better than her.

And I hoped one day he found a woman who appreciated him and was worthy of his kind heart. For that to happen, he had to start dating.

He rubbed at his temple. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

“I didn’t want to hurt you. And I was angry at Angie.”

He flinched just a fraction at me calling her by her first name. “I’ll talk to her tomorrow. I’m sure this is just a misunderstanding.”

“You’re kidding, right? When are you going to wake up and see her for who she really is?” The words “she’s not my mother” nearly tumbled off my lips.

He loosed a tired breath. “I know you and your mother have been going through a difficult time.”

“Do not make excuses for her. You don’t know what she is capable of. The unforgivable things she has done.” I’d said too much, but I couldn’t seem to stop myself. Venom brewed within me.

“What things, Josie?” he asked suspiciously, his hand dropping away from his face.

He couldn’t possibly not have any inkling. “It doesn’t matter now. She has Steven and Steven’s money. I don’t want anything from them.”

I could see that he wanted to press me, but when I snuggled deeper into the couch and closed my eyes, he just sighed and let me be.

* * *

By nine o’clock I was ready for bed, partially because I was tired, but mostly because I wanted to see Brock. Living with him these last weeks, I’d grown more accustomed to his presence than I’d realized. Not to mention sleeping in his bed. My ten-year-old twin mattress didn’t cut it. And I missed the warmth of this body, the gentle breathing of another person next to me, the sense of knowing I wasn’t alone. The sex was an added bonus when it happened, which hadn’t been often.

I kept staring at the clock, willing it to move faster, wondering when Brock would show. I waited for the text that never came. Ten o’clock rolled around and my dad came to check on me in my room and say goodnight.

Things were different, I realized.

And it just wasn’t our disagreement about Angie.

Dad had changed.

But so had I.

And knowing the truth about my birth… rocked my world.

I’d thought coming here had been what I wanted. I’d thought putting miles between the Academy and me would clear my head. I’d thought space from the Elite would give me a new perspective.

I was wrong.

Their world had stained me, bled into my soul, and there was no scrubbing it clean.

I lay in the dark, trying to trick my mind into thinking my body didn’t hurt or that my pride wasn’t bruised. My thoughts turned to the cops. A sense of foreboding entered into my chest like a little seed. As the minutes went by, it sprouted roots, growing and tangling around my organs.

It had nothing to do with the Lexus being impounded. I didn’t give a shit about the car.

Yet, I couldn’t pinpoint what troubled me, only that it was bad.

A small knock tapped on my window, pulling me out of those dark thoughts. My heart spun, overwhelming the shroud of darkness within me. That’s what Brock did. He chased away the evil. I eased out of bed to unlock the window.What if it is not Brock?A ribbon of doubt crossed my now paranoid mind.

My bedroom was on the side of the house with a window that faced my neighbor and another the backyard. Being a ranch, there were no heights to contend with.

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