Page 41 of Cruel Charming Psychos (Necessary Evils 2)

“I’m well aware of that and I have to live with that guilt every day myself. If I had just stayed away, Asher would still be alive.”

“Did you love him?”

I look over my shoulder as if I’m nervous for Nick to hear my response. There’s nothing to worry about though. Nick and I can never work. There’s too much history, too much baggage and too much violence. Too much distrust. “No, I didn’t love him like you love someone you’re in love with. I loved him in other ways.”

“What do you mean?”

“He protected me always, without question and without hesitation. He saw the good in me when I couldn’t see the good in myself. It’s important to have people like that in your life.”

“I wish I had someone like that.”

“You do.” I grab her by the hand, and this time she doesn’t pull away. I squeeze firmly. “I’m that person for you. Without question, I am always on your side. Even after what you did, I was angry at first but then I realized that I understood why you are the way you are.”

She hooks a sad gaze upwards. “Do you think it’ll ever get easier?”

“What?”

“Life.”

“No.” I shake my head. “I could lie to you, but you’ve always been able to cut through the bullshit, and what’s the point in lying? Knowing that the world is incredibly hard gives you the opportunity to prepare for it.”

She tosses her head back and lets out a heavy sigh. “Mother is having me sent to an inpatient treatment center. She thinks it’s the only way I’m going to get better, but God knows she’s only sending me there to get rid of me.”

“Do you want to go?’

She looks to me with the smallest shake of her head. “No.”

“Okay then, let me go talk to Nick and I’ll be right back,” I say before excusing myself.

When I step outside, Nick is leaning against the wall with his hands shoved into his pockets. “I thought you had to take a phone call.”

“I just wanted you two to have some alone time. I feel responsible for destroying your relationship and wanted you to have the chance to fix it.”

I join him at his side, leaning against the same wall. “Your mother is having her transferred to a mental institution, but she doesn’t want to go. I’m not saying that she doesn’t need help, but I am saying that I don’t trust your mother to make the right decisions for her. I’d feel more comfortable if we could take her out of here and see if she gets better first and then look into other options.”

“There’s no way I’m letting them do that to her. Knowing them, they’ll send her to one of those farms in the Midwest that are created for troubled teens. That’s not what she needs.”

“What are we going to do?”

He looks both ways as if to make sure nobody is watching or listening. “Look, I know Emily’s doctor here. She’s a friend of my mother and she’s been ordered to keep us away from Emily, so there’s no way in hell they are going to let us take her out of here.”

“So, we’re screwed then.”

“Not exactly. Here’s the thing about my parents and the people they associate with. Loyalty is a commodity that is always for sale and is worthless on its own. When loyalty and trust is traded like currency, self-interest and preservation always wins out.”

“Your family cut you off. How do you think you’re going to pay her off?”

“I’m going to threaten her reputation and her career. There’s no way she values her relationship with my parents more than she values the life she’s built for herself. She’s not going to risk that no matter how much my mother is paying her.”

* * *

Emily couldn’t go back to her own place and her parents know where Nick’s been staying. There’s no way in hell I would subject Emily to staying with my mother, so without much cash, we had to come up with another solution. I remembered Asher saying something about sticking around town, so I figured it would be a good idea to start there.

As it turns out, Asher had prepaid for his room for six weeks and had my name on the rental. I’m not sure where he got the money to do that, but I’m not going to ask too many questions when a freebie has fallen into my lap. After obtaining a key from the front desk, we snuck Emily in through the back door and into the hotel room.

She plops down onto the side of the bed with a smile. Being freed from the chains of the Callaway family must be exhilarating for her. Sure, she’s most likely lost a fortune, but if Nick and I can pull off our next move, that might not matter. Mr. Callaway can’t protect his fortune if he’s behind bars, or worse, penniless.

Emily chuckles. “That look on that woman’s face was priceless. I always knew she was a bitch. Every time she’d show up for an event, she’d stick her nose up to everyone and everything.”

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