Page 58 of Searching for Hope

“Michael, please. Just stop. Listen to me.”

When he turns around his expression has been schooled into something empty and void of emotion. “I thought you just needed time, but it turns out—” He takes a deep breath and storms toward me. “Fuck it. How long have you been screwing him? How long did you think you could toy with me, string me along as though…” He blows out a long stream of air.

“It’s not like that. I’m not with him.”

“You’re not?” He laughs. “That will be why I witnessed you throwing yourself at him then, was it?”

“It’s complicated.”

“It always is with you, Everly.”

I drop my gaze to the ground. “I thought you liked complications.”

He grits his teeth, his jaw bulging before drawing in a sharp breath. “My father wants to get to know your Mr Priest better. He wanted me to invite you both for dinner.”

“And now?” I ask, hesitantly peering up at him.

He shakes his head. “Nothing has changed. I’ll be in touch.” And then he walks away, his movements stilted and wooden. Dread settles in my stomach. I just made a mistake. A big mistake. Pissing off Michael Gorman is the last thing I should have done. With a tortured sigh, I turn back to where Jericho is waiting.

“What did he want?”

“To ask us to dinner.”

He blinks. “Seriously?”

I nod, feeling a dull ache of rising bile at the back of my throat. The way Michael looked at me so coldly reminded me of the times I’d disappointed my father. He never said anything, but there was always a price to pay.

chapter nineteen

BERKLEY

“I brought you something.”

I hold out the slice of pie as an offering, knowing it’s his favorite. Spiced apple. He sniffs the air like a rat, somehow frenzied and cautious at the same time. It wasn’t that long ago that we were sitting around a lavish table that he provided. Now we’re in a concrete cell.

“Is that what I think it is?”

I place the plate on the ground and slide it toward him. “Fresh out of the oven.”

Pulling the chair out from the wall, I take a seat, watching as my father grabs the plate, lifts it to his nose and inhales. His eyes roll back and a smile crosses his face.

“I don’t think there’s a better smell in the world.” He takes a mouthful and lets out a groan that’s almost uncomfortable. Tipping his head back against the wall, he chews the remainder of his mouthful, silent and with his eyes closed. He eats the rest of the pie like that, never once bothering to look in my direction. Once he’s done, he licks the plate and puts it back on the ground.

“So you opened your legs willingly, huh?” He lifts his brows in question.

“Excuse me?” I splutter.

“Don’t play coy with me.” He nods in my direction. “You have the code. You could let me out if you wanted, but you don’t. He won you over. You’re on his side now. I can only assume it’s because you’re fucking him.”

I lift my chin. “Ever since I found out the truth about you, I’ve been on the other side.”

He snorts. “You realize he’s just as guilty as me, don’t you? He’s doing the very same thing as he’s accusing me of. Keeping someone captive.” He pulls his knees up and gets to his feet.

My gaze falls to the chain around his leg. Part of me feels like it’s cruel. I can see where the metal has rubbed against his skin until it’s raw in patches. Part of me feels safe.

He leans against the wall, crossing his arms and his ankles. “I was terrified when I first went to prison. I didn’t know what to expect. I didn’t know if someone like myself was respected in a place like that, or if my money and my wealth were meaningless.” He chuckles as though he’s reminiscing. And then he falls silent, his eyes slightly narrowed, pondering some dark thought. He’s always been comfortable with silence. He used to use it as a weapon, getting myself or one of my half-brothers to admit to things he’d never questioned us about. But I can play that game too.

He continues. “I remember the moment I first went inside. There was nothing to set me apart from all those criminals in there. I wore the same clothes. I had the same possessions. I was no one in their eyes. Just another body. I lost control of my life. Suddenly someone else was in charge of when I woke, when I ate, what I ate. They told me when to shower, when to go outside. Visitors were allowed only at their discretion.”

---