Page 38 of Scorned Queen

Chapter thirty-two

Atthispoint,Adamis leaning around the seat, questions burning in his gaze, but I’m focused on my mother.“What’s going to happen to Dad, Mom?”I press.

“I just—he’s gambling too much.We’re both enabling him, and I don’t know how to make it stop.Can you just come over?I’m shaken by how intensely we fought.”

Bitterness overwhelms me.I’ve given up everything in reply to her tears and her begging.The truth is, it’s rarely my father who asks for my help.It’s her, and after what I found out today, I’m feeling pretty darn done.

“I’m not coming over,” I say, surprising myself, so I am certain she is stunned.“I’m moving in with Damion.I have to get packed and moved.”

“You’re what?What are you talking about?”Her tone is biting, angry, and I cannot help but wonder if the source is Damion’s father’s influence or her fear of Damion’s influence on me.

“Oh, please, Mother.You’re well aware of the fact that I’ve been in love with him my entire life.I told you I was going to marry him when I was seven.”

“That was a kid thing!I never thought you’d really marry that man.He was always destined to be just like his father.”

Anger and adrenaline rip through me, and it’s all I can do to hold back an accusation.I thank the reserve the camera has taught me, as I know anything I say to her will be used against Damion.

I burn to say something snippy, for instance, “If you weren’t in bed with his father, maybe you’d be paying attention to what’s going on in your daughter’s life a little more closely,” but I do not.“Whatever the case,” I say instead, the pinch in my chest threatening to create a burn in my eyes, “I’m moving in with him.”

“He’s a player, a manwhore.”Her tone is incredulous.“He’s going to fuck you over and laugh about it.The little girl next door who pants after him.Do you want to be that?”

Her words bite and grind and I feel myself go cold inside, but not because I believe her words.Because she actually said them.“Be careful what you say about Damion to me, Mom.I love him, and you need to be clear: I will fight for him.You need to understand that meansat all costs.”

Seconds tick by before she issues a tightly spoken, “I see,” and I can only assume she’s wondering how weird this gets since she’s in the wrong bed and on the wrong side of everything.

I don’t think she sees anything but her own personal agenda.“What was the fight with Dad about?”

“You know what the fight was about.I need help managing him.”

“He’s a grown adult.”

“With an addiction, and I don’t know what to do anymore.”

That’s it.I hit a wall.“Try making different decisions, and I’m fairly certain you know exactly what I’m talking about, because this is about to get embarrassing.My producer now wants to delve into my parents’ personal lives.She believes there to be a juicy scandal there.Think about that tonight.Think hard about where that leads when the press starts following you.”I hang up.

The vehicle halts in front of my building, my cell hums again, and caller ID alerts me to yet another call from my mother.I hit decline, and the passenger door opens.Kelvin appears in my line of sight, concern etched in his dark eyes, and geez, are all the Walker men big bad asses with good looks?Because, as is the case with Adam, Kelvin is all of those things.

“Sucks really badly when parents suck,” he says.“Sorry that you’re dealing with this, but please know we’re here to help.”

I wonder if he speaks from personal experience, but I don’t know him well enough to ask.Whatever the case, there’s a genuineness about Kelvin and Adam that is appreciated so very much right now, but it also drives home how little of that quality has been in my life.Damion has changed that for me in all kinds of ways.

Adam appears opposite Kelvin’s position, both men framing me, a shelter that I am certain is intentional.Damion has told them what he told me.His father would cause me harm to cause him harm.I’m angry with my mother—furious in fact—but I’m officially concerned about the easy target she’s made of herself.“I need to know what just happened,” Adam states.

I’m oddly without resistance to his nosing into my personal matters.“She said they were fighting, I suspect about her seeing Damion’s father again, but she claims it’s about my father’s gambling.It might be.He has a real problem.”

“Gambling leads to debt with the wrong people,” Kelvin comments grimly.“Sounded like she was mentioning some type of danger?”

“Yes,” I agree wholeheartedly.“But take that concern with a grain of salt.They’ve used the threat of owing money to the wrong people against me my entire adult life.Damion even bailed them out years ago.I’m not sure I’m objective enough to know if any of it is real anymore.”

“We can find out,” Adam assures me, “but you need to know, we don’t have anyone watching them at present.We didn’t commit to taking them on until next week.Under the circumstances, I’ll see if we can step that up.”

“Our team should, at the very least, be able to get eyes on them by way of street and building cameras, as well as online activity,” Kelvin adds.

“Agreed,” Adam replies.“We’ll get a look at what went down at your parent’s building today.”

“I’m not as worried about the gambling as I am Damion’s father.”I hug myself, embarrassed about my mother’s behavior.“She’s sleeping with him.She can’t even see how she’s being used.If Damion’s father can’t get to me, why wouldn’t he just hurt her?My devastation would be Damion’s torture.”

Adam and Kelvin exchange an unreadable look before Adam says, “We’ll get someone on her quickly.”He motions to the building.“I’m going up with you.”

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