Page 52 of Dark, Forbidden, & Taboo

It was my own way of keeping her close to me as I grew up without her.

But now that I have her back in my life again, I’m going to do my best to take care of her and her daughter.

And the first stop after we leave this place is the courthouse.

Daveigh may not want to lay claim to the Parker Family Fortune, but Angie is entitled to it and I’m going to make damn sure she gets it.

Besides.

Bankrupting that son of a bitch means he’ll have nowhere to live when he gets out of prison in twenty-five years.

It’ll be his turn to be a gutter rat and hopefully, Daveigh’s friends will rip him to fucking shreds if he wanders too close to the danger zone.

The best part about being adopted into such a rich and haughty family, like mine, is that we’ve got judges in our back pockets and thugs at our beck and call.

Julius will get twenty years,at least.I’ll make damn sure of that. As Angie runs over and tugs on my leg to get my attention,I smile down at her, letting her lead me to a dress she’s fallen in love with.

And if he makes it out of prison in one piece, he’ll last maybe a week on the outside.

I glance at my sister, who’s smiling at me and Angie.

It’s the least I can do for the both of them.

Chapter 20

Davina

Strange.

That’s how looking at him always made me feel.

I sometimes think it was because he was autumn where I was spring.

His demeanor has always cool been, his eyes danced with secrets of why things fall down, and how nothing in the world would ever prepare anyone for what comes after.

I was warmer.

Slightly full of hope, eternally happiest when new and exciting things happened, even if they were rarely meant for me.

A paradox of opposite seasons, not quite the harshest, but always with the possibility to be just that.

I glance at Rock next to me as he drives his fancy sports car, and he casts a glance back at me.

The warmth of spring that I never thought he could be spreads through him as he smiles at me, then glances in the rear-view at Angie.

“Where are we going?” I ask him curiously.

It’s not something I thought of until only now, and while I don’t care where it really is, maybe it’ll spark a conversation between us.

“Home, Daveigh,” he replies as his eyes focus on the road in front of him.

“Oh.”

“Don’t worry about anything,” he states as he turns on his left blinker and waits patiently for oncoming traffic to go by. “I don’t mean home with the Thompkins. I meanhome.”

My face screws up in confusion because I don’t know what he means by that, but as long as Angie is safe, then I don’t really care where the takes us.

My brother reaches over and squeezes my thigh reassuringly, his eyes still on the road, then seizes his opportunity to make the lefthand turn.

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