I arch a brow. “You think there should still be a shadow government?” I ask curiously, grabbing my own handful and stuffing it in my face.
Daya shrugs, swallowing before answering. “Sure. I think the government should definitely be controlled by somebody, just not a person that is only interested in fixing things in this world for their own gain. We need someone who cares about the environment and advancing science and medicine without inhumane experimentation and quite literally using us as slaves. I think we’ve had enough of that shit in our history. This planet needs to be cleansed badly, and the people in charge right now? They’re not going to be the ones to do it.”
I purse my lips. “I think you’re right. I just don’t know who would do it.”
“You don’t think Zade would?”
Shaking my head, I chew on a few half-popped kernels. They’re my favorite part of eating popcorn.
“It’s hard to say for sure, but I think Zade enjoys what he does now too much. Regardless of who’s in power, it’s going to take a very long time for human trafficking to actually end. I can’t see him being content sitting behind a desk making decisions rather than being on the field and physically taking them down.”
Daya nods, her sage green eyes drifting back to the screen, the reporters still attempting to regain their footing after Zade’s interruption. Media is controlled by the government, which means everything they spew to the public is sanctioned by the very people Zade is threatening to destroy. It’s no wonder they’re uncomfortable when they’re quite literally the mouths that feed us the government’s brainwashing bullshit.
“I’ll do it,” Sibby chirps, topping off her announcement with a ballerina spin.
Daya and I glance at each other.
“You would want to rule the government? You’re mentally unstable, Sibby,” I say bluntly.
She stops spinning and narrows her eyes at me. I’ve sparred with her far too much to legitimately be scared of her anymore.
“I care about the world and cleansing it of demons. Can you imagine?” A wide, dreamy smile spreads across her face. “Living in a world of flowers? One big garden, just like the planet should be.”
“See? Unstable.”
She growls at me and stomps her foot. “I could do it, Addie. I know I have a temper, and that I’d need help. But I could fix this world,” she tells me vehemently.
Cocking my head, I actually consider what she’s saying. Sibby’s methods would need to be controlled, but… she’s admittedly the most fanatical person I’ve ever met when it comes to ridding the world of evil. Is that actually possible? Of course not. But maybe having someone who believes it is, wouldn’t be so bad. And with her knack for smelling the ones who are rotten, she could have a team of people helping her who have good intentions.
“What would you do?” I wonder.
“Wait, you actually think she could do it?” Daya cuts in incredulously, her eyes bouncing between Sibby and me.
Grinning, I shrug a shoulder. “She would be better than Claire. And she wouldn’t do it alone. Her entire purpose in life is to better this world, is it not?”
Daya’s lips part, floundering for an objection but coming up with none. Really, anyone put in that position of power could be argued against. There’s no perfect person out there. Sibby isn’t without sin, but her intentions are pure.
Oddly, she’d be the least likely to go on a power trip or be negatively influenced.
She’s too… passionate.
A light knock on the door pulls my attention away from training with Sibby. Of course, her fist is powering into my cheek a second later, nearly sending me toppling over.
Ears ringing, I grab the side of my face and glare at her. She smiles wildly at me, and she doesn’t even need to open her stupid mouth for me to know what she’s going to say.
Never look away from your opponent.
I point at her. “Never sleep with two eyes closed, how about that?”
She giggles, and heads towards the steps while I make my way to the front door, sweating profusely and my head now pounding. It pisses me off enough that I whip open the door without bothering to look who’s outside first.
My eyes widen when I find a strange man I’ve never seen before standing next to my mother.
I gape at them, too blindsided to do much else. As always, her blonde hair is perfectly coifed with a layer of light pink lipstick brightening her lips. And she’s staring at me, waiting for me to speak, but I’m incapable.
“Hey, honey,” Mom says, smiling weakly at me.
Finally shaking myself out of the stupor, my body moves on autopilot.
Leaning forward, I wrap her in the world’s most gentle hug, wary of her wound but so fucking glad to see her. Tears spring to my eyes, blurring my vision as my sinuses burn from the effort to keep them at bay.
She pats my back. “Sweetheart, you stink.”
“Sorry,” I say, but I’m not the least bit sorry at all. Blinking back the tears, I step away.
Normally, she’d turn her nose up at me, but it stays firmly in its place. It’s relieving when I haven’t seen or talked to her since the day we brought her home over a month ago. I’ve stopped calling my father, deciding that hearing his insults wouldn’t be healing for any of us.
“Why are you here? Where’s Dad? And who are you?” I question, directing the last one towards the stranger standing next to her.
Now that I’m looking at him, I’m even more confused. Light brown hair, the top messy and unruly, pretty blue eyes, and a killer smile. Almost as killer as his body. He can’t be any older than I am, yet he carries himself with refined confidence-something most men my age don’t possess.
An odd feeling prickles at my senses, though I can’t discern exactly what.
All I know is he’s fucking hot. What the hell is my mother doing with him?
“Kraven,” he answers with a smirk.
“Oh my God, is this your boyfriend?” I ask, eyes wide.
“Adeline Reilly, don’t be inappropriate. Of course, he isn’t. He’s been helping take care of me while I recover. Now let me in, I have ten seconds before I fall at your doorstep and don’t get up again.”
Dramatic as ever, I see.
Kraven smiles, dimples appearing as he grabs my mother’s arm and helps her into the house and toward the red leather couch. Dumbly, I watch them pass by, wondering how the hell she convinced my father to let someone else nurse her back to health. Especially someone who looks like… that.
And that may not be her boyfriend, but with the way her cheeks redden, she’s definitely not unaffected by him. In all honesty, if my mother ended up with a younger man… good for her.
I’d be proud.
Snapping myself out of it, I close the front door and take a seat across from her. Sibby is probably upstairs showering, and Zade is currently tracking down a dark web user who has a knack for torturing children on a live video feed.
When I’m not training with Sibby, I’m working on my new story. I’ve missed writing, and it’s served as an excellent escape now that Claire is finally dead. Pretty soon, I’ll be done with my first book since being home again, and I wholeheartedly believe it’s my best writing to date.
“How are you feeling?” I ask her, glancing at Kraven.
“Irritated,” she huffs. “Your father is driving me nuts.”
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.