“She’s tired of hiding and is ready to collect the blood of my enemies and make Samantha Davenport drown in it,” I retort, and they snicker.
My dad offers other reasons, but I’m making my last stand.
“But, Dad-” I begin to say, imploring his understanding before he cuts me off.
“Absolutely not, Ry. It’s too dangerous. The Senator is in the wind, and none of his known associates have heard from anyone,” Dad states.
I make one last pleading look toward my family, only to be met with silence. My grandparents, my uncle, Shay, and Thomas shake their heads.
Shay uncrosses her legs and stands.”Ry! Girl, I know you want to throw a middle finger up to everyone who’s hurt you, and rightfully so.”
“You’re damn right I do. And I will. I have plans for everyone that has screwed my family and me over, but that’s not my point. I’m tired of having to bend to their will. Hiding behind the walls of the Bradford estate feels like we’re still playing their game, and I’m fucking done with that shit. It’s time to initiate the first part of my plan.”
Shay crosses the room and holds my hand before she continues. “Slow down there, G.I. Jane,” she jests.
I snort, quickly covering it up with a cough as I school my features while she continues. Lifting her hand, she ticks off each reason. “You’ve been kidnapped, almost sex trafficked, sent the body parts of other students, and we won’t bother to count the number of times someone has tried to either blow you up or stab you. Until you’re back on your feet, you need to take your ass home.”
“Fine,” I groan, giving my bestie the ‘Et tu Brute’ side-eye. Freaking traitor.
Rolling her eyes, Shay smiles.”Cut yuh bullshit, my girl, yuh dun know I’m right.”
I didn’t want to go home, but I understood why I had to in the end. My stubbornness is rooted in my need for some control in my life. I feel like I’m being controlled at every turn, but they’re all right. I can’t let my thirst for autonomy cause me to make stupid decisions.
Reign already left to get the car ready, and Elias and Fernando are standing guard outside my room while Thomas is with Dad, preparing the house for my return. Now, I just have to wait.
Another five minutes pass before there’s a knock on the door. “Come in,” I shout, and a person in blue scrubs and a mask enters.
“Miss Bradford?” the person asks, and I nod. “I’m Daniel. I’m here to review your discharge information and assist you with getting dressed.”
“Okay,” I reply, eager to leave.
Daniel gently closes the door. “Can you please just verify your full name?”
We go through all the verifications as he approaches. It’s not until he’s closer that I see a familiar tattoo peeking out from his scrubs. My eyes widen. “What the fuck are you doing here,” I seethe.
Pulling his mask down, Karl raises his index finger to his mouth. “Shhh. I don’t want them barging in here.”
“I should scream so you can be removed. The nerve of you being here after everything,” I hiss, feeling the tears threatening to fall.
“Please, Angel,” he begs. “Let me explain.”
My nostrils flare, and my lip curls in disgust. “Take your explanations and shove them up your ass.”
“Only if you’re holding the dildo,” Karl smirks, momentarily shocking me into silence. He takes advantage of my stupor. “Things have not been as they seem. I can’t tell you everything now because our time is limited, and we don’t want to risk your health.”
Regaining my ability to speak, I retort, “So, I imagined Samantha fucking you as she carved through the ‘A’ on your chest?” I shouldn’t care, not after everything they’ve done and all the pain they caused.
Karl reaches behind his back, pulls out a brown leather-bound journal, and offers it to me. “This will explain better than any words we can offer.”
I stare at his proffered hand before leveling him with a glare. “Nothing any of you say will fix this.”
Karl frowns. A forlorn look paints his face as he works his jaw. His hazel eyes lock with mine, and I watch as despondency morphs into determination. “Angel,” he whispers my name like a prayer, “I know we’ve fucked up at every turn, but we promise to make this right. Which starts with explaining it all.”
The earnest look in his eyes gives me pause.
Should I hear them out?
Reading it doesn’t mean I forgive them. Holding out my hand, I accept the journal.
Karl sighs in relief as there’s another knock on the door before it’s pushed open. “Jefferson, you need to be out of here in the next five seconds,” Reign snaps.
I watch as Karl’s hand drops to the front of his scrubs, reaching for what I’m sure is one of his knives. A smile crests his face as he rolls his shoulders back, ready for a fight. “I’d love to see you try, asshole. I owe you a facial,” he sneers.
“
I’d like to see you try,” Reign retorts, tossing Karl’s words right back at him.
My hand shoots out before they can come to blows, grabbing Karl’s wrist. “You two can measure dicks another time,” I command. “Karl was just leaving. Weren’t you, O?”
Karl’s gaze meets mine, releasing his grip on his blade before he reaches up, caressing my bottom lip with his thumb. “Anything for you, Angel,” he murmurs so only I can hear. Then Karl turns, walks toward the door, and pauses long enough to exchange death glares with Reign, Fernando, and Elias. “I’ll see you fuckers soon,” he mutters before disappearing from sight.
Yawning, I stretch, sitting up in my bed. It’s my third day home, and after doing nothing but sleeping, I’m finally feeling more like myself. Turning, I glance at the journal I’ve left untouched. Part of me is nervous that I’ll feel a greater sense of betrayal, but I also understand I won’t know until I do.
I sigh, picking it up and running my fingers over my name engraved into the leather cover before I open to the first entry.
June 12, 2023
Emma,
Today, I had to betray the trust of my brothers and crush your heart in the process. All in the name of saving Karl. By the time we reached your house, you were gone, and so went the hopes of explaining what had to be done.
Save Karl?
Fuck, was leaving without confronting them a rash decision? Inhaling, I prepare myself for whatever comes next.
We still don’t have all the details, but Karl was taken, and I was given explicit instruction to choose Samantha, or he’d be killed.
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.