Total pages in book: 106
Estimated words: 100791 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 504(@200wpm)___ 403(@250wpm)___ 336(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 100791 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 504(@200wpm)___ 403(@250wpm)___ 336(@300wpm)
“But why didn’t she say!” River slammed his fist on the door armrest. “All those times I called her a hypocrite. Accused her of not giving a shit about me until a piece of paper told her she could. Yelled that she was the worst kind of fake—acting like she was family above all when she tossed me out on the street, and the whole time—the whole time!—she did more for me and Mom than a-anyone.” His voice cracked. “And she didn’t fucking say.
“Why?” he ground out, spinning to me. “Why?”
My heart broke seeing the pain and anger in his eyes. For years, his anger and malice against his birth family defined him. It drove him to find a new family, and tear down the one before. All of those reasons and justifications were being ripped away from him, and with them gone, what was left except two hurt people who kept pushing away what they both wanted most.
“I don’t know why,” I murmured, stroking his cheek. “But if I guessed, I’d say it’s because she didn’t want you to feel like you had to be grateful to her. Relationships based on gratitude, and owing each other, are imbalanced right out of the gate.
“She wanted you to love her for her, and...” My mind scrambled to find the right words—the words that would rid the man I loved of the sorrow clouding his eyes. “And she wanted you to be angry,” I cried. “Because if that’s what you felt—angry, betrayed, abandoned—then she didn’t want those feelings invalidated because she anonymously gave your mom a job and health insurance.
“Because those two things don’t wash away the fact that she wasn’t there. You lost your father and your sister, and she... she...” The truth came to my lips unbidden. “She hates herself too, baby. She hasn’t tried to stop you punishing her, because she believes it’s no less than she deserves.
“She didn’t say because she loves you, River.” I cupped his cheek, catching a stray tear on my thumb. “And she can’t forgive herself for hurting you.”
River roughly cleared his throat. “Yeah, well...” He kissed my palm pulling back. “That’s something to think about.”
“It’s something to talk about too.” I laid my head on Laurel’s car seat, letting my baby poke me and tug on my hair. “Will you tell her that you know?”
“Have to,” he replied, resuming his staredown with the city of Cinco. “She’ll know I know when we tell her everything Frost told us. Family, man.” River shook his head. “The stuff they do. The things they drive you to. Wouldn’t surprise me if that psycho Leonard Stevens was avenging his mom and dad in some way.
“I wouldn’t put it past the Brotherhood to lie and fake that the Merchants were behind the house fire that killed his parents—all to manipulate him into burning down Sacred Heart and killing seven innocent people.
“It’s insane the lengths we’d go for our parents. To avenge them. To get justice for their memory,” he said. “You want to turn a person into a monster or a petty, vengeful asshat. Just tell them someone hurt his mommy.”
I froze, my smile for Laurel freezing on my face. A thought occurred to me. A terrible, awful thought. “Or...” I whispered. “Their daddy.”
“—zie?”
I snapped out of it, Sienna pulling me back to reality.
“Kenzie, are you okay?”
“I’m fine.” I fixed my face, smiling back at Laurel. “I’m just worried. I’ve been calling and calling the guys, but no one’s answered. They all went to rescue Genny last night. We should’ve heard something by now. Plus, I need to tell them everything Damien told us. They need to know Vance Hollywell is the most dangerous brother we’ve come across.”
She nodded. “He put the trackers in the clothes. He came closer than anyone in their goal of taking the Merchants out for good, and he did it all while hiding in plain sight.”
“He must’ve known that you guys would’ve gone straight to Frost to confirm his story,” River put in, putting aside his tumultuous family drama. “And he also must’ve known that Damien would tell us the truth. Seriously, what incentive did he have to lie and make himself an enemy of the Merchants, all for a guy he only used for his money?
“Vance knew he was cooked the minute you and Sunny walked out of his office.”
“But we did walk out of his office,” I reminded. “Giving him plenty of time to get away, plan his next move, or all of the above. Even more reason—”
My phone went off, buzzing against my thigh. I lit up when I checked the screen. “Bane,” I cried. “Guys, it’s Bane. One sec.” I answered on the third ring. “Bane, finally. Are you okay? Is Genny okay? I’ve been calling you all morning.”
“Kenzie.”
Something in his voice stopped my words in its tracks.