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What? His look of satisfaction was so damn smug I didn’t know whether to smack his handsome face or push him on the dining room table and use him like a human fuck toy. “Bring her to me. Now.”
“Madison isn’t here, hasn’t been for days.”
“I don’t give a shit, Thomas. Make it happen. And don’t disappoint me.”
“Never,” he answered with a sly smile and left do what I ordered.
I smiled at the sight of the Bloody Mary pitcher that sat just out of reach. I stretched across the table, noting the wobble in my hand when I retrieved it, and poured another to enjoy while I finished breakfast.
The first order of business today was to find Kat and see if I could undo the damage from yesterday. She was a stubborn bitch, just like her mother, but I had to try. She wasn’t at home, and I doubted she was at Terry’s since he was with Jasper and pretty much lived at Kat’s place these days. I tapped my phone screen until I found Oliver’s number.
“Yes, Ms. Ashby?”
“I need to go to Emerald Isle. Bring the blue Rolls around.” I traded in the Phantom for the Black Badge, the real status symbol for those who mattered. That and it was as bulletproof as I was.
“I’ll meet you out front, ma’am.” His words were respectful but short, probably still smarting from the way I snapped at his concern when he picked me up after my appointment in the seedy hotel with Mueller.
I shouldn’t give a fuck.
It wasn’t my job to worry about the feelings of my employees, but goddammit, I did. Oliver was a trusted worker and he did his job well, even went above and beyond when it was necessary. It wasn’t his fault I could be a stone-cold bitch at times, but it was my fault that I cared so fucking much.
I slipped into the backseat with Oliver’s silent assistance and waited for the small professional smile he always had for me. When it didn’t come, I turned my attention to my phone and ignored him until the Rolls came to a stop outside the casino. “I’ll call you when I’m ready to leave.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
Kat sat tall behind her desk, serious gaze focused on the computer screen in front of her as she typed, referred to notes, and took phone calls at the same time. It was an impressive dance; one I wasn’t sure I had the patience or disposition to handle on a daily basis. She ended a call and sighed as she relaxed against the oversized executive chair. Her eyes opened and fell on me. “What are you doing here?”
“It’s my business; am I not allowed to visit?”
She sighed again. “Did you need something?”
“Yes. I figured we could make up for yesterday by getting a few items checked off the wedding planning list today.”
“Can’t. I’m busy.”
“Fine, Kat, I’m sorry. Is that what you need to hear to make you feel better?”
Fucking entitled children. They could never make things easy, could they?
“I don’t need to feel better about anything. I made time in my schedule yesterday, which means today I have a lot of work to catch up on. Sorry to disappoint you, but I’m sure you can handle one more disappointment.”
“Stop acting like a petulant child, Katherine.” The words rushed out on an angry growl, but I didn’t beg anyone for any fucking thing. Not anymore.
“I’m not doing this with you, Sadie. I’m busy working, not daydreaming and not getting shitfaced. Deal with it.”
She glared at me, and for the first time, I could see that Kat wasn’t angry with me. She didn’t even seem to hate me. She was disappointed. She was hurt. Most of all, she was done.
“Since this is your place, I’m sure you know the way out.”
“If you change your mind, you know how to reach me.”
She nodded. “I won’t.”
Since Kat was in the middle of a tantrum, I let her be and called Oliver to pick me up.
I stepped into the back seat without his help and said, “Just drive until I tell you to stop,” then, once again, I let myself get lost in the past.
This time, it was my parents and my relationship with them. I was a good kid, a responsible girl who believed in good and evil and fire and brimstone, all the bullshit that came out of the church.
I was obedient, but when it came down to it, none of it had mattered. They’d given me up so easily it was almost like I never mattered to them. It wasn’t until later that I realized my presence merely completed their picture of the perfect Catholic family. It didn’t matter if it was true or not—it wasn’t—it only mattered what it looked like to the people of the church.
