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She looks away quickly. But before she turns away completely, I swear I glimpse a tear sparkling in the corner of her eye.
38
TAYLOR
Okay, so talking to Dad is a no-go.
I’m just going to have to go right into the lion’s den.
But the lion isn’t expecting me, that’s for sure. Ilarion looks up from his desk and does a double-take. “What are you doing here?”
I shut the door and twist the lock to make sure we’re not disturbed. Then I stomp over to his desk and slam both my palms down on either side of his table like I’ve seen people do in the movies. I figure, bring on the drama, right? I have nothing to lose. “What is going on between you and my father?”
“You worried I’m cheating on Celine with your father?” he asks with a straight face.
“Don’t be cute.”
“Oh, so you think I’m cute?”
I grit my teeth and try to exhale out all the nervous tension I’ve brought into the room with me. It goes about as well as you’d expect. “I think you’re playing a game. And I think you think I’m too stupid to see it.”
He leans back in his chair and sighs exasperatedly. “This might go a little smoother if you told me what the hell you’re talking about.”
He’s wearing a t-shirt, which I’ve rarely seen him wear before. It’s a crew cut in a soft gray that brings out the moody hues in his blue eyes. It’s very annoying how thrown I am by that detail.
So what, he’s wearing a t-shirt? Who cares? Big freaking whoop. I should not be so affected by what he chooses to wear. Or how he wears it. Which in this case…is well.
Really…freaking…well.
“You threatened my father.”
He raises both brows and rotates around in his black swivel chair. “Did I?”
“I saw you. I saw you from the window of my room. The two of you were in the garden and you grabbed him by the collar. You only let him go because Adam came by.”
He frowns. “Hm. I don’t recall.”
“Donotgaslight me.”
“Had enough of that from your father, have you?”
I rear back as though he’s tried to hit me.
He just nods. “Come on, Taylor. You wouldn’t be here, demanding answers from me, if Archie had chosen to be honest with you. I’m guessing you already went to him and he told you that nothing happened. So why do you expect me to say anything different?”
I swallow hard. “Silly of me, really,” I say as the hurt clogs my throat. “To expect honesty from either one of you.”
“I think it’s best you forget about whatever it is you think you saw,” he suggests as he scans the documents littered across his desk. “Concentrate on getting to know your sister again.”
I bristle at the insinuation. “I don’t have to ‘get to know’ Cee. I already know her. I’ve known her my entire damn life.”
“And yet she still hasn’t told you about her suicide attempt, has she?”
It’s the confidence that gets me. The arrogance. I’m way out of my depth here, and he knows it, and he’s rubbing my face in it. Because the truth is, Ilarion doesn’t just know my sister better than I do right now; he knows my father better than I do, too.
How the hell did that happen?
“I think I have a pretty good idea why she tried to hurt herself.”
