AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“No,” Raphael said. “He can’t do this.”
Larson blinked. “Which part?”
“Fuck up our lives.”
Larson shrugged. “Don’t shoot the messenger. Honestly, I agree with you. Fuck that guy. But I’m just following orders.”
I curled my lip. “Don’t pretend you aren’t deep in this. I know you. Remember what happened in school? You’re a sadist.”
Larson’s eyes narrowed. I’d pissed him off. Good.
But then he heaved a sigh, resting a hand on Jackson’s shoulder. He settled his gaze on me. “I feel like I need to apologise for that.”
My words dried up.
“In my defence,” Larson continued. “I was a messed-up kid. When your father gave me his instruction, I was new to this job.”
I jerked forward. “What the hell are you talking about? You were working for my father then?”
He gave a short nod. “He needed someone in the school to watch you, and I got the job.”
My history suddenly looked a lot murkier. Memories of Larson following me around adapted. Dad had ordered that?
“Why?” I managed.
“He didn’t explain himself to me, the only thing I knew was that I had to scare away any other boys and report back to him if you were interested in anyone.”
Briefly, I closed my eyes. “He hired you to keep me away from boys.”
Because he intended to sell me off. A teenage bride, virginity guaranteed.
Larson nodded. “Something about keeping you clean, by which I guessed he meant untouched. I figured he was an overprotective father. I didn’t have a dad myself, so I accepted it, and his money, at face value. Anyway, I reported to your father that you’d flirted with a boy, and he ordered me to direct your attention onto me.”
Hot emotion rushed. “That’s why you attacked me?”
I didn’t want to believe him.
But my would-be kidnapper had the nerve to look embarrassed. “I made a bad choice. I had no idea what I was doing, and I’ve regretted it since. If it helps, I’m sorry. I’m not a pervert. I’d never hurt a woman, unless I was paid to.”
He said the last sentence with a small, unfunny laugh.
My heart raced.
“What about your tattoo of my name?” I spat, suddenly recalling that fun little detail. “Don’t deny it. Justin told us all about it.”
“Your name? That fucking idiot smokes too much.” He tugged his shirt aside at the collar, revealing script work.
April,it read.
“My mom.” Larson shrugged. “What can I say? I’m a mama’s boy.”
Not my name after all.
Stunned, I sat back.
None of this was going how I’d expected. I’d anticipated a fight, not a sit-down chat. Larson was a psychopath, but apparently a reasonable one. Not that I trusted him for a second.
But what he told us had both reset my thoughts on several things plus given me a better understanding of the depths to which my father would stoop to manage his family.
