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My head dips docilely. I know I fucked up.
Stella and I both help each other back up off the ground.
“Go home and get cleaned up, Bas.” Bas bows his head slightly, scattering up the steps that lead to the foyer. Before he can disappear, Dad clears his throat. “And stay the fuck away from my daughter, or next time, I won’t stop him.”
And there it is. The favorite child.
A soft growl leaves me bitterly, and Stella’s hand tightens around mine.
My attention lands on my brother, only to see he’s already watching me. He shakes his head a little, and he doesn’t have to yell it out across the room to know what he’s thinking.
I’m losing control.
“The dinner party has been moved to tomorrow because of what’s happened on Perdita. We suspect who it is, but until we know for sure, doing anything else other than trying to find them would be neglectful.”
“We heard the call that came through on the flight back,” River says when Dad finishes. “Are these people a real threat to us?”
Dad loosens his shirt around his collar. “Yes. We didn’t think so until now. The Bakers is what they’re called. We alwaysassumed that they were young criminals who dabbled with street drugs and petty crimes. Every crime they’ve committed never raised flags with us. It was street shit. The shit we don’t associate with. Recently, we’ve come to find out that that may be what they wanted us to think.”
I block out the white noise ringing in my head until he’s finished talking.
“The dinner party is happening tomorrow,” Dad continues. “By then, we’ll have heard back from Archer Thorn.”
My fingers prickle when blood drains from my face.
“Am I interrupting?” The only voice that could ever replace the cool caress of death.
I shoot to my feet at the same time as Stella and River, turning to see my best friend, who is looking around the room nervously. I’ve never been more thankful for her timing in my life.
“Of course not, Evie,” Dad says with a genuine smile. Dad kind of took her under his wing when she was a little girl. Her father is the only man outside of the Kings that my dad considers a friend. He doesn’t have friends, he has family, but Evie’s dad is considered that. I think he loves Evie more than I do.
“Good…” She dangles a set of keys. “Because I need to forget about the crazy family drama I just went through. And I’m driving.”
“You’re not going anywhere, Halen…” Priest ignores Evie.
“Actually, I am. I need it.”
“Go.” Dad waves his hand. Before we’ve hit the front door, he calls out, “And you better be carrying!”
The girls jump into the back of Evie’s blacked-out Porsche and I take the front passenger seat. The force from my door slamming blows my hair around my face. “Get me out of here.”
No one says another word, but Evie searches my face. She’s worried.
“What?”
“You’re going to be fine with leaving all that in there?”
“By ‘all that’ do you mean Katsia? Because yes.” I pull on my belt. “I don’t care anymore.”
Halen
The room is deathly quiet,my breathing the only sign of life as the galloping in my chest quickens.
My hand flies out in the darkness of the room, until they land on the lamp on my bedside table.
Dread continues to pour into me as my eyes adapt to the room.
I’m in my bedroom. In my bed. With no one beside me.
