There was a good chance that I was about to come face-to-face with the man who had fathered me.
The same man who had paid off the woman he’d knocked up so he didn’t have to deal with his mistake, a bastard of the worst kind who had wanted me dead.
And I had no idea what to do or say, but I knew I needed to get into that room.
At the end of the day, I had never had any problems dealing with conflict; hell, I embraced that fucker with open arms.
I rolled that thought around my head again; embrace with open arms? Ironic how that was something neither of the people in the room I was about to enter would ever do to me.
And I hated how sadthatthought was.
EIGHTEEN
PHOENIX
As soon as I heard my name, I knew Harper was right, but I held back, pressing my ear further against the door. They were talking about me; my mother’s voice was low and calm, but the mayor’s voice wasn’t. It was raised, threaded with steel. Whatever news she had shared, he waslessthan happy about.
Grinding my teeth together, I heard the word 'paternity tests,' and it all became sickeningly real after that. A split second later, my instincts forced me to make a move. Raised voices and acrashingsound were my cues to barge into the room. Something was kicking off, and that gave me immediate permission to intervene. I stole a glance at Harper as she stood with Alex. I could see from her forlorn expression that she’d heard the commotion, and she nodded, reinforcing my decision to get the fuck in there.
I did that without knocking, grabbing the handle, and shoving the door wide before storming inside. I fisted my hands by my sides. I didn’t know what to expect or what to say; I just needed to be there.
“What’s going on?” I questioned as my eyes searched the room, quickly finding my mother and the mayor. Luna was standing on one side of a desk, and Summers on the other. An overturned phone was on the floor, possibly the reason for the noise. My mother was wearing jeans and sneakers, and the mayor was wearing the same pants, shirt, and tie he’d worn earlier. She held onto her purse so tightly that her knuckles were white.
Both their faces were flushed. “Phoenix,” my mother gasped, shock and puzzlement bursting from her mouth.
“Did he hurt you?” God knew why I suddenly felt so protective, considering the bitch wanted nothing to do with me.
Her mouth dropped open as she nodded frantically, her gaze traveling back and forth between me and the douche that was probably my dad. Or should I say the sperm donor?
My eyes narrowed as my head whipped towards Dominic Summers as I closed the distance and strode over to the desk.
“Well?” I snapped, shooting them both a glare.
“Well, what? Your mother and I were in the middle of a private conversation,” Mr. Summer’s replied, clearing his throat; his body language had lost its usual ego. The broken note of his voice suggested he was flustered, and I swallowed, suddenly anxious as the mayor stared at me like he had never seen me before. His suggestion that I was treading where I didn’t belong was unbelievable.
And then it hit me. How had I never noticed how alike we looked? We were a similar height and build, our bodies packed with muscle, but where I was tatted, Mayor Summer’s skin was unblemished. He may be big and, from what I’d heard, could handle himself, but he didn’t want to pick a fight with me. No right then. I was itching for a reason to lash out.
Their private meeting felt dark and gritty, and a fresh dose of pissed off burst through me. I arched an eyebrow. “A private conversation aboutwhatexactly? What useless parents you both turned out to be?”
This snapped the mayor’s head towards my mother, and his expression told me everything I needed to know. Hewasmy father; there was no doubt about it now, and heknewit. Paternity tests be damned. Heat started to rush up my neck.
Summers looked astonished, as his eyes drilled into my mother's. “I didn’t say anything. He must have found out another way,” she panted, one shaky hand pushing flat against her chest. I could see how stunned she was.
There was a beat of uncomfortable silence as we all watched each other warily.
Rolling my shoulders, I released a sound, and it whistled through my teeth. “So, it’s true. You knocked up my mother andpaidher to get rid of me?” I snarled, taking a step forward.
The man I now knew as my father went to move around the desk, holding up his hands as if to deny it, his gaze still fixed on my mother as he stuttered. “That’s not—"
“Don’t lie to me!” I boomed, banging my fist on the desk. I only did it to get his attention, as he couldn’t seem to focus on anything other than her.
He stopped moving, and his mouth dropped open as he turned to look at me, ashen-faced. I had never seen such an important man at a loss for words before.
“Well?” I hissed, crossing my arms over my chest so I didn’t go for his fucking throat. I was so angry at that point.
My piece of shit father’s face contorted into tight, painful lines. “It wasn’t like that, son, you have—”
“Don’t call me son!” I growled out. I knew he didn’t mean it like that, but I hated the sound of that word on his lips. My eyes narrowed as his jaw started to tick.
