“Then be annoyed he made you come here.” She smirks at me, putting her phone down and then she looks out the window. “We need to make a quick pit stop.”
“Good. I’d like a shot of tequila.”
Ryleigh laughs as we pull into a parking lot, and I spot a big black Cadillac Escalade. The door in the back is open and I see one foot coming out, a cowboy boot on his foot before I see the man stepping out. He’s wearing jeans and a blue knit sweater. Aviator glasses cover his eyes as he watches the car approach him. My eyes go to the side when I see more movement, and I gasp when I see my uncles Matthew and Max there, also in jeans, but in sneakers. They also have aviator glasses.
“What in the world?” I ask, opening my door and stepping out.
“Hey, sweetheart,” Matthew says. “I would like for you to meet Gabriel’s great-uncle. Don’t let the word great fool you.” He mumbles out the last part.
“Casey,” I say his name and he smiles at me, “it’s so nice to finally meet you.”
“Pleasure is all mine,” he replies.
“Okay, we don’t have much time. Do you have it?” Ryleigh steps up to him as if the two of them are business partners.
“Right here,” he confirms, handing her the brown envelope. “Have fun.”
“You know I will,” she assures him, then looks over to Matthew and Max. “You couldn’t let him do this without showing up?”
Matthew pffts out, “This is my family.”
“You showed up when it was his family.” Ryleigh points to Casey.
“That’s because you went, and you’re my family,” he counters and Ryleigh just shakes her head.
“Go and get ’em,” Max says with a smirk. “See you later.” He slaps Matthew on the arm before turning and walking back to the SUV.
“Do I want to know?” I ask Ryleigh, walking back to the waiting car, looking over my shoulder one last time.
“It’s better if you don’t.” She gets in and her smirk is scary looking. I take out my phone, texting Kirby.
Me:
My uncles Matthew and Max are here.
Kirby:
I know. They are coming to my house after. Your father just got here.
“My parents are here?” I look over at Ryleigh.
“I’m not in charge of their travel schedule,” she states and the car comes to a stop, and I look up at the office building. “Let’s do this.”
I grab my purse, step out of the car, and start to walk toward the office. “Bury the nerves,” she advises and then stops. “This motherfucker tried to get you to never talk about him again after making you miserable for the past ten years.” I bite down. “He has fucked with you for the last time.” I grip the handle of my purse even tighter. “Now, let’s go in there and make him pay through his asshole.”
I snort before walking in and heading toward the elevator. We step in, and when we walk out, we are faced with a receptionist. Ryleigh walks over to her while the other door pings open. The doors part and I see him—Trent. My eyes go big when I get a good look at him. His eyes have a purple-blue tint to them and the top of his nose is bandaged with a little strip.
He takes one look at me and gives me the whole up and down. “You look trashy,” is the first thing he says and I laugh at him. I’m wearing a white linen skirt that reaches to my mid-thigh and a white, long-sleeved button-down shirt with blue flowers all over it. When Kirby saw my outfit, he picked me up and fucked me on the counter.
“Thanks.” I smile at him. “That’s the look I was going for.” The bigger my smile is, the more he glares and hisses. “You look…” I take him in, his hair perfect, outfit perfect, but his face looks a bit battered. “Well, you look like shit.”
“I was conveniently mugged,” he hisses at me. “Probably your thug family.”
I laugh. “There is no way it would be my family.”
“Yeah, right.” He shakes his head.
“If it was my family,” I state calmly, “you’d be drinking out of a straw, and you would have to be wheeled in here because they would make sure to break every single bone in your body.” His eyes pop out of his head. “Maybe it’s one of your fuck buddies’ husbands who got wind of whatever it is you do with them.” I shrug, not giving a shit and Ryleigh is right, fuck him. “Either way, I don’t really care.”
