“If you don’t fucking fix this, you can kiss your job goodbye.”
“Mr. Ravencourt, with all due respect?—”
But I interrupt him, shouting, “You and everyone here! I’ll reduce this place to rubble and replace it with the world’s biggest fucking waffle house. I hope you enjoy pouring coffee for a living. I won’t accept dusty fucking carnations either, or whatever piece-of-shit furniture this is.” I kick a chair as if toprove my point, breathing like a furious bull. But that’s not all. My eyes burn, and the lump in my throat feels like I’ve swallowed a dry stone.
I’m so taken aback by the crack in my mask that I barely notice the doctor moving closer. Perhaps he realizes I’m quickly running out of juice.
“We’re doing everything we can to keep Mrs. Holt as comfortable as possible.”
My nostrils flare as I meet his steady but wary gaze.
“You want to support Mrs. Holt’s daughter?” he asks. “Be there for her.”
I watch him walk away with a final apologetic, weak smile. He stops to exchange a few brief words with the nurse, whose green, inquisitive eyes swing in my direction.
A surge of helplessness washes over me again. I kick the already broken chair, but my phone distracts me when it vibrates in my pocket. I pull it out.
It’s Dad, warning me not to ignore his phone calls again or there will be serious consequences. Bla, bla, fucking bla. Same shit. Different day.
I’m about to throw my cell at the wall when it rings in my hand. The old man won’t leave me the fuck alone, as usual.
With a quick glance at the nurse behind the desk, I answer the call.
“I’m getting really tired of you avoiding my calls.” There’s no small talk in my father’s voice. He’s cold and efficient.
Stepping over a broken chair leg, I move farther from the desk. “What do you want?”
“You have until Friday to give me an update on the missing dagger.”
“Is that all?” The words scrape from my throat, raw and brittle with anger. Maverick’s already on duty, working to recover the deleted footage. The dude is a whiz with computers.
“We have a dinner scheduled with the senator and his wife again on the thirtieth.” There’s the distinct sound of a lighter in the background. “He has invited us to spend the weekend at his cabin in the mountains this time. Think hot tub. Stunning views.”
My stomach knots. “Absolutely not.”
I swear I taste sick on the back of my tongue every time I think of that vile man and his wife.
“No?” Father asks, audibly puffing on his cigar like fucking always. “He’s expressed an interest in your sister.”
A chill knifes down my spine.
I hold the cell in a death grip. “You sick, twisted fuck.”
“I’m the sick one?” He finds that funny. “Son, I didn’t make the request.”
“But you’re considering it, aren’t you?”
The desk chair creaks in the background. Dad’s voice comes back on the line. “The senator has eclectic tastes, as you know.” Another repulsive snicker. “Your sister is a virgin, and he liked what he saw at the debutante ball earlier this year. But don’t worry, I’ve turned down his offer so far because we already have a nice little arrangement, don’t you think?”
“First you threaten me with Mom, and now my baby sister?” I keep my voice low so the nurse doesn’t overhear, but I can’t keep the bite out of my tone.
“Your brother doesn’t have your spine, Kane,” he answers. “You’re a lot like me at your age. Quick to question authority and rebel. But you see, our position of power hinges on the support of powerful men like the senator. You’ll eventually learn that I’ll do anything to keep us at the top, where we belong. Even if that means I have to break you down to get there. If you truly care about your mom and sister, and even that beautiful girl you take to bed, you’ll do as the Society says. Follow orders, and no onegets hurt. Go against us, and learn the hard way what happens when you step out of line.”
He’s batshit crazy.
“I don’t understand you,” I say with a snarl, my upper lip curling. “You don’t love Mom. So why the hell do you keep her under lock and key? Why don’t you let her go?”
“Don’t you get it yet?Youcare about her, Kane. You and your brother worship the ground that woman walks on, and that makes her your biggest weakness. Besides, I happen to like fragile porcelain that breaks easily beneath a firm touch.”
