He laughs loudly and presses his lips to my ear before pushing his hand down my shorts again, stroking me softly. "I'm the master of a lot of things today."
I swallow and drop my head to his chest. "I'm sore."
"Get inside." His tone is salacious. "I'll lick you all better."
"I thought you had things to do?"
"I prioritise."
A distanced yell makes me jump. It's coming from the house and is soon punctuated by loud slamming. My feet are on the ground and running across the grass before I even register the motion. In the next step, I slam into Max, who has outpaced me and is now holding me back.
"Get out of my way!" I yell at him.
"I'll go." He throws me over his shoulder and tries to walk me back inside the studio.
"I swear to God, Max Butcher, if you don't put me down!"
"Shut up!"
"Max!" My voice breaks.
He freezes. With a curse, he places me back onto the grass and grabs the nape of my neck hard, manhandling me to focus on him. "Go up there, but I'll be listening. If things get out of control, I'm coming up."
Dustin Nerrock
Rushing into the house,I follow the voices until they become clearer. As I steady my pace, I listen to my dad and Konnor arguing. Their words are like an auditory panic attack to my senses. Hate and distrust are being thrown around, threatening to unravel the family unit we have worked so hard to knot up tight.
As I approach my father's office, the snarling gets louder. I hear my dad's pleading voice ask, "Konnor, what do you remember about why Dustin Nerrock gave you up for adoption?”
His tone makes my lips tremble and my eyes well up. I peek inside to see Konnor standing stiffly over my father, who is seated at his redwood desk. Blesk is sitting on Jaxon's lap, watching them intently.
Konnor growls and thrusts his hands around. "I have a better idea. Why don’t you just talk? Tell me what I know or what I don’t!”
I swing the door open and they both stare at me wide-eyed. "What’s going on? Why are you yelling ateach other?"
Konnor is in front of me in seconds. I've never seen him look so unlike my brother. So angry. So filled with suspicion. "You should leave, Cass.”
I frown up at him and hold my own. I'm not letting him push me away or test my loyalty today. Dad is suddenly beside us, trying to control the situation, but it's seemingly uncontrollable. "Cassidy, sweetheart, this is Konnor’s business. It isn’t something you need to be involved in."
I glare at my dad because I want him to know he can't just dismiss me. I'm a part of this family. I was there when Konnor ran away. I was there when he punched holes in every door in the house. I was there, and it's not fair to treat me like I don't have a place in this conversation. "If it’s his business, then it’s mine."
"Sweetheart, it’s?—”
"No. I’m not leaving until I know why my two favourite people are yelling at each other." My dad nods. Walking back to his chair, he falls into it. The defeated look on his face makes me want to cuddle him, but I don't know whose side I'm on yet.
Konnor stares at me and I cross my arms.
He almost smiles. "Fine, Cassidy."
I wait for Konnor to say something like, 'Bloody princess,' but he doesn't, and when Dad talks, we all start to listen. "So, you don’t want me to ask questions, Konnor. That’s fine. But then I can’t distinguish what information you have, and so I’m going to just lay it all on the table and between the two of us, we can sift through the pieces and hopefully come out with a puzzle that looks like a picture." He takes a big breath in. "I went to school with your mother, Madeline. I’m yet to meet a woman who could summon the kind of infatuation that woman could. She was wild and intriguing and sharp as a razor with the biggest green eyes and a strange mind. Butshe was also very insecure and often troubled. She thought too much, and that always led her to the horizon, looking for something more."
My heart contorts. I want to scold my dad and find my mum to cuddle her tightly because he's clearly in love with Konnor's biological mother.
Dad's lips slump. “She married Nerrock not long after high school. They had a son. They looked beautiful together and their son was picture perfect. It wasn’t until later that these rumours started to circulate. You all know what the District is like with gossip. Well, the rumour was that Deakon Nerrock..." My father's voice falters. "Thatyouweren’t Dustin’s son.
"Now Dustin’s family has a lot of money. They are one of the founders of the District and are deeply rooted in Catholicism. Adultery was completely reprehensible. People loved the rumour. I mean, Dustin and Madeline were political celebrities and the envy of everyone. Their love, life, and every moment were caught on camera and plastered all over the District which made what happened even more impressive because, Christ, the whole world had been watching them. And yet this happened right under everyone’s noses. You were taken. Missing."
I stare at my kind-hearted, gentle dad, who is now tightly wound with nerves. He doesn't notice me; his eyes are lost in the whirlwind of his son's emotions. Konnor has his head pressed against the wall. A whimper and a groan vibrates through him, but he's not alone because Blesk is there comforting him. I wonder how much she knows. How is this girl such a comfort to him? How has she become his rock so quickly when we have fought tooth and nail to gain his trust for over a decade?
