The cold night seeped into my bones as if my body suddenly remembered exactly what he’d taken from me. Breathing felt impossible, my lungs refusing to pull in air until the fringes of my vision blurred.
Donovan stepped onto the porch with composure, utterly unbothered by the weapons aimed in his direction. Well, they were still technically pointed at Rusty, but Donovan was close enough that he might get hit by a stray bullet.
What a shame.
I hated that I had such a thought. I didn’t really wish Kreed’s father dead, but I probably should, considering he killed my parents. Maybe I did want him dead.
“Boys,” Donovan greeted, voice smooth as expensive whiskey. “Let’s not turn this into a bloodbath. Put the guns down.”
Maddox was the first to curse under his breath, a string of profanity.
Raine muttered, “Oh, you’ve got to be kidding me.”
But it was Kreed…
It was Kreed who broke me.
His entire body went still. His eyes, those silver, storm-gray eyes that had always been so certain, so unshakable, were glued to his father, widening fractionally before darkening. Something in them shattered. Betrayal carved through him so visibly, so violently, it was as if I could feel a knife sliding between my own ribs.
“Dad?” His voice cracked down the center. “What the fuck are you doing here?”
Donovan descended one step, then another, his movements unhurried until he stood shoulder to shoulder with Rusty, the two of them forming a united front that made bile rise in my throat. “Preventing you from making a terrible mistake.”
“By siding with the enemy? Nice fucking parenting.” Mason spat, nearly vibrating with fury. His finger twitched on his trigger. Not that I thought for a second he would shoot his father. Kreed perhaps but not Mason.
Donovan ignored him completely, didn’t even spare him a glance, his gaze fixed wholly on Kreed. “Put the weapons down. All of you.”
“No,” Kreed rasped. He didn’t shout. He didn’t have to. The refusal shook the air around us. “You have thirty seconds to explain before I put you in the ground beside him.”
“I’m not your enemy.”
“Bullshit.” The word tore out of Kreed. “You know what he did. You fucking know what he is capable of, and you still side with a man so disgusting. We do some fucked-up shit, but somewhere, you have to draw a line.”
Donovan’s mouth twitched, not quite annoyance, not quite restraint. “I made a deal I plan to uphold. I don’t break my word. Not in business.” His gaze flicked to Carson, a brief, assessing look, thenJesse, then finally, briefly, to me. The force of his stare made my skin crawl.
Had he forgotten about the deal he made me? Or was that all part of his manipulation? To get me to believe he was on my side, on his kids’ side for once?
“Trust me,” Donovan continued. “I know what’s best for this family.Andif you don’t stand down, you’re going to ruin everything.”
My fingers brushed the cold grip of my handgun tucked beneath my hoodie, hidden from view. For once, no one was paying any attention to me.
Kreed’s glare remained steadfast on his father. “You’re protectinghim,” he seethed, his glower pointing to Rusty.
“I’m protecting this family,” Donovan snapped. “I’m cleaning upyourmess.”
A muscle feathered in Kreed’s cheek. “Do you really want to start pointing fingers? Everything that has happened to this family points back to you.”
Donovan was unyielding in his insistence. “We can discuss how I’ve disappointed you, how I’ve screwed up your life, at home, which is exactly where you need to be.”
“Kaylor,” Kreed said low, his voice barely above a whisper, and still, he didn’t take his eyes off his father. “Get in the car.”
“No.” My voice was steady, shockingly so, considering my heart was trying to beat its way out of my chest. “I’m not leaving.”
Rusty laughed softly. “She’s braver than you give her credit for, Corvo.”
“Shut your fucking mouth,” Kreed snarled, whipping his head toward Rusty. His lip curled back from his teeth.
Donovan lifted his hands, not in surrender but in a carefully orchestrated show of neutrality. His palms faced outward, fingers spread. “Rusty and I have an arrangement.”
