He tensed in irritation at my deliberate insult. “Trust me, we regretted it. You’ve been nothing but a damn pain in the ass. But ah,” he treads carefully over a log before continuing, “in case you hadn’t noticed, our father is still alive.”
“Well…I don’t know what was going on in his head,” I sighed as emotional pain welled up in my chest again, but I exhaled against his back, pleased that it was dark.
He smacked his gums, then hummed a little as if deliberating his words, “Kinda seems suspicious to me, don’t you think?”
Lev glanced back to check on us and added, “Yep, I agree,” while remaining quietly curious to hear what else the oldest Warwick son had to say.
“I mean…it was her who sent you here, right?” he said, slipping a little again, then paused to adjust his grip on me before continuing.
“Yes. To get me out of the way,” I said, refusing to divulge everything that I had been thinking, but I’ll drop the odd thing. “She wants my father’s money, just like you do. But I’m not going to let that happen.”
“We have our own money, so we don’t need or want your father's money, but we do want territory,” he confessed.
“Too bad. You’re not getting it,” I said far too confidently.
“Well…that’s where you’re wrong,” his tone cocky and annoying. “Your stepmother, Leslie, has already contacted our mother, wanting to make a deal.”
“What?” I shrieked, horrified. “She can’t do that. It’s not her land. It’s not her territory.”
He scoffed, “I’m just telling you what my mother told me, right after she spoke to our father about it,” he explained.
“But Leslie has no authority over our business and territory,” I asserted.
“Obviously, shedoeshave authority, or else she wouldn’t have contacted my family,” he said, as house lights beamed through the trees as we descended on the Lud frat house, and my heart sank.
We stepped out behind the Lud, mini castle, and Nicolae headed straight to the basement. “No, please, don’t put me back in here. Please,” I begged.
“Just for now,” he promised, although I didn’t believe him.
The door was already unlocked as he carried me down the stairs and then bent to let me land on the soft mattress. “I’ll get ice and a bandage,” Ezrah called from the top of the stairs as Lev trotted down to the floor and sat on the mattress next to me.
“I’m gonna stay with her, alright,” he told Nicolae as he gently wrapped his hand around my shoe, untied my laces, and carefully slid it off.
Nicolae hesitated before answering with an unenthused, “Whatever.” He wasn’t pleased about it, but they couldn’t leave me down here alone when I could barely walk. Or was I expecting compassion from men who were incapable of it?
I winced in pain as Lev took my sock off and assessed my swollen ankle with warm hands. “It doesn't look broken. I think you’ve just sprained it badly.”
“Are you going to let me go to class?” I looked over Lev’s shoulder to Nicolae, whose eyes were focused on my ankle.
His broad shoulders shrugged, “I don’t know.” He then rubbed his chin with the back of his fist. “What difference does it make?”
I scoffed, understanding his logic. “Probably none. Since I have nothing to live for, do you mean? The deal I made with my father was to work for my degree, and then he’d reward me with a position in his company. Yes, those plans have now been ruined by his death. So, what is the point? Well…good question.”
“Adina, there’s always something to live for-”
Nicolae grunted, amused, “She’s dramatic. Can’t you tell when a woman is fucking with your emotions so she can dig the knife in when you turn your back?”
“Bro, who the fuck screwed you over?” Lev snarled as the oldest son flinched as if he wasn’t used to being spoken to that way by Lev. Maybe Lev found his balls.
But instead of bowing out, Lev continued, “Her father committed suicide. Her mother is dead after a long illness, and her stepmother is currently screwing her over, and you seem to think she's the one who will screw us over. With what? What exactly would she screw us over with when she has nothing? Man, you need to chill the fuck out.”
“Too fucking bad,” Nicolae argued. “She’s staying put, or she’ll call the police like last time.”
“Fine,” Lev agreed on that part, although I doubted Lev cared about schooling, unlike the Warwick brothers. I noticed from the moment I met Lev that he was a loner, preferring to stay on the outside of groups. For Lev Ashthorn, being here at Castlehill was like wearing an ill-fitted jacket every damn day.
Ezrah returned with a bucket of ice still containing cans of beer. “This is mine,” he said, showing me an ankle brace, “I couldn’t find bandages, so this should do.”
“Lay back and relax,” Lev instructed, and I was reluctant to do so, but I knew it would hurt less if I were chilled out. I lay my head back on bundled blankets that were thrown down here tokeep me warm, took a deep breath as my eyes were fixed on the men who kept me trapped.
