Page 58 of Avenging Azalea

Their heads turned in unison.

“I swear you’re always telling me off.”

Grabbing the organic cookies I’d made specifically for the dogs, I handed one to each of them before going on the hunt for Sheba.

Last night was in the past, along with the childish hopes I’d clung to for far longer than I cared to admit.

Easier said than done.

TITUS

“I can’t do this. I can’t,” I said, obviously not expecting a response from Hailey or Holly. Their heads were cocked in the rearview mirror while keen eyes penetrated my soul from the back. “I know I’m an idiot. You don’t have to keep telling me.”

Instead of going to the office as planned, I went to my parents’ house. Father never left before ten, and this conversation couldn’t wait. The guard waved and opened the gate when I drove up.

I was surprised to see Goran standing outside until I passed the large tree blocking my view of the moving truck.

“Oh shit.”

Nathaniel worked quickly once he made up his mind.

Two men walked out with Nathaniel’s desk, confirming my suspicions. Goran held a clipboard, and I assumed he was making sure the movers got everything.

“Morning, Goran. Are you okay,” I asked.

He’d been with Savannah when she was shot, and that was hard for any guard to witness, but Goran was also Nathaniel’s best friend and passionate about his duties. Most guards were serious about their job, but Goran took it the extra mile.

“I’m getting there. Thanks for asking. Have you talked to Nathaniel this morning?”

I nodded. “Before I left the hospital, he told me his lawyers were starting the process of separation, but I didn’t know he was moving today. How’s my mother handling it?”

Goran looked inside the house and then lowered his voice.

“Not well. She’s livid with your father. She had a screaming match with him when she first got home late last night, and her guards say she hasn’t been out of her room since.”

The movers were walking back inside, so I moved out of their way. The foyer here was large enough to be a home on its own, and I wondered if it was all worth it. Was power, money, and our place in the order of things worth the fights, loss of trust, and anger that simmered under the surface of this fancy façade?

Father said we played chess, but it felt more like Clue. I always wondered when I might walk into the house to find someone dead in the dining room, bludgeoned by a candlestick.

“Alright, I’ll check in on her as well. How’s Kaylani? She seemed really shaken yesterday at the hospital.”

My sister was normally the life of the party, bubbly and cracking jokes. But yesterday, she’d sat staring at the wall, slowly rocking for hours without speaking.

“Kaylani will be fine. The bullet came through the window and went right by her head before hitting Savannah. It’s going to take some time to get over that,” Goran said.

“Thanks for looking out for everyone.”

Goran nodded as I gripped his shoulder and walked inside to deal with my father.

There were only two places he might be: the office or his man cave. I chose his office and heard him yelling before I reached the door. I knocked, not caring about his tirade.

“Come in,” he barked out. “I don’t give a shit what his lawyers say. He can’t just remove a billion dollars in businesses from the parent company overnight. Find a fucking way to stop him, now!”

Father hit End on his phone and threw it on the desk. “Fuck,” he growled.

In the past, I would’ve felt guilt over our family being torn apart, but there was none. Father had brought this on himself.

“Have you spoken to your brother?”