Page 26 of Wild King

Before I can say another word, Matthias walks back into the room looking as happy as a fucking clam. “Okay, everything’s set. Salem has gone back to her place in the city to get things she’s going to need, so all you have to do is grab your things from your apartment and head over to Grandma’s. I already talked to Mick, and he’s gone over there to make sure everything’s in working order. Eleanor is taking care of any food you’ll need. She’ll be heading over there with Ava to stock up the kitchen and pantry. I’ll make sure the Wi-Fi is on as soon as I can. So I think that’s it.”

I sit down on the chair and try to stuff down everything I want to say right now, but it’s no use. I can’t stifle my feelings anymore.

“How nice for you that everything’s back the way you want it to be, Matthias. Your perfect life is back in order. How wonderful. Meanwhile, I’m being sent into exile like some state fucking criminal.”

He gives me one of those looks of his that scream he doesn’t care. “Grandma’s house isn’t exile. It’s literally less than fifteen minutes away from here. Anyway, why are you acting like it’s not a nice place? Dad took care of it ever since she died, and when I got it in the will, I went over there and made sure it was in good shape. It’s not like you’re going to be roughing it there.”

“And what the hell am I supposed to do out there for three months? I won’t be working since I’m forced to take a leave from the company. I can’t be on social media. What the fuck am I supposed to do? Take up gardening?”

My three brothers shrug like they rehearsed not giving a damn about my life after intruding on it for the past hour. “Catch up on some good shows,” Ronan suggests.

“Fuck all of you! Marius and Ronan, I won’t forget this. When you screw up and big brother here wants to punish you for it, don’t look for my help. No fucking way. As for you, Matthias, you’re just a dick.”

I’m not sure why that infuriates him, but he marches over to where I sit and looks down at me with pure rage in his eyes. “I’m only a dick when I have to be. Maybe if you didn’t act like a spoiled fucking child, I wouldn’t have to act like that. I have responsibilities. I know that doesn’t mean anything to you, but people rely on me to make the right choices. King Industries isn’t just you and me. It’s thousands of people who depend on the company to pay them so they can have homes and cars and send their kids to school and a million other things you don’t give a shit about. Maybe if you thought of anyone but yourself for once you’d understand. Grow up, Kellen.”

I leap out of my chair as his words fill my brain. Grow up? Fuck him!

In his face, I snap, “This is why Theo knew you were a tool. Grow up is always what people like you say.”

Anger flashes in my brother’s eyes as he practically shakes with rage. “Stop talking before you say something you’ll regret. I’m warning you, Kellen.”

Inside my mind, something goes off. Pushing against his chest, I send him back a few feet. “You’re worried about me saying things I’ll regret? What about you? Do you regret anything, Matthias? How about what you did to your own brother, you dick? You knew how he felt about Ava, and fuck it, you didn’t care. You wanted what you wanted, and that was it. And now you’re going to stand here lecturing me about how to behave?”

Narrowing his eyes, he practically growls his words. “Stop or you’re going to regret it. Don’t say another goddamned word about Theo or Ava.”

“Oh, do you mean like you knew he was in love with her? But why would you care about that? He was only your brother. Then again, look what you’re doing to me. I guess someone should warn Marius and Ronan about you since family doesn’t seem to mean one fucking thing to you!”

Matthias lunges at me the second I finish speaking, and the two of us crash to the floor, him on top of me. Thankfully, I’m about the same size as he is. I don’t wait for him to start swinging before I take a shot at his face. My fist connects with his jaw, stunning him for a moment, but that’s all the advantage I get before he starts punching me like he’s some kind of madman.

Marius and Ronan pull him off me, and I jump up to my feet, ready for round two with him. “Don’t hold him back. Let’s have this out once and for all.”

Blood pours out of my nose and down my face, but I’m ready for more. He wants to fight? I’m here for it, blood and all.

“Stop acting like an asshole, Kellen. I swear you just make things worse,” Ronan says, stepping in between us so I can’t get another shot at Matthias’s face.

My oldest brother yanks his arm out of their hold and glares at me with utter disgust. “You don’t know a fucking thing about Theo or Ava. He wasn’t the guy you think he was, and what they were to one another isn’t what you think. I’m done with you, Kellen. Stay away from me until you’re ready to know the truth. Until then, you’re no one to me.”

He storms out, and Marius throws me a rag from the side table. “Clean yourself up, for fuck’s sake. What is wrong with you talking about Ava like that? Jesus, Kellen. You make it hard for anyone to like you.”

Like Matthias, he leaves in a huff, so it’s just Ronan and me. I’ve always been closest to him, even though I idolized Theo my entire life. I think my youngest brother did too, so I’m not surprised to see him so sad after what just happened.

“Why do you keep having to bring up Theo every time you’re around? He’s gone. Nothing you say or do will bring him back.”

I sink down in the chair and hold the rag to my face as I tilt my head back to stop my nose from bleeding. “I’m not trying to bring him back. I just think the truth of what Matthias did with Ava and Theo needs to be said.”

Ronan walks over to where I’m sitting and shakes his head sadly. “You need to stop believing everything about Theo was great. He was human and made mistakes. What happened with Ava was because he couldn’t handle the fact that she and Matthias had been together one time five years before he and Ava got together. He acted like a spoiled child, like she wasn’t supposed to go with anyone while he spent his time sleeping with anyone he wanted. Stop blaming her and Matthias for the fact that Theo was wrong.”

I stare up at him, stunned at what he’s saying. “Matthias knew how Theo felt about her, and still he didn’t give a damn and took her away. Theo might be alive right now if he hadn’t been so upset about losing her.”

“Theo died because he hit a wall in a race. It had nothing to do with Matthias and Ava being together.”

Clearly, this brother doesn’t understand the truth either. Waving him away, I toss the bloody rag on the table beside me. “You don’t get it. You wait until Matthias has the chance to screw you over. And don’t expect me to be there to back you up either now that I’ve seen how you and Marius betrayed me in a heartbeat.”

“What has happened to you?” Ronan asks. Frowning, he continues, “It’s like you’re hell bent on making everyoneunhappy. I get it. You miss Theo. I do too. But he’s dead, and Matthias is alive and expecting his first child with Ava. Why can’t you just be happy for them? Why do you keep saying things that hurt both of them?”

I don’t bother answering him before I march out of the game room and down the stairs to leave. By the time I get to my car, I’m angrier than I’ve ever been in my life. All I want to do is get the hell away from this place.

Flooring it, I tear down the road away from the house but remember I forgot to stop off in the kitchen to get those butterscotch cookies Eleanor made for me. I won’t go back to get them no matter how good they would have tasted.

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