Page 41 of His Dark Purpose

Seth had heard cries of play and pain over the years and knew the difference. The yell he’d heard from downstairs hadn’t been derived from laughter or pleasure. At best, it was born of frustration.

He didn’t claim to know what had been going on between her and Kyle while he’d languished behind bars, but he was pretty damn sure nothing positive started with the kind of cry that had pierced the silence of Brock Hall.

Something was wrong.

Even though he hadn’t heard raised voices from behind the door, and even though there had been no more cries, he knew instinctively, his mum needed him. The conclusion pinballed as he felt his way around the no-doubt expensive dresser and pushed his back against the wall. He wasn’t sure how to play the next few minutes—whether to wait there in the dark or move closer to ascertain what was happening, but—

The door to the room opened suddenly, flooding a small portion of the hall in pale, revealing light. Flattening himself against the wall, Seth held his breath, his heart beating so hard, he was surprised Kyle couldn’t hear it from the other end of the hallway.

“I won’t be a minute.” Kyle’s voice traveled through the darkness, temporarily paralyzing Seth.

If Kyle switched on all the lights, Seth would have no choice but to confront him right then and there. Disquiet amplified at the potential outcome, his gaze fixed on Kyle’s silhouette. Seth watched the older guy stride into the passage, but rather than proceeding as Seth had feared, Kyle stumbled toward the shadows beyond the light and hesitated.

Time stretched out in odd pockets as the homeowner paused and reached for the opposite wall. From what Seth could see in the shadows, it looked as though Kyle was holding onto the wall for support.

What the fuck is he doing?

Of all the outcomes he’d been anticipating when he entered Brock Hall, that was not one he’d foreseen. Kyle must have left the room for a reason, and Seth presumed it hadn’t been to catch his breath in the gloom.

“Shit!” Kyle spat the word, the ferocity of his voice sending a jolt through Seth that rushed adrenaline around his system.

Seth knew nothing about the guy, save for the little Jonah had told him, but the one thing he had expected was for Kyle to exhibit mental resilience. Albeit Kyle didn’t realize he was being watched, but the panting man Seth could see bent over on the opposite end of the corridor was a far cry from the type of person he’d expected of the wealthy landowner.

Tension tightened in his muscles as he pondered what could have caused Kyle to have a minor meltdown in the apparent privacy of his upstairs landing.

“Get a fucking grip.” Kyle gulped, an audible noise that met Seth’s ears despite the distance between them. “That can never happen.”

Seth’s eyes widened at Kyle’s pathetic display. If that was the version of the man who’d provoked the cry from his mother, then perhaps he wouldn’t need the blade after all. Maybe he was really no threat. Tracing his thumb along the handle, he kept the knife close, though, more certain than ever that what Kyle truly represented was an unknown quantity, and in Seth’s experience, unpredictability was nearly always dangerous.

Kyle turned in the shadows, pulling in air as he lurched further along the corridor and away from the door’s illumination. Apprehension peaked in Seth’s chest as Kyle neared, his mind racing with a dozen different ways the scenario could play out.

Perhaps Kyle would stumble straight past him, allowing Seth to go to his mother and see how she was for himself. That would likely be the best option. If anyone would be able to talk an angry Kyle from calling the authorities, it would be his mum, and Seth would be able to see her first, unhindered from her lover’s influence.

Seth didn’t know Kyle, though. He couldn’t anticipate how he’d react. Maybe the moron was about to switch on the light and find him there in his house, after all? Seth’s heart raced faster at the possibility. What would happen then? Would Kyle call the police straight away or do something even more stupid and attempt to take Seth on? Seth’s lips curled. He didn’t relish violence, but he’d seen and handled more than his fair share in prison, and the man nearing had to be at least twice his age. If Kyle wanted conflict, Seth liked his chances of coming out as the victor.

There was no more than six feet between the two men when his mum’s voice sliced through Seth’s growing sense of dread and decided his fate.

“It’s fine!” Her tone was caught somewhere between imploring and exasperated. It was a timbre he’d never heard from her before, and in the split second where Kyle spun to face her voice, Seth didn’t know how to feel about the sound. Was she upset or only playing with Kyle? “I’ve managed without any cutlery.”

“What?” Kyle seemed irritated at her intervention. “It’s an omelet, little girl. How the hell can you eat it with your hands?”

A scowl creased Seth’s brow. Had he just called his mother alittle girl? What the fuck was that about? His mum was almost fifty!

“Hand,” she corrected from the room at the end of the passageway. “I only have one available, remember,sir?”

The unease in his stomach lurched at her reply.She’dcalledhimsir, but the emphasis she’d thrown on the final word ratcheted his concern even further. He’d never heard his mum call anyone sir in his life. Hell, she’d barely made the effort to refer to the judges in his court cases in the appropriate ways. He couldn’t imagine any situation where she’d have willingly deferred to her ex-employer that way. Jonah was right—there was something strange about the dynamic she shared with Kyle.

“Jesus, Amy.” Kyle muttered the words as he stalked back toward the doorway. “You’re going to make a mess all over the bed.”

His mum’s laughter reverberated to Seth’s ears as Kyle thrust the door open wider and strode inside. “Don’t blame me, sir.Youbrought an omelet up here!”

“I told you to wait!” He sounded satisfyingly infuriated. “Ihavea knife and fork for you. I just dropped them.”

Seth’s attention fell to the blade still lodged in his right hand. So, that had been what Kyle had come looking for? Why the hell hadn’t he just switched the light on and looked for the cutlery? Not that Seth had sought the immediate confrontation, but the impromptu breakdown Kyle had seemed to experience in the shadows hadn’t even vaguely involved looking for the items he’d dropped. His entire performance had been totally bewildering.

“I managed.” His mum’s voice had altered again, her playful tone nothing like the woman he remembered.

“Oh, I see that.” Kyle chuckled. “You’ve made another mess you expect me to clear up.”

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