Page 23 of Burn it Down

“You’re late,” he says, not even bothering to look up.

Riven’s entire body draws tight like a bow and nudges me to stand behind him, but I can’t keep my mouth shut. “It’s not like we had an appointment.”

He continues, ignoring me and speaking directly to Riven, “Your little massacre made a hell of a mess for me.”

I glance at him. He’s not even shaken even though he clearly knows about the casualties of Riven’s rage.

That’s when I realize he never cared about anyone. They were pawns in a story he wrote to serve himself just like Riven and I were.

“I knew you’d be waiting for us,” Riven says.

“Of course I am,” our father replies coolly. “You always were predictable when it came to her.”

He finally looks at me, and the chill in his eyes makes my skin crawl. Like I’m an inconvenience. A prize that doesn’t belong to the person who’s clearly winning this little spat.

“Tell her,” Riven says through his teeth. “I want it to come from you. Tell her why I left.”

Our father glances between us and shakes his head, almost like he’s amused. "Your absence was annoying to me. I never had to lock her up when you were still in Castlebrook Falls," he says casually. "You followed her like a hunting dog. Knew where she was at all times. I didn’t need to worry about her virginity being threatened, not when you made sure no one got close enough to touch her."

My breath stutters.

Riven’s hands curl into fists.

The man shrugs. "But once you were gone? I had to be sure she wouldn’t embarrass the family.” I glance at Riven because I realize the mind game our father is playing. Instead of telling me why Riven was sent away, he’s going to tell Riven what he did to me while he was gone. He’s getting in his head, trying to knock him off-kilter. “Deadbolt on the outside of her bedroom. Kept her tucked in nice and neat."

I feel sick.

Riven steps forward, body shaking with unbridled fury. "You locked her up?"

The man smiles. "Didn’t want to risk my property being damaged."

My heart races. The air feels thick, like the entire house is suffocating me.

And then Riven moves forward, snapping out the words through clenched teeth. “Fucking tell her what you did to me.”

The man sighs, leaning back. “Your uncle and I trained him. Handpicked every target. Made sure he was the perfect little mercenary. Quiet, quick, and loyal.”

“TELL HER NOW,” Riven screams at him.

He shrugs. “Told him he could have you when it was over. Figured the incentive would keep him efficient and I was right. You were the key to get him to do my bidding. He would do anything to have you.”

The world tilts under my feet.

“What?”

“I never agreed with it,” our father says casually. “The idea of you two always freaked me the fuck out, Lakynn. You’re not blood, but the way he looked at you? Obscene.”

Something inside me snaps at his words. He acts like what we have is dirty, and it isn’t.

Riven lunges, punching him square in the jaw. Our father stumbles, laughing until the second punch wipes the smirk clean off his face.

“You don’t get to say her name,” Riven growls. “You don’t get to talk about her.”

More punches. A thud. A crash. Furniture breaks. I don’t count how many times Riven hits him, I just know the floor practically shakes with each one.

I don’t stop it, I don’t intervene, but I do decide that we’re in this together.

I walk out the side door into the cold. The wind is kicking up and it stings my face, but I welcome it.

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