Page 60 of Defiant Beta

I’m on my knees, struggling to stand, when Mr. Vincent makes another one of his sudden appearances. His hands on my arms are warmer than I thought they would be, and he helps me back into bed. “You’re not well enough to be walking around. Is there a father I should expect to barge in here?”

I blink at him, “A father?”

“Yes.”

I shake my head. “My dad walked out on Mom before I was born. I never met him.”

He drags the sheets over my bare legs.

The moment he’s finished, I drag them off and move to get up. “I’m leaving.”

“Where?”

I fumble for a lie when I hadn’t expected him to ask. I hadn’t expected him to be here at all. “My sister’s house.”

Lie.

Everleigh’s moved on. She doesn’t need me to get in the way of her happy life.

“If that were true, then you’d have left with her.”

“My apartment,” I lie.

I don’t have an apartment. For a hot minute, I had a studio after I left my mom. There was no way I could stay with her after what she did to Everleigh. Then I was staying in the staff quarters of Lawrence Wentworth’s mansion as I worked in the gardens and stable, all while waiting for an opportunity to see my sister.

“I’ll take you,” he says.

“No need. I can get there myself. You can go.”

He meets my gaze for a beat. “Then I’ll leave you to it.”

“Fine.” I nod.

I watch him walk out of my room and wait five minutes. Then, I get up.

I’m looking for my clothes when he appears in the doorway, glowering. “You’re lying.”

“What?”

He steps into my room. “You were lying about having an apartment. You might think you’re a good liar, but you’re not. You’re one of the worst I’ve ever heard.”

I stare at him. “You have the social skills of a ferret. You know that, right?”

He blinks. “Aferret?”

“Yes.”

His phone vibrates. He checks it briefly and focuses on me. “Can you walk, or do you need a wheelchair?”

Did I miss part of a conversation?

“I don’t understand.”

“You’re coming with me.”

“And I don’t have a say in the matter?”

“You can walk if you’re able, or I can get a wheelchair.”

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