Ick. A shudder hits me. They’re gross.
The way they watch me makes my skin crawl. As if I could be one of those women. I want to live. Not wait on some man to?—
With a sigh, I push off the wall and head in the opposite direction. Not being allowed to go to class today means I’ll have to stay upstairs, or risk running into trouble.
“Eagle!”
My skin shrinks, dread pooling in my mouth until I have to swallow. Pasting a disinterested look on my face, I turn to find Charles Bonnet walking toward me, smoothing his tie down. “I didn’t expect you to be home today, sweetheart.”
Sweetheart. Hearing it come from Charles’s cracked lips sounds like nails against a chalkboard. But when Kane called me that, a hungry chasm opened up in my tummy.
“My father wouldn’t let me go to class.”
“Really?” His eyes do something weird, bouncing between my lips and my breasts, before he grins. “Finally figured it out, didn’t he?”
I know better than to ask, but I can’t stop myself. “What?”
“That your looks are the only thing you’ll ever need.”
Both of my hands curl into fists next to my thighs. “I’m glad you believe that, Charles, but I have plans.”
“That involve my bed?”
I gasp, my heart cartwheeling in alarm. “No!”
His hand goes to the wall above my shoulder. “I like you, Eagle. I could show you the world. Paris. Venice. Monaco. I need someone like you to round out my appearance.”
“That’s disgusting.” When he reaches up, hand nearing my face, I slap it away. “Don’t touch me.”
He chuckles. “I like your spirit, beautiful. It’s gonna be fun to break.”
The heel of my tennis shoe makes a satisfying impact with Charles’s loafer.
His bellow echoes off the polished marble floor as I run.
THREE
Kane
Six hours later
The call didn’t come from Eagle. It came from her asshole father.
Go get my daughter.
I already knew she was in the wind. The tracker on my truck showed me exactly where she was heading. But I don’t know why.
Eagle didn’t call me. She took my truck and left.
There’s a part deep inside my head that knows where this train wreck is going. Balls deep somewhere I should never fucking go.
Cueing up my sister’s number, I hit send.
“Bethany Matthews,” she answers.
“Don’t you look at caller ID before you answer?”
“Lighten up, Kane. I did, I was just joking with you. What’s up, big brother?”