Page 106 of Toxic Temptation
I would’ve killed her a long time ago.
“Uncle Kovan?” Luka’s small whimper drifts down from the top of the stairs. “Is she gone?”
Of course he was listening. Children always are. At the worst possible times, too.
Kovan’s entire demeanor shifts. The hard lines of his face soften as he looks up at his nephew. “She’s gone,malysh. All clear.”
“She looked really mad.” Luka’s bottom lip trembles.
“Your mother runs hot sometimes. She’ll calm down.”
“Did she yell at you, Vesper?” Luka asks, like he’s personally responsible for his mother’s behavior.
The question hurts me physically. It makes me want to gather him up and promise him,swear to him,that none of this is his fault. That he deserves better than a mother who uses him as a blunt force weapon against people she resents.
“I can handle your mother, Luka,” I tell him. “Don’t you worry about me.”
Waylen appears in the doorway, his jaw tight as he studies my face. “You okay, V?”
“I’m fine.” I crouch down to Luka’s eye level. “Look, buddy: Nothing she said upset me, okay? Except when she spoke about you and Uncle Kovan.”
“It upset you because you care about us?” A tiny, uncertain smile tugs at Luka’s mouth.
“How could I not?”
He launches himself into my arms, hugging me so tight I can barely breathe. “I’m glad you’re here, Vesper. Sometimes…” Heleans close to whisper in my ear. “Sometimes, I pretend you’re my mama instead.”
I have to bite down on my tongue to keep the tears from welling up. I can’t cry. I absolutely cannot cry. He needs me to be the strong one right now.
“Hey, chief,” Waylen jumps in, clearly recognizing my ugly girl face is about to make an unwelcome appearance, “how about we skip the rest of our lessons today and get ice cream instead?”
“Ice cream?” Luka perks up, still clinging to me.
“Great idea,” Kovan says. “Waylen, choose any car you like from the garage and take Luka. I need to talk to Vesper.”
Swallowing the sob in my throat, I plaster a smile onto my face and give Luka a nod. “Have an extra big scoop for me, okay?”
Kovan reaches for his wallet, but Waylen’s eyes flash. “I can buy the kid ice cream.”
They stare each other down for a beat before Kovan relents and backs off, to my surprise. Waylen takes Luka’s hand and they walk out the front door.
Then it’s just us.
Kovan moves to the far side of the room, putting as much distance between us as possible. The change in him is jarring. It’s like he’s sucking all the light and heat into him and burying it. Outside, the sky darkens with a storm.
“You crossed a line,” he rumbles.
I flinch. Of all the things I expected him to say, this wasn’t one of them. “I… I what?”
“You shouldn’t have gotten involved.”
“She was screaming at both of us!”
“That’s how Yana introduces herself. She baited you and you fell for it. Played right into her hands. Rule number one is never, ever do that.”
Heat floods my cheeks. “I wasn’t aware there were rules to this game.”
“That’s exactly my point.” His tone is merciless and cold. “You don’t understand the dynamics here. There are politics at play that you cannot navigate.”
