Page 112 of The Lost Kings
I laughed, too tired for words, but I watched them both as they moved around the room.
Kingston pulled on his clothes with that same angry expression he’d had earlier and something dark dove inside my chest.
Sitting up, I asked, “Where are you going?”
He didn’t look at me, so I glanced over at Gio. He too was dressing, tugging on all of his clothes, leaving me without anything to cover myself aside from ripped pajama top I’d have to hold closed. Something about their abruptness felt off to me. No one knew we were up here, what was their hurry?
“What’s going on?” I stood, now getting angry.
Gio spoke first. “We know how long you waited until you reached out to us, Pres.”
Silence stretched, and I tried to gather my thoughts. I knew they’d have questions so I decided to clarify. “You mean?—”
Kingston cut me off with a snide tone. “You waited a year, Presley. An entire fucking year before you decided to take Scotty up on reading those texts, and even then, you didn’t reply to a single one.”
“So what, I was hurt. You both left me. Did you forget that?”
“We weren’t given a choice!” Kingston yelled, his amber eyes practically glowed as his anger unleashed on me.
“And I didn’t know that!” I yelled back.
This was ridiculous. I bent down to grab my own clothes and began pulling them on.
“So what, you guys decided to fuck me and then planned to leave me here?”
Gio’s wince was answer enough. My heart felt torn in new ways, the hope I had completely gone.
“You’re still going to be with Adrian even though Gio explained who he is,” Kingston justified himself and his dickish behavior.
“I checked with Scotty. There is no connection between Adrian and my dad. If there’s intel you have on it, then you should tell him because you know how thorough Scotty is. He was the one who suggested Adrian.”
“But we told you differently. Why must you always believe him over us?” Gio asked, sounding exasperated.
I scoffed, rubbing at my forehead. “Why on earth would I take your word over his when neither of you will even tell me what you’ve been doing for almost two years? I’m not stupid, I know somethinghas shifted. You’re stronger, faster, and have men that follow you around. You did something, and call me stupid, but I assume it is something that might be able to help us.”
Kingston stepped closer and seethed with fury. “I’m so fucking sick of our lives revolving around you and your family. Around if you’re precious father is safe or not. My family has remained here as an ally to yours for almost twenty years and still you seek help outside of us. No one ever asked us. So no. Your family is on their own, and honestly, Pres, I’m exhausted by all this. I fucked you because I plan on taunting Adrian with it. I will ruin his family, so if you’re aligning yourself with his, then we’re coming for you too.”
“What do you mean by that…what have you two done?” I had to focus on the specifics of what they weren’t saying and not the impact of what they were. My chest felt as though they’d taken a spoon and carved a crater into it. They’d only fucked me to anger Adrian?
This hadn’t even meant anything to them?
Angry tears spilled down my face and Gio tipped his head back and laughed. “This is so predictable, Pres. You cry and think we’ll come running to fix it.”
“This is why,” I cried, swiping at my face. “This is why I didn’t read your texts or listen to your voicemails because you crushed me into dust when I was only sixteen. You made me believe that I was nothing but a pity project to you. That I was pathetic and stupid for behaving the way I did. Here I am again, feeling stupid and naïve.”
Pushing past them, I closed my arms over my chest to keep my pajama top closed.
“Thanks for making this really easy for me.”
Their feet hit the stairs with an echo as they rushed after me. “What easy?”
I didn’t look back as I replied, “Adrian proposed. I plan on saying yes.”
Chapter 44
Kingston
PRESENT
