Page 14 of The Lost Kings
My face heated, realizing what that meant. I was on his heels, practically chasing him as I asked, “So what…they’re offering to suddenly come back and be my security?”
“They haven’t offered anything other than apologies but as I said…you inspire loyalty. They’d go with you in a heartbeat.”
No, I didn’t inspire loyalty; I was the spoiled brat who required constant observation. The twins did what they had to…it was better that I couldn’t see their texts because anything they’d have to say would be an excuse or justification as to why they felt like they had to hurt me the way they had.
“No backup. I’ll be fine.”
Scotty’s eyes found the gravel at our feet and then he stopped.
“Would you like me to show you what they said?”
I continued walking toward the large field that separated the farmhouse and our manor. Gravel crunched under my shoes and the sun warmed my skin, but it was the frustrating tears in my eyes I needed to hide.
Without looking back, I replied, “No. You can delete them.”
I figured that would be the end of it, but Scotty’s next words froze me in place.
“You ever wonder why they have such a hatred for me, your dad, and this life?”
No, I didn’t want to dig into any of their whys. Not when any of them had been reason enough for them to keep me. Whatever they did see was enough for them to lump me in with everyone else and dismiss this entire family.
My throat was tight as I shook my head.
Scotty’s feet scuffed the rocks as he drew closer. “You might want to ask him some day.”
My head popped up as I watched my uncle pass me.
“Who?”
He replied, tilting his chin over his shoulder, his mossy eyes landing hard on me. “Kingston.”
Chapter 6
Kingston
AGE 10
Iknew I wasn’t supposed to be downstairs.
It was one of the only rules we had in the manor, and I was always the one to ensure none of us ever broke it. But two days ago, Presley got into trouble and her dad got so upset that he took her favorite stuffed animal away. He said it was gone for the month, and since she was nine years old now, she needed to start growing up.
It wasn’t really her fault for sneaking into our room again. Her dad had made it really clear that she wasn’t allowed to anymore, but there was a really bad thunderstorm last night with so much lightning, the electricity went out. Presley cracked our door around midnight and both me and Gio had taken all of our blankets and piled them in the middle of the floor so we could both protect her.
The next morning, her dad was standing over us with his arms crossed and he looked really upset. Our dad didn’t seem mad, but he did shake his head like he was disappointed in us. I didn’t really care that much, not when it came to keeping Presley safe, and making sure she didn’t need us. Now she needed us for a different reason.
That stuffy meant the world to her; nine or not, she couldn’t go awhole month without it. Presley had already checked their entire family wing, and all the cars, which meant there was only one place it could be.
Gio had gone into town with everyone else, same with Presley and my big sister, Alex. Our families were shopping or going to dinner, but I had faked being sick. My abuela was here and offered to watch me, but she was already asleep on one of the outside loungers, listening to one of her audiobooks.
I’d snuck past the big windows in our wing that revealed the loungers and darted down the hall until I was out of sight.
The door to downstairs was tall and heavy, but I pulled it open and took the stairs two at a time. I had to be quick if I was going to find her stuffed cow and get it to her room before anyone came home. The stairs were made of concrete, and the basement was too, but large, thick rugs covered most of the open space, so it didn’t feel like a dungy basement. It felt like a library with leather couches and two large desks. The main space wasn’t where her dad’s office was though, so I kept walking until I turned the corner to a small hallway.
The door was black with a gold knob, which reminded me of something from a pirate ship. I gently twisted the handle and pushed the door open. The room was lit by a dim lamp somewhere off in the corner, but directly in front of me was a half wall that I quickly ducked behind as someone in the room started talking.
Who the heck was here…everyone was supposed to be in town.
My fingers tunneled into the rug as I crawled forward, peeking around the wall. I saw a man sitting in a chair, his wrists were secured with zip ties and so were his feet. He was crowded by Presley’s dad, his uncle Scotty and…my dad.
