Page 140 of Wicked Minds
His stark stare burns into me, giving nothing away before he shakes his head. “I need to know if you’re in or not, before I can say anything. ‘Cause if you’re not in, it’s none of your business.”
“And if I am?”
One side of his lips tilts in the smallest of smirks. “Then you better get yourself some knee pads ‘cause you’re going to be spending the next however long on your knees begging her to forgive your sorry ass.”
I scoff, pulling back with a frown and taking a sip of my beer to hide my unease.
“So, what’ll it be?” Logan pushes. “Are you Team Riley or Team Sad Sack All Alone In The Corner?”
Rolling my eyes, I search both of their faces as they wait for my answer.
“Yes, fine. I’m Team Riley. No more hating her. No more going after her.”
“No more covering her in fucking bites,” Logan snarls, and I smirk at the possession in his eyes.
“Can’t promise that one. Riley certainly seemed to like it when she was coming all over my cock.” Logan morphs into a Rottweiler in front of me, but before he can take me to the floor, Royce’s arm snaps out, and he yanks Logan away.
“We have more important things to discuss,” he barks. When Logan goes to argue, he glares at him. “Whatever happens between him and Riley is their business. Riley can handle him.”
I scoff, even as Logan’s eyes light up and he grins evilly. Shaking away Royce’s hold, he settles back into his chair, looking smug as fuck. “I need to stock up on popcorn. This is going to be one hell of a show.”
I roll my eyes, giving him my middle finger. I am not a fucking groveler and I haven’t even decided if I want anything to do with her, let alone earn any fucking forgiveness.
Although even as I think that, a begrudging respect for everything she’s endured takes root inside me. The grit, determination, and resilience it must have taken to put down that blade and choose to stand up and fight. To go up against my father. Against her mother. Against me.
That day, she took up the battle cry, and she’s been screaming it ever since.
“There’s something else we need to talk about.” The ominous edge to Royce’s tone interrupts my internal musings, and I focus back on him, clutching his mostly full beer bottle between his hands as he glances between me and Logan. “I went to Ry’s mom’s house.”
“You what?!” Logan splutters, hacking up half a lung as he chokes on his spit. I slap him on the back—hard.
He gives an unapologetic shrug. “I wanted to check her out.”
Of course, he did.
Intrigued, Logan leans forward. “And? Was she in? Was Aurora there? Wait… When did you do this?”
“The other week. The house was empty. Aurora was at a neighbor's and the mom was out for the night.”
Logan sneers. “I fucking hate that bitch.” He sounds practically venomous, and I stare at him with raised eyebrows. Logan rarely has a bad word to say about anyone, yet it’s clear that he has a lot of bottled-up resentment toward Riley’s mom.
“Tell us how you really feel,” I drawl, earning a sharp glare from him.
“That woman is a bitch. I don’t give a shit what you think you remember from when they lived with you and your dad. She’s a bitch. She’s been keeping Aurora from Riley. Using that kid to control and manipulate her own daughter. Riley has to fight to see her once a month and barely gets to speak to her in between visits. I’ve got my lawyers involved, but they say it’ll be a lengthy process for Riley to regain custody.”
“She doesn’t have custody of her own child?” I question, thoroughly confused. Although, I guess that explains why I’ve never seen any indication of a daughter. Even in her apartment, there were no signs of a child being present.
“Her mother had her declared unfit after she gave birth, then shipped Riley off to a school for troubled teenagers where she couldn’t even be around her own kid.”
That does sound fucked up.
“Maybe she was unfit?” I supply. I mean, after everything she’d been through, it would be understandable.
Logan scoffs in derision, like I just told him hockey was a stupid sport.
“Riley would doanythingfor that little girl, and the way her mother is keeping her from her is disgusting.”
I can’t exactly argue with that, and Logan looks like he’d be ready to flatten me if I even tried.
