Page 47 of Shattered Souls
“Say you go to this dinner…”
“She’s not,” Logan and Grayson immediately interject at the same time.
Royce huffs out a breath, piercing them both with ashut the fuck upglare while I roll my eyes and give Logan’s arm around me a reassuring squeeze.
“Hypothetically,” Royce tries again.
“Notice I’ve conveniently been left out of this invitation,” Grayson points out after a moment.
“All the more reason why she’s not going,” Logan hisses, practically vibrating with anger despite me stroking my fingers over his arm in a bid to soothe his ruffled feathers. “It’s a ploy to get her alone.”
“Well, obviously, we wouldn’t let her go on her own,” Royce states, circling back to his train of thought.
“No,” Grayson agrees with a sharp nod of his head. “Hypothetically, I’d go with her. That makes the most sense. I can say we ran into each other on campus, and Riley mentioned the dinner, assuming I’d been invited too. She asked for a ride since she doesn’t have a car. It would be completely reasonable.” Pinning me in place with his eyes, Grayson, for whatever reason, feels the need to emphasize, “I’d be coming with you.”
Did he genuinely think I’d contest him being there? I’d assumed one of them would be, and Grayson is the obvious choice. Besides, I’d rather walk over hot coals than enter their house alone. Dinner at a public restaurant was one thing. Sitting across fromhimat that table drove me to the brink of what I could handle. A private meal—or ambush, or whatever the hell this actually is—is in another realm altogether. I’ll do whatever it takes to find my daughter, but putting myself in a position of danger would just be reckless and stupid—which is exactly what going to their house alone would be: Dangerous.
“Actually,” Royce hedges, “I was thinking one of us should go.” His finger flicks back and forth between him and Logan. At the looks of shock his statement incites, he flashes me an apologetic look before he explains, “We all know Lydia isn’t going to give up shit. She’s extended this invite on Bertram’s orders.”
“Fuck, of course!” Grayson whirls, his expression haunted as his hand pulls on the ends of his hair until they stand upright.
“If they expect anyone to show up,” Royce continues with a carefully blank expression, “It’ll be Grayson, but they won’t beexpecting either of us. They won’t be expectinga boyfriend.It could throw enough of a spanner into whatever fucked up plan Bertram is concocting.” He lifts his shoulder in a casual gesture. “And while we’re there, it can do no harm to push Lydia.” His tone is unconvincing as he says, “Who knows, maybe she’ll say something—give us a clue.”
He doesn’t believe she will. Hell, I don’t believe she will, but all I hear is her promising to tell me where my daughter is if I do come, and despite knowing it will entail sitting across the table fromhimagain, Ihaveto go. For the slight chance my mother might actually do the decent thing. For the sliver of hope that she’ll slip up. Because I’ll do anything and everything it takes to get my daughter back—including believing in the impossible.
“It’s the perfect way to make them realize Riley isn’t asaloneas they think she is,” Logan muses. “That she’s got support. Someone who would care if something were to happen.”
Royce nods. “Exactly. I doubt it will be enough to make Bertram set aside whatever notions he has, but it would give us some breathing space where we don’t have to worry about him on top of finding Aurora.”
“It’s not a terrible idea,” Grayson admits, tapping his fingers against the island marble as he mulls it over.
“It’ll certainly piss off Bertram,” Logan states, his bubbling anger giving way to a mischievous smirk as he more than likely pictures Bertram’s face when he opens the door to find aboyfriend’sarm slung over my shoulder.
“You can’t go,” I point out, arching a brow at Royce. “Lydia knows who you are.”
“I mean, that would be pretty fucking hilarious.” Logan chuckles. “I’d love to see that bitch’s face if you showed up tucked beneath Royce’s arm.”
“I had considered that myself,” Royce states. The slight uptilt of his lips is the only hint of his amusement. “It could putthe pressure on Lydia that we need. Cause her to panic.” He wipes a hand over the scruff of his beard, thinking. “However, this dinner is about your dad.” He gestures to Grayson. “He’s deliberately creating scenarios that put him and Riley together, which will only escalate the longer he doesn’t get what he wants.” I full body shiver, and it doesn’t go unnoticed by Logan whose firm palms rub up and down my arms. Royce pierces Grayson and Logan with his steely gaze. “We need to make it clear to him that it’s not going to be as easy as he thinks to get to Riley.”
“Okay, and how do we do that?” I ask, not quite catching his drift.
He lifts his chin to Logan. “You take Logan as your boyfriend. Act all lovey-dovey. Show them that you’re in love.”
“And Iinadvertentlymake it clear to Bertram that Riley ismine,” Logan smirks.
“Ours,” Grayson immediately interjects, earning a side glower from me.Yeah, I’m not touching that.I should probably just be grateful he has upgraded frommine, although I’m not entirely sure how I feel about being all of theirs. Of including Grayson inours.However, Grayson’s insistence on our non-existent relationship is truly the least of my problems.
“We show Bertram that there are obstacles in his way he hadn’t anticipated. That it won’t be as simple as him manipulating Lydia or whatever the hell he’s doing with her to get to Riley,” Royce spells out.
“I dunno,” Grayson sighs, scraping a hand up the back of his head. “That still means Riley is going into my father’s house. I don’t like it.”
“You don’t have to like it,” I state, pinning him with a look before swiveling my focus to Royce. “I’ll do it. It’s time I confronted Lydia—that she knowsI know. Besides, I’m on board with anything that puts roadblocks between me and Bertram.”Grayson snarls in disgust, but I ignore him as I twist my head to look at Logan. “Assuming you’re okay coming with me?”
“Shortcake, there’s nowhere else I’d rather be.” Logan kisses the tip of my nose, squeezing his arms tighter around my waist. He grins down at me. “Is it fucked up that I’m kinda looking forward to it?”
My lips quirk in amusement, Logan’s teasing smoothing out the jagged edges of my anxiety at this possibly insane plan. “No,” I assure. At the same time, Grayson hisses, “Yes.”
“You’re there to protect her,” he snarls, glaring at Logan like he’s lost his mind. “Not to get your rocks off at pissing off my dad.”
