Page 44 of Cruel Love
I wanted to kill my father for what he’d done to her that day, evenapproaching the three other members of the board to ask permission to end my father’s life.
Of course, they denied my request.
Carrying my mom into her bedroom, I laid her gently onto her bedand pulled the covers up over her. She’d managed to calm herself down, and as she settled in her bed, her eyes found mine, recognition once again shining in them.
“Mom? What is it?”I said.
She made her usual muffled noise, trying to tell me something butfinding it impossible due to the missing muscle in her mouth. I grabbed her pen and paper from her bedside table, the only way anyone could communicate with her, and shoved the pen into her hand while I held the paper.“Write it, mom. What are you trying to tell me?”
Her hand moved, the pen scratching the paper several times beforeher hand fell, and her eyes once again glazed over. I pulled the paper away to see what she’d written, frowning at the gibberish words.
Hel So.
A sad smile tugged on my lips, figuring she’d tried to write,‘Helloson’. I needed to get my ass up to the house more frequently, but even as I thought it, I knew I wouldn’t.
I hated the ghost my mom had become.
I sat with my mom for a few hours, long after night had fallen, and thebright moon was high in the dark sky. My mom didn’t wake again, and as I watched her chest rise and fall, my head churned with thoughts of Willow.
Something which had become a regular occurrence.
After I’d kissed her in the car a few nights ago, I’d stayed at Jackson’sapartment, hoping to figure out why the fuck I couldn’t get the mouse out of my head.
But after the first day, I was slowly driving myself insane. EvenJackson threatened to kick me out if I didn’t sort my shit out.
Fortunately, a contract came in, and for the next few days, I focusedon killing my latest target, all thoughts of Willow put to the back of my head, even if I knew they were still there, waiting for a moment’s peace to annoy me again.
Staring at my mom, I sighed, feeling like the walls around me wereclosing in, and I was struggling to breathe.
I was no closer to resolving my confused feelings for Willow, and nowmy father had acknowledged she wasn’t under Legion’s protection, I knew her days were numbered.
Which was what I wanted, so why the fuck wasn’t I happy about it?
Giving up on my mom waking, I kissed her head and tiptoed out ofher room. Not ready to face going to my bedroom, knowing Willow would be waiting in my bed, I crept through the quiet hallways until I reached the game room where my father kept a fully stocked bar.
Pouring myself a generous helping of whiskey, I took a mouthful,relishing the burn in my throat as it slid down to my stomach.
“Didn’t expect you to be up this time of night, James. Thought you’dbe balls deep in your wife,”Elijah said from behind me, amusement clear in his voice.
I spun, finding him sitting in my father’s favorite leather chair with awhiskey in one hand, and a cigar in the other. Fucking moron was acting as if he’d already claimed the number one seat on the board.
“Why is it that wherever I go, you’re there?”I huffed, glowering at him.
Elijah was like one of those irritating flies, always buzzing around, butno matter how hard you tried to shoo them away, they always came back.
He’d come to live with us when I turned nine, and he was eight. Hisfather, my uncle, had passed away from a brain tumor, and in his will, he’d specified that he wanted Elijah to live with us instead of his mom.
Knowing she wouldn’t win against Legion, his mom hadn’t put up any fight to keep her son, and had left the country within hours of Elijah turning up on our doorstep.
Growing up, I’d tried to get along with him, but he was an asshole. Hebullied Kiera, tried manipulating my mom, lied, and cheated his way through school and college, leading him to where he was now; a stockbroker who was fucking clueless and lost more money than he made.
But my father adored the prick. They were both as arrogant as eachother and shared the same antiquated values. Elijah had promised my father that if he ever took his seat on the board, he’d continue pushing for all the new rules my father had been trying to implement, whereas I was vehemently against them.
The problem was, while my father was arrogant and had someridiculous views of the world, he was smart. Elijah, on the other hand, was a dumb fuck, and I wasn’t the only person who was concerned for Legion’s future if Elijah gained the lead seat on the board.
Which was why I couldn’t let it happen.
“Oh come on, James. Don’t be like that,”Elijah said, stubbing hiscigar out and standing. In several strides, he’d crossed the room to stand next to me before topping up his whiskey.“Isn’t it time we put our past behind us, and tried to be amenable with each other?”I gritted my teeth, his voice grating on me like nails down a chalkboard.“Especially when I take my seat on the board, you’re going to want me to be on your side.”
