Page 40 of Wicked Deceit
"Daddy?" He growls, swinging back to face her smiling, blissful face. If serenity had a facial expression, it would be Piper’s. She dreamily stares into the sky, clutching her hands in prayer, and she nods.
With a scowl that could tame the devil, I expect him to pounce on her crazy ass and knock the word daddy out of her mouth with one punch. Clutching his fist tight, and tightening his grip on me, he remains stock still. Not moving a muscle. Well, except the one ticking in his jaw, and the vein throbbing over his eyebrow. I inspect closer, zoning in on the twitch on his right eye. Okay, so he is moving somewhat, but he’s not pouncing on her to shut her up. In my book, that’s an improvement.
"Yes! Of course, Silly! He's my daddy, too," she says, twisting a lock of her blonde hair with a girlish grin that doesn't sit right with me.
Carter grits his teeth and blows out an angry breath, getting himself under control. By the way his hand flexes around my wrist, I can tell he’s working on a plan to ditch her and get us back to the SUV without subjecting ourselves to anymore of her torture.
"Right," he finally says through a heavy breath. "Your step-dad." He purses his lips like the words burn his tongue, and his face pinches.
She giggles and nods her head, staring at the two of us. "Oh, pickled pears! You two could stay! We could all have such a wonderful dinner together!" She practically jumps up and down at the prospect of having me there. "I have an entire meal planned for tonight! Ham, potatoes, corn, and lots of yummy desserts!" She giggles again, golf clapping to herself in satisfaction.
I recoil from her invitation, trying not to visibly show how uncomfortable I’m getting.
"Erm, thanks for the invite, Piper. But my parents are expecting me home," I say with a grimace when her face falls into a thunderstorm of brewing emotions.
She narrows her eyes. "Then why are you here? Why can't you stay? I want you to stay here!" She stomps her foot, and her voice booms through the living room.
"Piper?” Francesca asks in a quiet voice, rubbing at her eyes from the corner of the couch.
I jump hearing her voice, not having realized she had been here throughout this entire conversation. She must have laid down when they got home while we were in the office and dozed off for a bit.
"I want them to stay for dinner," Piper whines, turning to her mother with red cheeks. Her foot stomps into the ground a few times, rocking some of the pictures on the wall.
Francesca swallows hard, putting her hands up in a placating manner. Her red hair sticks up in every direction while her beautiful dinner dress clings to her curves. And I swear, there's something about Francesca Hurst that seems so familiar. Like the shape of her eyes or the curve of her nose. It's almost as if I should know her from somewhere with the level of familiarity I feel. But I can't place it because aside from her name, I've never met her before. I've researched the hell out of her and her ex-husband, but this woman is a stranger to me.
"It's okay, Piper. They have to go. They can come back some other time and have dinner with us," she coos in a soft voice, tucking a piece of hair behind Piper's ear.
Piper's hands tighten into fists when her eyes find mine again and harden. In two seconds, I swear she's about to rip my throat out, but she loosens her stance and shakes her head. Cocking her head to the side, her easy smile spreads across her face, and she jumps again.
"Yes, yes! We'll get together very soon! All of us will! It'll be so much fun!" she giggles again, sounding a little more unhinged than normal.
"I won't be back for Thanksgiving," Carter blurts out of nowhere, tightening his hold on my wrist.
"And where will you be, big brother?" Piper says with a manic grin, again something sparking deep in the depths of her crazy ass eyes.
All the hairs on my arm stand on end when she stares directly into my eyes as Carter answers her. Her head cocks, swishing her blonde hair with the movement. I swallow hard, transfixed in her crazy gaze. I don’t know what she’s thinking. Her smile grows, showing off her pearly white teeth.
"None of your fucking business. I have shit to do," he hisses, sending Francesca back a step. I look up at him with wide eyes, noting the reddening of his face. I’d back up too, if I were them. He’s ten seconds away from exploding and leaving his body parts scattered across the room, and blood splattered on the walls. "And I'm not your fucking brother or your fucking son. You. Are. Not. My. Fucking. Family."
I am—I think to myself. I'm this man's family. My boys are his brothers. Together we are the… wait. What do people in these types of relationships do when marriage comes about? If I want to, that is. I’ve always thought I wasn’t the marrying type because of who I am and how my body reacts to others. Each and every day, my boys prove me wrong. But what if they’re my people, my family, and I want to marry them? Each of them? Is it possible to take on four guys at once? Am I Kaycee Cole-West-Cunningham-Benoit? No, wait. I'll make them take my last name. I mean, if they wanted to get married. Do they? Wait shit…. I shake myself out of those weird swirling thoughts and focus on the psycho twirling her hair.
Piper grins more. "No need for the brash behavior, you prickly pickle," Piper says her insult with such a pep in her voice that you almost wouldn't hear it. But I did. Every word she's spoken since we got caught has made my chest tighten. Now, there's nothing stopping her from running back to Cushing and telling him everything. How's Carter going to explain us being here together? Will he say it's all part of the act he has to put on?
I'm on the edge of my seat with her false positivity and weird food references. There's something about her that sets off alarm bells inside my head, now more than ever. What the hell is she up to? Everything is my guess. Murderer? Plotter? Psychopath?
"Then we'll see you in a few weeks for Christmas break," Francesca says in a tight voice, holding a hand over her heart.
"And then the Christmas charity event!" Piper says through another giggle. "Oh, it'll be so much fun to dress up and bid on new items up for auction! I can't wait!"
I blink a few times and nod. "It'll be a lot of fun,” I say in a monotone voice, keeping every emotion at bay.
"It will be. I can't wait to see you there, Kace! It'll be your first, and you'll have so much fun," she giggles again, reverting to the Piper I knew from before by jumping up and down, swishing her hair.
I give her a tight smile and tug on Carter's wrist, trying to be discreet. But I'm not careful enough when we catch Piper's eye.
"We should go," I say with a fake sense of sadness.
"Aw, Carter! Did you two finally hook up?" Piper asks, her voice dipping low.
