Page 14 of Broken Discipline
“Mama?” Larkin whispered again.
I climbed into Leon’s bed, getting under the covers with him. He barely stirred. I leaned on the headboard, sitting up next to him. I motioned for Larkin to join us. Larkin quickly crawled into bed next to us, and I put an arm around each of them. I brushed the mop of hair off of Leon’s forehead, then squeezed Larkin’s shoulder. She rested her head on my chest. I let out a long breath.
The twins are okay,I thought to myself.They’re safe. They’re the only ones that matter.
These were words I repeated to myself to get through the Masquerades, knowing that it was okay if I didn’t make it out alive, as long as they lived and thrived.
“It’s all right, Mama,” Larkin whispered, rubbing my stomach. “You’ll see. Everything’s gonna be fine.”
She was four years old, and yet somehow braver than me. My heart sank, not knowing if her words were true. Bruce gave us distance, and only ever laid a hand onme.But Finn had taken all three of us from the mansion and transplanted our entire lives here. I had no idea what he was capable of, or why he had done this to us.
He horrified me.
“You’re right, sweetheart,” I said quietly. I kissed her forehead, then leaned back on the headboard. “Go back to sleep.”
She snuggled into my stomach, and I studied those bright yellow walls. It was as if Finn didn’t care that his entire house was bleak, as long as the children had their comforts. Maybe therewascomfort in that, knowing that they felt safe here, even if it was a stranger’s house.
The twins always came first. Before Bruce. Before me. Before everything. There were so many reasons to run and cry, but I had to be calm for them. I had to figure out what to do.
And most of all, I had to find out who Finn Carter was, and why he took us.
CHAPTER 4
Ramona
“Let’s go, Mama!” Larkin shouted. She zipped out of the bathroom and down the hallway, disappearing into the nursery. “We’re going to be late!”
“We’re late, we’re late, for a very important date—” Leon mumbled. Toothpaste dribbled on his chin as he spat the foamy wash into the sink. In truth, we weren’t late at all; I was just slow-moving. In the morning, the doors had been unlocked, and it was hard to process thatnoneof this fazed the twins. They had acted like they had always lived in this house, to the point where they knew exactly where the bathroom was located. Leon looked up at my reflection in the mirror.
“What’s wrong, Mama?” he asked. “Are you tired?”
I forced a smile. There was no reason to get the kids worried. They wouldn’t understand the politics of a secret society member selling his wife to another member anyway.
“Stayed up late last night,” I said. I kissed the back of his head. “Finish up and let’s get dressed.”
Once the twins were ready, I dashed over quickly to the kitchen. A bunch of bananas rested in a wooden bowl, so I grabbed one for each of us, then turned to leave.
“Good morning, Mrs. Carter,” a woman’s voice said.
I nearly jumped out of my skin. In the back corner of the room, a middle-aged woman with blond hair in a neat bun, dressed in gray—like the rest of the house—curtsied before me. She held a thermos. “Coffee. Two tablespoons of cream and one sugar.”
I squinted at her. How did she know how I liked my coffee?
“Who are you?” I asked.
“Rebecca Arlington, your children’s new nanny.” She grabbed two zippered lunch boxes from the counter; one was decorated with princesses, and the other was decorated with cartoon fruits and vegetables. “But you can call me Mrs. Becca.”
“You made lunches?” I asked.
She opened up the princess lunch box. “An apple, string cheese, some peanut butter crackers, hummus, and bell pepper slices.”
I glared at the items. Everythinglookedfine, but I had never met her before. I had no idea who she was.
“You work for Finn Carter?” I asked.
“And for you, Mrs. Carter.”
I tilted my head. “Did you mess with the food?” I asked.
