Page 59 of Fallout
The smile on her face dropped, the hand on her chest the same. “Jacob?”
“Don’t.” He used a hand up motion to shut her up. “Don’t fucking stand there and lie to me again.”
Color drained from her face and in spite of himself, the sight made him cringe, made him want to comfort her, but he shoved that response aside and glared.
“I have no idea what your game is but you will never, ever, as long as there is breath in my lungs get near my son again.”
“What—”
“That goes double for your fucking family,” he spat out.
“My… Oh god.” She glanced around. “Was Donna here?”
“Like I told her. Get off my property or I’m calling the police. You’ve got ten minutes to get your shit and go.”
“Jacob. Please.” She took a step toward him and he crossed his arms once more. “I need to explain what—”
“No! You need to get the fuck out of my sight!”
“Please. It’s not what you think.”
“I don’t care! I want you gone. I don’t ever want to see your lying face again.” He waved at the apartment. “Get your shit and get out!” He couldn’t stand to look at her face. The hurt that flashed across it almost took his knees out but he held up against the guilt of causing her pain. “If you’re still here in ten minutes, I’m calling the police.”
“Please, Jacob.”
He didn’t answer her. Couldn’t. Instead he spun on his heel and went inside, closing and locking the glass door behind him.
The temptation to watch, to go back out there and ask her how he could have gotten it so wrong with her, was too much. He headed upstairs, the room furthest from her and waited for her to climb into her car and pull away.
He’d barely made it to the window overlooking the street when she rushed down the driveway and jumped into her SUV. She had nothing with her and he didn’t know if he hoped she’d left everything behind so she’d have to come back or if he hoped she’d left it all so he could go out there and throw it in the trash.
She started the car with a roar, the tires squealing on the asphalt as she accelerated away from his house.
Away from him.
18
Tears streamed down her face, her hand unable to wipe them away faster than they fell. Her vision blurred but she wasn’t going far. She needed to see Mazey. Ask her to pass on a message. And a file.
God.
She thought she’d had more time. Donna had told her she was leaving San Francisco yesterday. Stupidly Mallory had thought her stepmother meant she was going back to New York. Obviously she hadn’t.
Mallory had spent days in meetings. With Davis, her family’s lead estate lawyer, and Clark, the one she’d hired as executor of her father’s estate to represent Maddox and his trust fund. She thought they had everything lined up. All the charges and petitions ready to file to make sure Renee—or Donna—couldn’t hurt Maddox, couldn’t take what was rightfully his.
She should have known Donna was up to something. Especially after raving about how ‘well’ Renee was doing now they’d moved her to where she could receive specialized treatment for her depression.
Mallory had had to listen to her stepmother for hours over the last few days going on and on about how wonderful it would be when the family was reunited.
Over her dead body would that happen.
Even more so now.
Jacob might not want to have anything to do with her—and who could blame him—but she intended to continue in her efforts to keep both Maddox and him safe from her stepsister, and now her stepmother.
Pulling up in front of Mazey and Rylan’s house, she shoved the car in park and turned off the engine. Reaching between the seats, she grabbed her laptop bag and pulled it into the front. Pulling out the manila folder as well as the flash drive she’d loaded all the information on, she opened her door and climbed out, heading around the car to the curb.
She didn’t know what kind of reception she’d receive. No doubt Jacob had already told Mazey and Rylan what was going on. Maddox had to be here with Mazey. Mallory knew the other woman had been watching him when Jacob worked.
