Arranged love

He looks up at me, and a bone-chilling smile spreads across his face. “Genevieve,” he calls out.

Seconds later, my mother comes walking into the chapel. Tears run down her face, and I see that her right eye is swollen. He hit her.

“Come here, Gen,” he calls her, and like a dog, she tucks her tail and slowly walks over to him.

“Mom.” I step forward. “You don’t have to do this.”

She says nothing and doesn’t even look my way. Once she gets close to him, he grabs her by the hair, and she cries out. He grips the back of her neck and shoves her facedown onto the floor that I’ve kneeled at so many times before. Kneeling beside her, he pins her down.

“Come over here, Cross. It’s time.”

“No,” I state. I will not do whatever sick shit he’s wanting from me.

“You will do this!” he growls. “It’s time your mother pays for her sins.”

He’s lost his goddamn mind. “I won’t do it.”

Mr. Reed steps toward me, and I take a step back. “Leave him be.” My father huffs. “I’ll do it myself.” While he holds her down with one hand, he holds up the cross to a candle, heating it up and then pressing it to her back.

She screams, thrashing against him.

I go to run over and rip him off, but Mr. Reed holds me back.

She sobs as he does it again. And again. Scarring her back with crosses to match mine. Once he decides he’s done, he stands, and she falls to her side crying.

“Take her home,” he orders Mr. Reed. “I’ll finish this later.”

Finish? What else is he going to do to her?

He lets go of me, and I stay where I am, not wanting to make it worse for my mother. “You piece of shit,” I say through gritted teeth once they are gone. “How long have you been doing this to her?”

“Whenever she needs a reminder,” he answers ominously.

“I won’t allow you to do this,” I growl.

He laughs at that. “What are you going to do to stop me?” Arching a brow, he lifts the cross and begins to heat it up again.Content (C) Nôv/elDra/ma.Org.

I charge him.

Alexa gets my attention, sitting in my passenger seat, legs bouncing up and down while she bites on her fingernails. I’ve tried to avoid letting her see my back. The tattoos I’ve gotten over the years cover up most of my past, but she saw them. She touched them. I tried not to freak out, but I couldn’t help it. The way it felt when she touched them had memories rushing back. Ones I buried long ago.

She sits up straighter and gasps as I pull up to her bar. Firetrucks surround it, and black smoke rolls from what’s left of the burning structure. Stopping my car, she jumps out before I can even say anything to her.

I get out and walk over to her as she stands there crying with her hands to her face. I got the call that a 911 call was made and that it was on fire. I have an idea who did it and why, but I just need a way to prove it.

Reaching my arm out, I wrap it around her shoulders, and she turns into me, her hands gripping my shirt. “It’s going to be okay,” I tell her.

It’ll be better than ever.

_______________

WE ALL SIT up in our Royal Suite. Well, everyone except for Grave and April. They are still away.

Titan stands at the kitchen island. Bones stands over by the floor-to-ceiling windows while Jasmine and Alexa sit on the couch.

“What are we doing here?” Alexa asks. “Shouldn’t we be at the police station?”

“That’s not needed,” I inform her. I’ve got something better than the police.

“Then what-?”

Her voice is interrupted when there’s a knock on the door. I walk over and answer it.

“Well, maybe you should just put me on a monthly salary.” The guy winks at me as he enters.

“Seems that would be best, Jeffrey,” I agree, closing the door behind him.

He goes to the center of the room and removes his shirt up and over his head and undoes his jeans.

“Uh …” Alexa scoots farther back in the couch cushion as the guy gets down to his boxers.

Once done, he spins around in a circle with his arms out wide. I nod my approval. And he gives me a “when are we going to stop doing this” look. Never is the only answer. We were raised not to trust anyone. A person can have your back a million times, but someone could get to them to backstab you once. I’ll never give anyone that kind of trust. Especially someone who can be bought.

“It was arson,” he states, bending down to pick up his shirt.

“What?” Alexa jumps to her feet. “Lucky’s? Are you saying someone set it on fire?’

“Yeah,” he says, buttoning his shirt and then pulling his pants on.

“How do you know?” she asks, moving her head back and forth to look from me to him.

“I know what to look for,” he answers vaguely. “And they weren’t even smart. The bar area was covered in an accelerant and lit by a match.”

She falls back down onto the couch.

“Who all has a key?” he asks her. “There was no sign of forced entry.”

“Me and my brother,” she answers, bowing her head.

“And me,” Jasmine speaks. “Alexa just gave me one yesterday.”

“I know you didn’t do this.” She waves her off.

“You think your brother did?” Jasmine goes on.

“No.” She shakes her head. “Maybe he lost his key.”

“Or maybe he gave it to someone,” I offer.

Everyone’s head snaps up in my direction.

“He’s framing you.” Bones is the one who speaks to me, mimicking my thoughts.

“Who?” Alexa demands. “And why would they frame you by catching my bar on fire?”

“Because this is what I do,” I answer, flipping my Zippo open and closed.

Her eyes widen at my honesty. “I don’t understand,” she mumbles.

That’s because you don’t know me. Not the real me. I walk over to the side of the couch and pick up my duffel bag. Dropping it onto the coffee table, I look at Jeffrey. “It’s all there.”

He nods. “As always, it’s nice doing business with you Kings.” He picks up the bag, and Titan helps him out the door.