Walking up the steep and winding stairs, he’s hot on my trail. Getting a perfect view of my ass. I’d love nothing more than to kick my foot back and send him flying down. I’m sure Ruby wouldn’t mind the mess of his blood; she’d probably sing one of her church hymnals with a smile on her face as she mops it up.
When we reach the top, I give him one more chance to change his mind. “Are you prepared for the possibility that in three point five seconds, my dad will have a gun to your head demanding your intentions?”
Reaching into his pocket, he whips out a sling blade. My eyes widen as I take a step back. “I’m always prepared.” With a flip, the blade goes back in and he sticks it in his pocket.
Ok then. Let’s hope that it doesn’t come to that because Ruby would not be as inclined to clean up that sort of mess. Knocking on the door, Dad speaks before I announce myself, “Come in, Marni.”
Dad watches every move made in this house. He’s already expecting Talon and me. He has a monitor in his office with coverage of every camera in the house. The prison-like feel of my home has made sure that my high school days are anything but thrilling. My bedroom is the only place I get any privacy, and it’s not until I’m on the outside of this prison that I am able to fully unwind.
Dad is sitting all high and mighty—the king of his castle. A stern look holds tightly to his face as he glares at Talon. “Hi, Dad.” I walk over to his side and greet him with a kiss on his cheek.
“Where were you last night?” he asks. His words are directed toward me, but he is still staring at Talon.
“I stayed at Shay’s. I told you this before I left.” I didn’t really, but Dad doesn’t pay attention to half of what I say, so he’ll just play it off like he forgot.
Finally, he turns in his chair and looks in my direction. I pop a cheek on the edge of his desk and glance from him to Talon. “This is my friend, Talon. Blakley Porter’s brother.”
“I know who he is.” Dad picks up a cigar on his desk and sticks it between his teeth. Something he does often when he means business. The angrier he gets, the harder he bites down on it. I’m not sure I’ve ever even seen him smoke one.
Talon stands tall with his hands in his pockets and a blank stare as he glares right back at my dad. Being in this room with the two of them is actually enlightening. They are more similar than I thought. Both have this need for power and dominance. Only, Talon wants power over me. Dad’s goals are much bigger. He prefers to rule an entire nation in the black market, while also controlling me so that I don’t draw any negative attention to the Thorn name. Not that Axel hasn’t done that already.
“Dad, I’m here because I was wondering if I can stay with Shay for a couple of weeks. You’re leaving for Dallas in a couple of days anyway, and you know how much I hate staying here alone.”
Dad’s chair slides back so fast that you’d think his legs were on fire. He stands up and forcefully smacks both palms to his desk. “And what the hell do you have to do with this?” he snaps, looking Talon dead in the eye.
Still not budging from his position, Talon’s lips curl upward. Pulling his hand out of his pocket, he pops a toothpick between his teeth while Dad bites down so hard on his cigar that I’m surprised it’s still intact. I want to reach over and smack the shit-eating grin off Talon’s face before he gets us both in trouble, but that would only draw more attention to the situation. I shouldn’t even care. If Talon wants to screw this up, so be it. It would actually work in my favor because the idea of staying in that house with those guys for God knows how long is worse than living in this one with eyes on me twenty-four-seven.
“I’m just here for moral support, Sir.” Talon smirks, pinching the toothpick between his thumb and forefinger while he chews on it.
“Moral support my ass.” Dad turns to me. “What the hell are you doing hanging out with this beatnik?”
Laughter erupts in the form of sarcasm as Talon steps forward. “Beatnik? Pretty hypocritical coming from someone in your position. Tell me, Mr. Thorn, what exactly is it that you do for a living?”
My heart feels like a jack hammer in my chest. The continuous pounding is so loud I can feel the vibration in my ears. “Stop it, both of you.” I stretch my arms out between the two of them, even though the desk is separating them from any direct contact. However, in a matter of seconds, one of them could be on the other side and it wouldn't be a good ending for any of us. “Dad, I’m going to stay at Shay’s for a couple of weeks. I’m packing a bag and I’ll text you every day to check in.” I step behind the desk while him and Talon continue with their staredown. I give him another chaste kiss on the cheek then walk over and grab Talon by the arm to pull him away.
“You lay a finger on my daughter and you won’t live to brag about it, young man.” Talon takes the toothpick out of his mouth and gives it a toss. I watch as it lands on Dad’s desk, and I know that we need to haul ass out of here right fucking now. “Do you hear me?” he shouts, once again, smacking his hands down so loud on his desk that the echo carries out into the hall.
As soon as we are far enough away from Dad’s office, I shove both hands hard into Talon’s chest. “What the hell was that?”
“Just making sure he knows that I’m not intimidated by him.” His thumb flicks across my chin. “I cower to nobody, baby.”
I’m not sure if I’m appalled or turned on. I’ve never seen anyone stand up to my dad like that. Most of the people in this town fear him. Not Talon. Something tells me that Talon has no fear.
Without fear, we have no limits.
For my sake, I hope that’s not true.
6
“Where exactly are we going?” Marni asks from the passenger seat. Her back is pressed firmly against the leather with her hands folded tightly in her lap. She looks tense.
I glance over at her, and as anxious as I am to tell her what we’re doing, I’ll let the curiosity fester inside of her a bit longer. “You’ll see.”
Driving down Old Highway Eighty-Eight, the sun has disappeared behind the clouds. An unusual darkness lingers outside as we drive in complete silence. Ironic, considering what we are about to do. In less than an hour, there is no going back, and she will officially be at our beck and call. She will kneel when we say kneel and speak when we say speak.
Straightening her back, she leans forward to get a better look at our surroundings. “Why are we leaving Redwood? I assumed we were going to Briarwood.”
“Wrong.” I click my tongue against my cheek as we drive past the road that leads to Briarwood. “We’re going to Miners Point.”
Her body jerks up in a swift-like motion. Fear written all over her face. “Miners Point? As in one of the tallest and most dangerous points on this side of the state?”
“You got it.” I smirk. I know that I’m a sick bastard for relishing in the pain and fear that I instill in others—namely her. She just makes it so easy. Marni isn’t weak by any means. I don’t know her all that well, but I do know that she has a name for herself in the halls of Redwood as a badass bitch. Something about watching her squirm is satisfying.