Page 54 of Ruthless Redemption
“Well, it’s a lovely surprise.” I swallow the foreboding threatening to suffocate me and return my attention to the most beautiful girl in the world. “God, I’ve missed you. How did you get here?”
“The jet. ThenMatthewpicked the three of us up from the airport.” She says his name with an exaggerated teasing lilt.
“The three of you?”
There are five new arrivals. Not three.
“Yeah. Hunter and Sarah were already waiting withMatthew.” She does that teasing, playful tone again, but it doesn’t stop the pit of my stomach becoming a cesspool.
“How were they already here? When did they arrive?”
“I don’t know.” She shrugs. “Please tell me I can stay longer than one night. Aunt Keira said you’d kill her if I missed more school, but it’s not a big deal.” She bats her lashes. “A few days won’t make a difference—”
“You’ve been here two seconds and you’re already blinking those puppy-dog eyes at me?” I kiss her forehead as my firing squad makes its way up the stairs. “I hate to admit you’re your mother’s daughter.”
“Is that a yes?”
“That’s a hard no.” For starters, I don’t know why she’s here. I asked to see her in Chicago. A quick reunion before our task with Emmanuel got underway. I don’t want her in the thick of this—surrounded by men she would hate if she knew their lineage.
I clear my throat. “School is important.”
“School is painful.”
“I thought you liked being in Chicago.” I hold her gaze as Matthew enters my periphery over her right shoulder. “Has something happened?”
“No. It’s just school, Mom. Nobody likes it.”
The deck fills with an audience, each approaching footstep chipping away at my confidence.
The majority of people in the vicinity have given up on me. Discarded. Abandoned. And I’m meant to smile and pretend it hasn’t happened.
“Hey, sis.” Keira gives me a subdued finger wave, playing the amicable role. “I hope our arrival isn’t too much of a shock. Matthew said he didn’t tell you we were coming.”
I turn my gaze to the man in question. “No, he didn’t.”
“I wasn’t sure we could pull it off.” He shrugs. “I didn’t want to get your hopes up.”
My stomach does a sweeping drop. What is this? Has he teamed up with my family to reinvigorate my torture? Has he brought my daughter here to prove he’s still calling the shots?
“Well, you definitely succeeded in surprising me.” I keep my tone level, my distress hidden. “I had no idea.”
Keira beams a smile at Stella. “I’m just doing my best to maintain my status as the favorite aunt.”
“You’re myonlyaunt.” Stella rolls her eyes.
“It’s still a tough mantle to maintain, kiddo. And it’s also not entirely true. Anissa is your aunt now, too.”
“Not by blood.”
There’s a pause of silence, the awkward atmosphere settling in like a building storm.
I don’t have the resilience to play pretend. At least not convincingly. Not when Sarah stares at the house so she doesn’t have to meet my gaze, while Hunter and Decker do the same toward the ocean.
“Why don’t I get you set up inside, little fish?” I glide a hand around Stella’s shoulders. “We haven’t spoken much lately. You need to fill me in on all the gossip.”
“Sure.”
Keira straightens, as if understanding my desire to get as far away from her as fast as possible. Did she expect me to fall to my knees and beg forgiveness? Am I meant to grovel? She’d only despise me more for the show of weakness. Earning my family’s respect has only ever been achieved through strength, and that’s not something I possess right now.
