8. Kreed
8
KREED
S he surprised me. Kaylor had been the last person I expected to see slithering around in the dark when I got home, but it shouldn’t have been all that staggering. In her position, I would have run as far from here as possible.
Hell, I still planned to.
After college, I was gone. I wanted out of Elmwood. Despite my father’s plans.
What he didn’t know wouldn’t hurt him, but I had no intention of entering the family business, as he coined it.
After Raine left the club, I sobered up. Whether I wanted to admit it or not, I’d been avoiding my house, steering clear of her .
Only to find myself alone with Dad’s pet in the middle of the night.
I leaned against the wall at the bottom of the stairs, darkness hugging me like an old friend. The damn echo of her voice lingered in my ears. Kaylor. I had to get her out of my head. She was supposed to be nothing but a task. A favor to my father though he never called it that—it was business, plain and simple. Watch her. Report on her. Keep her out of trouble.
I shouldn’t have cared when I found her sneaking out. Should’ve let the guards handle it—or better yet, told my father myself. That was the whole point of this, wasn’t it? To keep her in line, to make sure she didn’t do anything stupid that could jeopardize his plans.
But there I was, standing in the shadows with her pinned against the tree, her breath warm against my skin, and all I could think about was how badly I didn’t want to let her go.
And how much I hated her.
The contradiction between the two sliced me in half.
I exhaled sharply, scrubbing a hand down my face. Get a fucking grip.
Since when did I become a cuddler? I didn’t hold girls. I wasn’t affectionate. You wouldn’t catch me walking hand in hand down the halls with some chick.
It wasn’t just the way she looked at me, like she wanted to slap me and scream at me in equal measure. It wasn’t the stubborn set of her jaw or the way her eyes burned with defiance. It was the way she dragged something out of me—something I’d buried so deep I’d forgotten it existed.
That quiet ache I felt when I saw her standing alone in the backyard, her arms crossed against the cold, her expression crumbling the moment she thought no one was watching. It wasn’t pity. It was recognition.
I rubbed the back of my neck. Whatever this was, it didn’t matter. She didn’t matter. Not like that.
Still, I couldn’t bring myself to tell my father what I’d seen. Instead, I’d let the guards handle it. Let them spin their story however they wanted. That way, it wouldn’t come from me. My father didn’t need to know that I’d hesitated, that I’d watched her walk back inside instead of dragging her there myself.
I climbed the stairs to my room, my steps heavy on the hardwood, my mind too loud for my liking, just as I heard Kaylor berating Evan. They’d come inside, her fury inflamed. Poor Evan. I actually felt bad for the guy. A little.
Her voice carried down the hall and up the stairs. “Touch me again and I swear I’ll wake up the entire house.”
The ghost of a smile still played on my lips as I headed to my room. It had been a dick move, informing security of her whereabouts, but it had been a test. For me, not her.
I still couldn’t decide if I passed or not.
“Why do you look like the cat that caught the canary?”
I paused over the threshold, my jaw tightening at Mason’s voice. My younger brother leaned casually against the wall, his arms crossed and that stupid smirk plastered across his face. “What do you want, Mason?” I asked, my tone clipped.
He shrugged, pushing off the wall and falling into step beside me as I went into my bedroom. “Out for a little midnight stroll? Or were you having fun with the new play toy? You seemed…preoccupied.”
I stopped short, turning to glare at him. “You spying on me?”
“What else am I supposed to do all night alone?” Mason didn’t just like to be the center of attention; he needed to be entertained. I wasn’t sure if he ever had a quiet moment with his thoughts once in his life. We couldn’t be more opposite in that regard.
Shedding my hoodie, I tossed it on the nearby chair and worked on removing my jewelry, all but the earrings. “Where’s Maddox?”
Mason plopped on my bed. “Contracting an STD with some girl from school. I’m more interested in you and the hot piece of ass sleeping across the hall.”
“There’s nothing to tell. She was sneaking out. I stopped her.”
“Buzzkill. You should have followed her to see where she was going. Who she was meeting. A boyfriend perhaps?” Mason loved a plot. The juicier, the better.
An annoying pulse thrummed behind my temple. I didn’t like the thought of Kaylor having a boyfriend. “I don’t give a fuck, Mason,” I ground out. “It matters little to me.”
“Could’ve fooled me,” he said, his voice dripping with amusement. “The way you had her pressed against that tree. If I didn’t know better, I’d say you were?—”
“What?” My voice was sharp, cutting through his laughter. “Going to sleep with her?” I blew out a frustrated breath. It wasn’t my brother I was angry with despite his spying abilities. “She isn’t here for our enjoyment.”
Legs stretched out, he propped an elbow up, resting his head on his hand. “Dad might have forbidden us to put our dicks inside her, but sex isn’t everything. There are other ways to have fun , Kreed. Or have you forgotten what fun is?”
“I need to shower. Go track down Maddox. We have a game on Friday, and he needs to be in prime shape by then. I’m not making any further excuses for him with Coach.” Whipping off my shirt, I crossed toward the bathroom.
I expected Mason to be gone by the time I finished.
Cranking the shower on, I peered out the window, staring at the dark, expansive backyard. Water sprayed against the tile walls, the only noise in the otherwise quiet house. My mind drifted to the girl across the hall. She probably lay awake, plotting her next escape. It was what I’d be doing. Kaylor wasn’t someone to give up easily. She’d try again. And again. And again until one of us slipped up. I could see the determined tenacity in her spirit.
And despite everything, I couldn’t stop myself from wondering what it would feel like to let her run—and if I’d chase after her.
“Kreed,” my father rasped from inside his office as I walked past the following morning. Years of cigar smoking had roughened his tone, making it grate like sandpaper.
I stopped, exhaling slowly before stepping inside. The air was thick with the familiar scent of leather, smoke, and spices so deeply ingrained into the space that it felt like stepping into the past. My childhood. “Father,” I said, my voice even, controlled. A mirror of his own.
He barely looked up, reaching into his desk for a cigar box. The lid clicked open with practiced ease. “Did your brother pick up the package?” he asked, his fingers brushing over the cigars before selecting one and rolling it between his fingers.
So, he knew I’d been at the club yesterday when Raine had been there on an errand for him. “Yes.”
The lighter flared to life, casting an orange glow across his sharp, weathered features. Lines of age and authority cut deep into his face as he brought the cigar to his lips, taking a slow, deliberate pull. Smoke curled into the air between us, thick and heavy. “You were at the club.” It wasn’t a question. Disapproval darkened his green eyes, crinkling the corners as he leaned back into his chair, the leather groaning under his weight.
I moved toward the chair opposite him, sinking into its deep cushions, crossing one leg over my knee in a show of ease I didn’t fully feel as I settled in for the coming lecture. “I was.”
A few more puffs. A long exhale. His gaze remained sharp despite the lazy stretch of his posture. “I understand the need to blow off steam as long as it doesn’t interfere with your responsibilities. You do remember what we discussed?”
How could I fucking forget?
My jaw tensed. “Of course.”
“Good.” His expression didn’t shift, but the weight of his expectations pressed down like a noose tightening around my throat. “I’m relying on you. For this to go in the direction we want, your performance needs to be flawless.”
I didn’t flinch. Didn’t let the irritation show. “I know my role.”
“Then I look forward to your report at the end of the week. I want every detail. Nothing is insignificant. Am I clear?”
“Crystal.”
A long pause. Smoke curled between us. Then, his voice dropped just a fraction, losing none of its weight. “It’s imperative that no one from her previous life knows where she is.”
I resisted the urge to sigh. “She won’t make that easy. I can guarantee she’s upstairs right now scheming how to get in touch with her friends.”
His expression didn’t change, but the steel in his tone was unmistakable. “Don’t let that happen.”
My fingers tapped idly against the armrest. “Then you might also want to stress the importance of her security to Evan as well, seeing she escaped once already under his supervision.”
“It’s already been done.”
Of course, it had. My father was nothing if not thorough. I pushed to my feet. “Then I guess we’re done here.”
“Maddox and Mason… Are they going to be a problem?”
I let out a quiet scoff. “When aren’t they?”
He inhaled deeply, the ember at the tip of his cigar glowing brighter. Then, after a long, savoring exhale, he said, “Point taken.”
I turned, heading for the door.
“Kreed.”
I glanced over my shoulder.
His gaze was heavier now, shadows lurking beneath the usual control. “Leave the drinking to your brothers. Find another way to deal with your stress. There are too many eyes at the club. And I don’t know who we can trust.”
My fists clenched at my sides, but I gave a single nod. Having my life dictated by my father wasn’t new. It was old. So fucking old.
And I was tired of it.
This life.
The goddamn games.
If it weren’t for her , I wouldn’t be spending the last months of my senior year playing babysitter.