Chapter Forty-One
TOREN
Xaden is coiled and ready to strike. I push around him and squeeze my way in between him and my dad. I glare at my father. How dare he show up here now! He had a chance to speak to me weeks ago before dumping my ass in this place, but he refused to answer any questions I had.
“Dad, you need to leave,” I say, quiet enough so no one hanging around can hear.
“You will get your ass in that car now, Toren.” His tone is low and filled with anger as he stares right at me. He may be looking at me but he isn’t seeing me.
I scoff. “Aren’t you gonna ask me how I got a black eye?” I clap back, my anger brewing. I’m doing my best to reign it in, but it’s hard to control it when all it wants to do is be set free and wreak havoc upon those who wronged me.
He exhales in annoyance. “We can discuss that later. Right now, you need to get in the car and come with me.”
I scrunch my face ready to tell him to piss off, but Xaden beats me to it. “She isn’t going anywhere with you.” The possessiveness in his tone leaves no room for argument. My father is smart enough to know if he tries to grab me again, Xaden will unleash hell on him.
Dad flicks his gaze between the two of us. Whatever he sees has him scrunching his face in distaste. “I thought you were better than this,” he spits at me.
“How would you know?” I hiss. “You left me to fucking rot. You hid me away so your reputation wouldn’t be tainted by being my father.
My own brother chose his fucking hockey career over me.
Neither of you checked in, called, wrote a fucking letter, yet you both think you can dictate how I live my life?
” It’s a rhetorical question but my dad is stupid enough to answer it.
“You have no idea who you are letting between your legs—”
I cut him off before he can continue his rant.
“I know exactly who’s cock I am letting inside me every night, Dad.
” My father recoils in outrage. Xaden shifts so he is flush against my back and wraps an arm around my waist to further drive my point home.
I’m still angry at him, yet his embrace offers me strength and comfort to face my father.
“Go home, Dad. Wish Masen good luck for tonight and focus on the child you actually want.”
He shakes his head and looks at me like I’m pathetic.
“If only you knew how valuable you truly were, you would see the grave mistake you are making. You had it all. All you had to do was listen and stay the fuck away from the likes of him.” He shoots Xaden a filthy look, making the man behind me chuckle.
“You forced my hand, you only have yourself to blame now.” I watch as he turns on his heel and gets back into his car.
Xaden and I don’t move until the car disappears in the distance.
I pull out of his hold and don’t look back as I head to the library to start my shift.
The library is dead, only one person has come in the whole time.
Maddie has been antsy and watching the clock, waiting for it to tick down so we can leave.
I wish I could share in her excitement. I was fully prepared to face my father and brother tonight, but I wasn’t ready for him to show up outside my school and demand to speak to me.
I’ve never seen my father like that, it scared me.
Is Xaden telling the truth?
Is my father a corrupt senator masquerading as a good man?
“Fuck it, let’s close up early. I want to get to the game,” Maddie says. My stomach sinks. I was hoping we would be so busy that I would get to the game late, but I guess that was just wishful thinking.
I quickly change in the back office and realize then that Xaden never gave me his jersey.
I sigh in defeat, knowing he is gonna be pissed when I show up not wearing his number but too bad.
As I step out of the office, I slam to a halt at the sight of Maddie standing there with a devious look in her eyes.
“Why are you looking at me like that?” I ask.
She rolls her eyes. “I don’t like you.” I snort.
“Gee, I hadn’t noticed.”
Her eyes narrow. “But, I also can’t stand the sight of that bruise on your face, knowing some bastard put his hands on a woman.
” I stare at her in stunned silence. “Look, my brother would have gone fucking apeshit on any bastard that dared to put his hands on me. I know you have a brother and it’s shit he didn’t do anything to protect you.
” Shame washes over me as she leans in and gently begins to paint my face.
“Where’s your brother?” I ask.
She stiffens and I worry I’ve pissed her off.
“He’s… gone.” I don’t press her, letting the conversation die.
When she deems me ready, I don't check what she did in the mirror. For all I know she could have painted a dick on my face. Her and I walk side by side toward the rink in silence. Normally I would be fidgeting and trying to get away from her, but this time the silence isn’t tense.
When we finally arrive, my eyes widen. The parking lot is full. Cars have parked on the curb and driven up on the grass area. People are queued out front, waiting to get in. I whine at the sight of the long ass line we have to wait in.
“Bitch, please. We aren’t going that way,” Maddie says in a smug tone.
I look over at her and pinch my lips to the side, making her roll her eyes.
“Come on, rich girl,” she says, then takes off toward the back of the rink, with me following close behind, trying not to get hit by cars weaving through the lot, looking to find an empty space.
I’ve never been around here before. Maddie leads us to a fire exit door and stops, then pulls her phone from her back pocket and calls someone. “X, it’s me.”
My brows raise in surprise, she’s calling Xaden.
“Yeah, can you let us in?” She waits for him to answer before saying, “Sweet,” then ends the call.
When she looks over at me, a frown begins to form on her stunning face.
She searches my eyes for a second before her own widen and a laugh bubbles out of her.
“Oh, fuck no,” she wheezes out through her laughter.
“Huh?”
She shakes her head and waves a finger in front of my face. “Get that fucking jealous ass look off your face.”
I scoff. “I’m not jealous."
“And I’m not into your man, rich girl.”
“He’s not my man,” I retort.
She rolls her eyes. “I don’t care. Xaden is cool and good people, but we aren’t like that.”
“What are you like then?” I blurt before I can stop myself.
Sadness clouds her brown eyes and she looks away from me as she answers. “He was my brother’s best friend.” Pain laces her words.
“Was?” I hedge carefully.
She turns back to me and the haunted look in her eyes gives me pause.
“Miles Talon was Xaden’s best friend and he’s also my brother.
” It feels like a bucket of ice water has been tossed over my head.
The color drains from my face at her revelation.
The door opens but I’m too focused on Maddie to see who is standing there.
Guilt gnaws away at my gut. Shame demands I drop to my knees and hide away, but my pride keeps me on my feet.
Tears prick the backs of my eyes, I want to say something but I have no idea what!
“Hurry up,” Xaden barks. Maddie is the first to look away, brushing past him without uttering a word. “Move, Tink,” he bellows, snapping me out of my thoughts. When I turn to face him, his eyes widen. “What the fuck is on your face?”
My eyes widen in horror. “She drew a dick didn’t she?”
Xaden reels back. “What?”
“Did she draw a dick on my face?” I ask in a panic.
“No.”
“Then why are you looking at me like that?” I hiss.
A smug look reflects back at me. “No fucking reason at all,” he says with a cocky lilt, then tosses something at me.
I catch it with ease, I look down and see the Stormsend Raven Emblem staring back at me.
I hold the jersey out in front of me. Devlin is stitched across the shoulders with the number 5 in the center, marking his position as a forward center.
I drop my bag to the ground and pull the jersey over my head.
I’m instantly consumed by the smell of his aftershave.
I have to swallow my moan of apprehension.
Xaden bends down and snatches my bag off the ground. “Go inside, Tink.” I swallow my sigh and move to step past him but he pushes forward and uses his body to hold me in place. I crane my neck back and stare up at him. “Did he follow you to work?”
I presume to understand who he is talking about, I shake my head. “No.”
“You said you don’t lie, yet today you lied through your teeth.”
“I said I wouldn’t lie to you.”
“Hmmm,” is all he says.
“Where is my seat?” I ask.
“You’ll know which one is yours when you see Cas’s new pet sitting in the seat next to yours.”