Her nostrils flare. “Alexandra really did slack in your upbringing, didn’t she?”
“Don’t you dare talk about Jenn,” I hiss. “She’s done the best she could under the circumstances.”
Nora snorts. “I highly doubt that. That meth lab explosion should be proof enough that she was a shit replacement, but I digress. You asked me a question. What do I want from you? Well, it’s rather simple, sweetheart. Money.”
I blink. “What money? Jenn doesn’t have anything worth getting.”
Nora barks out a laugh. “Jesus Christ, you little fool. I’m not after anything my drug-addled sister could possibly give you. I want the inheritance your father’s bitch of a mother left you. I want the money Benjamin is owed.”
What? “My father’s family left me an inheritance?”
“Several millions.” She snorts when I stumble back, my eyes wide. “That’s just the tip of the diamond. You’ll get access to that the moment you graduate from Angelview and we prove who you are. We’ll get the rest of what we’re owed soon enough, but at least that’ll be enough to give the Angelles everything that’s coming to them.”
“The Angelle family?” My mind is whirling, trying to keep up with every twisted path her words are taking.
“What? You think that bastard Jameson came up with NightOwl on his own? It was Benjamin’s company. Benjamin’s family’s money behind it. The Angelles were nothing but an old name, good looks, and bad debt before that fucking company, and I want it all back.”
I swallow hard, afraid to speak because I’m sure I’ll vomit.
Nora doesn’t even notice. “I want an eye for a fucking eye. They took my life away, now it’s my turn to fuck with theirs.”
She’s insane. There’s no other way to put it.
“Why would you ever think I’d help you?” I finally manage, fighting the nausea churning in my belly. “Go to hell.”
“Oh, you talk a big game, sweetheart, but I still hold all the cards.” Her eyes move back to the woman who’d raised me. “You don’t have a choice other than to help me if you want Jenn to get better.”
I’m careful not to react. When I simply blink at her, Nora’s lips curl in a vicious smile.
“Oh? Is that not enough for you?” She rattles off an address, and my insides go cold.
It’s Carley’s address.
Without thought, I lunge at her, but Ghost is quick to step into my path and block her. He’s protecting her, and that in and of itself is stunning.
Nora grins at my pathetic display. “That’s what I thought, sweetheart. You see, I always find ways to get exactly what I want, and I promise you, this time will be no different.”
I’m truly terrified because I think she might be right.
29
“Take her back,” Nora growls, looking at me like I’m nothing. “We can’t have her missing school now, can we?”
Ghost nods, appearing almost eager to do Nora’s bidding. I don’t have the energy to try and analyze that or process their interactions. I’m too numb inside. I can’t feel anything at all.
“Don’t worry,” he says with a smirk. “I’ll take good care of your little girl.”
Little girl. I’m no one’s little girl. Not Nora’s. Not even Jenn’s.
Carley’s the only person who’s ever acted like a real parent to me, and now she’s in danger because I can’t escape the chaos that insists on haunting my life.
Ghost walks up to me and grabs my arm. “Let’s go.”
I let him lead me away without protest. I don’t even look at Nora or check to see if Jenn is any better. Nora’s not going to let anything happen to her.
Not while she needs me to cooperate.
We make our way out of the house and into his car. As he pulls out of the driveway, I stare out the window in complete silence. I’d always dreamed of having a different mom than Jenn, and it turns out my dream came true. Except, my real mom’s a psychopath who doesn’t really care for me.
Definitely be careful what you wish for.
My mind is still trying to make sense of everything she told me, from the fire that killed her family, to her sister’s escape with me, to the fact she wants to go to war with the Angelles. That in and of itself proves how crazy she is. I can’t imagine anyone going up against that family and winning.
Did the Angelles really have something to do with the fire that killed her family and Benjamin’s accident?
Does Saint know about any of this?
My gut tells me no. He genuinely didn’t appear to know anything about Nora when I returned the picture to him, and the fact that he doesn’t even know why his father wants me out of Angelview also indicates he’s in the dark about all this.
That’s a strangely relieving thought. I don’t know what I’d do if I discovered he’d known about all this from the start. I might actually try to kill him.
“You’ve had a fucked-up day, little girl,” Ghost drawls from beside me.
“Shut up,” I hiss, not looking at him.
That only appears to fuel him more, though, because he chuckles and says, “You should feel lucky over how much your mother’s been willing to do for you. Not a lot of parents would go after everyone who crosses their kid like Nora has. She was willing to burn that whole fucking campus to the ground for you, so be grateful, bitch.”
I force my gaze over to his, my stomach twisting until I feel sick. It very much sounded as though he just alluded to Nora being the one who set the fire to Saint’s dorm.
“How far is she willing to go, Ghost?” I whisper cautiously.
His smile is slow and bloodthirsty. “Bugged rooms, private escorts … you figure it out.”
“Sh-she bugged my room?”
His lips twitch, but he doesn’t say a word.
And suddenly, Ghost showing up at the strangest times starts to make sense. They’ve been watching my every fucking move, and my stomach pitches violently at the thought. I drag in a deep breath, but it doesn’t help. Nothing will help me now.
“How far are you willing to go?” I finally ask.
“For her? Anywhere,” is the only thing he says.
“Nora is just doing all this for the money,” I blurt out. “If she’ll use me, her daughter, she’ll use you too, but you already know that. It’s only a matter of time before you become expendable.” Maybe if I can put a wedge in between him and Nora, he’ll come around and help me somehow. It’s a long shot, but I’m not sure how many other options I have against her at present.
She’s threatened Carley.
And she has Jenn. No matter how furious I am at the lies and the deceit, Jenn raised me. If something were to happen to her…
Ghost’s shit-eating smirk disappears, and he looks at me with venom behind his dark eyes. “Watch your mouth, bitch. You don’t know a fucking thing about me and her.”
Definitely a long shot.
“Why are you so loyal to her?” I rasp. “And why are you so confident she won’t turn on you?”
We’re turning into campus when he finally decides to answer me. “Because I saved her.”