Drew’s nostrils flare. “I know he’s loved Abby forever, and he’d never have orchestrated that on purpose.”
“How did it go down?” I ask.
“Charlie overhead us talking about it, and he relayed the intel to his father,” Sawyer says.
“And Charlie’s asshole father told his asshole father,” Xavier says, jabbing his finger at Kai.
“Why would Charles Barron do that to me?” Out of all the elite, he has been the most kind and compassionate toward me. But it was all a lie. Achieving his own goals was all that mattered. I bet even his attempt to intervene was only half-hearted. Most likely done for Charlie’s benefit. Not for mine.
“Because he knew Plan B was for Kai to seduce you, and he thought it interesting that Kai hadn’t told his father the truth,” Jackson says.
“But he didn’t realize how far Atticus would take it,” Drew explains. “He didn’t know about the pregnancy either.”
Silence engulfs us, and Kai pulls me into his side, pressing a fierce kiss to my temple. Tears sting the back of my eyes as I look at the naked pain on his face. He rests his forehead against mine, and I allow him to comfort me.
The others are quiet as we have our moment, and when we break apart, I’m shocked to find tears rolling down Xavier’s face. He rounds the table, crouching down in front of me and taking my hands. “I’m so sorry, sweetheart.” He looks over my shoulder at Kai. “Sorry for both your loss. He had no right to do that. They had no right to do any of it.”
Pain lodges in my throat, and I swallow harshly. “Thank you,” I whisper. Kai drapes his arm around my shoulder, kissing my cheek.
“We didn’t get to talk to you either, beautiful,” Jackson says, his eyes shining with sympathy.
“We hate what he’s done to you, and he’s going down,” Sawyer promises.
I’m fighting to control my emotions, and I don’t know if I can deal with this now.
“Enough,” Kai grits out, his voice choked. “We appreciate it, but…”
He doesn’t need to say anything else.
Everyone gets it.
Xavier returns to his seat, and I clear my throat. “I presume you know this from talking to Charlie,” I throw out to the room.
“Yeah,” Drew confirms. “Although he only fessed up after they had taken you. He’d been hiding the part he played since that day in the office.”
“Which is why we can’t say for sure it went down like that,” Kai says. “And why I don’t like my girl spending time with him, let alone living with him.”
“His parents and his sister live there too.”
“His place is a fucking mansion. They might as well be invisible,” Kai hisses, and I run my thumb across the top of his hand in a soothing motion.
“Give me a cell and a gun, and I can take care of myself.”
“And you’ll see her at school,” Jackson reminds him.
“About that.” Drew leans forward in his chair. “Do not shoot the messenger.” His eyes fasten on Kai’s. “Charlie will be all over Abby at school, but you can’t intervene, and you can’t talk to her or even look at her.”
Steam practically billows out of Kai’s ears, and he looks like he wants to tear Drew apart, limb by limb. “Hey.” I cup his face, forcing him to look at me. “You’re the only one I want, but Drew is right. The bastard has promised to stay away from all of you if I go along with this virgin bride bullshit, provided no one finds out about my pregnancy. I’ve got a part to play, but that’s all it is, Kai.” I caress his cheek. “It’s a role. An act. And it’s more than just convincing the public. I need to convince him too.”
“No!” Kai jumps up, grabbing fistfuls of his hair. “No fucking way.”
“Yes, way. There is too much at stake to mess this up. None of it will be real.”
Placing his palms on the sides of my chair, he shoves his angry face all up in mine. “You expect me to sit there and do nothing, say nothing, when he’s groping and kissing you?”
“I had to put up with that for weeks when you had that slut bag Rochelle grinding on your lap every day! And you put your dick in her mouth!”
“It isn’t the same!” he retorts.
I shove at his chest. “You’re right. It isn’t! Because you did that purely to fuck with my head. And I’m doing this to protect your life!” I scream, losing the tenuous hold on my emotions.
“Back the fuck down,” Drew calmly says, appearing behind me. “I mean it, dude. You will not speak to my sister like that.”
“Fuck off, Drew.”
Drew grabs him into a headlock in a lightning-fast move none of us see coming. “Quit bitching and moaning. You still have your woman, and she’s prepared to do whatever it takes to keep you safe and ensure you get to be together. You have nothing to complain about.”
Kai rams his elbow back into Drew’s gut, extracting himself from the chokehold. “Don’t pretend you know what I’m feeling because you know jack shit.”
I stand. “Kai.” I circle my arms around his neck, and when he tries to push me off, I cling on harder, pinning him with a vicious look. “I will not let him touch me intimately or fuck me.” Kai looks like he wants to explode. “I kept Trent out of my bed for two years, so I can handle this with Charlie.” I grip his neck more firmly, pressing my body against his. “And when he’s kissing me, it’ll be your lips I’m imagining.”
Someone makes a gagging sound.
“Pass that puke bucket in this direction when you’re finished,” Xavier says, grinning at Jackson. “I just threw up in my mouth.”
“I know I’m a hypocrite,” Kai says, blocking the others out and concentrating on me. “But the thought of any man putting his hands on you makes me want to commit murder.”
“Save those sentiments for my father, and yours, and Charles Barron because they are the real enemy.” I peck his lips. “And we can do this if it means we get to be together permanently when it’s all over.”
Slowly, he nods, and a resigned sigh slips from his mouth. “I fucking hate this, but you were right earlier. We can’t lose focus.”
“Thank fuck for that,” Drew says.
We reclaim our seats, and I look my brother square in the eye. “Charlie mentioned something about changes within the order, and he implied everything is tangled up with that. We need to know what’s going down.”
Drew nods, glancing at his watch briefly. “Let me give you some background. I know you guys know some of the shit that goes down at Parkhurst,” he says, eyeing Sawyer, Jackson, and Kai, “but that’s only the tip of the iceberg.” He reaches across the table, snagging a bottle of water from the pile stacked in the center.
“There are elite, and towns like Rydeville, in every state in the US. There are the same tiers of authority—founding families who reign supreme and other families who come from legacy wealth who form the inner circle. Parkhurst is the governing body of all the elite. But only the founding fathers and their successors are members; however, all the elite have access to the facilities.”