Barlow straightened his back, then looked right at Kat. “This is absurd. We are your parents, and you will treat us with the respect we deserve. We raised you, took care of you, and you turn your backs on us when you finally achieve something? Disgusting behavior!”
Kat swallowed hard and closed her hands into fists. She’d run from this for so long, willing to endure whatever her parents said or did to her just because she was desperate for them to finally look at her like she was worth something.
But here they were, doing exactly what she’d wanted. She’d craved them to claim her, to be proud of her, and now they were here ready to do it.
And yet it felt like acid on her skin. It wasn’t about her at all, it was about what they thought they could get from her. Theystilldidn’t give a damn about her, not really. They didn’t see her for who she was, but for what she could do for them all of a sudden.
“You abandoned me a long time ago,” Kat said, her voice stronger than it ever had been when talking to them. It was the faith of her friends—herfamily—that gave her the strength. “You haven’t ever loved me. You’ve never cared about me—you won’t even use the name I go by. It’s too late, now. I don’t need you. I don’t need your approval or your praise or your love, so I certainly don’t need your presence here. You need to leave.”
Both of her parents widened their eyes, as if those were the last words they’d expected to hear from her. Then again, she’d always been the puppy trailing along behind them, hoping she’d become enough, that they’d throw her scraps of attention no matter how many times they kicked her.
It was enough. She’d finally realized the truth—she had people who actually loved her, who cared about her, who accepted her for who she was, flaws and all.
Barlow leaned in and dropped his voice into a low, angry whisper Kat had never heard before. “You’re in the public eye now, and I wonder what your new fans would think if they found out your secrets. I wonder if they’d still support you if they knew you threw away your family when you became famous, or that you seem to be in some weird relationship with three men, or that you spend so much of your time at that disgusting sex club. I wonder if your friends would care about you so much if their secrets were let out because of you.”
The color drained from Kat’s face. She’d never thought they’d known about Sanctuary. As much as she hated how they spoke about that place, as if it were something filthy and wrong, that wasn’t what got to her the most. If they came out with that, if they told the wrong person, it could ruin not just Kat but so many other people.
Kat opened her mouth, ready to make things better, to sacrifice the confidence and independence she felt moments ago in order to keep everyone else safe, but another voice silenced her.
Toya set her hand on Kat’s shoulder and squeezed softly before stepping past the other submissives, placing herself between them and Kat’s parents. “You will leave,now.”
“Who do you think you are?” Barlow asked, staring at Toya as if she were trash. No doubt he thought she were just some dumb girl caught up in whatever he thought Sanctuary was.
“I met Kat a long time ago when she worked multiple jobs to put herself through school because her parents had refused to help despite having the ability to do so. I’ve been lucky enough to watch her grow into a wonderful young woman all on her own. I can’t have children, and my life isn’t conducive to it, but I have always thought of her as a daughter and considered myself lucky for it.”
“Well, you aren’t her mother. I am,” Elizabeth spat.
“No, you aren’t. Parents love their children—they care for them, want the best for them. Neither of you deserve that title.”
“Then we’ll tell everyone about her, about thatplace.”
“You can do so if you want, but I wouldn’t recommend it.” She looked right at Barlow, not flinching in the least. “You work as the head of Temon Communications, don’t you?”
Barlow nodded. “That’s right. It means I have access to several newspapers and TV stations to run this information in.”
“Temon is owned by what company again?”
He frowned. “Lacksidy Holdings.”
“That’s right. Now, ask me who I am again.”
“Who are you?”
Toya’s grin sent shivers down Kat’s spine and reminded her why she was glad to never have been on the receiving end of that look. “My name is Toya Lacksidy, and if you even think about printing slanderous lies for your own benefit, if you consider ruining people for nothing but your own petty wants, if you think for a moment I would allow you to act with so little integrity and keep your position, you are clearly not intelligent enough to keep your job for long.”
Barlow’s eyes widened, the first sign of real fear on his face as he realized he wasn’t the scariest thing in the room. He swallowed hard and leaned in. “I won’t,” he assured her, his voice having transformed into something entirely different, something Kat had never heard. He was being…respectful? “I swear, I won’t say a word.”
Toya made a soft huff that implied the man wasn’t worth her time or attention. “I suggest you leave now before you make a larger scene. Kat neither needs nor wants whatever you think you can give her anymore. She’s turned into the woman she is not because of either of you, but in spite of you. And I am not a woman to repeat myself—I don’t give second warnings.”
Kat’s parents nodded and slunk from the party, leaving an awkward silence behind. So many eyes were on Kat, so many people staring at her after they all witnessed the exchange.
Her eyes burned, but she refused to cry.
Dean laughed softly. “Well, guess they didn’t realize the risk of facing off against people who think a fun Friday night involves whips and chains, huh?”
No one responded to the joke at first, as if no one was sure it was appropriate. However, it broke whatever had held Kat back, helped her step forward and away from the pain of her parents.
She laughed, unable to hold it in, until tears ran down her face. Dean wiped his fingers beneath her eyes then pressed a kiss to her forehead. “You did well, Brat.”