I glance at her, seeing the sadness clouding her eyes. I feel bad. I don’t want her to be sad, but she’ll also always side with my father, and he’s not a good man, by any means.
I walk toward my dad, but Reign grabs onto my waist, hauling me back. “You’re trying to paint me as the bad guy, compared to the shit you do? Are you serious right now?” I growl.
Archer comes up to me, his shoulders knocking into my waist as he lifts me in the air. “We’re getting the fuck out of here, Lakyn. Say goodbye to your parents. You won’t be seeing them for a while.”
“Now, wait a second!” my mother shrieks.
“Probably best you don’t fucking talk,” Kyler snaps.
I push against Archer’s shoulders, but his arm is steel around me, pinning me tightly against him. “You guys can go, this has nothing to do with you!” I scream at them. Rage bubbles in me, rippling across my skin. It hurts to move, my chest weighed down. I start hyperventilating in his arms, thrashing around in an attempt to get free.
The anger is too much.
“How could you allow him to do this, Mom?” I scream at her.
Archer doesn’t wait another second, tearing from the room without another word. I’m vindictive, spiteful as we leave, and as we pass one of the large ceramic vases on the end table with the most beautiful, vibrant flowers in them, my hand swings out, my fingers curling into the top, and I pull.
Crash.
I smile, glancing over my shoulder, even though my insides feel as if they’re crumpling. “Fuck you both,” I growl.
My dad’s face is the shade of a tomato, and he watches me with absolute disdain. “When you end up behind bars, Lakyn,do not call me.”
“You don’t have to help her. She hasus,” Archer snaps, his voice rumbling from his chest and into me. I grip onto his soft shirt as he speeds down the hall, my body bouncing on his shoulder with each step.
CHAPTER FIVE
LAKYN
“Fucking pricks,” Archer growls as he stomps down the hallway. Kyler pulls the front door open, and George stands outside, a cigar pinched between his lips as he watches us blankly.
I have no idea if he heard anything, but I’m certain he can feel the tension surrounding us.
His eyes catch mine, and he shakes his head. “Disappointing turn of events, Lakyn.” He has no idea what just happened behind closed doors, yet he acts as if he was standing beside my father the entire time.
My lip curls up as I watch him. “My father is a fucking piece of shit.”
“The piece of shit father who covered up your murder,” he barks at me.
My body sinks into Archer’s shoulder, feeling his body coil tight with rage.
“Don’t fucking talk to her like that,” Creed says quietly before continuing down the steps. They are silent as they stomp across the driveway, making their way to Archer’s Rolls-Royce.
Archer opens his door, tossing me in like I weigh nothing and slamming the door in my face. He steps up to the driver’s side door, ripping it open and sliding inside. His face is twisted in anger, and my heart cripples as it feels like it’s directed at me.
“Are you fucking angry with me?” I screech as I scramble toward the driver’s seat. “You can’t be serious.”
“Sit the fuck down,” he growls without looking at me. “Someone put her fucking seat belt on.”
Arms wrap around my waist, and I’m hauled against Reign, his arms strong as he pulls the seat belt over my chest, buckling the strap tight across my waist.
I glance over at him, his jaw aligned with my eyes. A light dusting of a beard spreads along his jaw, the muscle ticking with each second that passes.
“You’re angry, too?” I whisper.
“We’re all fucking angry, Lakyn,” Kyler snaps from the passenger seat.
I toss my hands up in the air as Archer starts his SUV, peeling out of there so quickly I know he left tire marks on the ground. My father is going to lose his damn mind over it.