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Does he look like their mom, or is he, in fact, not a Wolfe?
“Well...” He sighs, rubbing his chin. I watch his eyes trace up and down my figure and immediately want to shower. “Aren’t you a beauty? Hunter always had a taste for brunettes.” He laughs, and I bite my lip to stop myself from saying anything.
I squeeze Hunter’s hand to give him some reassurance. I know what his father is trying to do. Within seconds of meeting him, he’s trying to create a wedge between us.
“None of them compare to her, though, Father,” Hunter responds, a note of conviction in his tone, taunting his father.
I think I hear a scoff from somewhere in the room. Of course, he’s broken some hearts. We all have a past. Mine may not involve a multitude of men, but it is full of heartbreak for other reasons.
“Pfft.” Thomas waves his hand as though he’s trying to get rid of a fly buzzing around his face. “This, ladies and gentlemen, is the daughter of Arthur and Miriam Redmont,” he shouts to the other partygoers.
Whispers and hushed voices ripple through the crowd. I sense their eyes on me, and I want to run and hide from these people.
It is Hunter’s turn to comfort me. He rubs my knuckles with his thumb. My heartbeat is so erratic I’m scared it will burst from my chest.
“Aelina...” He stews on my name, walking back and forth in the middle of the room, the crowd surrounding us. “By the looks of things, you’re exactly like your parents. Sneaky and corrupt.”
My eyebrows pull in. What does he mean by that statement? “You don’t know me,” I say, loud enough for everyone in the room to hear.
Thomas laughs, and it’s haunting as it echoes around the vast space. “I know what blood runs in your veins. The blood of a traitor.”
The tension in the room sizzles. I pull my body upright, determined to stand tall in front of this man. His words mean nothing to me.
I open my mouth to respond, but Hunter cuts in. “It’s become apparent that the fault is on both sides. Granny and May are responsible for removing the girls. They did it to protect them, to give them a life away from the lies and betrayals that run rampant in this underworld.” He releases my hand and takes a step toward his father. “The way you have been running things, we all may as well hold our breaths for a bullet between the eyes. You’re dealing with families who we would never have worked with because of what they stand for...death.”
Whispers kick up again around the room, and I’m left speechless. Was this the plan all along?
“That’s enough,” Thomas shouts, and silence fills the room. “How dare you speak out against me?”
“I want to take a vote. Right here, right now. I’m here to remove my father from his role as king of the underworld. I put my own name in and wish for your votes. This man, my father...” Hunter points to the red-faced Thomas, whose breathing has become heavy. Ezra is close behind him, but Hunter continues, “He has been holding Aelina’s mother hostage simply to get Aelina in the same room as him.”
Neither he nor Landon filled me in on exactly how this was to go down. It’s probably a good thing, as I don’t know if I would have gone along with the plan. As it is, the fear I felt is nothing like what’s brewing in me now.
“Now, now...” Thomas appears to have pulled his temper in check. He waves his arms in a way that shows he wants Hunter to be quiet. When the murmurs stop, he continues, “This is all hearsay. There is no proof to this allegation.”
“Think again, old Tom.”
31
All heads spin to the door we walked through moments ago, searching for the deep voice. My father stands there with a woman who could only be my mother, who looks as though she’s gone a few rounds in a boxing ring. Dark purple bruises paint her cheeks and both her eyes. My father has his arm around her waist, supporting her as she clings to him for dear life, her knuckles white.
“Oh my...” I rush from Landon, Hunter, and Levi’s protection, going straight to my mother.
Either she doesn’t know who I am, or the obvious beating she’s endured has clouded her vision because she flinches when I reach for her. Her face is damp from tears, and I pull my hands back.
“It’s okay, Miriam. This is our daughter, Aelina,” Arthur says.
Water fills her eyes, and she stretches out her shaking hand. I take it, her smooth skin pressing against mine. I study her, taking in all her features. It’s like looking in a mirror despite the bruising and swelling.
“How did you get in here?” Thomas roars, charging toward us.
Heavy footsteps quickly step up beside my mother. My family.
There’s a rush of shoes on the wooden floor, and Hunter, Landon, and Levi are standing in front of my father, mother, and me. I tightly grip my mother’s hand, though she still clings to Arthur.
“Enough!” Hunter shouts.
Ezra is behind Thomas with his gun unholstered, firmly in his hand. Landon’s gun is also out, though it’s not raised.
