• two •

I wasn’t sure if the fact that I was mesmerized by him in this moment meant I was mentally unstable or if it was an unavoidable occurrence.

Rumor

Inside the truck, King was quiet, and I spent the short drive to Maeme’s house trying to think of something to say. When he pulled up beside the expensive-looking sports car parked outside, his jaw clenched, and I watched him, unsure if I should be concerned. I glanced around the yard, but saw nothing out of the ordinary.

King swung the door open to his truck with a hard push, then stepped out. He was angry about something, but I didn’t think I was the cause of it. By the time I climbed out of the truck, King was in front of me. I stared up at him, trying to figure out what had upset him.

“Don’t let Sebastian touch you,” King said, crowding me back against the passenger door.

“What?” I asked, confused.

King lowered his head as his eyes held mine. “Don’t let him touch you. Keep your distance.”

I glanced over at the car. It didn’t look like one of the cars I’d seen in Sebastian’s garage, but I assumed it must be his. “Sebastian is my friend,” I said, finally looking back at him.

King’s hand shot out, and he grabbed my chin. “Don’t test me, Rumor.”

I wasn’t sure if the fact that I was mesmerized by him in this moment meant I was mentally unstable or if it was an unavoidable occurrence.

“Fine,” I breathed. “I won’t let him touch me.”

King studied me hard, as if trying to read my thoughts and make sure I meant what I had said before releasing me. “Good girl.”

And there were those two words that, when used by King, made me want to melt at his feet. Words I wasn’t familiar with. Praise was something I had never experienced in my life. Clearly, I craved it. When King did it, every nerve ending in my body felt as if they had been given a jolt of pleasure.

He straightened, then put his hand possessively on my back. I let him lead me to the house and even open the door for me to go inside. The way he seemed to be strung up tight still was odd. It wasn’t as if my being around Sebastian had bothered him like this before.

Voices carried through the house from the dining room. The sound of female laughter that was not Maeme’s surprised me. I felt King’s hand flinch where he was touching me.

Before I could ask who was here, a tall, willowy blonde stepped into the hallway. Her eyes barely grazed me, but they lit up like fireworks when she locked them on King. The wide, perfectly straight white smile that appeared on her face made my stomach feel sick.

“KING!” she squealed loudly, then rushed toward him.

His hand left my back just in time for him to catch her as she wrapped her arms around him. I stared at their bodies embracing. He was touching her, yet I wasn’t supposed to touch Sebastian. Maybe she was another relative.

“Scotlin,” he replied, but his smile appeared forced.

“It’s been a year. That should be illegal. We’ve never gone that long without seeing each other,” she replied and then inhaled his shirt before tilting her head back to gaze up at him.

A relative wouldn’t have just sniffed him. Not like that.

“You’re finally here,” Sebastian drawled as he entered the now-crowded hallway. “We need to go.”

The woman patted King’s cheek. “It’s been too long since we worked together. This is gonna be fun.”

Sebastian flashed me a sympathetic smile as I tried to figure this all out.

“Yeah,” King replied, disentangling himself from her limbs that seemed to cling to him everywhere. “We need to head out.”

I watched as he turned his back on the other woman and gave me his full attention.

“I’ll see you tonight,” he said.

I nodded. It wasn’t like I could ask who she was since he wasn’t introducing me. That was a red flag. A big, huge one. But then I had made the rules and drawn lines for a reason. I didn’t trust King. We were not in a relationship. Which was why I shouldn’t have agreed to not touch Sebastian. I hadn’t been planning on it, of course, but that wasn’t the point.

He reached up and cupped my face. “Stay here today. Enjoy the library.”

Again, I just nodded.

“I’m riding with you. Sebastian can take my car,” the woman stated, once again wrapping her arms around a part of King. This time, it was his arm, and then she tugged him.

He ignored her as he waited for me to say something.

“Okay,” I replied, dropping my eyes to the ground. I didn’t want to look at him or whoever the woman was pulling on him.

“Call me if you need anything,” he urged.

“Oh my God, King. She has Maeme,” the woman said, sounding exasperated.

King swung his eyes to her. “Stay the fuck out of this.”

To my shock, she didn’t even appear bothered. Instead, she grinned provocatively, then hissed at him before turning and strutting toward the front door.

“Go on now,” Maeme said firmly.

King’s gaze flickered over to his grandmother, then back to me.

Not even able to force a smile, I stepped away from him, then headed in Maeme’s direction. When I reached her, she put an arm around me and walked me into the kitchen. Not looking back was hard, but I managed it. Mostly because I didn’t want Maeme to catch me.

The stack of waffles didn’t distract me from the swirl of jealousy, insecurity, and hurt that only King seemed to inspire.

“Her name is Scotlin May. She was literally the girl next door for King, growing up. Her family isn’t a part of us, but we work together. Her father is a state representative and will eventually be governor because of the pull we have. That’s all I can share without it being gossip. But that frown on your pretty face, let that go. Scotlin has no hold on King. He has a soft spot for her because of their past, but nothing more. Doesn’t seem to keep her from trying though. Never has.”

Nothing she had just said made me feel any better. Quite possibly, I felt worse. “She’s … Jefferson May’s daughter?”

Everyone in Georgia knew he was running for governor in the next election. He pushed family values and religion, and the South loved him.

“Yes. And it will benefit us particularly to have the new governor in our pocket. We have some control over our current one, but not to the extent the family wields over the governors of Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, and Tennessee. We need that kind of power here too.”

And so Scotlin May was important to them. I didn’t like it. I was pretty sure I hated it. First, there were the women who looked like porn stars and let King whip them in the tack room. Now, I had to deal with someone like Scotlin May in his life.

“Come eat,” she said, making her way to the island, where the food was spread out like a buffet.

Not having an appetite wasn’t going to be a good enough excuse for Maeme. I had to make myself eat. My thoughts went to Scotlin May’s tall, thin body. She looked lost here, as if she were supposed to be on a runway somewhere in Paris but took a wrong turn and ended up in Madison. I bet she didn’t eat waffles. Hill would call me fat, if he were alive. I hadn’t weighed myself since arriving here because it had been a prison I wanted to escape. The power he held over me. The way it mocked me if I ate something I shouldn’t have. Hill would beat me. Curse at me about being lazy and not taking care of my body. He had wanted a wife who looked like Scotlin May.

I took the plate from Maeme and placed a singular waffle and a spoonful of berries onto it before taking the maple syrup and lightly drizzling it over the top.

“I know King said he’d be back tonight, but that was wishful thinking. He knows not to promise such. Why don’t you stay here with me? You can sleep in the blue room.”

Would he have lied to me about that? Why not tell me the truth? He had promised not to lie to me anymore, but then did that mean anything really? Would I ever know if he was telling me the truth?

“Do you think it’s still unsafe for me to stay alone?” I asked her.

She nodded her head. “Yeah. It’s why King has been staying at the house with you instead of going back to his place or the room in the stables.”

That was the first time I’d heard someone talk about his place. I knew he said he stayed at the stables most of the time, but I hadn’t realized he had a home somewhere else. Was it an apartment? I doubted it was a house. He was a single man who barely lived there.

I realized Maeme was watching me. Waiting for a response.

“Oh, uh, thank you. I’ll stay if you think it’s best.”

“Yes, it is best. Now, tell me, how are you feeling? I’m happy you chose to stay with us, but are you still good with that decision?”

I set my plate down, then climbed up and sat on the barstool before responding, “Yes, I think I made the right choice.” That was a lie. I wasn’t at all sure that I had. I just didn’t think I had the strength to walk away from him. The thought was more painful than the betrayal had been.

“You’re gonna be fine. Soon, you’ll have a life again. One where you can go to the store and feel safe. You can do whatever you want. Start over fresh.”

I stared down at the food on my plate. “I don’t even have a college degree,” I told her.

“You have plenty of money to get one of those if you want. When the time is right,” she said with a pat on my back.

I shook my head. “I don’t have any money,” I replied.

Hill had never given me access to his accounts.

“Of course you do. It’s all safely tucked away for now until this mess is over with the Insantos gang. It’s been hidden for you and will be given to you when the time comes.”

I shook my head, not understanding. “What do you mean?”

Maeme squeezed my hand with one of hers. “The bastard you were married to. We got back what he’d stolen from us, and then the rest was placed away for you. He’s dead. You were his wife. The money belongs to you. Then, there will be the money from the sale of your house. King is overseeing that.”

I was speechless. The house itself would sell for almost two million dollars. I knew he hadn’t owned it, and there was a mortgage, but he had bragged about what a good investment it was. It was worth half a million more than what he’d originally paid for it.

“That’s … that’s a lot of money,” I said, trying to wrap my head around it.

“That it is, my dear. Your future looks bright. I can’t wait to see you flourish. Spread your wings. Live the life you deserve.”

What did that even mean, the life I deserved?