Total pages in book: 177
Estimated words: 178117 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 891(@200wpm)___ 712(@250wpm)___ 594(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 178117 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 891(@200wpm)___ 712(@250wpm)___ 594(@300wpm)
They exit the room again. Too fucking bad because I was really looking forward to tormenting that fucker about his finger some more.
My father clears his throat. “How did you even get past the officers?”
“Rivera,” her father retorts cynically. “They were nice enough to allow me access after my guards persuaded them.”
Oh … he threatened some cops with a bullet. Bold move.
“I think my daughter has given you enough information.”
“Tell me, are you the one who put her up to this?” he asks.
The room is filled with the same kind of tension I felt the second before the entire hallway of the Skull & Serpent Society filled with bullets.
“My daughter died on these grounds. You should be happy I don’t press charges,” he says.
Or that he didn’t send his men to slaughter every last one of us.
“Then you’ll be happy to know the real culprit is dead,” my father replies.
“How do you know?” Ricci sneers. “It could be you behind the scenes.”
“I assure you … Caruso acted alone,” my father replies.
Ricci’s grip on his gun tightens. “Your word means very little to me.”
My father throws Dylan’s phone across the room.
“Hey! That’s mine,” Dylan mutters, but his protest lands on deaf ears.
“There’s your proof,” my father says. “Listen to the voice recording.”
Ricci plays the tape again, and we all cringe at the sound of Dylan’s father admitting to pushing Eve until she saw no other way out.
Ricci grumbles.
“So … will that settle it for you?” my father asks.
“Perhaps,” Ricci replies.
“There is no more that can be done. The perpetrator is already dead. And this institution will live by good and honest rules now that I’m here to take care of things.”
“Will you now …” her father replies. “I doubt it will be any better.”
“I can assure you, punishments will be swift and cruel.”
There’s a sparkle behind his eyes that I recognize all too well.
“C’mon, Penelope,” her father says, grasping her hand. “We’ve done all we needed to do here.”
Penelope reluctantly goes with him, but her eyes still fixate on mine, almost as if she’s wondering if I’ll intervene. If I’ll stand up for what’s mine.
I scoot my chair back and her father stops in his tracks. “Wait.”
Everyone’s looking at me.
I know our fathers could probably kill each other. But that doesn’t mean I have to suddenly give up everything I ever wanted.
And the only thing I’ll ever truly want is standing in that fucking door right now, ready to leave.
“She can stay.”
Her father snorts and scoffs, “Can she now? I don’t think I ever asked for your advice—”
Penelope shakes her hand free from his grip. “I can take care of myself, Dad.”
“You’re not staying in this wretched place,” he replies.
“You don’t decide that for me. Let him talk,” Penelope says, pulling out of her father’s grasp.
“Felix, what are you doing?” my father asks.
“What I should’ve done a long time ago, when I could’ve stopped someone from making a mistake but chose not to because she made me think it’s what was best for her,” I reply, stepping closer to Pen. “I won’t make that same mistake again.”
She swallows as she moves away from her father and closer to me.
My hand instinctively rises to cup her face, and I tuck a loose strand of that purple hair behind her ear. I used to hate her with every fiber of my being, but I never understood why. Until now.
She makes me feel things I thought I’d buried along with Eve.
“I can’t let you leave, Pen,” I say, caressing her. Her face leans into the palm of my hand. “Not until you’ve forgiven me.”
Her lips part and she shivers in place, and I want nothing more than to kiss her right here in front of all of these fuckers, because I don’t give a shit what they think, or how much her father and mine hate each other.
Because I don’t.
I don’t fucking hate her.
Even when I punished her, I didn’t hate her. I hated what she made me do, how she forced me to slice open my own heart and cut it with a thousand knives.
But if I was in her shoes, if Lana was bullied and pushed over The Edge, I would’ve made the same choice.
I’m not a person to beg.
But for her, I will.
And if she wants her freedom back, if she wants all of this to end between us three, all she needs to say is the magic fucking word.
Yes.
PENELOPE
“Will you?” Felix asks. “Forgive me?”
I shake my head, tears welling up in my eyes.
I never willingly cried for him. But when he asks me point blank in front of all these people, knowing how much his pride means to him, how could I not?
“You … I always thought I could never fall for anyone ever again after Eve. Until you came along and consumed my world. And you’re so much more than she ever was to me. I’ve taken a bullet for you. I’ve killed for you. And I would kill a million more men if it means you’ll absolve me of the pain I’ve caused you.”