Total pages in book: 97
Estimated words: 94980 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 475(@200wpm)___ 380(@250wpm)___ 317(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 94980 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 475(@200wpm)___ 380(@250wpm)___ 317(@300wpm)
All the crap Victoria threw at me, flinging it in my face, slid to the side. No matter what she said, no matter if it was true or not, it didn’t matter. Not here. Not in this battle. Because my inner Hayes was right.
This bitch was not going to win.
“Shut the fuck up.” From me.
Matt sighed beside me. I could almost feel his relief, his and Torie’s, and Tamara’s.
Victoria started to roll her eyes.
“No!” I snapped, catching her chin.
The move shocked her. Her eyes widened.
I had touched her. Not good, but I went with it.
I squeezed her instead. I pinched her chin, just a tiny bit, and I grilled her. “You have lost. Whatever Kash did to you, you’re here. You’re bitter. You’re angry. And it makes you look ugly, so that tells me what you’re saying is a lie.”
I felt strength pouring into me with every word I said, because the words were true. I mean, I still didn’t know about Kash, but she was being ugly and bitter, so, true. The Kash question was on the back burner for now. I’d deal with that later.
It was as if all the Hayes women were with me, filling me, pumping me back up, helping me say what I needed to say because they saw it for what it really was. She pulverized me, but I was swinging back.
“You were already forgotten before I even came into the picture. You know it. Your friends know it. The society pages know it. Whatever happened this weekend—if he needed to fuck you—you wouldn’t be here unless something went bad. You wouldn’t be throwing it in my face. No, no.” I sidled closer to her, letting her chin go. “You’re here to hurt me, so that only tells me one thing. That you lost, and you’re here to cause as much damage as possible on your way down.”
I stepped back.
I expected a comeback.
I got nothing.
She wasn’t crying. There was no break there. That told me I was right. She was already broken. Kash had done something to shatter her.
Matt must’ve seen it too, because he said quietly, “Leave. Now.”
Victoria laughed.
She actually laughed, but like before, it was still sick. It was also a destroyed laugh, coming from someone not put together right.
It was alarming.
“With fucking and utmost pleasure, Matt. I got what I came for. Now that your precious sister knows who she lets between her legs, I’m taking my girls and we’re flying back. Do not attempt to call us when we’re there. We are through. Our families are through. When we get to Chicago, we are enemies from here on out.”
She swept out, but some of the fierceness had left her.
Cedar and Fleur wavered, glancing at the guys, who were locked down. Their faces were set, their jaws were hard, and each was facing off against them, their feet a shoulder length apart. Their hands were in fists at their sides, and they were heated.
“Cede! Flow!”
Cedar cursed, then went after their friend. She dragged Fleur behind her.
I felt Torie and Tamara at my side.
“You okay?” Torie asked.
I couldn’t answer. I didn’t know.
Tony clipped out, “What the fuck?”
Guy was cringing. “There’s going to be a trickle-down effect. Cedar’s dad is giving mine a shit ton of business this fall. Word gets out and people are seeing who’s on each side, I can see Cedar’s dad pulling out. He’s a pussy when it comes to his daughter.”
“Same with Fleur’s family.”
Tony added after Chester was done, “My own grandfather’s not happy with Kash. He fucked her and tossed her. It pissed her off enough where she flew all the way out here to impale a knife in Bailey and then twist it—yeah. This is going to be bad.”
Matt had had enough. He rounded, his nostrils flaring. “Are you kidding me?” He jabbed a finger in the direction the girls had fled. “One: Kash isn’t a cheat. Two: he hates her guts. Three: I’m the brother, so it’s all gross to me, but I have to say that Kash and Bailey do not have a problem in bed. Four … Do I still need to keep going? Because if that’s not a flyby, trying to hurt someone close to Kash because it’s obvious he did something to hurt her, then I don’t know what is.
“And fifth: Do you all fucking know who you’re talking about? Have you forgotten? It’s Kash, and he’s not in our leagues anymore. Hasn’t been in for a long-ass time. He’s not even in the pros right now. He’s in the hall-of-famers and you all know it. Tony, I highly doubt your grandfather is going to walk away from Kashton Colello when I know he was begging him to be saved just a month ago. Kash’s family defines ‘old money,’ so you all better shut up and start remembering which side of the line you should be on.”