Total pages in book: 104
Estimated words: 102929 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 515(@200wpm)___ 412(@250wpm)___ 343(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 102929 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 515(@200wpm)___ 412(@250wpm)___ 343(@300wpm)
“Julius!” she greeted, running toward him.
She was over to him in a few long strides. The force of her embrace left him frozen in place. She threw her arms around his neck, pulling him into a tight hug. Julius didn’t hug her back.
He didn’t move.
I think he may have passed out with his eyes wide open.
He was just as shocked as I was by this entire encounter.
Am I dreaming?
I pinched myself just in case.
No such luck.
I watched everything unfold through a terrified expression. One minute, she was hugging him, and the next, he grabbed her arm, opened the door, and threw her out.
Then slammed it in her face.
“Julius!” I rushed to open it.
He halted me. “Don’t you dare,” he warned in a threatening tone.
“Julius!” She banged on the door. “I’m here to help! Please don’t do this! We need to get your brother out! I’m here for you!”
He locked the door. It was the only sound that was heard.
“Julius, please!” she pleaded, breaking my heart. “This isn’t over! I’ll be back! I’m coming back!”
“Yeah,” he snapped, loudly hissing…
* * *
“Your ten minutes were up seven years ago!”
Chapter
Thirty-Eight
Kraven
“Break it up!” the guard with a stick up his ass ordered.
“Fuck him!” I spewed as two other guards held me back. “He started it!”
The detention center was what I presumed jail would be, but for minors. It was basically the same setup—scheduled everything, shitty food, monitored visits, block cells, and fighting to remain alpha. If you didn’t, then you’d become someone’s bitch, and I wasn’t about that life.
They pulled us apart, throwing me into a holding cell. I was in there until someone banged their metal stick against the wall, waking me up.
“Come with me,” he demanded.
They changed guards all the time, so it was hard to keep up with who was who. Not that I was trying to keep track of them. I went through the steps and emotions of getting released, anticipating seeing Joe and having to pretend I gave a shit. Releasing me from this hellhole was the least he could do.
As soon as I stepped foot into the exit room, I saw her standing there. She was wearing a long dress, and her hair was down. She looked the same, but different.
“The fuck,” I whispered to myself. “What are you doing here?”
“Baby,” she greeted, approaching me.
I held my hand up, stopping her midway.
“Okay…” she coaxed with a sad smile. “I deserve that.”
“You deserve nothing.”
“Sweetheart, I’m here for you.” She gestured to the paperwork in her hands. “Look! You’re free! I signed you out!”
“Mrs. Knightly, now that your son is here, let me repeat his release terms,” the caseworker said.
I was stuck on probation until my court appearance, which meant I’d get sporadic house visits and phone calls. I was only allowed to go to school, where my teachers would supervise me, making sure I was in attendance and reporting back to my caseworker.
I was finally becoming an adult, and I was getting treated like a child.
Once we stepped outside into the open world, I told her, “You can go now.” I didn’t bother to turn around and face her.
I kept walking, but she grabbed my arm, stopping me to look at her.
“I’m not leaving you again. I’m here to stay. I promise.”
I cocked my head. “Stay where?”
“At the house…” She hesitated. “Our home.”
“You can’t be serious?” I snapped.
“Of course, I am.” She grabbed my face. “You need me.”
I jerked my head back. “I stopped needing you a long time ago.”
“Kraven… please… give me a chance.”
“A chance for what exactly?”
“A chance to be your mommy.”
I scoffed out a chuckle. “My mommy? How old do you think I am?”
She smiled. “My lone wolf will be eighteen in a couple of weeks.”
“Jesus… you’re more deluded than I thought. Are you sure you’re not high?”
“Kraven, I’m sober. I’ve been sober for a while. You can talk to my sponsor! She’ll tell you.”
“I’m going to turn around now and leave you here.”
“Kraven, please…”
“Don’t follow me, or better yet, be back in ten,” I mocked.
With that, I spun and left, calling an Uber to come pick me up. An hour later, I was walking through the front door. It was early as hell, and all I wanted was a shower and to sleep in my own bed after I ate half the fridge. Between not sleeping and eating food that literally tasted like dog shit, I was run down.
Pitifully trying to block out the fact that Julius involved our mother in this mess.
My mess.
When we couldn’t find Joe, he resorted to finding our mother instead. As much as I hated it, I was free. Though having to deal with the fallout of Justin and now our mom were two things Julius more than likely wanted to murder me for. He kept his cool when he visited me with Mark. I was shocked that Julius had hired our own lawyer in the first place, but thankful nonetheless. Where he was getting the money to pay him crossed my mind more than once.