All Hail - J. Bree Page 0,90
and her father was from a long line of successful businessmen but he never migrated to the States with his family, preferring to stay where his business is.”
I shrug. “And on paper I’m a graduate of the finest school in the country taking a gap year to find myself after four boring years of dance and study. Paper doesn’t mean shit to me, Atticus.”
He takes a napkin to wipe at his mouth like he’s finished his meal even though he’s barely touched it. “She’s the bastard daughter of a Columbian drug lord… and she’s the only woman your father ever had a relationship with who didn’t die at his hands.”
I very slowly set my cutlery down.
That is probably the single most horrifying thing Atticus could have said about her because to bed my father… willingly? The man who enjoyed the most violent and sadistic torture? No, he needed it to be able to get off and now, now I know for sure that Amanda isn’t just a fucking bitch.
She’s clearly fucking deranged and she needs to die.
After dinner Atticus offers to walk me up to my room to get changed before we leave for the Twelve meeting together.
I narrow my eyes at him, because I’m not an idiot and he’s being just a little too accommodating after the nightmare of a conversation over the main course. I make sure to walk with him slightly in front of me but after we get to the stairs it’s clear that none of his men are following us and there are none of them to be found on the third floor where my rooms are.
“What are you doing, Atticus? What are you playing at? I don’t have time for games tonight,” I say with a sigh, suddenly so tired of playing these games with him.
There’s nothing I love more than moving the pieces across the chessboard but we’ve been playing together for years and I’d like it to be over.
I’d like to have him or just leave him.
We get to my room and Atticus opens the door for me, gesturing into the room like he’s being nothing but a well-bred gentleman exactly how his bloodline intended for him except that Luca is sitting on the lounge chair in my room.
I turn to face Atticus but he grabs my arm and pulls me the rest of the way in, snapping the door shut behind us both.
“What the hell do you think you’re doing? Get your hands off of me, you have no right to lock me in here!”
I shake his hand off even as he does what I say but he takes a step back until he’s physically blocking the door. “You’ll be safe here with Luca. These threats have been too specific, too pointed for the stalker not to know about your movements. There’s no way we’re going to risk you coming to the meeting.”
If I were any other member of my family, I’d take a swing at him. I don’t know why he’s so desperate for me to hate him but he really is shoving me off that cliff and into loathing. “There’s no way you can know that! There’s no way you could possibly know that tonight is the night that the stalker would do something and it’s good to know that you believe your own men to be so inept that they can’t keep me safe during the meeting. I, however, have full faith in Illi and the Stag. I’ll just call one of them to pick me up.”
He doesn’t move an inch at my threat and I snap. “If you walk out of that door and leave me here I will—“
His lips are rough against mine as he cuts me off with a kiss and I bite his lip in frustration. It doesn’t even slow him down, he just grabs my hips and walks me backwards towards the bed.
I let him for a half second before I remember Luca is sitting there.
I break away from him. “Have you lost your goddamn mind? You can’t just kiss me into submission, I’m going to the meeting! Lips named me her representative and I’m going. You’re a stickler for the rules, Atticus, you can’t break this one.”
He lets me go fully and, though his lips are wet from my kiss and his hair is messed up from my hands, his eyes are as cold as ever. “I told you, Floss. I’d rather you be alive and hating me than have you and