“When I brought you back here, it was because I wanted my boys to start acting like a family again. And, here we are, five weeks since you arrived, and things have never been worse.”
He shook his head, like the words pained him. “You were fucking Tristin, and now he refuses to step foot in this house. Given that display I saw the other day, you’re probably fucking Leo, and in return, he’s gotten himself suspended for three games.
“Even Hayle broke up with his girlfriend and is walking around here, pouting like a surly toddler.” His gaze pierced into me, and his voice hardened just enough for me to catch the difference. “It’s not acceptable, Thea. Not any of it. And you’re going to fix it.”
My heart hammered in my chest, and I clamped my jaw shut to keep my chin from quivering. This calm, collected version of Vincent was even more terrifying than the harsher version I’d witnessed a few minutes earlier. Because I no longer worried that whatever pain he inflicted would be physical.
“Fix what?” I forced myself to ask.
His sudden, too-pleasant smile didn’t fool me. “All of it. But you’re going to start with convincing Tristin to move back home.”
I wanted to laugh. Like Tristin could be convinced of anything.
“And, if he doesn’t listen to me?”
Vincent turned and started to walk away, as though his next words were inconsequential. Again, I wasn’t fooled.
“Planes go both ways. I won’t hesitate to ship you back to that dusty wheat field I plucked you from. So, I suggest you go down to that ridiculous boat of his and make him listen.”
I drew in a sharp breath. “You knew?”
He finally removed his hands from his pockets, and I saw them clench into fists. “You seriously think I haven’t known where my son was running off to since the beginning?”
I didn’t have an answer, because this was Vincent Sharpe. Of course, he’d known.
He glanced at me over his shoulder. “Oh, and, Thea?”
“Yes?” I asked between gritted teeth.
“You might also mention to Tristin that if he doesn’t get his ass back here by fall break, Leo can kiss his trust fund goodbye.”
With those parting words, he stalked back the way he’d come, leaving me reeling in his wake.
Leo can kiss his trust fund goodbye.
Leo can kiss his trust fund goodbye.
Leo can kiss his trust fund goodbye.
The words echoed in my head, but that didn’t cause them to make any more sense. If Tristin didn’t move back home, Vincent was going to snatch Leo’s trust fund away. And he was holding me responsible for all of it, including fixing it.
Holy shit.
Somehow, I was supposed to persuade someone who wasn’t even speaking to me to move back to the mansion. And make Hayle change his entire attitude. And I had no idea what he expected me to do about Leo. I couldn’t exactly walk into the athletic director’s office and demand that he reverse his decision about the suspension.
And if I couldn’t manage all of that?
Vincent would send me back to Kansas.
No more Harbor U.
No more Petra or The College Grind.
No more investigating my mother’s death.
No more Sharpe brothers.
I was so fucked.
Chapter Eleven
Thea
I lost track of how long I sat in the kitchen, but when I finally checked my phone, it was after ten-thirty. There were no updates from Leo, but there was a text from Petra.
Petra: Any news about Leo’s fate?
Me: Three game suspension.
Petra: Oh, shit. How’s he taking it?
Exactly what I wanted to know. Then again, if he was taking the news poorly, I didn’t know if I could handle it—or him—right now.
Me: I haven’t talked to him yet.
Petra: Okay. Call me if you need anything. I’m home all day, being lazy.
It crossed my mind to call her now and spill everything that just happened. But I couldn’t quite bring myself to do it. I trusted Petra, but this royally fucked-up situation seemed too personal to share with even her.
So, I thanked her and closed out of the messaging app. When the screen went blank, I stared at it, wishing my mind could follow suit. I felt like every one of my brain cells had been sucked up into a tornado and was caught in the endless rotation. I could even say that with authority, since I’d experienced one firsthand.
Leo. Suspension. Trust fund. Hayle. Attitude adjustment. Tristin. Boat. Move home. Plane. Kansas. Leo. Suspension. Trust fund.
It went on and on, making my head spin so bad, I had to get out. The mansion,