The Rush (The Siren Series) - By Rachel Higginson Page 0,115
several corporations; he’s a world renowned businessman. So the local police aren’t going to be able to find anything dirty on him. And as far as my mom goes, or any of the other women in our circle, by the time they get involved they go willingly. It’s like a cult. I belong to a cult. Only, religion’s not really part of it. Trust me though. I wasn’t in rehab for six months; I was in intense behavior modification. It was supposed to fix me because I felt bad for what happened to Sam. My mom has legally married every man she’s been with. She’s legally inherited their fortune or won it in a divorce settlement. The authorities can’t do anything for me. And I’m not being abused.”
Ryder’s jaw locked in thought. A muscle kept ticking in his cheek and for just a moment I felt relieved to have someone share my same frustration. But then the hopelessness caught up with me again and I spiraled back to the pits of despair.
“Ok, if there’s nothing legal we can do, then we’ll just get you out of here. Your trust fund, right? Why can’t you take that now? Matt has friends around the world from when he went traveling, they would help you. Or at least house you for a while. I could even go with you for a little bit, help you get set up,” he sat forward, excited by his solution and I loathed being the one who had to destroy those hopes. I knew, firsthand, what it would feel like.
I shook my head first, my eyes filling with tears again. “I’ve already thought something like that through. Right now my trust is untouchable until I’m eighteen and have graduated high school. Those conditions are unbreakable. Trust me, I’ve looked into it,” Although I didn’t want to get his hopes up so I refrained from telling him about Smith and his secret team of lawyers. “And besides, even if I could get to it now, I wouldn’t leave. I have a sister, half-sister really, Honor. She’s only eleven and I just can’t leave her yet. I mean, I will one day, I will, but not yet. I want to protect her as long as I can.”
“She lives with your mom?” Ryder asked, looking sick all over again.
“No, she lives with her dad. She’s…. He’s special. I mean, he was one of my mom’s marks, years ago. Not just for his money, but because she wanted another child too. But he was supposed to die. He had stage four brain cancer. He somehow survived and then, when he recovered it was like he was immune to the whole Siren thing. He’s not affected by my mom, by any of us. He has custody of Honor. And he is protecting her for now; he barely lets my mom see her. But everyone in my circle wants my mom to have custody, obviously, so Honor is not safe. Nix will do anything to get her.”
“He’s immune? Has that ever happened before?” Ryder asked carefully and I could see a light go on in his eyes.
“Just one other time that I’m aware of,” I answered quietly.
“With me?” He clarified like he knew the truth already.
I nodded, afraid that the spell would be broken. “With the coffee, in the hallway…. I mean, you didn’t feel anything did you?”
Ryder thought about it for a while and then replied, “Just irritation. Lots of irritation.”
I rolled my eyes but let out a soft laugh. “You’re so obnoxious.”
“That’s what was with my dad and uncle?”
I nodded again. “That’s what’s with everybody.”
“But it’s not like they were worshipping at your feet,” he argued. I recognized his desire to stand up for those he loved, to make them appear strong and capable. Nobody wanted to be helpless against a force they couldn’t control.
“The pull gets harder to resist the longer you’re around me. And sometimes, with stronger personalities, it takes longer to be affected. Weak men feel my pull even before I’m near them. But some, very strong men, can subconsciously resist for a while. For everybody but you, and Honor’s father,” I explained. “As long as you’re being honest. As long as you really don’t feel anything between us.”
“That’s why you warned me before? About falling for you?” His voice was soft and understanding.
“Yes,” I agreed simply.
“We’ll figure this out, Ivy,” he promised. “You’re not alone. You have me, you have friends. We will get you out of this.”