Page 118 of The Toy Maker

“Fine,” Kitty said, clutching her clipboard like it could protect her. “That doesn’t change the fact that we needed her up there.”

“You could have chosen someone else.”

Kitty gave a casual shrug. “Nobody else wanted the job.”

“That’s your problem.” I hired her to make my life easier, not harder.

“No,” she said, tilting her head. “Apparently, it’s yours.”

I glared at her, but I didn’t have time to argue. The introduction had to be made.

I turned on my heel, weaving through the crowd.

My heart pounded, and my grip tightened around the mic as I signaled to the sound booth. If I let myself think about it too much, I would’ve gone straight for Tara and pulled her down from that over-decorated table myself.

The introduction came out smooth, practiced, but hollow. And when I finally finished, I spoke the last word like a confession.

“Amen.”

The crowd erupted into cheers, but I didn’t hear them.

I decided I was in hell, and I fucking deserved it.

Slipping through the crowd, I moved to the back, arms crossed, jaw clenched. From here, I had the perfect vantage point to see just how terrible this skit was.

It was just as awful as I’d expected—cringeworthy, desperate, an insult to the concept of seduction. I was about to leave, avoiding the feast entirely, but Kitty was faster. She stepped in front of me, blocking my path.

“Where are you going?” she demanded.

“The back,” I sneered, my patience running dangerously thin. “I have work to do.”

She placed a hand on my chest, stopping me. My jaw ticked. Kitty had always been a pest, always knowing exactly how to push my buttons. Probably because we had grown up under the same roof, spent years circling each other in the same dysfunctional family, learning about each other’s weaknesses.

And as my stepsister, she knew exactly where to poke and prod to get a reaction.

“You want to prove you don’t love her?”

I rolled my eyes. “Don’t be ridiculous.”

“Then watch. I dare you.”

I’d rather burn alive. I scoffed. “This isn’t a game.”

Kitty placed her hands on her hips as if that could intimidate me. “If you do this, I’ll never bring it up again.”

Ten minutes of pain for a lifetime of peace.

It should have been an easy choice.

My gaze flickered over the crowd, and my breath caught. Sam’s hands were on her. His lips brushed against her skin, claiming something that wasn’t his.

Something he didn’t deserve to touch.

I could push him aside so easily. He was nothing. A momentary obstacle. I could storm onto that stage, rip her fromhis grasp, and make sure everyone in this goddamn room knew exactly who she belonged to.

A sharp pain flared in my chest as I turned away. “I’ll be in the back.”

Kitty barely had time to react before I shoved past her, disappearing into the darkness before I did something I couldn’t take back.