Page 43 of Breaking Rules

“Where is she?” he demanded as soon as Mai opened the door.

I stood, and his gaze landed on me. Mai was still between us and didn’t move, even when he took a step forward.

“How could you do it?”

Now, I could hear the hurt in his voice, and despite it all, it hurt me. “It’s okay, Mai. Let him in.”

She turned without moving. “Are you sure?”

I nodded. “Think you can go to Hob’s or your mom’s for a while?”

She just stood there, clearly deciding what to do before taking her purse and jacket from the nearby hook then stepping out of Alec’s way. When he made to move past her, she put a hand on his arm.

“If you hurt her in any way, no one will find your body.” Her fingers flexed on his arm, and I had no doubt that she’d have drawn blood if he’d been wearing short sleeves. “They, however, might find your cock bronzed on my trophy case.”

If the circumstances had been any different, I might’ve found that funny.

She looked at me. “If you need me, call.”

“I will.”

Alec waited until the door closed before coming toward me. He was quiet now, but fury still burned in his eyes. I held my ground, chin up. I’d done nothing wrong. Hell, I hadn’t even confronted him about telling the school about the massage parlor.

“How could you do that?” He stopped just out of arm’s reach. “Evanne locked herself in her room when she got home, and when I went to see her after work, I found her crying about a bad grade on her math homework.”

I opened my mouth to explain to him that I’d marked everyone’s homework the same way, but he didn’t let me get a word in.

“I’d thought you might be cold to Keli or me, but I never imagined that you would take out your feelings about the break-up on a child!”

I took a step back, the pain of his accusation almost physical.

“I will not stand for my daughter to be attacked simply because–”

“Enough!” I barely raised my voice, but it stopped him, anyway. “How. Dare. You.”

My voice shook, and I could feel tears threatening, but the emotion came from anger more than anything else. This man I’d thought knew me intimately was accusing me of something truly awful.

I pointed my finger at him. “I am herteacher, you fucking bastard, and I treated her the same as every other child in my class. For you to say I allowed personal feelings to not only affect my teaching but actually take it out on an eight-year-old is…” I searched my mind for a strong enough word, “reprehensible.”

“You–”

“No!” I snapped. “You came to myhome! You’re the one who made this personal, not me! If you have a problem with my teaching, then you speak to me at the school, like the professional I am.”

“You made her cry!”

“You don’t think I hate every time I have to give back a paper with wrong answers marked?” I was close to tears myself. “But it’s part of being a teacher. If I don’t correct them, how will they learn?”

I stopped suddenly and took a step back. I shook my head.

“You know what, I don’t know why you’ve decided that ending things with me wasn’t enough, but I’m not going to be bullied by some rich asshole who thinks he can do whatever he wants, and no one can touch him.” I pointed at the door. “Get out.”

Twenty-Seven

Alec

How didthings get so out of control so fast?

I had to admit that coming here had been a mistake, but when Keli had told me that Evanne had seemed upset when she’d come home from school, and then I’d found her crying, her homework crumpled up in her hand…I snapped. My little girl had been hurting, and I’d needed to make it right.