Page 130 of Daddies' Holiday Toy

Her expression falters then.

She wasn’t expecting that.

The fight is still there in her eyes, but something shifts as confusion overtakes the anger, maybe even hurt worming its way in too.

“Holly…please. Come with me. Get your stuff. You can stay at my place, just—just get away from those creeps.”

I take a full step back from her, shaking my head. “No. I’m not going to do that.”

“Youcan,” she insists, moving toward me and holding out her arms like I’m a baby she’s trying to catch while falling. “You’re just…you’re just confused. It’s okay. Come with me and we’ll figure this out.”

“No, Mom. I don’t want to. I want to stay here with them.”

Her mouth twists like she can’t decide whether to yell or cry.

“You expect me to believeyoucame ontothem? That this was all your idea?”

She shakes her head, her eyes whipping around to the corners of my apartment like she half expects cameras to be mounted there or for a crew to pop out and tell her this is all one massively tasteless prank.

“Yes.” I’m trying to keep my voice as calm as possible even though the rage is still swirling in me. “They’ve never done anything I didn’t want. If anything,I’mthe one who’s been pushing them to keep this going.”

“Do youlovethem?” she gasps.

The silence that follows is brutal.

My mouth drops open.Love?

Something in her face snaps back into place when I don’t answer her.

Her chin lifts, spine straightens, and she squares her shoulders in that rigid way I’ve seen only a handful of times in my life.

The way she does when she’s gearing up to make something final.

An ultimatum.

“Then you leave me no choice. If you won’t come with me, I’m calling the police. I am not going to stand here and let them keep coercing you into whatever nasty fantasy they’ve roped you into.”

My whole body goes hot, then cold. “No.”

She doesn’t even flinch at my tone, she just steps in, and grabs my arm, using it to start tugging me back toward my bedroom.

“Pack a bag. We’ll go back to my place, and we’ll figure this out with the police.”

My heels skid against the floor, muscles locking. “No!”

“Enough, Margaret,” Jack’s voice snaps.

Her eyes flash at him, and for a beat she justlooksat me with an expression that shatters my heart.

Betrayal.

Within seconds, her expression calcifies again, all warmth stripped out. “Then I’m calling the cops.”

“What?” The words land on me like a block of ice dropped straight onto my head.

“You heard me. If you won’t leave with me right now, then I’ll have them arrested for whatever…whatever sick fantasy they’ve coerced you into.”

“They didn’t coerce me!” I bite back, my voice cracking at the edges.