Page 56 of Painkiller (Sin Records #3)

I don’t hop when Dad says jump. Maybe that’s part of the problem. Why he’s always seen me as such a disappointment. But Graham never did either, so I don’t know.

But I didn’t follow him like a scolded dog when he walked out of the room. And I didn’t run away.

Today I stayed. I didn’t let him, the memories in this house, or anyone else chase me away.

Perhaps it was the support of everyone here. I’ve spent so long hiding everything that I forgot my life is full of the most observant people on the planet. Just because they don’t acknowledge something doesn’t mean they aren’t aware.

But the last of the guests have gone, except for Lily and Liam. Poppy and Lily help Casey clean up the mess while Graham, Liam, and I disassemble the indoor playground Casey rented.

By the way, when Graham and I realized she rented them, not bought, we asked why we were the ones who got stuck setting it all up. Her response? I was trying to save money.

My fucking stepsister was trying to save money when she literally wears over a million dollars’ worth of jewelry almost every day. But sure.

I flop onto one sofa on the far end from Liam, tired as hell. Overstimulating is an understatement for today. It’s nearly seven, but everything is back in order and Noah is asleep in his crib upstairs.

Poppy, Lily, and Casey sit across from me on the other sofa while Graham stands at the minibar, pouring drinks. He hands Poppy and Casey glasses of wine, then offers Liam and me a few fingers of Macallen, his favorite, not mine. Curiosity arches his brow when I hesitate.

I haven’t had a drop of alcohol since Thursday night at the club or anything else. The strongest thing I’ve ingested in days is Poppy.

“Thank you for helping me clean up,” Casey says to Poppy and Lily. “It would’ve taken forever if I had to do it all myself.”

“Or you could’ve left it for the staff,” Graham grumbles. “You know the people I pay to do it.” I snort because even as a kid, Casey tried to help the staff. Probably trying to offset the insanity of her mother.

“I still have to talk to Dad,” I tell Poppy, ignoring the coming…who the fuck knows what Casey and Graham do, but my brother is so absolutely gone for her, I can’t see any genuine arguments happening. “After that, if you’re ready, we can head out.”

“Oh, I forgot you two live close to each other. That’s nice of you to give her a ride.”

Dear Lord, Casey. It took everyone all of two minutes to see that Poppy and I were together, and that was the few that didn’t figure it out before.

Lily stares at Casey, her face contorted with exasperation, while her dad hides behind his drink. Graham chuckles, shaking his head with a shrug when I give him a what the fuck look. But Poppy? She looks uncomfortable, her face blossoming with an awkward blush.

Better to rip off the band-aid. A lot has been revealed in the last few days about both of us.

The last thing I want is for this to continue to be something between us.

Once Casey knows, it only leaves Renee. And that’s a whole other issue that may or may not get resolved any time soon, because who knows where she is?

After I discovered she was the one who took Poppy’s money, I tried reaching out, knowing it would cause problems. I needed to know why she would do that.

If she was in trouble. We might not have had a great relationship, but I couldn’t bring myself to just ignore the situation.

Especially after Poppy confessed Renee hadn’t touched the account in years.

But she never responded to my messages or returned my calls.

I’m not surprised since I blocked her, but my gut says something is wrong.

“Casey, I’m not taking Poppy to her apartment. She’s coming home with me.” There. Band-aid ripped. Now to see how much blood pours from the wound.

Casey’s blond brows dip as her eyes dart back and forth between Poppy and me.

Her head shakes, and I prepare for battle, knowing she’s about to lose her shit over me going after her friend.

I know she loves me, but she also thinks I’m a player.

It seems I’m forgetting one tiny detail.

“Absolutely not. You have a boyfriend. I saw you with him after the show Friday night. And Jagger’s been through too much for you to toy with his heart.

” She leaps to her feet as crimson erupts across her cheeks. Venom flares in those blue eyes.

The moment is so many things. Hilarious because she doesn’t realize the boyfriend she saw Poppy with is me. Endearing because she’s standing up for me. I don’t know why, but it really surprises me. I know Casey loves me, but this fierce protection I never expected.

She points a long finger, probably thinking about the door to leave, but it really just goes to the kitchen. “Get out!”

I hate knowing what I’m about to do will embarrass her, so I have to intervene. “Whoa, Case. Calm down.” Blond hair swishes around her shoulders as if caught in a violent wind, so I grip her face, dipping just enough to be eye level. “It was me you saw her with on Friday.”

Her mouth drops, but her eyes narrow on Graham. “You knew it was him,” she accuses. “Why would you let it continue? You know she has a boyfriend. She told us.”

Poppy stands, taking Casey’s hands. “Casey, don’t be angry with him. I lied. I don’t have a boyfriend. I never did, and I haven’t in years. The lie was stupid and had no purpose except that I had a mild case of reactive panic.”

“You lied?” Poppy nods, looking ashamed. “Why would you panic?” Casey looks confused, but the judgment in her eyes has gone.

“Because I do that sometimes for no reason. I was…I…” She looks at me, eyes pleading for help because she’s not technically allowed to say where she works.

“She was trying to get a job at a place that could cause problems with the ballet company,” I offer. “She didn’t want to put you in an awkward position.” I don’t know if that’s true, but it’s on par for Poppy.

“You have three jobs!” Casey yelps, not even acknowledging the part about causing problems, too surprised because, as much as Casey struggled—thanks to her stubbornness—I don’t think it occurred to her to get more jobs.

In her defense, she also had school, but she’s currently deferred for a semester because of her role in Sleeping Beauty .

“Yeah,” she sighs. “But Jagger saved my ass. And maybe my life.”

“Wait. How long have you two been…”

“We met a couple of weeks ago, Case,” I tell her before she can spiral. “I begged for almost two weeks until she agreed to spend time with me this weekend because she was worried about upsetting you and…” I let the rest hang in the air because her connection to Renee isn’t important right now.

“Begged my ass,” Poppy mutters. “You bulldozed, extorted, and blackmailed me.”

“Oh, my God.” Casey blinks, eyes wide and wet as they dart between us. Then, surprising me for a second time tonight, she launches herself at Poppy. “He didn’t save you. You saved him. Thank you.”

“Hey,” Lily yelps. “Why does she get thanks, and I got the silent treatment for months?”

Liam clears his throat. “Hey, Lil.” He drags his thumb over his throat a few times. “Not the same thing, babe.”

“Okay. Now that all that’s been handled, let me go deal with Dad, so we can head out.”

I kiss Poppy’s head and start up the stairs, but I’m not alone. “You don’t need to come play protector,” I tell Graham, refraining from adding my usual asshole remark. “I can handle him.”

“Wait,” he grumbles, grabbing my arm. “You think I’m coming to protect you?” His eyes roll as he drags a tired hand over his face. “Jagger, I’m coming to back you up and to make sure you don’t do anything stupid.”

Try as I might, the intrusive, negative thoughts swirl, and the words I shouldn’t say spill. “Because that’s what I do. Stupid shit, right?”

“Can you go a fucking day without being so goddamn defensive?” Graham snaps.

“I never said you’re stupid or you do stupid shit.

But I’m also not an idiot. I can see it in your eyes, jackass.

Every time you two get into it, you’re a second away from attacking him.

I don’t want you to do something you’ll regret later. ”

“Pretty sure I wouldn’t regret it,” I mutter and start climbing the stairs again.

“Yes, you would,” he argues, following me to the next floor.

Moments later, I open Dad’s office door without knocking.

He’s leaned over a stack of paper, glasses perched on the end of his nose.

He peers over the top of the wire-rimmed glasses, then pulls them off.

Papers are slid across the desk, his finger pressed into them until it turns white.

“Sign them. You refused the other day, so sign them now.”

The sound of me sucking my teeth moves between us. My anger is instant. “I’ll tell you what I told the lawyer. I’m not ready to sign them. Forcing the matter won’t make it happen any faster.”

The chair slams against the wall as Dad stands. “Why the hell are you fighting this? It was your idea. We did what we had to do in order to revoke Krista’s parental rights. Six months we’ve waited, and now that the papers are ready to be signed and filed, you want to back out.”

“And in those six months, I’ve changed my damn mind, okay? When I asked you to adopt him, I didn’t think I’d be able to move past what happened, but then I spent time around him and realized he wasn’t what fucking triggers me. You are.”

“I trig—Why the hell would I trigger you ? You are the one who slept with my wife under my roof.” His palm comes down on the desk.

“You betrayed me. Do you really hate me that much?” He leans across the table with his fist holding his weight.

“I provided everything you could ever need, and you fucked my wife as a thanks. And when you chose to shirk your responsibility—refused to be held accountable for your actions—I stepped up. I’ve raised that boy like he’s my own. No questions asked. Not you.”

My vision tunnels. I don’t know if I want to hit him or laugh.

“You’re right, Dad,” I scoff. “You didn’t ask questions. Not a single question. I told you the fucking truth, and you believed her ! After every goddamn thing she’d done at that point, you still believed her over me.”

Dad’s shoulders slump. He lifts a hand, brushing it over his dark hair. “What I believe is that once again, my son was so wasted he didn’t know what world he was in. More proof you should sign the damn papers. Just sign them.”

I take a step forward, my fists clenched at my side. Another step, my jaw aching as my teeth grind to dust. “Let me tell you a story, Dad. It’s about a kid. A teenage boy.”

“I don’t want to hear any of your melodramatic shit, Jagger.”

Graham is on my heels when I clear the rest of the space separating Dad and me.

He doesn’t intervene when I grip his shirt, but I sense his readiness to jump in.

“Too fucking bad, Maxwell, because today, you’re going to listen, and then maybe you’ll understand why on more than one occasion I’ve thought about finding him a good family as far away from this toxicity as possible. ”