Page 50 of The Spare (The King Dynasty #2)

Chapter thirty

Who Are We

E xactly an hour later we pull onto the pea gravel circle drive behind Hendrix’s vehicle.

It's an ungodly late hour, as we hadn't even gotten home from our honeymoon until ten, and it's now nearing midnight.

I put the car into park, my eyes drawn to the rearview mirror where the headlights of our security flash behind us, followed by Teresa's Land Rover and her security tailing her.

Melody places her hand on mine as the muffled sound of doors slamming interrupt the silence, and she squeezes against me, causing me to look at her.

As our gazes clash, she gives me that almost mischievous smile that I've come to know so well.

She clears her throat and then leans forward, her perfume enveloping me in a comforting cloud.

"Don't worry, baby," she says, now stroking her fingers down my cheek. I nuzzle into her touch, finally feeling for the first time that I don't have to face Father's wrath alone. "This time, you've got all of us behind you."

"Thank you, love," I say, leaning forward to place my lips to hers.

Just then a knock sounds at my window, startling her and making her pull away. I fight to not roll my eyes and open the car door, stepping out to Hendrix who's got his hand out and a stern, no-nonsense look on his face that's usually present in a King Dynasty board room.

"Hey, Henny," I greet, reaching into my back pocket.

I pull out the letter and hand it to him just as Teresa walks to us, leaning in to give me and Melody a hug, who'd just appeared on my other side. The security's footsteps crunch on the pea gravel as they form a circle and step to the side to give us a minute to group ourselves.

Hendrix reads quietly to himself, and Isobel steps out of their car with her cell to her ear.

"Yeah, Mom, I'll let you know as soon as we're headed home.

" She leans in to hug us next, leaning in from the side so as to not press into her pregnant belly.

"Yeah, okay. Okay. Mom, don't worry; we've got it!

Love you, too. Bye. Hey, you guys. Sorry to see you like this so soon after your honeymoon," she says, giving Melody a once over.

"Hey, Iz," Melody greets quietly, shrugging her shoulders. "It's alright."

"So, what's the game plan?" Teresa asks, her eyes bouncing between me and Hendrix.

"Well," I say, "I figured since Melody's the one who found the letter, I should start-"

"No." Hendrix shakes his head, folding the letter back in half, meeting my gaze.

"No, Mason, I think it's best you let me start off.

You know how Father….gets…." he trails off, clearing his throat and flicking his eyes to Isobel and Melody who have adopted similar, worried expressions at the reminder of Father's temper.

They haven't been on the end of it, or really seen much of it to be honest.

I have a feeling they won't be able to say that after tonight.

"If you insist." My voice is clipped as I slide my hand in Melody's and grip tight. "Let's go get it over with."

As we make our way to the front door, it swings open as our parents’ butler, no doubt tipped off by our security team, welcomes us to the home. "Mr. Kings, Mrs. Kings," he reclines his head at us. "Please come inside. I have alerted your father of your arrival, and he is waiting in the study."

He turns to lead the way, but I pull ahead with Melody in tow.

"No need to accompany us, Jefferies; we know the way," I say. "Thank you."

An eerie, uncomfortable feeling swells inside me the further we journey down the hallway.

The lights seem lower than usual, giving the home a rather oppressive feel.

It's in direct contrast to the cheery brunches we attend where there's plenty of light and servants milling about to laugh and chat with.

I briefly wonder if this is how it feels when we're not present at King Compound.

Wasting no time I push through the door to Father's study, Melody's hand tightens around mine as both Father and Madre come into view.

As our eyes meet, something tells me to keep quiet, so I don't even bother to open my mouth to greet him.

I wait until both of my siblings and Isobel pour into the study behind me .

A bright fire is going to the side of the room, and I fight to keep my muscles from clenching.

I hate Father's office, and for the last three decades of my life I've done everything I could to stay out of here.

A visit to Father's office meant one of two things: an ass whooping or a promotion.

And considering I just started officially working for the family two years ago, well.

Enough said, right?

So the fact that we're all in here right now makes my skin crawl.

As does the look in his eyes. Madre stands next to him, dressed in a simple gown covered by a robe, letting me know she didn't even bother to change into regular clothes.

It eats at me that she can't even let us be alone with him for any length of time in here.

And has always inserted herself between us and Father, as if we needed her for a buffer.

Well, I guess I did.

Caution mars his features. Highlighting, at least with Hendrix and I, how he always treated us in a business sense first. Never letting us close.

The loosest he lets himself get is during holidays or the birth of one of our kids, other than that, he always has a guard up.

And where I thought he once favored Hendrix, after two years within the family business, I've seen that he's also held my brother slightly away from him as well.

Hendrix and I are no different. He's just more respected because he'd been the more responsible one.

And in a way my heart breaks for Father, because if what I'm gleaming from that letter is correct, his own father was abusive to the point he killed his sister, and then attempted to kill him as well.

My heart tugs as empathy for Father bleeds in alongside the spite that has lived in my heart for so long that it only began to abate when I met Melody.

To know that his abuse led him to make him not even bond with his own sons. To set us apart and not let us close.

"Fuck," I mumble, feeling a headache gathering between my eyes.

Suddenly this seems like a bad idea.

Father's eyes roam us slowly where we stand staggered but still on the other side of the room.

"Children," he drawls slowly. "You all never visit me like this unannounced. Is something wrong?"

He puts his pen down and then places his elbows on the desk, pinning Hendrix with a sharp stare.

"A bit, Father, a bit," Hendrix says, stepping forward. "We'd like to know about Stephanie the Second and what happened to her."

I groan quietly to myself, because he could have worded that so much fucking better.

A tug pulls Father's lips down, and he blinks once in surprise.

But he doesn't say a word to acknowledge him, even when Madre's head snaps to look over at him.

Her fingers clench together tightly, and I know deep down in my soul that tonight isn't going to go the way Hendrix expects it to.

Right now, the formidable Richard King looks like he's been struck mute.

Madre inches her way closer and lays her hand on his shoulder, but he looks a bit lost, as if he can't even tell she's there.

Seeing he's still not answering, Hendrix lays the paper on the desk in front of Father, crossing his arms and then taking a step back.

If I thought the room had plunged into frigid temperatures, that was nothing compared to the icy tundra we're now all wading in at the sight of Father's eyes nailing themselves onto the paper.

Father's face turns to stone as his body visibly stiffens.

My blood pressure rises because I know that stance; I know that look in his eyes.

The temper that comes after is a fearsome one.

My fingers clutch Melody's harder as he opens his mouth to speak, his lips a thin, stern slash against his chiseled face.

"For my kids to show up here, unannounced, in a bid to ambush me in my own home-"

To my surprise, Hendrix takes a step forward out of Isobel's reach. However, I bring Melody even closer, tucking her under my arm. "Father, no one is trying to ambush you" he says. "We just want to know-"

Father stands up from his chair in such a harsh movement that it knocks over onto its side, and Mother puts her hand on his bicep, looking up at him with wide, brown eyes.

"Richard, you don't have to be angry. They don't know, much less understand-"

"Where did you get this? Did you break into my vault, Hendrix?" he snaps in a hard voice that causes my neck and chest to warm, turning that cold gaze to Hendrix now, and Melody moves as if she were to speak, but I tighten my arms around her in warning.

"It was me," I lie, ignoring Melody's small gasp, and Hendrix turning to face me. "I took it from Uncle William's library when we were in Italy."

I avoid locking eyes with Hendrix like the plague.

"Mason," Melody whispers, tugging at my hand, but I studiously ignore her as well. I will do anything to protect her, including lying to my father.

Father's face flushes red. His eyes fill with betrayal, but I stand my ground.

"What the hell do you mean you were at his house?" he shouts, leaning forward to slam his palms to the desk before bringing a hand up to point at me. "How dare you betray me like this! You know he and I don't talk- "

"Yes, and that's exactly it!" I say, interrupting him. "You and William don't have a relationship, but we don't know why. We deserve to know the truth about why our family is so fractured!" Striding to the desk, I snatch the paper up and hold it aloft between us. "Is this the reason why, Father?"

Drawn out seconds pass as I wait for him to answer me.