Page 29 of Too Far

“Is that what you are, K? One of Decker’sin-residence companions?”

I grit my teeth at her casual demeanor. This isn’t a laughing matter. Fuck. So much is at stake here. They’re asking too much, yet she immediately turns flippant.

With a breath in, I will my pulse to remain steady, then I finally home in on her. Rather than finding the calm I was searching for, the panic gripping my chest increases tenfold.

I don’t want them to have her. She shouldn’t be here or be vulnerable like this.

But she is. Because of me.

Light blue eyes meet mine, along with the most subtle nod of her head.

I breathe out an intense sigh of relief and drop into my chair once I see the trepidation in her eyes.

She gets it.

She’s intentionally riling them up, joking around to lighten the mood, but she fucking gets it.

“Ah, well, uh, yes. Mr. Taylor signed his nondisclosure as soon as he turned eighteen.” My dad’s lawyer stumbles through his response. “Misty?” he inquires, brows raised.

Every eye in the room turns to her, and the smarmiest smile stretches over her pink lips. She doesn’t even look up or regard me before she dives right in, giddy with power.

“You’re required to sign a standard NDA. It’ll be retroactively enforceable from the day you first took up residence at the Crusade mansion. Based on my recollection, that was sometime in early September. There’s a place to list the date if you can provide it.” She finally looks up, the ugly smile still plastered on her face. “Or, if you don’t know, we can check the camera footage to ensure accuracy.”

“It was September third.” Kylian’s response is delivered with such intensity and vitriol I swear Misty does a double take.

Inhaling, Josephine stands straighter. She assesses Misty with a look full of disdain, her lip practically curling. Then she plasters a passive expression on her face and turns to the men on the screen.

“My permanent residence is actually Sam’s Salvage and Parts. That’s what’s listed in the Lake Chapel University database. My uncle can vouch for me. I can give you my word that I’ll stay out of the way and won’t cause any trouble, but I’d prefer not to sign anything.”

My father barks out a laugh. “Your word?” he mocks, his tone dripping with derision. “Your word means nothing. You’re playing a game of semantics, girl. Don’t bother trying to bullshit me about a permanent residence. Where did you sleep last night? And the night before that?”

The atmosphere in the room shifts swiftly and acutely, right along with the hackles that raise along my back. Judging from the murderous expression each of my boys is wearing, they’re right here with me.

He doesn’t get to talk to her like that.No onetalks to her like that.

Kendrick catches my eye, shifting forward so he’s standing by her side. Locke crowds her back, and Kylian sidesteps in front, positioning himself between Josephine and the screen.

I yearn to move. To rise. To break out of the shackles that bind me to this chair—to this life—and protect them all.

But keeping them all safe requires I do nothing. Show nothing. Give nothing away.

If there was a doubt in my mind that our girl couldn’t fend for herself, even against the likes of Thomas Crusade and his slimy lawyers, those are laid to rest the moment she opens her mouth to respond.

“Do you make a habit of asking women half your age where they’ve spent the night?” She wrinkles her nose, then grimaces. “That seems kind of inappropriate, don’tcha think?”

It’s the casual“don’tcha”that sends me.

I have to bite down hard on the inside of my cheek to stifle a laugh.

My father is unaffected, though, and clearly uninterested in being put in his place. “You’ll sign or you’ll leave. It’s as simple as that.” His obsidian eyes don’t stray from her through the screen.

But Josephine doesn’t miss a beat.

“And if I’m not comfortable signing something I haven’t even had time to read?”

A glimmer of cruelty flickers through his bland expression.

“You’re welcome to read it. In fact, you can take it with you and have your lawyer review it. Take all the time you need. You can return to the isle, and to my house, when you’re ready to sign.”