Page 89 of Volatile King (The Kings of Wayward Academy #6)

N ash

I knew he would try something to make a splash…a final statement. But coming here…wasn’t on my list of potentials. Hurting Ethan and Ella was also not on my list of possibilities. Then again, he probably went there to find out where we were. Fucker.

I stepped outside, hating him more with every footfall and beat of my heart, which had blackened a little more every day since the moment I was born. My father was an infection…a parasite…a disease with only one cure. Death.

He pointed the gun at me. “Take your gun out and lay it on the ground,” he ordered.

“How about you go fuck yourself,” I growled.

He fired at the window with no hesitation, and even though it was bulletproof, I still flinched when Ren screamed.

“Look at that fancy glass, it must have cost you a lot. More of Genovese’s money, I presume,” he said, taunting me. “Tell me, are you giving him something a little extra on the side?”

There was no point in dignifying that question with a response.

“He’ll betray you,” Lawrence said, and my lip twitched.

“Funny…that’s your MO. No one trusts you. I don’t think you even know the meaning of the word loyalty.”

His face darkened. “Gun on the ground and come over here,” he said, waving his gun to direct me in front of the window.

Sighing, I pulled my gun out slowly and placed it on the ground, then walked over to where he wanted me.

“Is this dramatic enough for you, or would you like me a little more to the right?”

“You’re fine right there,” he said.

“Hi, Nash,” Mya said, wiggling her fingers at me in greeting. “Sorry I stabbed you,” she said, and my hand clenched into a fist.

Ignoring Mya, I looked at Lawrence.

“If you’re expecting Ren to come out here, it’s not going to happen.”

“She’s mine,” Lawrence snarled. “She’s my second chance, what I deserve.”

I shook my head.

“Ren is so far from yours that you sound insane.”

The cold winter air picked up, swirling a small tornado of snow around behind him, and I’d never seen a more accurate visual of my father’s personality. Touching down randomly and destroying everything in its path.

“She’ll come out…she’ll come out, or Mya here is going to blow her daddy’s brains all over the window. I bet that’s not the New Year’s celebration she wants,” he said, and then looked at the glass. “Is it? You don’t want to see your daddy die, do you?”

“I love you! I’ve always loved you! Don’t do it, Ren. Don’t listen to him,” Neal yelled.

For whatever we’d thought of his motives, I respected Neal for not wanting Ren in the line of fire, even to save his life…which it wouldn’t. Lawrence would take Ren and still shoot Neal.

“Too late, Neal, you already signed off on the contract. Did that slip your memory?” Neal smirked. “Why the fuck are you smiling?”

Lawrence pressed the barrel of his gun to Neal’s forehead, but he didn’t waver in his conviction.

“It doesn’t matter. She’ll never marry you. She’ll never be your puppet. You’ll get rejected all over again. She is far too strong…you’ll never break her,” Neal said, and looked at the window. “I’ve always loved you. I’m sorry I was such an asshole.”

“Shut up,” Lawrence growled and lifted his hand to hit him.

But Neal didn’t flinch. Despite being on his knees with his arms tied, Neal straightened his spine and glared up at my father.

“Mya, why are you doing this?”

That broke the staring contest between the two men. My mind raced over how to get Neal out of this, and the only thing I could think of was to get Mya to switch sides.

“Because I love you,” she said. “It’s because I’ve always loved you. And now I love Daddy Lawrence, too.”

Bile burned the back of my throat. I never wanted to hear the words, Daddy Lawrence , ever again.

“This is how you show your love,” I asked. “It doesn’t look like love to me.”

“You don’t understand. Daddy Lawrence loves me, and he promised that we’re going to go get North and live as a happy family,” Mya said, her voice wistful.

There was genuine hope in her eyes, and it was such a preposterous notion that I burst out laughing. Mya’s smile fell, her eyes no longer so sure as I continued to laugh.

“Is that what he told you?” She looked at Lawrence and then at me. “Wow, Dad…that’s…I’m not sure if that is the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard or if you’re an evil genius. Then again, you don’t really care what she thinks…do you?” I pointed at Mya.

“What is he talking about,” she asked, looking at Lawrence.

“Nothing, just Nash spouting off his big mouth again.” Lawrence moved away from Neal and took a step toward me instead.

“No, I know what I’m talking about, and so do you.”

Lawrence’s face shifted from arrogant and amused to annoyed and fuming.

“You don’t know anything,” he growled.

“I know my son is dead,” I snarled, and the only thing you could hear was the whistle on the night breeze.

“What…no, that’s not true. A mean man took him from Mommy Lawrence, but we’re going to get him back,” Mya said, hope still shimmering in her eyes. I blinked. Mommy Lawrence? Jesus Christ, what did they do to her?

“Shut up, Nash,” Lawrence ordered.

I smiled and ignored him. If he wanted to shoot me, he could, but I was going to drive a big fat, fucking wedge between the two of them before I did.

“Oh, he went to a bad man for sure,” I said. “You thought Sheila…Mommy Lawrence, cared about you, but she secretly despised you.” I couldn’t believe I said those words out loud. “She didn’t want you and Lawrence getting any closer, so she took our son and had him murdered.”

Mya’s hand shook, and tears filled her eyes.

“No…no…no, that’s not true,” Mya mumbled. “The bad man took him. We’re going to get him back.”

I stepped toward my father while he glanced at Mya.

“Sheila didn’t love you. She didn’t know the meaning of love other than what she had for my father.

” Mya didn’t look convinced. “Before I shot her between the eyes, she admitted to slowly poisoning you, Mya, and he fucking knew.” I gestured at Lawrence with my thumb as I took another small step.

“Didn’t you wonder why you started to feel better once he set you free? ”

I had no clue if she’d been feeling sick, but if my mother really had been poisoning her, then it was worth the chance that it made her wonder. It seemed to work as she looked at Lawrence.

“Is that true?”

“I don’t know,” he said.

“Don’t lie to me,” she yelled as the more erratic part of her came out.

“And you. Did you really think that Ren would marry the likes of you? She’s already married,” I said.

His gun hand dropped slightly, and his eyes went wide.

“To who?”

“Who do you think?” I laughed again and crossed my arms. A few more steps, and he would be close enough for me to lunge at him.

“That’s a lie.”

“You two are so oblivious, you actually deserve one another,” I chuckled.

“Nash is telling the truth. I never had the authority to sign the contract, you just thought I did, and I never denied it,” Neal said, smiling like he’d been waiting his whole life to say those words, and they had freed him.

“Fucking Christov lied to me,” Lawrence growled.

“Wait…what is happening here?” Mya fumed and stomped her foot.

I took another step, but Lawrence noticed this time. He lifted his gun and cocked the hammer.

My eyes flicked to Mya. She was right on the edge, and if I could push her over, I hoped she would shoot Lawrence.

“See how he manipulates you, Mya. He took you from me and made you think that he loved you and our son. Even after North disappeared, he lied to you this whole time and then told you we’ll be a family. He doesn’t know the meaning of family.”

“Shut up,” Lawrence growled.

I ignored him.

“All he wants is power. That’s why he wants Ren. He won’t keep you around once he has her. And he’d never let us be together.”

“I said shut up.” Lawrence stepped toward me with the gun leveled at my face.

“He wants to force me to say goodbye to her, like I had to do with you and our son. Don’t you see?

He stole our happily ever after. He stole our ending, and there is no getting it back.

You’re expendable, just like me. He’s using you and as soon as he has Ren, he’ll shoot you and shove you out of a moving car. He never loved you,” I said.

Mya’s hand shook, and tears streamed down her face. Her eyes locked with mine.

Come on, Mya. Shoot him. I chanted in my head.

“I told you not to listen to him. He’s filling your head with lies and trying to turn you against me,” Lawrence said, glaring at me.

Mya looked at Lawrence and then back to me, her eyes two bottomless pits of despair and confusion.

“You don’t love me…do you?”

I shook my head. “Not anymore. Lawrence destroyed what we could’ve had. It’s gone, our son is gone, and I love someone else,” I said, and tears ran down her cheeks as more shimmered in her eyes. “Look into my eyes, Mya. Lawrence lied to you about everything.”

“She doesn’t deserve you…I’m the one who’s always loved you.” Her bottom lip trembled. “I love you.”

Mya moved so fast that I barely had time to register what she was going to do before she did it.

She pulled the trigger.

Neal jerked and fell over, then she put the barrel in her mouth. I lunged to stop her, but Lawrence’s gun went off. The bullet grazed my side, and I stumbled.

“No, Mya,” I screamed, scrambling to get to her.

Mya locked eyes with me and fired. I grabbed her limp body.

“No! No! No! Mya.”

I rocked her body as blood seeped into the white snow. Her last words echoed in my brain. What the hell had I done? Guilt clawed at my chest. I never meant to push her to take her life…this wasn’t what I wanted even if I didn’t love her anymore. She deserved better.

“I’m so sorry,” I whispered.

I’d forgotten about Lawrence until I heard the engine and squealing tires. Gunshots rang out, but he was already gone.

“No…no…Dad…no,” Ren wailed as she ran outside and skidded to her knees, clutching Neal to her chest.

“That fucker is not getting away,” Blake snarled.

“Liam, stay here with Ren. Theo and Myles go home and do what you can. Nash, you’re with me,” Blake ordered and held out his hand to Marcus. “Key. Now.”

Marcus glanced at me as I laid Mya’s lifeless body on the cold ground. I closed her eyes and stood. Ren was sobbing as she clung to Neal. Blake was right…this had to end tonight.

“Give him the keys,” I ordered.