“Don’t talk about her,” I tell her weakly.
“Why not?” she asks me. “The truth is about to come out, anyway—one way or the other. I assume you know the full story, of course?”
I look down and she lets out another victorious chuckle. Max has told me bits and pieces about what happened with his ex-girlfriend, but I don’t know the whole story.
“She’s dead,” I say simply. “She’s gone. That’s all that matters.”
“You’re stupider than your own mother, girl,” she replies. “Yes, of course she’s dead. But do you know how she died?”
“She committed suicide,” I reply. It’s a painful subject, and I’d prefer not to talk about it. To be honest, I’d just like to kick this woman out of here and get rid of her once and for all, but it seems like that isn’t going to happen. She seems determined to finish our conversation.
“That’s not quite it,” she replies. “Did Max not tell you the whole story, then?”
I give her a heated look. “What full story?”
Another fucking laugh that makes me want to slap her. I mentally apologize to Max for my rudeness, but I cannot stand this woman. She’s bossy, rude and patronizing as hell.
“So what’s the real story, then?” I ask bravely, lifting my head up high.
Judith breathes in deeply and it’s obvious how much she’s enjoying this. She can’t wait to ruin my life—maybe she found out what happened with my mom and is now out to ruin her life, too. In the end, it doesn’t really matter, because the next few words she delivers completely shatter me.
“Quinn was pregnant,” she says matter-of-factly.
“No,” I reply. “She couldn’t have been.”
“Has nobody told you about the birds and the bees?” Judith laughs, shaking her head. “Of course she was. And we did the best thing we could’ve done for our boy.”
“Does he know?” I manage to get out. “Does Max know Quinn was pregnant when she killed herself?”
“Stupid girl,” Judith groans. “You still don’t understand. She never killed herself.”
“She’s alive?” I breathe in deep, my hands shaking.
“No, she died in childbirth.” Judith delivers this information as if it’s nothing, and my chest tightens when she says it. I can’t believe she’d hide something like that from her own son.
“Of course, we made sure he never knew,” she continues coolly. “Max doesn’t know about the deaths. Of the child and the mother—they both passed.”
I feel tears welling in my eyes, knowing this would break Max completely, but I am not convinced hiding it from him is that much better. It seems like he should be made aware of the situation. Not that it’s my call to make.
“Are you here to tell him about it?” I ask Judith, and she shakes her head.
“I’m here to warn you,” she replies.
“About Max?”
“About me.” She gives me a long, lingering look that chills me to the bone. I’m afraid of this woman. I want her to leave me alone, let me enjoy the life I’m finally starting to build with her son. But with every hateful look from her eyes, I come closer to realizing she won’t let that happen so easily.
“I’m an influential woman, Lola Grace.” The fact that she is finally using my name doesn’t mean I feel more comfortable. Her tone is threatening and it’s obvious she knows who I am, which probably means she also knows Max has broken their deal with my mother.
“I know how to make your life a fucking nightmare. Like that little movie you filmed,” she says. My blood freezes. “Releasing that would be the start of what I could do, but there’s plenty more ways of fucking up your life, trust me.”
“Why do you want to do that?” I ask her with a shaky voice. “I haven’t done anything wrong. The only thing I’ve done is love your son.”
“Well, love means having to make sacrifices,” she replies sweetly. “The first one being, you need to get the fuck away from my Max. Or I’m going to tell him exactly what happened with your three friends. What a fucking whore you are.”
I feel sick to my stomach as I stare at the woman in front of me. She’s straight-out threatening me now. And the worst part is, it’s working.
“What do you want me to do?” I ask.
She puts it simply. “Leave. Just get out of his life, get out of this fucking apartment. You’re not wanted or needed here. Remember girl, if you don’t leave, I can make your life a living hell. And your mother’s, and Max’s.”
She gets up from the couch when she’s done talking, and I follow suit, my whole body shaking.
“Do you need me to show you the way out?” she asks me sweetly.
14
Max
By the time I’ve finished getting Lola Grace’s stuff, it’s almost noon. I almost feel like I took my sweet time on purpose, because I want to run into Annabel. I want to tell her what I think of her face-to-face. That way, it’s going to hurt a lot more.
I’ve just ended up piling some bags in the hallway when a key rattles in the door. In walks Annabel, and lo and behold, the man she was fucking when I walked in on her is with her.
“Great to see you,” I say sarcastically when they waltz into the apartment. “Glad you finally showed the fuck up.”
With that, I don’t leave them time to reply. I simply walk up to Lola Grace’s stepfather and hit him square in the face, sending him flying against the wall.
Annabel shrieks and rushes to his side as blood runs down his face. She’s careful not to get any of it on her expensive white suit, though, and it makes me smirk at the two of them. They’re so fucking pathetic.
“What the fuck are you doing here?” Annabel bites out while the man groans.
“Getting your daughter’s stuff,” I reply simply. “Since you successfully intimidated her enough. Not that I’m complaining—I wouldn’t miss a fucking chance to throw a punch.”
I glare at the prick on the ground, thinking about all the stuff Lola Grace told me about him. The way he used to look at her, the fucking pornography he got busted for, and seeing him fuck Annabel in front of my goddamn eyes.
“Get out of here,” Annabel snarls at me. The man still isn’t saying a word. Too fucking busy wiping his bloody nose. I find myself desperately wishing I could add another punch, another kick to this guy’s face. But I need to stay focused.
“Are you going to honor your end of the deal, Annabel?” I ask pointedly. “There’s a reason my parents agreed to this, and I did too. I think we both know what it is.”
“You mean you want my money?” she snarls, coming up to me. “You’re not getting a fucking cent, Rivers.”
I grasp her wrists when she attempts to hit me, and she whimpers underneath my touch. Is shocks me to find her cruel eyes full of longing as they lock with mine. This bitch is still fucking attracted to me, after all the shit we’ve all been through. Unbelievable.
“Stay the fuck away from me,” I say. “Deal with my parents in regards to the money. I’m sure they’ll be happy as a clam to find out how you cheated them. Thankfully they’re fucking lawyers, and I’m sure they could do a number on your hubby and you if you don’t comply.”
Annabel pales as I let go of her wrists. She disgusts me and I don’t want to spend another moment touching her skin. I gather Lola Grace’s suitcases and head for the door.
“Max?” Annabel calls after me softly when I’m almost out the door.
I know what she’s about to do. Plead for my forgiveness one last time and try to make things work in her favor. But I’m not giving her that fucking option.
Without looking back, I shut the front door and head for the stairs. No fucking way, Annabel. We’re done.
A horrible feeling of dread washes over me as my cab stops back in front of my building. I had all of Lola Grace’s stuff delivered there earlier while I spent an hour in the office. I had to take care of some loose strings with the contract we signed a while ago.
The thought of Lola
Grace being in that movie, letting those men fuck her, still fucking pains me. I’d rather just not think about it at all, but my mind tends to wander and I torture myself with thoughts of my pretty kitten with another man.
I might not ever understand why she did it, but I am ready to forgive her. I can only hope she can give me the full truth some day. Because I know there’s more to it than what she’s told me.
I climb out of the cab and head back to my apartment. I should be feeling ecstatic about seeing my girl again, but instead there’s a feeling of horrible dread in the pit of my stomach.
Opening the front door of my apartment, I’m surprised to find it quiet and the atmosphere horribly tense. My mood only worsens when I walk into the living room, finding my mother on the couch instead of Lola Grace.
“What are you doing here, mom?” I ask her, feeling confused.
She gets up from the couch and gives me a tight, cold hug. Unusual for her, and it makes me suspicious. “What’s going on?” I ask.
“Aren’t you happy to see me?” she huffs, and I offer her a strained smile.
“I’m just not sure what I’ve done to deserve your visit,” I offer lamely. What I’ve done wrong, that is, I add in my mind.
“I wanted to see how you were doing,” she replies with a shrug. “Make sure you were all right.”
“Where is she?” I ask right away, because I have a bad feeling about all of this.
“The girl?” my mother asks in turn, sounding bored.
“Her name is Lola Grace,” I reply through gritted teeth. “And I’d like to see her now, please.”
“Oh, darling, that might be a little difficult,” my mother says sweetly. “I’m afraid she’s gone for the day.”
“Gone where?” My body feels cold and my mind hazy. I want to grab and shake my mother, but I refrain from doing so and tell myself I’m being crazy. Surely there’s just some kind of huge misunderstanding here.
“I told her to leave,” mom tells me, and my hands tighten into fists. “She really wasn’t right for you.”
“That’s not your fucking call to make!” I shout, and she gives me a cool look. I sigh tiredly, massaging my temples and trying to get the message through to her. I need to find Lola Grace, and I need to find her now. “Just tell me where she is.”
“Somewhere else,” she shrugs. “God knows. She didn’t take much when she left.”
She reaches for her purse, but I’ve had it. I can’t take any more of her lies. I grab her by the shoulders and shake her, not hard, but not too gently either.
“What did you do?” I ask her. “What have you fucking done?”
“What was needed,” she replies. “What I had to do, Maxwell Rivers!”
“You’re fucking delusional,” I reply. I collapse on the couch, running my fingers through my hair. This can’t fucking happen again. Not after I lost Quinn so horribly. I can’t let go of Lola Grace as well.
“It worked out the first time,” mom says defiantly. “With Quinn.”
“What about her?” My voice holds a warning, but it’s as if my mother doesn’t even hear it as she goes on.
“You’re better off without her,” she says simply. “It was a godsend that they’re gone. Her and the baby.”
I instantly pale. I can feel the color draining from my cheeks as I stare at my mother. She looks right back at me, smiling in my face while my blood pushes adrenaline into my veins like a fucking drug.
“What are you talking about?” I ask again. “Explain. Explain right the fuck now.”
“Max, you must’ve figured it out by now,” she says with a small smile. “Quinn died, but not when you thought she did.”
“What the fuck?” I manage to choke out.
“She was pregnant, Max,” my mom tells me. “She didn’t want the baby. We sent her away when she told us what was going on—it was her wish to do so. Unfortunately, she died during childbirth. Not anyone’s fault, Max darling.”
I can only stare at her as I let all this information sink in. “You led me to believe she committed suicide,” I tell her. “You told me that. You made me feel guilty for what happened. And you made me your fucking puppet for all this with Annabel!”
My mother shrugs. “It was a means to an end, honey.”
I want to strangle her. I practically jump off the couch as the full truth of what she’s told me sinks in. I had a child. I had a fucking child, and Quinn died with him or her.
I want to die. I want to kill someone. I want to scream.
“Get out,” I tell my mother calmly instead.
“Don’t overreact, Max,” she says softly. “It’s all going to be all right. Your father and I just want what’s best for you.”
“You know,” I say coolly. “All these years I thought dad was the problem. He was the one who was gambling, losing all the hard earned money. But it was you all along, mom. You’re the one who’s been ruining my fucking life.”
“Max,” she scolds me. “Language.”
“Get the fuck out,” I tell her again. This time, I step closer and intimidate her with my frame. “Out of this goddamn apartment and out of my fucking life.”
“You’re overreacting,” she tells me with a smile and a shaky hand, reaching out to caress me. I move away before she can do that. The thought of touching her makes me sick.
“Leave, or I’ll fucking throw you out.” I grab her hand and shove her towards the door. I’m not going to hurt her. She’s a woman, and my mother, no less. But I’m never going to speak to her again.
And right now, all I need to do is find my woman.
I don’t stop until my mother is one step out of the door.
“Max,” she says pleadingly. “Take a moment to reconsider. You still have your commitment to Annabel.”
I laugh bitterly in her face. “The marriage is void,” I tell her simply. “Her first husband is still alive. She’s legally married to another man.”
I can see the color draining from my mother’s face and it secretly pleases me. She’s a horrible fucking woman, and it’s my own fault I haven’t noticed that before.
“What about…” she asks, and for a second, I almost think she cares about me. About what has happened to my fucked up life in the past few months. “What about the money?”
I just stare at her. “Why don’t you ask Annabel?” I suggest. “Since she’s obviously the one who sent you here to mess up my life some more.”
With that, I shut the door in her face and march into the living room. The cat is hiding under the couch, but I’m too fucked up to worry about him now. I want to fucking strangle my mother and Annabel, preferably both at the same time. I have no fucking idea where Lola Grace is, but I know that if my mother talked to her, she must be scared as hell.
I need to find her and make things right again, and I need to do it fast. But I’ve got no fucking clue where to look…
After a fruitless attempt to contact Lola Grace’s friend Stacy/Kendra—she just disconnected the call as soon as I dialed the number she gave me that time at the bar—I realize my best bet is to make some calls and try to find my girl that way.
Fear is taking ahold of my body, and I’m panicking. I haven’t even had time to fully process everything my mother told me about Quinn, and I feel like I’m real fucking close to a goddamn breakdown. But I can’t let it happen just yet. Not until I’ve taken care of Lola Grace.
I decide to head to my office and call my friend Jeff, the one I went to the bar with all those months ago. He’s always been a good friend and I know he’s done some investigative stuff before—seedy, low-paying jobs spying on someone’s girlfriend or some shit. I decide I might as well call him and try to get him to help me find Lola Grace.
The cab drive to the office is exhausting, and I’ve cracked my knuckles a thousand times before finally arriving at the building. I head upstairs with my head down low, not saying hi to anyone. I don’t have time for chit chat today. I need to find her. I need to make sure she�
��s okay.
The receptionist rushes after me to tell me something, but I shrug her off.
“Mr. River, please,” she gushes in a panic, but I give her a single look that shuts her up immediately. I’m sure she’s going to deliver more information about some client or something like that, and I can’t deal with it right now.
I leave her behind and step into my office.
It’s shrouded in darkness, and I close the door behind me, clicking the lock in place. Even though it’s still daytime outside, this place is black and depressing as hell. Someone’s rolled down all the blinds, and all I can see is shadows on the walls.
I turn on a lamp on my desk, and it illuminates the room.
In the middle of my floor, right next to the couch where I fucked her last night, Lola Grace is sprawled.
My heart hitches as I make my way to her in a hurry, sitting down on the floor next to her. Her skirt is spread out in a circle around her ass, and she’s sitting on her knees. She looks fucking stunning, even with her makeup smudged all around her eyes and her hair a fucking mess.
“More beautiful than ever,” I mutter half to myself, half to her.
She smiles.
“Are you okay?” I ask her softly, my hand finding hers on her lap. “I was so fucking worried, Lola Grace. I thought something awful happened to you. You just took off like that…”
“It’s okay,” she replies in a shaky voice. “I’m fine.”
“I know my mom did a number on you,” I say. “I’m so fucking sorry. I kicked her out, Lola Grace, she won’t bother us again.”
“Did she tell you?” she asks in a choked-up voice, and I look away. I don’t want her to see the fucking pain my mother caused me. It’s enough to have to bear it on my own.
“She did,” I answer quietly.
“Are you okay?”
“I will be,” I reply honestly. “I will be if you come home with me.”
“I knew she was a bad person,” Lola Grace says. “From the moment she walked in, I knew it. She wanted to get rid of me. She wanted to see me leave.”
His Brat: A Dark Bad Boy Romance Page 12
