Page 4 of Say You'll Stay
“He adopted you? I hadn’t seen the news.”
“Fuck you.” The response is venomous. Obviously, a touchy subject.
“You seem bored.”
“You don’t know a thing about me, old man.”
“I know your kind of excitement is using a fake ID to get into a bar, snort some coke, and cut off the hair of an Insta model, which screams boredom to me. It’s giving big loser energy.”
He stiffens defensively. “I’m fucking popular. Every bitch around wants in my pants, and every guy wants to be me. Have you seen my wheels? Custom V12 Lambo with hand-stitched Napa leather?—”
“I don’t care.” I am not interested in listening to this little shit talk about the things Ware has bought him so he doesn’t have to actually parent. “If you really want to do something interesting, call this number.” I flip him a card.
There’s no need to wait for an answer. Curiosity will drive him to contact me. I know his type. The question is once I have him in my trap, what do I do with the sociopath? I can’t easily make sixteen-year-old rich boys disappear, especially ones connected to Ware, but as long as this kid remains in the sphere of Jasmine Ware, my woman is out of my reach.
Things have to change, and I’ve run out of patience.
Chapter Three
VASEY
Iget up early to ambush Ware. He hardly ever loiters anywhere in the house in the morning. It’s almost like he wants to make an escape before anyone can catch him, so I station myself by the front door. Kai eyes me suspiciously.
“Don’t piss him off,” he warns.
An angry Ware makes for a miserable household. A moment later, the clickety clack of his dress shoes bounce off the tile. Kai moves toward the door in anticipation.
Ware narrows his eyes at me. “What’s wrong with Jasmine?”
“There have been a lot of small animals that she’s come across that have met with unfortunate endings.”
“Killed, you mean?”
“Yes.”
“And you think you know who did it?”
“I have some sus?—”
“Darling, off so early?” Roberta’s loud voice echoes off the marble floors.
I spin around to see her practically running across the floor, her diaphanous robe billowing like a queen’s train behind her.
“This is the same time I always leave.” Ware arches an eyebrow. “Whatever dispute the two of you are having, workit out. You can submit your suspicions to me in a report with documented evidence.” This last instruction is directed to me, which means I’m getting nowhere with him. It’s not like I have anything more than photos of dead animals, Jasmine’s fear, and my hunches. No amount of bullet points and Times New Roman fonts are going to help me.
Kai opens the door.
“Don’t forget we have the Nock Ball this Saturday,” Roberta trills.
Ware pauses, gives a terse nod, and then is gone. As soon as the door closes, Roberta turns to me. The slap comes so fast I don’t have time to duck.
“Don’t you dare try to set my son up,” she seethes.
“I never named your son.”
She slaps me again. Kai steps forward, but Roberta shakes her finger in his direction. “I’m the woman in the household. I run this place. If I want to slap you, I can. Report me and Ware will bury you and everyone you know six feet under the ground.”
Kai retreats, and I stand there like an idiot because Roberta’s not wrong. Ware takes the family’s reputation seriously, and me reporting that I was struck by his wife would result in character assassination so severe that I’d be lucky to get a job sucking waste out of the river through a straw.