Page 119 of Vicious Desire (Fallen Royals 4)

“That girl is more trouble than she’s worth,” Dad warns. “We loved her like our own, and then when she hurt us—”

“Stop.”

Us.

I can’t keep doing this.

I came back to Emery-Rose determined to make her pay. Not just Riley, but her whole damn family.

But how can I collect payment when she’s already given so much? And even when I guarded against her, she still got under my skin.

So here she’ll stay.

I narrow my eyes. “Enough, Dad.”

I feel old and young at the same time. Ancient and fresh. It’s an odd thing.

“We’ll talk about this later,” he warns.

No we won’t. We didn’t talk about it for almost a year, because deep down, he blames me just as much as the Appletons.

Detective Masters brings Riley and her dad back over to us. She crosses to me and takes my hand, and we both step back as our fathers face each other.

“You ever touch my son again, and I’ll have your license stripped away from you,” Dad warns.

Oh god.

Riley’s dad sneers. “A lovely tune, coming from you.”

Detective Masters claps. “Well, this is fun. Mr. Black, how about you come with me downstairs? I suppose I can trust you to behave while I’m gone, Appleton?”

Riley’s dad just gives Masters a wry look.

He accepts it, though, and then my only protection is gone.

Not that I really need protection…

“You can stay because I can see my daughter has somehow forgiven you,” her dad says. “But for the love of God, stay out of Noah’s room.” He turns away and adds, “Or else he’ll give you a matching black eye.”

30

Riley

This is déjà vu, and I hate it.

Mom’s hand is limp in mine. She’s been sedated for the last twelve hours, give or take, and the only sleep I’ve gotten has been in this chair.

They pumped her stomach, which made her hysterical.

A psych evaluation was ordered, but not before a heavy-handed nurse administered a sedative that knocked her out… perhaps overly effective.

Dad pushes Noah into the room, and they both frown in unison when they see me.

I must look like hell.

“Well?” I demand, half rising. “Did they tell you—”

“A suicide attempt is a mandatory seventy-two-hour hold,” Dad says gently. “They’re going to evaluate her and we’ll go from there.”