Page 2 of Iron Princess
Her gaze dropped to my chest. “Kane, don’t go jumping to conclusions. It’s not gonna do anyone any good. You know me. Clumsy old lady these days.”
“You’re not clumsy and you’re not old. I’m gonna fucking kill that bastard for laying a hand on you.” I released my light grip on her face to turn around. “He at work?”
Her attention cut to my face, her blue eyes wide with panic. “Please, Kane. You can’t. Don’t even think about it.”
“Why not?” My hands shook with the rage charging through my bloodstream. “Court in session? Good. Then they can all watch me beat the judge to a pulp.”
I took one step, but she reached out and grabbed my arm, her perfectly manicured nails digging into my skin.
“And what do you think is gonna happen when you leave? You think getting him all riled up is going to make it go better for me somehow?”
I turned, my jaw clenched. “Then I won’t go back.”
She gave my arm another tug. “You have to. You’re making something of yourself. And if you don’t, you’ll go to prison. I’m not visiting my son in prison. You hear me?”
“Tell me this was the first time he’s ever touched you.” I knew no matter what she said, I wouldn’t believe it, even though I wanted to. I hoped it would calm the storm raging in my blood.
The fine lines bracketing her mouth deepened into grooves as she pinched her lips tight. Her voice shook as she said, “It was my own fault. I dropped his favorite whiskey and the bottle shattered. He’s just come off a terrible trial. I should’ve been more careful.”
Listening to my mother try to justify my stepfather’s actions was like someone taking a knife to my gut.
“Leave him, Ma. Now. Today.”
Her lips trembled before they pressed together. “It’s not a big deal, Kane. I swear. And I’m not gonna file for divorce over something trivial like this.”
Trivial?
I shook my head as I listened to her. “How can you possibly think this is trivial? He fucking hit you. No man who raises a hand to a woman in anger can still call himself a man. He needs to be taught a lesson, and I’m sure as hell capable of being the one to teach it.”
Her grip tightened. “Did you come back here to stir up trouble and make my life more difficult? Because that’s what you’re fixing to do. If you give a damn about my life and me living it as peacefully as possible, you’ll pretend you didn’t see a thing. I’ll do a better job on my makeup after I fix up your room.”
Disgust flooded my system, mixing with rage, and I didn’t know what to do. I wouldn’t be a man worth a damn if I let this go unpunished, but what kind of son would I be if I went against her wishes?
I pulled my arm free of her grip. “Don’t bother fixing up my room. I won’t stay here and face that bullshit excuse of a man without ripping the arms off his body and beating him to death with them.”
The blood drained from her face. “Kane, please. Just ... forget it all. You can’t say anything to him. He’s been under a lot of stress with this trial.”
“Don’t worry. I won’t say shit to him, because he ain’t gonna see me while I’m here. That man is dead to me.”
“He’s your stepfather.”
“He’s a fucking bastard. Has been since the day you married him.”
“He took care of us when we needed it.”
“Tell yourself whatever you want. I’ll get you out of here, set you up near base, give you every dime of my paycheck, and make sure you don’t want for anything. Just tell me you’ll leave, and we’ll pack the car right now. You’ll be gone before he gets home for dinner.”
“You know I’m not leaving your gran. She might not know my name, but I’m all she’s got.”
“Then we’ll take her too.”
Ma’s eyes went hard, telling me I was wasting my breath. “You should go wash up for supper.”
I squeezed my eyes shut and shook my head. “I’ll find somewhere else to stay.”
“Kane, wait—”
I turned and strode down the hallway.
