Page 53 of Unlocking Ruin

“No,” he smirks sardonically. “I’ll call you something else.”

His eyes drop to my lips. I roll mine in, feeling insecure under his stare.

“Your father decided to keep you hidden, not bring you into the fold,” Steffen adds as he sits taller. “We wanted to know why. So we studied you, watched from a distance.”

“And what did you find out?”

“Love and fear prevented Alister from publicly acknowledging you,” he replies without pause. “As a first born in our world you have duties you can’t escape, Rylan. You’d be forced to work at BANKS Corp, forced to become part of something darker. Alister was just trying to give you what none of us had—a normal life. It was safer to keep you ignorant. And you know what? I agreed. You were safer for a while. Secrets always are at first.” He whispers the last statement; his tone causes alarms to blare in my head. A secret came out, and it harmed him greatly.

My tongue scrapes the roof of my mouth for moisture.

“When Frank ousted your identity, it changed everything. You’re in the fold now. You will always need protection, Rylan. Kings do not rule the world, thieves control it,” he states sternly, but with a hint of pain.

“We all knew about the hack, how you stole the money from Frank. Alister knew. We wanted to see what you would do. Alister was on a plane; he was going to Switzerland to confront Frank and your mother, but Frank made the phone call and outed you before Alister landed. Alister had asked me to watch you.”

“That’s why you were in the library?”

He nods.

“Why did you let me live alone if I was being hunted?”

“I wanted you for myself,” he replies without pausing. “I told Alister you slipped away. I told him I’d find you.”

“But you knew all along.”

“I gave you four more months of freedom. That’s all I could afford.”

“You play the hero, but I see no cape. This might be your fortress of solitude, but I can’t say it’s mine.”

He widens his legs and shifts forward. The air thickens, and the fire’s heat becomes unbearable.

“If you want a ‘thank you,’ you won’t get it,” I choke out, trying to escape his stare.

Resting his jaw in the palm of his hand, he covers his smirk.

Heat blooms deep in my belly. I try to meet his gaze, but I can’t hold it. My eyes drop to the plush rug beneath us.

Steffen rises and approaches the fire; taking the poker, he fans the flames. He returns the poker to its stand, but rather than sitting, he places his hands on the mantle, as if he’s Lord of the Flames. With his back to me, he stares into the flames as if he’s silently battling them.

“So now Alister’s enemies are after me. That’s why you came and took me. You’re working with Alister to keep me safe.”

He tilts his head to the left and nods slightly.

“What am I supposed to do?” I snap. I’ve had enough of sitting around. I stand.

Steffen turns.

“Will Alister ever come?” I throw my hands up. “What is an absent father supposed to say? If you can call him absent, that is? Mom lied too, and you said he paid for me, so I guess that means he cares.” I voice all this in a rush. Reaching up, I nervously scratch my scalp.

“Alister will come eventually, but first we have to deal with the mess. Once it’s cleaned up, we will sort you out.”

I walk to the wall-sized window and place my hand on the cool glass. “I feel wanted and unwanted at the same time. Is any of this worth it? Am I worth the trouble? I’m a child of a woman who lied to save her own skin, and in a way, I can’t blame her. How do I know Alister won’t just shrug his shoulders and decide I’m not worth the effort?”

The glass reflects Steffen’s gleaming image as he stands and watches me. My skin feels too tight. I want to tear myself open so Steffen can see what’s inside and realize I’m not worth it.

I just want to scream.

I want to run… right into his arms.