Page 8 of Shattered Saint
"I can see the way you're looking at her. I know what's going through your head."
"Once again, you don't know me at all. Your sister should be given the opportunity to make her own decisions."
Nash's jaw clenched and his shoulders stiffened. I knew if we hadn’t been at this event right now, he would have thrown a punch. Then again, based on how he was looking at me and clearly struggling to keep his emotions in check, he still might.
"I know she can, but I'm taking care of this little problem for her. So once again, let me make myself perfectly clear. Stay away from Bianca."
“There’s nothing little about me, Nash.” I let my comment sit in the air and marinate between the two of us. I watched as his eyes flashed and I knew he was going to hit me, but to save him the embarrassment, I said, “I wasn't thinking about her in that way, but don't try to tell me what to do. Trust me, the ending won’t be pretty."
"Let's keep it that way. When it comes to my sister, I'll do anything to protect her. Remember that." Nash paused for a moment before unfolding his arms and sticking his hand out in front of him. "If you promise not to go anywhere near her, I'll forget that we ever had this conversation."
I stared at his hand, unsure of how this was going to play out. With my arrival in Brentson, I'd entered his playground. Since I was the new kid in town and plenty of people from all over the world came to Brentson just to go to school, pissing Nash Henson off right out the gate wouldn't be the best decision I'd ever made. Especially because of the relationship that was now developing between our parents.
I wasn't exactly sure about the pros and cons of my parents’ newfound "friendship" with the Hensons, but I knew that there was a reason for my parents showing up tonight and it wasn't just to socialize. There was more than likely a lot riding on this, and I couldn't throw it all away over thinking Bianca Henson was hot as fuck.
"Easton?" Nash’s face hardened as his patience with me waned.
I waited another couple of seconds before I extended my hand and together, we shook on it. "You have a deal."
Nash smiled at me, happy that we came to a decision that was beneficial for him. The uneasy feeling that crept up my spine about us talking about this behind Bianca's back had only grown stronger.
"Good."
The heavy air that surrounded us lifted, but that didn’t lessen my annoyance about this situation. I folded my arms across my chest again and this time, Nash mirrored me. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Bianca was walking toward us, having no idea what had just occurred between her brother and me.
Nash turned to his sister and said, "I'm sure Mom and Dad will be over here soon, so I'm going to head out. If they ask where I am…"
"I'll tell them that I have no idea," she replied.
"Excellent. I'll see you later." Nash cut his eyes over at me before he gave Bianca a small nod. He walked away and I was alone with Bianca.
It didn’t escape me that he'd now left me alone with her after this deal he came up with. Was this a test? The tension in my arms was becoming unbearable as I resisted the urge to pull her into my embrace and take her out of this room that she clearly wanted to leave. What the hell was wrong with me?
"Bianca! Bianca!" I looked over my shoulder and watched as Elizabeth, Nash and Bianca’s mother, walked toward us. "I have some people I want you to meet."
Bianca turned to me, and I stood there, momentarily stunned. I debated coming up with an excuse for why she should stay here, but I thought better of coming between her and her family.
"I'll see you later?" Her voice showcased her vulnerability, and I could only imagine what was going through her mind.
"Sure,” I said in return.
Her mother looked between Bianca and I, and then she said, "Your parents should be making their way over here right now. I'm sorry to take her away."
Before another word could be spoken, Bianca's mother grabbed her arm and pulled her away. It was probably for the best.
I found myself debating what I wanted to do as I awkwardly stood around. I didn't want to get pulled into another conversation with someone I didn't know. I looked around the room to see if I could spot my parents but came up short. Before someone could take this as an opportunity to take pity on me and start up a conversation, I left the ballroom and walked into the foyer.
While I hadn't had a chance to explore much of the Henson family home, their foyer and ballroom were the definition of extravagant. It wouldn't be much of a leap to assume that their entire home followed the same theme. The marble floors were sparkling even with the amount of traffic I was sure they'd gotten tonight. The staircase was striking, and I could imagine watching Bianca walk down the stairs to greet everyone at this party. There was a large table to the left of the stairs where a beautiful flower arrangement sat. The centerpieces in the ballroom were designed to be smaller versions of this one in the foyer.
"Easton."
I would recognize my mother’s voice anywhere. I turned around and came face-to-face with my parents, who were probably wondering why I was staring at a flower arrangement.
"Mom, Dad," I said in return. Their facial expressions didn't give away what they were thinking. Part of me was a little curious, but for the most part I didn't care, because what good would it do?
I expected my father to say something, but I was surprised when my mother spoke up."Why are you alone? What happened to Nash and Bianca?"
"Nash left the party, and Mrs. Henson took Bianca to introduce her to some people."
