The Insiders by Tijan

FIFTY

“You talked.”

It came out as an accusation, from my own mother. She was sneering as she said it. The pool was in an uproar, as Matt’s friends had just arrived, and I tuned all of them out.

“What are you talking about?”

“You and your father.” She was full-on sneering at me. It wasn’t even slight. It was covering her whole face. “You and he talked. I can read it on you.” She hiccupped to herself, turning away. “Damn shame.”

“Hey!” I snapped. “He’s my father. It was about time he came to me, and you know it. I don’t get why you’re all pissed about it. He said you chewed him out for ignoring me.”

She stopped, then huffed. “I did, but…” She half turned away, dropping her voice low. “Just don’t forget about your mama, okay?”

Oh, God.

I reached for her, but she stepped away and grabbed Cyclone up as he was running by. He laughed, trying to pull away, and the two were in a game of tag within seconds. She was darting, veering around everyone, and somehow Seraphina ended up pushed into the pool. Cyclone pivoted back and pushed my mom in as she was extending a hand to Ser, then jumped in over them.

He was happy.

Seraphina was happy, too.

Glancing over the pool, I saw Quinn smiling fondly at both of them, too. Then her face tightened up when my mom’s head popped back up, and her head lifted, finding me across the pool. Her smile faded completely and, her shoulders stiffening, she headed inside the house.

“You’re temporary, you know.”

Damn.

I turned. Victoria had sidled up next to me, and—bully for her—I just now realized I had pulled back until I was standing in the corner. No one was within hearing distance. She got me. But wait. No. Bully for me. She’d been pissed about me since the beginning. I had a gut feeling it was always about Kash, with everyone saying he was her ex, but maybe it was time I found out.

I sighed. “What’s your problem with me?”

She grinned, holding a wineglass in hand. “Just one?”

She’d darkened her hair so it looked like a sunset, a wheat blond mixing in with bright highlights. Long limbs. Long legs. A pastel yellow tunic, sheer enough that her white bikini could be seen, ended just over the tops of her legs. She didn’t wear shorts, just her bikini bottoms. Her heels were high, but sparkly and pink. Sunglasses covered her eyes, and she had a slight smattering of lip gloss coating her mouth.

I didn’t rise to her bait. “How long did you and Kash date?”

Her eyebrows shot up. I’d caught her off guard. But she recovered quickly, shifting back on her heels and saying smoothly, “We were together for two years.” She hesitated before plunging forward. “But I’ve known him forever.”

I was trying to see it. I was.

I was trying to run the math in my head of Kash with her, but I couldn’t see it. This was a conversation I should run by Kash, not her. I’d seen too much to know I shouldn’t believe whatever she had to say. I wasn’t a jealous person, though I could feel intimidated, pushed down.

I’d just feel hurt, not anger.

Which was happening now, slightly, because there was a small voice in the back of my head wondering why he picked me.

I tuned back in to what Victoria was saying.

“Kash and I are meant to be together. Everyone knows it. Why do you think Quinn has me come over for Seraphina?” She was so haughty as she was talking. “I’m family. Already. He’ll get tired of you. You’re just a novelty to him, a brand-new shiny toy. Trust me; he’ll come back to me. He always does.” She sounded so assured.

But I still couldn’t see it because he had not once looked at her, not ever. If Victoria’s name was mentioned, he never even paused.

He would have. There would’ve been a look, if he had cared, if she was the one he was meant to be with. So I told her my thoughts.

The look on her face. Dark and stormy.

“You don’t know anything.” She lowered her head, almost hissing under her breath. “They’ll all get tired of you, and they’ll remember why you weren’t brought into the family in the first place. There’s a reason you were kept a secret. Once the press stops giving a shit about you—and that’ll happen too—you’ll be shipped back to where you came from. Everyone will forget you. Matt. Seraphina. Cyclone. They’ll all move on, continue with their lives, because you’re beneath them. You’re a secret. You aren’t worthy of this family.”

The words stung.

I gritted my teeth. “You don’t know anything.”

“I know that—”

“Enough!” A growl erupted from behind us, and we both whirled.

I gulped.

Victoria paled.

Peter was standing there. Hands fisted. Steam coming out of his head. Jaw clenched. He was pissed. He swung his gaze to me. “Is that what people have been saying to you? That you aren’t worthy of this family?”

“Mr. Francis—”

He didn’t cut her off. He didn’t say anything to make Victoria jump back, but he looked at her. That was it. Just a look. One deep and withering look that said everything. If the girl spoke up again, she was risking her life

and

That.

Was.

Awesome.

Suddenly, all those words she’d said to me weren’t so piercing anymore.

But he was still waiting for me to answer, and as he looked back to me, I ducked my head down. It was one thing seeing how he eviscerated Victoria with a look, but it was a different thing to have the father I never knew, who’d been ignoring me, who finally just spoke to me for the first time tonight, look at me as if he was viewing me with a whole new filter.

Things. Annoying things were clogging my throat.

“What’s going on?”

Matt and Kash came over. Kash spoke over my head. “What’d you say, Vic?”

Vic.

God. He had a nickname for her.

“Nothing—”

Peter overrode her. “She spewed out a bunch of bullshit, that’s what she was saying.” He took a beat, saying more softly, “Bailey.” He waited. Then, “Look at me. Please.”

I did, but I didn’t want to. I didn’t have the emotions in check, and a tear slid down my face.

I heard Chrissy gasp as she was rounding the pool, too.

Hayes women didn’t cry. We endured. We were tough. We kept going.

We did not cry.

Except these eye things kept leaking. They were broken.

“What the hell?” There was my mama bear, growling. “What’d you say to her?” But she wasn’t accusing Victoria. Her words were directed at Peter, her finger in the air.

He threw his head up, an incredulous look on his face. “Keep your hate in check, woman. I’m trying to make things right, for once. And I’m done waiting around.” He swept the entire pool area in a gaze, his eyes falling and pinning to me. He spoke up. “Labor Day is in a week and a half. We will be having a party that day.”

Quinn came forward. “Honey?”

Matt frowned. “Dad?”

His jaw clenched. “It’s time I announce my daughter to the world.”

He wasn’t done.

He turned to my mom. “I am never letting her go, not again. Do not push me on this, and do not make this difficult. I will take you on if I have to.”

“She’s an adult. No one’s got custody of her,” Quinn was saying, coming forward in her own high heels and wearing an outfit remarkably similar to Victoria’s. “She can make her own decisions—”

“Exactly!” He was skewering his wife and my mother at the same time, with the same look. “She’s a part of this family from now on. I will hear nothing against this, do you both understand?”

I was confused. Not about Quinn, but my mom. Chrissy hadn’t been trying to talk me into leaving. She had stayed. She was just as locked in with Seraphina, Matt, and Cyclone as I was. But I still saw that guilt. That was there for a reason.

A hand came to my back. Kash. He slid it up to my nape. “Security will have to be tight.”

Some of the fight left Peter, and he dipped his head in an abrupt nod. He raked a hand through his hair, rubbing it briskly over his face, but his other hand was still in a fist. “Yes. We’ll put together a protocol.” He said to me, “I hope you’re okay with this, but you are my daughter. You have always been my daughter, and it’s time everyone realized how your place is here with us and should’ve always been.” He glowered at Victoria once more, but she had faded from my side, starting to turn so she was hidden behind her friends.

He stalked off after that. Quinn went after him.

My mom faltered, watching me, and I shook my head. I didn’t want to hear whatever she was going to say. My mom always meant well, but maybe she wasn’t always the right person to listen to.

Kash then clipped out, “What did she say to you?”