A Lighter Shade of Blue (Kings of Chaos 2)

“I had nothing to do with that, Cal. That was Dad.”

Her face falls. She looks like a kicked puppy.

“I’m sorry, Cal—”

“I just bet you are. What did you come here for? Hmmm? To tell me you told me so?”

“What? No, why the hell would I do that?” I ask, stunned.

“Because you think you’re better than me,” she hisses.

I glance at the guard standing behind her, but he doesn’t seem inclined to break up the catty bickering.

“I didn’t come here for this,” I say. I refuse to engage or encourage her. I came here to tell her what was going on with Bolt and leave.

“Why are you here?”

“To let you know what’s going to happen to Bolt. Your son. You do remember him, right?”

“Fuck you, bitch. You’ve always been jealous that I have a son. Maybe if you weren’t so damn stuck up, you’d have a man by now and child of your own.”

I count to ten to keep from losing my cool. “Like I was saying, this is about Bolt. Now that you’re here and Shadow has six more months, it leaves Bolt in the wind. We need to tie up loose ends until Shadow gets out.”

“Let Dad take him,” she says.

“You know he won’t, not on paper, and you know why.” I glare at her.

She huffs. “So what? You just want me to sign him off to you? That’s rich. You’ve been trying to steal him from me since the minute he was born.”

“What are you talking about, Calla? All I ever did was help you. When you needed a babysitter, when he was sick, and you had to work. Whatever you needed, I’ve been there.”

“Right, ’cause you’re the perfect one.” She rolls her eyes.

“No one’s ever said that.”

“They didn’t have to. We’ve both had our roles and played them well.”

I scowl. I want to cut her down to size. It’s been a long time coming. The resentment in me is boiling up inside. I swallow it down. My beautiful nephew deserves the very best I can do for him. “I’m sorry you feel that way. I have the paperwork here. They’ll bring it to you to sign. I can’t tell you what to do. But we both know Bolt needs to be covered.”

“And you’ll what? Move him into your swanky apartment, and keep him away from the family?”

“No, I’ll move into your place, and give up my swanky apartment.”

“But you love that place.”

I shrug. “Family first.”

A wicked laugh erupts from her lips. “Give me the papers, I’ll sign them.”

It’s more to spite me than anything else. But it’s a means to an end, so I take it. I’ll be the whipping girl if it gets me what I want.

“How will it feel to be in my home with my son and my ex, and know neither of them will ever be yours?” she asks, taunting me.

I clench my jaw. Times like this I know one-hundred percent that she knew about my forever crush on Shadow. The slick smile on her lips makes me want to slam her face into the metal table she’s seated in front of. Calla has always had the magical ability to pull out the worst in me. I bite my tongue so hard I taste the unmistakable metallic tinge of blood. Gripping the edge of my chair I take deep breaths.

Silence falls as the papers are delivered. She signs and my tension eases. Once the papers reach my desk, I let out a sigh of relief. “You want to know how it’ll feel, Calla?” I whisper.

She nods.