Malum: Part 1 (The Elite King's Club 4)

Peyton giggles, swiping her hair out of her face. “Probably around the same time you tried to steal my boyfriend, Tillie. Now, I am truly sorry that I have to do this to you. Or I’m not, I can’t really decide, but maybe.” She leans forward, her eyes slicing through me. “It is your fault for the life that you live, did you ever think of that?”

“Fuck you!”

Rage bubbles beneath my skin. “You so much as breathe near her, Peyton, I’ll burn you in your sleep and dance around your corpse. The only reason I haven’t done something drastically insane is because of Micaela.” I lean forward, resting my elbows on the hard wood table. “So give your niece a kiss. She’s the only reason you’re still breathing right now.” I know that if I kill Peyton, there’s a chance someone will harm Micaela. I’m not open to gambling on her future. I don’t care for the idealism of perfect parenting. The perfect mother is one who is the best version that she can be, not something the media and society state they should be. I mean, look at who Micaela’s father is… who I am.

My thoughts go back to Peyton and her stupid comment about her—whatever he was to her. Boyfriend? Hardly.

“What boyfriend?”

She’s had many over the years, and yeah, they’ve all mostly enjoyed my company more than hers. That’s mainly because she tries too hard to please people. When she would be dressing up in short skirts with a face full of makeup for movie nights, I’d be in the living area of our trailer with my Ren and Stimpy pajamas on.

Her face morphs into hatred, her eyebrows pulling in tight enough for wrinkles to form on her head. “Jase always preferred you.” She exhales. Jase as in the older Jase Venari. He was hardly her boyfriend and she was shared amongst him and a couple others. “Fuck Jase and fuck you. I’ll bring you all down now. I’ll do it for our mom, for our name as a Stuprum, for it all,” she whispers, standing from her chair to glare at me. “You will get your daughter back when you’ve done as I’ve said. Comprende?”

I grit my teeth. “How do I know you are taking care of her, Peyton?” Peyton clicks her fingers, and I turn in my chair when I hear the door open behind me.

The nurse who helped deliver Micaela, Jessica appears, holding Micaela in her arms. Micaela smiles up at Jessica, her small little hand coming to her neck.

My mouth opens slightly, as I battle with the biggest war that lives inside of me. Trust. Trust is the hardest to deliver, but the easiest emotion to receive. When my eyes clash with Jessica’s, I can see her silent reassurance. She will take care of it. I know this. At least until I’ve satisfied this sadistic bitch that is my sister. A guard yanks Jessica back through the door, and I twist back around to look at Peyton.

“What the hell do you want,” I seethe, gritting my teeth.

She smiles, relaxing back into her chair to continue eating. “I’m glad I have your loyalty, sis. Sit.”

I do, squeezing the armrests of the old oak wood as I slowly plant my ass back down. “What is it?”

She cuts into her sirloin. “I need you to be my eyes and ears. Do you understand?” Peyton snaps, and I flinch from the tone of her voice.

My eyes come to hers. “Yes, I understand.”

I hate her and I hate this dining room. It’s everything that Peyton would want, only in a damn office in the tallest building in New York City.

“Good,” she mutters, leaning back in her chair. “Because you’re going back out there tomorrow, so be packed and ready.”

“Peyton,” I deadpan, trying my hardest not to upset her while trying to coax my utter anger and deceit underneath a cool demeanor. “I can’t just walk back into their lives and not expect questions. What about Micaela, Peyton? Huh? You think Nate is going to not ask fucking questions?”

Peyton watches me and then smirks. “That’s why you’re going to turn up on Madison’s doorstep, crying that I took your baby. Realistically, you don’t have to pretend.” She shrugs like it’s nothing too much to stress about. Her eyes come back to me. “Then they will feel sorry for you while also wanting to come after me. They’ll invite you back into the exclusive pack and then?” She takes a sip of her drink. “Then you wait for my call for the next move.”

“You’re crazy.” I shake my head. “What makes you think I won’t tell them everything?”

She pins me with a glare. “Because under all those pretty features and hot little body, Tillie, you’re smart. You are the smarter one out of the two of us, and you know what will happen if you do so.”