Broken Empire (Boys of Oak Park Prep 3)

He didn’t introduce himself or say anything at all to me though. Instead, he switched his focus back to Cole. “Son, did you go on a date when you told me you were taking your sister out?”

“No.” Cole’s voice was flat, devoid of any emotion, any hint of how he was feeling. “We went and played mini-golf, just like I said we were going to. Talia—”

“And what’s wrong with this one?” His dad cut him off with a nod in Penny’s direction, and I bristled for her at the callousness in his voice, at the way he called her “this one” instead of her given name.

Penny seemed to shrink into herself, like her body was physically growing smaller even as her head jerked harder. Cole’s gaze flashed to her, concern and guilt clear in his expression. “Nothing. She just needs—”

“Why is it always like this, Cole?” Mr. Mercer shook his head. “Why do you always rile her up? Goddammit. Come with me.”

Both Penny and Cole started forward, but their father put a hand up, stopping the little girl. “Not you.”

The look Cole shot Penny was relieved this time, and when Mr. Mercer turned and strode deeper into the house through the door he’d just entered from, the black-haired boy followed without looking back at me.

My heart was hammering so hard I could feel it rattling my rib cage, and my hands shook as useless adrenaline flooded my body. I stood helplessly in the large foyer, just inside the door, as Penny looked back at me sadly, her head still jerking. We both knew why her dad had called Cole away, and I had no idea what to say, what to do, to make any of this better.

Movement to my right made me jump, and when I spun in that direction, I caught sight of a small woman with soft brown hair stepping into the room. She blinked at me, seeming shocked and almost frightened to find a strange girl in her house, but before I could say anything, Penny made a soft noise, and Mrs. Mercer’s gaze shot to her.

Concern darkened her eyes, and she stepped forward quickly, wrapping an arm around Penny’s shoulder. She helped her up the stairs, murmuring softly into her ear. When they reached the landing at the top, she turned around to gaze back down at me for a moment. Her mouth opened and shut as if she wanted to say something but wasn’t sure what. Then she just shook her head and ushered her daughter down the hall and out of sight.

I blinked up at the space where they’d been, wondering how the woman lived like this—how she let it happen.

The way she acted toward Penny was so different th

an her husband, with gentleness and caring evident in her look and touch. So why did she let Mr. Mercer treat both of his kids so badly?

Then again, the broad-shouldered man was easily twice her size, and Cole’s mom looked like she’d probably blow over in a strong breeze. She was wispy and frail looking, timid and nervous. What could she do against the force of nature that was his dad?

My fingers wrapped around the handle of the front door as I shifted my gaze back to where Cole had followed his father. I wanted to storm after them, to do something, but I knew that would only make things worse.

A base, animal instinct honed by years of living with the man I’d called Dad told me to bolt, to run while I still could. But I couldn’t—wouldn’t—leave Cole behind.

So I just stayed there, frozen in place, until the blue-eyed boy returned several minutes later. His shirt was a little stretched and wrinkled in front, as if someone had grabbed a fistful of it, and his face was blank in a way that broke my heart. His father was nowhere to be seen, and he walked quickly toward me.

I was already opening the door before he reached me, and we both hurried outside, striding to his car as fast as we could with my bad leg holding us up. Zaps of pain radiated from my ankle, and I could feel my tendons protesting as I took longer strides than I was accustomed to, but I didn’t slow down until we made it to his car.

He shut my door behind me and slid into the driver’s seat, peeling out of the driveway so fast the tires screeched.

Hundreds of unspoken words filled the small interior of the Aston Martin, and the longer the silence dragged out, the more clogged the air seemed to become with them, until I was sure there was no oxygen left.

Cole’s face was a mask, but I could see his jaw clenching and his nostrils flaring with every sharp breath.

Fuck. Fuck fuck fuck. This was all such a bad idea.

He must’ve decided to take the scenic route to school, maybe trying to give himself a little more time before he had to go back home, because we veered off the main road onto a quiet coastal highway. Normally, the sight of the waves crashing on the rocky beach in the distance would’ve soothed me, but there was nothing that could banish the sick feeling in my gut right now.

When I couldn’t take the silence anymore, I forced words past dry lips.

“Are… are you okay?”

He didn’t speak, but I could practically feel the answer vibrating from him.

No. Of course not.

Then, without warning, he slammed on the brakes.

The sudden change of speed made panic flare in my chest, and my hands shot out in front of me—but this wasn’t like my crash. The car didn’t roll, it just lurched to a stop as he pulled over on the shoulder of the road.

I was still trying to get my breath back when Cole exploded.