A Bloody Kingdom (Ruthless People 4)
“Uncle!”
Declan struggled to keep a smug look off his face; “What? My boss asked for an answer. I answered.”
He crossed his arms frowning. “Dad’s the boss.”
“Ethan.” Liam stepped up, towering over him, and once again Ethan stood straighter.
Two emotions rushed through my veins the moment he spoke those three little words—
rage and pain. It wasn’t a lot, but it was there. Smiling, I just petted his hair.
“Right, dad’s the boss,” I said and I saw them all, Liam, Declan, and Neal share a glance in response. “Come on, it’s way past your bedtime. Fedel?”
He stepped up. “The car is already up front.”
“We should get going. Cora and Evelyn must be exhausted dealing with all of the kids,” I told them before reaching for Ethan’s hand. He stared wide-eyed. trying to tell me not to.
Fine.
Forcing another goddamn smile I did not mean, I turned away from them as Mina made her way back to us, her eyebrows furrowing as she tried to read my facial expression. Shaking my head at her, I took my clutch from her hand along with my phone.
“Mel?”
“Bathroom. I’ll meet you at the car,” I said not bothering to look back, knowing full well my security detail was already following discreetly.
It was a much longer walk from our table to the bathroom than it needed to be. Every other step, people kept popping up in front of my face, pushing my restraint to the maximum capability. I thought I had finally escaped them, pushing the wooden door, and stepping on the marble tiles of the bathroom, but right there at the sink dressed in her hotel uniform was some blonde in tears.
For the love of fuck.
Sighing, I ignored her and put my purse on the counter, pulling off my rings in order to wash my hands.
Don’t talk to me.
Don’t talk to me.
Do not even fucking think of talking to me.
“Sorry for all the crying…”
Fuck me.
“It’s alright, don’t care either way,” I stated and grabbed my lipstick.
“This city!” She inhaled sharply, her fist clenching at her sides until she finally smacked the black counters. “Why is everyone here so cold? I don’t get it. I’ve been here a month and everyone is just horrible and miserable! It’s like the most negative p
eople on the planet decided to move to Chicago and live!”
“Then leave,” I said calmly, finally facing her.
“What?”
“Pack your shit. Get on the next bus to nowhere-I-don’t-give fuck-vile and stay there instead of bitching to people who do not know you, nor would like to, in five-star hotel bathrooms,” I replied. I put my rings back on, dropped my lipstick into my clutch and turned to leave before she further ruined my mood.
I made my way back to the door before remembering something. “If the most negative people on the planet have moved to Chicago, what does that say about yourself? If you can’t make here, that is no one else’s fault but your own.”
She stood there like a statue frozen in her own hypocrisy.
“Ma’am?” Huston Murphy, my head of security, stepped up to my side, glancing back over my shoulder at the door. “ We heard shouting—”