With Every Heartbeat (Forbidden Men 4)

“But you bought me a ring. You wanted to marry me.”

“You what?” Ten spat incredulously.

I ignored him. Shaking my head, I rolled my eyes. “Why did you throw out those proposal hints in the first place, when you weren’t faithful, when you never planned on being faithful?”

From the floor, Cora looked up at me, but her wet eyes were filled with more hatred than fear. “Why do you think? I can tell you already know the truth. Precious friend that she is, Zoey told you she was here to save my life, so you already know I’m dying. I just wanted to experience everything I could. I wanted the wild, party college life as much as I wanted to know what it’d be like to plan my own perfect wedding.”

I shook my head. Wow. She was completely serious. “And you really thought you could just have it both ways?”

She lifted one shoulder and slid up the wall, regaining her feet. “Why not? I have a right to live my life to the fullest while I still can.”

“No,” I disagreed. “Not when it hurts others the way you have.”

“I guess that just shows how different you and I are. When I want something, I go after it.”

“Actually, it just shows how lucky I was to break free of you.”

She shook her head. “If you think Zoey could ever satisfy you as much as I did, you’re delusional.”

“Yeah, uh huh. I’m the delusional one. Whatever.” I was so ready to be finished talking to her.

I turned away to find that my friends had already boxed up some of Zoey’s ruined things. They were carrying them from her room, which made my chest ease a little. I was so glad they were here to keep me from losing my temper, to keep me on track with my mission.

I took the box Asher handed me and turned down the hall, striding past a red-faced, sputtering Cora, who couldn’t seem to believe I was ignoring her.

Tucking the box under one arm, I reached for the front door and pulled it open, only to skid to a stop when I nearly barreled into a guy standing there with his hand raised to knock. In his mid to later forties, the sandy and gray-headed man was taller and slimmer, and he had green, green eyes…just like—

“Dude, is that Zoey’s dad?” Asher asked from directly behind me.

I blinked. He did look a lot like Zoey. The shape of his chin, color of his eyes, even the slope of his cheekbones.

What kind of providence was this? My blood was bubbling with the need to hurt, to maim, and here arrived the man who had tormented Zoey her entire life? It was destiny.

I glanced back at a wide-eyed Cora, who was hugging herself as if cold…or as if she knew all her lies were about to come back and bite her in the ass.

“Is he?” I asked.

But the visitor repeated, “Zoey?” as if in shock. He glanced around me until he spotted Cora. “Cora, what is he talking about?” His face immediately molted red with rage. “Oh God. Tell me you didn’t.”

“Didn’t what?” I asked, utterly confused. Who was this guy?

But Cora was too busy staring at the man to answer me. “She volunteered!” she cried.

“How did she even know what was going on with you?” he boomed, stepping past me as if I wasn’t there blocking his way, so he could enter the apartment as if he owned it. “Did I not strictly forbid you to have any more contact with her after you graduated from high school, after I sent you out here to get you away from her?”

Cora shrugged, looking only slightly repentant. “Oops,” she said.

“Damn it, Cora. How could you disobey me like that? And don’t tell me you were just curious what she was like. You had three years to get to know her. I know the only reason you brought her here was because you knew she’d be a match as a donor, don’t even pretend it’s not. How could you? Your mother and I sent you here because it hosts the best renal treatment center in the county. I hired a nurse to help you. We even pulled strings to raise your name on the transplant list. Why did you have to go after Zoey and drag her into it? She’s already been through enough because of us.”

“Hey.” I stepped between the two of them to get their attention. “What’re you talking about?” I wasn’t the type to butt in on a conversation, but tonight was just not my night to act like my usual self. “What is he talking about, Cora? And who is he?”

The man blinked at me as if remembering I was there. Then he noticed Asher, Noel, and Ten with an irritated scowl. Turning back to me because I’d been the one to talk, he said, “I think the better question is who are you? I’m her father, and if I learn you’re the one who gave her that black eye, I assure you, you’ll live to regret it.”

“I didn’t...” Wait. Huh? Cora’s father? That wasn’t what I was expecting him to say at all, though now that he’d said it, it made sense for him to speak to her in that authoritative way. But he looked way more like Zoey than he did Cora.

“I’m Quinn Hamilton,” I said. I’d never met Cora’s father before, I’d never even spoken to him on the phone, but after dating Cora for as long as I had, I was sure he’d at least recognize my name.

He didn’t. Cora had never even bothered to tell her own father the name of the guy she was dating.