Page 4 of Hurry Up And Wait
My smile dropped instantly. “Not a chance in hell.”
“Then you can kiss goodbye any chance of finding out who was backing The Syndicate.”
My muscles clenched in anger, but I refused to let him see how much he was pissing me off. I could handle him. I just had to shove down that hatred and play his game. This was for Cash, after all.
“For how long?”
“Six weeks.”
“Two,” I countered.
“Four, and that’s as low as I’ll go.”
“Four, but not consecutively. I don’t think I could spend that much time in your presence without vomiting all over your shit.”
“Change your attitude fast or the deal is off the table,” he snapped.
I leaned forward in my seat, lowering my voice. “Let’s keep one thing clear right now. We both need each other. You will not order me around or manipulate me to get your way. If I feel for even one second that you’re using me for something else, I’ll walk, whether I have the information or not.”
“And vice versa,” he smirked.
“That won’t be a problem. There’s only one thing I want from you, and when I have it, I’m gone. You won’t ever see me again.”
“I wouldn’t be too sure about that. You can’t walk away from family forever. Your mother would be heartbroken.”
“I don’t see much of a heart in her anymore. It’s like you’ve sucked the life out of her and replaced her with your campaign wife.”
“Watch it. She’s still your mother,” he snapped.
He was right. She was still my mother, and I knew that she would be devastated to hear me talk like this. But it was hard to reconcile the woman I saw out there with the woman I grew up with. I pushed to a stand and headed for the door.
“Email me an itinerary.”
“Make sure you have a suit!” he called after me. “You won’t be hanging around those meatheads while you’re on the campaign trail.”
I gritted my teeth as I yanked open the door. With one final look at my father, I said, “The meatheads are my family. Disrespect them and you won’t see my face ever again.”
3
ISLA
“Seriously,this weighs more than it’s worth,” Riley grunted, hefting the other end of the armoire down the hall.
“Stop complaining. I’m not leaving without it.” My voice was strained, along with my muscles and my pride. But I was not leaving this damn house without what was rightfully mine.
My sister didn’t see it the same way, however. “Hold up,” she panted, setting it down at the top of the stairs. I let the other side down, shaking out my hands in the hopes that the tingling would cease in my fingers. Sweating profusely, she sagged against the wall and closed her eyes. “Why is this thing so fucking important to you?”
“Because I got it when we were first married.”
“And?” she asked, peeling one eye open to glare at me.
“And I’m taking it with me.”
“Because you want to remember the asshole?”
Riley wasn’t exactly a strong supporter of Shawn—not since he turned into such an asshole. But she hadn’t put all that work into the relationship, so it didn’t matter to her if we were married or not. She felt I should have left him a long time ago. I had stayed in the hopes of turning things around and getting back the man I fell in love with.
“No, because I refuse to let him have anything that I happen to like.”