Page 62 of Madness & Mayhem
The woman’s hair lays in blonde tresses along the crisp white pillow, the rest of her covered by the Egyptian sheets. I step up to my father and see the back of his head buried into his pillow.
Fucking dick. Sleeping soundly knowing he sent someone to kill Lakyn.
My hand shifts over the bed, and I get ready to rip the sheets off both of them when my dad jolts, a knife slipping out of the bed, and swiping across my thigh.
Burning pain rips through me as I let out a hiss, staring at his bloodshot eyes as he glares at me with rage.
“I knew you were coming. Took a little longer than I expected, though, to be honest.”
I growl, stepping back as I feel rivers of blood slide down my legs. The girl awakens from the other side of the bed, letting out a gasp as she glances over at us.
“What the hell?” she shrieks, ripping the sheets off her naked body.
Lakyn laughs as she reaches forward, grabbing her by the hair and dragging her to the ground. The woman lets out a cry as she fights against Lakyn, kicking and attempting to pull her hair out of Lakyn’s grip.
“I thought I told you to stay away from Lakyn,” I growl at him. “You fucked up.”
My father laughs, pulling the sheets off the bed. He goes to a stand with his boxers on. He looks just like me, only older. With his tall, trim form and dark features, his medium-length hair a mess on top of his head. He has the shadows of a beard coating his jaw. He’s a man that is handsome to many, but a cruel monster to most. The devil in sheep’s clothing.
Unfortunately for him, I’m cut from the same cloth.
“You think I’ll fold because my own child demands it of me? Who the fuck do you think I am?” he chuckles.
I step toward him, my jaw clenching like mad. He quickly darts to the foot of the bed. A quick glance on the other side reveals Lakyn pinning the woman against the ground, her hand slapped against the woman’s mouth. Lakyn brings her knife out, pressing the edge of the blade along the woman’s neck.
I glare at my father. “Take another step and I’ll have her cut your whore’s throat.”
My father laughs, his knife bobbing as he points it in my direction. “You’re funny, son. You think I care about that woman? My only ask is you take it downstairs and not on my nice carpet.”
I sneer at him.
He tilts his head to the side, a pitiful smirk on his face. “You’re a fool, son. If I’ve taught you anything, it’s to never trust a woman or her intentions. Never get attached. Never fall in love. They are simple rules to follow.” He lifts the blade closer to me. “One you epically failed at, by the way.”
“Kill him, Reign. Don’t listen to his bullshit,” Lakyn barks at me.
I grind my teeth to dust as I stare at my father, his words echoing in my ears.
He has given me those life lessons throughout the years. I’ve known his inability to love, or his lack of desire to call a woman his. He’s a soulless man, with no need to have a companion. It’s how he’s always been, and it’s how he’ll always be. I don’t know why he is the way he is. Possibly it’s because the woman who he did love—my mother—walked out and never looked back. Maybe it’s because he doesn’t have a heart in his body. He’s grown up with his companion of work and illegal dealings. He’s a corrupt man, one who would kill his own son just to save his own ass.
“You feel that way, Father, for one reason, and one reason only,” I say simply.
A crease forms between his brows. “Humor me. Why would that be?”
I step forward, and he takes a step back, standing directly between Lakyn and I.
“Because you never found your Lakyn. If you did, you would realize what it means to protect her. To stand by her. You’d rather see blood spilt than open yourself up to anything more than hate.”
His head tilts to the side slightly. “Ah, so this is for love. Well, let me tell you something, son.”
My body tenses in anticipation of his ridiculous answer.
I say nothing.
“Love is a fool’s game. You’ll end up dead or alone, just like every other fool in this world. She’ll stand over you one day, with a knife in her hand, and your blood dripping from the tip. Are you ready for that?”
I glance at Lakyn, and she stares at me blankly. It’s a possibility, but it’s also a possibility that she would be laying underneath me, with a bloody knife in my grip.
I think both of us realize our love might end in death, but I don’t think either of us care too much. Every second of life with her is worth the inevitable death at her hands.