Page 98 of Vicious Deception
My mom pulls out her phone and dials 911 while I back away. Rhett follows me, placing a protective hand on my hip.
“What do you want to do?” he murmurs.
“I want to get out of here.” Once Patricia is off the phone, I tell her, “I’m packing your things, and I’ll leave them with the front desk. You’re not welcome here.”
“Wren! Seriously? Look at Thomas, he probably has a concussion!”
“You can stay in a hotel,” I say dryly. “I don’t ever want to see either of you again.”
Patricia looks like I just slapped her, but how can she not understand? How can she tell me to not kick Thomas after he yanked me around like I was a doll? And why would she think this is petty revenge instead of making sure he doesn’t hurt me again?
I turn away, not letting her watch my expression as my brain so kindly reminds me that thiswaspartially revenge. It wasn’t my main reason for pushing Thomas, nor was it petty, but she’s a little bit right.
“Wren, I—”
“Go,” I say, my voice flat and void of emotion. I don’t turn to face her. “You two deserve each other.”
Chapter twenty-nine
Oliver
“Princess!”IsweepWreninto my arms the second she steps into the kitchen.
“I’m okay,” she says, but the strain in her voice tells me otherwise.
Wren texted me and Ell on their way back from her apartment and let us know her stepdad attacked her. For the most part, Wren seems unfazed, but I think Thomas managed to scare her pretty good.
I cradle her head gently, but she hisses in pain and pulls away. “Oh, not there. That hurts.”
“Fuck, I’m sorry.”
“What happened, love?” Elliot comes up behind her, gently parting her hair. “It doesn’t look like you’re bleeding.”
“Rhett already checked,” she says. “Thomas slammed me against a wall. Well, first he grabbed me and yanked me into the apartment. And then I think he was about to punch me, so I ran. He caught up to me in the stairwell.”
“Which is where she managed to get the better of him,” Rhett adds. “Pushed him down a flight of stairs.”
Wren hugs me tightly and lays her head on my shoulder. “And then Rhett threw him down another.”
Letting out a low whistle, Elliot strokes Wren’s back. “You’re okay otherwise?”
“Just shaken up. I told my mom I never want to see either of them again.”
“Where were you?” I ask Rhett.
“On the phone with Finn. It was a stroke of luck I heard her yelling.” His lips curve upward to form a proud smirk. “Not that she needed my help.”
I nod. It’s not like they expected someone to be in Wren’s apartment. “What did he have to say?”
“He hacked into Richard and Corinne’s calendars. She’s going to be gone tomorrow night, and it looks like he’ll be home alone. Finn is working on learning everything he can about the house’s security system as we speak.”
“So . . . tomorrow night.”
Rhett nods. “I don’t want to wait any longer.”
“Fair enough.”
Just then, Benny dashes into the room. The kid has so much energy I’m contemplating asking Finn if he can bring Maggie over here for a day. Maybe the two of them will wear each other out.