His tone reminds me so much of Dad that I could almost swear it was him talking right now. And somehow, I have a feeling that even Dad wouldn’t scare me as much as Bryden does in this moment.
Luke Greene used the oubliette to punish his disobedient children for the most menial things, and to dispose of his wives when they were no longer of use to him. But Bryden has said so many times that he loves and treats his family equally… and he made Richter the first Greene man to die a slow death in the oubliette.
He’s taken Dad’s rules and twisted them again for his own purpose and now none of us are safe.
“Come on, Cleo, we’re going inside,” he tells my little sister who screams at him for what seems like the hundredth time that he’s not her daddy. I want to help her, but I can’t get free.
Once Casey has me back inside the house—and my fist out of his hair—I lose the rest of whatever conversation his father is patiently trying to have with my little sister, but when she lets out a scream of anger and surprise, I know that he’s done being patient. Dad had his limits when it came to all of his children and it seems that Bryden does too.
“Don’t touch her!” I scream at him as he half-drags, half-walks her into the living room. The rest of his children look scared now—except for Casey. He has that charming smile on his face that lured me into his arms not once, but twice, and after his father shoves Cleo at him, I can almost swear that I see his chest puff up with pride.
For his father, for himself?
Who the fuck knows or cares.
The one thing I wanted for Cleo, to keep her from ever being under this roof again, I’ve failed at.
And as Bryden walks to the center of the living room floor, puts his hands on his hips, and surveys everyone—some crying, some scared, and only two of us angry—he shakes his head and clicks his tongue against his teeth.
“Keep her quiet,” he says, nodding at Casey who quickly leans over toward Cleo and whispers something into her ear. Her sobs turn to whimpers as he rubs her stomach with his free hand, the other still firmly holding me in place next to him.
Bryden chuckles, wiping a hand over his mouth as he looks around at all of us. “Okay, kids. It's family meeting time, and we've got some important things to cover.”
Thirty-Three
Bryden
All I’ve ever done is try to be a good father. It’s all I’ve ever wanted, and I’ve done so much for these kids. Hell, I could have been a good father to Richter too, but he hadn’t even wanted to treat me like a brother. He didn’t love me or my family, and I can’t figure out why everyone is fucking crying over him.
“Everyone be quiet. Now.” I keep my voice even, looking around at them as they quiet down. They still sniffle, and several of my girls are wiping tears off their cheeks. Gavin and Owen are just staring at me, eyes wide, and I take a few steps to one side to see the little ones in their cribs.
Good. I have the full attention of the rest of my children. And my sisters.
“I know that none of you have ever had to see me put someone in the ground for betraying our family.” I tilt my head to the side, glancing at my girl. “Well, except for Xoe, but all of you need to understand this—Richter betrayed us. He betrayed his own blood. He tried to tear our fucking family apart… so I don’t want to hear a single one of you fucking crying over him.”
“Richter wanted to save me!” Cleo shouts, and Casey shifts to grab her, covering her mouth with his hand.
“What was he going to save you from, Cleo?” I wave my hand. “Let her speak.”
Casey drops his hand and Cleo pulls away from him, her face flushed, hands bunched into petite fists at her sides. “You! I lived here before you took me away! I had a mommy and a daddy, and Richter, and Skylar. This is my real family, not you!”
I chuckle, shaking my head as I ask, “Is that what Richter told you?”
“Yes! And you’re a LIAR! You’re not my daddy!”
“Sweetheart…” I begin, moving closer to her, but she’s not smart enough to know she should move back. Though… she’s never been very smart. “I didn’t take you from your daddy. Your daddy brought you to me when you were five and left you with me. He chose me to be your new daddy because he didn’t want you anymore.”
“You’re a LIAR!” she screams, and I grab a fistful of her hair, yanking her away from Sierra’s clinging fingers as she whines, crying loudly again. Sierra moves forward, but it only takes a single finger pointed at my girl to stop her when she tries to reach for Cleo again.
“Stay,” I tell Sierra before I bend Cleo’s neck back so she has no choice but to look me in the eye. “You think I’m a liar?”
“YES!” she shouts, another snotty sniffle breaking through her crying.
“I’ve taken care of you. Loved you. Kept you safe, and fed, and happy for years… and now you think I’m a liar? Now I’m not your daddy, just because he said so?”
“You are a liar. You’re not my daddy!”
“Cleo, stop!” Xoe shouts, panic laced through her voice, but one look at her shuts her up.
Grabbing Cleo’s face, I look over her features. Taking note of the way they’ve changed since Luke first put her in my arms. So many little differences, but her round cheeks have always
