Page 71 of Twisted Knight

She levels me with a look. “What are you playing at, Holden?”

“Nothing.”

“Bullshit,” she says, a rare curse. “I’ve worked for you for ten years. I know you almost as well as your mother does. In some aspects maybe even better. You’ve turned on the charm and when you turn on the charm, that, my dear, means you are most definitely up to something.”

I laugh. Never can get anything by her. There’s a reason Audrey McClain has remained my right hand for so very long. Through owning the software company. After selling it. And now managing my day-to-day among other things.

And she’s the only one who knows my reason for being here. The what. The where. The why. The need.

She’s my conscience when I choose to ignore mine.

I’m never letting her go, and I pay her accordingly.

“I’m innocent as charged.” I lift my hands up but emit a mischievous laugh.

“Lord help us,” she says as she stands and heads to the door. “Oh, and call your mother. She’s probably missing you about now.”

TWENTY-ONE

Holden

FIFTEEN YEARS AGO

“Please?”

I grit my teeth and look over to Mason, who has been nagging me since we got home. He’s standing on the other side of the table, skateboard in one hand and his helmet in the other. That poor board has seen better days, but we’ve done our best to keep the bearings oiled and gliding smoothly.

“Dude. You have to stop asking.” I look down to my laptop and my half-written history paper on whether democracy is the best form of government. A bullshit, I-need-to-give-the-class-homework type of assignment if you ask me. But an assignment that’s so much easier to do now that I have the computer where I can cut and paste instead of erase and rewrite by hand.

“I’ve been in a classroom all day. Is it so wrong that I want to get outside for some fresh air? Get some exercise. Have a mental health break.”

I level him with a look. “Do you seriously think that’s going to work with me when most days you’d prefer to be inside with your butt on the couch watching TV?”

He shrugs, but a shy corner turns up the edges of his lips. “I’m turning over a new leaf.”

“You’re so full of shit.” I sigh and lean back. “What is it? Why are you so desperate to go outside and skate?”

“Mia comes home from soccer practice between four and five.”

“Mia?” Christ. When did this happen? Do I need to have “the talk” with him already? He’s way too young for this shit. Hell, I’m way too young to have to give it.

“Yeah. She’s just a girl. A friend. Her parents don’t let her hang around the complex after she gets home.” He shrugs. “You know why and all.”

Yeah, for the same reasons Mom forbids me to let you play outside alone.

“Yeah, I know.” I look at the flashing cursor and the stack of other homework I have. Guilt eats at me. It’s not Mase’s fault Mom’s working two jobs. He shouldn’t suffer because I’ve worked three days in a row and am trying to finish a paper I should have done on Sunday night. I scrub a hand through my hair. “My teacher gave me until five to get this done or else he won’t accept it for a grade.”

“But—”

“I don’t have a choice.”

“Yeah, you do. I can go outside by myself. You can leave the front door open or whatever.”

“Those aren’t the rules.”

“But Mom’s not here, right?” He makes a show of looking around. “It’s not like she’d ever know if I went outside by myself for a few minutes.”

He’s right. I know he’s right. He knows he’s right. Mom would never know, but … still. “Mase…”