Page 91 of Unbound

And is completely unamused by it.

“They probably aren’t going to find me.” I tilt my head from side to side. “Again.”

My mother’s eyes widen. “Again? What the fuck does that mean?”

My head bobs back like she smacked me. “Is Auntie Constance’s potty mouth already rubbing off on you?”

“For the love of God, Sybil. I’m a grown woman.” My mother stands and begins pacing across the room. “Of course I say fuck.”

So… My mom is also a bad bitch? Didn’t really see that coming.

“I’m sorry. I’m not trying to upset you.” Yet. If she’s wound up about this, I can’t wait to see how she reacts when ask if my dad was fucking someone else. That’s going to go over great. “I just need anything you can remember about him so I can try to find him before…”

Where is Walker to poke me and make me stop talking when I need him?

“Before he finds you.” My mother places both hands on her face. “I knew that book was useless. I should take it back to that pediatrician’s office and cram it right up his⁠—”

“What book are you talking about?” I’m the one who’s supposed to be having a hard time sticking with the plot. My mother has never had an issue maintaining the trajectory of a conversation, but maybe I’ve upset her so dramatically that her brain is bouncing like a rubber ball.

“The Strong-Willed Child.” Her hands flop down to dangle at her sides as she sighs. “I read it from cover to cover five times because I wanted to be sure I was the best mother I could be for you. You were just so smart and so driven and your brain works so fast, and I knew that if I didn’t do things right, you were going to be running a prison gang.”

That makes two votes for me doing really well in prison. Probably shouldn’t be as proud of that as I am.

“I’m not going to run a prison gang,” I try to reassure my mother, because this conversation has gone off the rails completely. And we haven’t even gotten to the truly upsetting portion.

But she doesn’t look much happier at my reassurance. If anything, she looks even more upset. “No. Because you’re probably going to end up dead.”

“She’s not going to end up dead.” Walker’s deep voice has both of us turning to where he stands just inside the room. He meets my mother’s eyes, looking completely confident and fully capable as he says, “Because if anyone tries to hurt her, I’ll kill them.”

29

Walker

I’ve never threatened homicide in my life. Ass kicking, yes. On a pretty regular basis. But imagining someone trying to hurt Sybil—or worse—has my hands clenching into fists, and an all-consuming sort of rage firing through my veins.

“What he means is his security company is capable of making sure I stay safe.” Sybil stands from the couch, her eyes wide on mine. “Right?”

“No.” I know what she’s getting at, but I’m not going to censor myself for her mother’s benefit. Not when it comes to this. “I mean if someone tries to hurt you, I’ll kill them.”

I’m over all of it. The Dead Dans. Ray and his willingness to turn against us. Ruth’s ex and the fucked-up men like him who believe political power puts them above the law. The break-in at Maren’s trailer and the shooting last week. Wondering what happened to my mother and whether or not someone killed Sybil’s father. Who in the hell broke into the hotel Sybil stayed at, and if they’re connected to the man at her townhome.

It’s too fucking much, and I’m done with it. I’m done sitting back and letting it happen. I’m finished avoiding shit because I don’t want to have to face it.

I planned to let Sybil and her mother talk about this privately, but the longer I sat in my office thinking about everything, the more convinced I became that maybe it’s all connected.

If it is, there’s one person in this world who can figure it out, and there’s no fucking way I’ll let anyone hurt her. Ever.

Sybil’s mother stares at me for a few long seconds. Finally, she gives me a sharp nod. “Good.”

“I guess I’m not the only one who’s probably going to prison,” Sybil mumbles as she presses a finger into each temple. “I guess I’m just gonna go ahead and rip the Band-Aid off, because Walker needs to go to work and I need to get to work.” She takes a deep breath, turning to her mother. “Was Dad having an affair when he died?”

My eyes snap from the woman I’m more attached to than I ever could have expected, and settle on Paula. I watch and wait for her reaction. For her response. Unable to breathe.

Paula rubs her lips together, eyes dropping to the floor. “Why would you ask me that?”

Fuck. I rake a hand through my hair, agitated. Desperate to escape the conversation, but knowing I need to face the truth.

“Because I found letters he wrote to a woman named Donna.” Sybil’s eyes come to me. “She was Walker’s mother.”