Total pages in book: 88
Estimated words: 88305 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 442(@200wpm)___ 353(@250wpm)___ 294(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 88305 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 442(@200wpm)___ 353(@250wpm)___ 294(@300wpm)
Kai’s inquisitive eyes study it carefully. The date on the back is a few years before I was born. It’s one of the few times I’ve seen Mom laughing with so much freedom, her head tipped back as she holds on to a man’s arm.
Her hair was longer at the time, and her pink dress with provocative lace at the top.
The man is in a striped suit and has his arm around her waist, but his most important feature, his face, has been burned with a cigarette, leaving a hole in the picture.
After I found this frozen memento a few weeks ago, I had to do something about it. There’s no way I can keep entertaining the fantasy of finding my father without taking action.
Kai’s attention slides from the picture to me. “Why do you believe this person to be your father?”
“Mom kept all her pictures of her old friends, whether male or female, intact except for this one. She also hid it in a secret box that she shoved in the attic.”
“What makes you think he’s American?”
I tap the background of the picture. They’re leaning against a bar, but behind them, through the hazy window, there’s a Las Vegas sign and a blurred license plate. “That.”
“You’re merely speculating.”
“No, I’m not. Mom wouldn’t have come to the States or kept his picture for no reason.”
“Burned picture.”
“It still counts. The fact that she burned it means it has value, even if it’s negative.”
“I’ll see what I can find.”
I perk up, shoulders straightening. “You can find him?”
“If there’s anyone who can do that, it’s me.”
A trembling smile curves my lips. Does this mean I can finally meet the mystery man who contributed to my existence?
7
Sebastian
How does someone get used to depravity?
Does it help if it has flowed in our blood since the beginning of time or that every generation had done its best to deepen its impact?
The answer is no, it doesn’t.
No, it shouldn’t.
But who am I to start anarchy against the same system that made me? The system that saved me from the claws of death and hasn’t shoved me back in its path like it did my parents?
Dad tried to escape the system, to start anew without the shadow of the Weaver name. But look where that led him.
On the steps of hell.
Don’t get me wrong. I’m pretty sure each leader of the Weaver clan has made a deal with the devil sometime in their lives. So there’s no doubt that we’ll all end up in some sort of hellhole, but as Grandpa says, ‘Our sins don’t catch up to us today.’
Speaking of which, we’re having a family dinner tonight. One I need to escape from early for my date with Naomi.
The thought of her ignites me with a hot, fiery spark. It shouldn’t, not with everything I have planned, but fuck me if my dick understands logic. All that sucker has been thinking about since her warm stomach rubbed against him is ways to find himself in her mouth or between her legs.
Or shoved deep in her ass.
The kiss shouldn’t have happened yesterday. It was supposed to be a peck, a pretense, but then my mouth found hers and a completely different need emerged out of nowhere. My tongue was only interested in feasting on her warm heat and engraving myself in it with a roughness she’d forever remember.
Soon enough, we were speaking an identical language only the two of us could recognize. She can deny it all she likes, but there was something between us last night. Something beyond the crowd and football and cheering.
Something beyond normal.
I saw it in her inquisitive eyes and I know she felt it in my touch.
Why did I let her feel it?
Fuck if I know. Could be because I enjoyed seeing her defenses crumble one by one, or witnessing the flutter in her thick lashes and the tremble in her lips.
Or sucking her fucking taste that I can’t chase away.
All I know is that I’m in the mood for more.
I can’t remember the last time I was in the mood for anything except keeping the cycle going.
In order to break it, I need to escape the Weaver curse, and I guess that’s not going to happen anytime soon. Which is why I’m here.
My grandparents’ extravagant mansion is located in the fanciest upper-class neighborhood in Blackwood. In fact, only the mayor and a few high-profile politicians live in the same area and it’s resident-only.
Not only does it take up more space than it should, but it’s also three stories high with tall white fences and lights shining in the night that can be seen from a mile away.
I park my Tesla in the area near the garage and spy for the Mercedes that belongs to my only ally in the family. However, I find nothing.