Kryptonite

TWENTY THREE

"What do you want?" I sink back into my chair, glancing around the table. "It's pathetic you felt the need to do this in public."

"Public assures your safety," James glances to Derek and I suspect he had something to do with that arrangement. "Besides, we just want to have a little chat without your boyfriend around."

"I'm not breaking up with Rhys so if that's the chat you want to have you can all go to hell."

I grasp my ceramic mug and take a sip, lowering it with my hand still touching it. I'm not above making a scene. Especially not if it's to get away from them - no doubt they have guns on them.

"It's to do with your ex actually," James clarifies and shrugs when he leans on the table. "Mostly at least. We can get back to the other issue later. But I find it convenient the weekend I can't get in touch with Rhys - he manages to escape."

My body goes tense at the information and I glance at Derek. He's avoiding all eye contact as of the guilt is eating him alive. Which it bloody hell should. I focus on his uncle, refusing to acknowledge the nauseating man beside me.

"What do you expect me to do about it?"

"Tell my son he can cough up the names of the people who helped on his own," James smirked, looking entirely amused by my disgusted expression. "Or I can make him."

I whip my head around, gritting my teeth. "He's not your son, that would imply you actually being a father first."

Oscar raises his dark eyebrows that both of his children inherited and the longer I scan his features the more I realize how much they look like him. Both have the same green eyes, body builds and facial expressions. I recognize it as disbelief with a hint of anger - a face Rhys has pulled several times.

"You're a little bit judgemental for a girl whose mother killed herself," I can't stop the bullet from landing in my chest and I drop my eyes to the table. Clenching my fists I grip the mug tighter and curse whoever he found that information from. "She didn't love you enough to stick around, tragic?"

My eyes slip to the cutlery resting near me and try to calculate how hard it would be to use as a weapon. "Now, now, Oscar. We want her to actually help and not go into some shell."

"Sorry Kira, still getting used to being civilized again. Insults and threats were common conversation behind bars."

"Then they shouldn't have let you out," I force myself to make eye contact, brushing off the wound as nothing so I can lick it later. "I thought you were meant to be gone for ten years."

Oscar blinks several times in shock that I know that detail. "He told you? Wow, you really must be something for him to let you know how weak he was."

"He wasn't weak, you were just a heartless monster." I bite back and hear James snicker.

"To answer your question. He served eight years, appealed it and with my assistance he was released," he shrugs and grins after. "Judges and lawyers are so easier to manipulate, those with families are so fragile."