Facing the Music (Sinful Surrender #3)

13. Chapter 13

Chapter thirteen

TIA

Going back to Cairo’s apartment is going to be awkward, for several reasons. One, I caught the moment Paval was hovering over Cairo, fighting his desire and his loyalty to me. He sees his love as loyalty and refuses to break it. I admire that in him but he doesn’t need to worry that I would get mad. In fact, I’d be fucking ecstatic if both of them found comfort in each other. They can provide each other with things that I can’t.

There’s also the little issue of my fucking mother being released and the lack of security available on campus. I regret several of my decisions over the last few years now but there’s nothing that can be done at this point. The professor dismisses us with an end-of-the-semester project that will require us to work with one of three law firms local to the university.

Paval’s incessant texts over the last hour, though, are a little overwhelming. The poor soul is so confused and I can’t blame him after I’ve been the only one he’s had his eye on for the last two decades. Add on the fact that he’s now discovered the world I’ve been trying to hide him from and the excitement it brought to his eyes and he must be out of his mind, trying to piece together the logic and failing miserably.

Aidan and Jax pop up on either side of me as I head to my dorm, having texted them earlier for backup. Even if Cairo hadn’t asked me to take them, I would have. Paula was stupid in stealing my money but that doesn’t mean she’s weak. I blow out a heavy breath, keeping my head tucked as I run through everything that needs to be completed before I can check on how my men are doing.

My men?

“Seems the princess is worried about something,” Jax chides, lightly squeezing my shoulder. I don’t answer him at first, still working through something when I suddenly walk into a wall of muscle. “Tia, there’s something else, isn’t there? You’ve sighed like three times in the last three minutes.”

“Nothing more than the usual. Tired, I guess.”

Aidan snorts, folding his arms across his chest. “It wouldn’t have to do with a certain crazy kid in the arena yesterday, would it? Because he took a few hard hits before dragging Heath across the floor and then he just disappeared. No one has seen him since.”

“Because those hits should have taken him out, Aidan.” I let out a heavy sigh and then cut it off, realizing what Aidan meant. “I had him checked out but we might have to send him to the hospital. Paval’s stubborn, though, and it’s not going to be easy to convince him to go.”

“Just make him. You’ve got us, remember?” Jax grins and jabs his twin in the side but I just shake my head. As big as these two are, I suspect Paval would bring them to their knees without much effort. “The offer is there if you need it. Now, let’s go teach your roommate a thing or two, yeah?”

I agree, falling silent as they trail behind me the rest of the way. The few girls in the hallways speed toward their rooms, most everyone knowing that when the twins are present, I mean business. I rarely throw my weight around unless it’s absolutely necessary. Not knowing what Paula has up her sleeves, I have to use my aces.

Which is why I’m not surprised when I step inside my dorm room that Paula has one of the fighters sitting on her bed, trying to look disinterested. The fact that she brought backup in the form of someone who would throw a punch before words were is distasteful. I’m already weathering one black eye. There’s no need for another one—when this shit wasn’t my fault. As of yesterday, most everyone is even, no thanks to Paula.

Fear flickers through her expression before she plasters a smirk on her lips. “Pay up, bitch. Cairo won yesterday.” She wiggles her fingers at me and I snort before correcting my face. That only serves to piss her off. “What? Do you not have my money? I’ve been hearing that you’ve been late on payments.”

“I love your confidence. Truly, I do. But I already know where your bet came from which renders it invalid. Maybe don’t steal from people and then hand it off to them like a fucking idiot.” Paula opens her mouth but I hold up a hand, not yet done. “I mark all my bills, Paula. I know what’s supposed to be in my hand versus what isn’t. The fact that they all had my marks on them meant that there was no fucking way the twins should have been handing me that envelope yesterday. You’ve won nothing more than humiliation.”

The fighter on her bed stands up, trying to look tough but I can see him shaking. He knows not to mess with me because although I’m only the girl who does the numbers, I do have a say in who stays in the ring of fighters. I think his name is Garrett or something, not that it matters. He’s new and probably won’t last long. “Paula, you told me that she owed you money, not that you stole it from her.” He stares at me, holding up his hands as he backs away. “I don’t want any trouble. I thought you were shorting her. Leave me the fuck out of this.”

One less body to deal with makes things easier so I sidestep, allowing him to escape into the hall. That only leaves me, the twins, and Paula shifting on her feet as she tries to find an explanation for her actions. There will never be a good enough one. She should have stolen the money and kept it. I would have thought I was a clumsy fuck who couldn’t keep my shit together.

“You think you’re so much better than the rest of us, carrying around that stupid black book and dealing with everyone’s money. If the administration only knew—”

“You’re right. Paula, you’re damn right that my entire life would go up in flames. However, so would everyone else’s. Like literally everyone else’s. Everyone on this damn campus is aware of what is going on and I suspect that some of the admin does too. How else would you explain the lack of security on the grounds or the fact that after nine, we’re kind of left to our own devices? Go ahead and yelp to my program about my dirty dealings but I have a book of fucking names, one of which is yours .” I tilt my head, wondering what she’ll have to say to that.

Paula just fists her hands at her side, shaking with anger. “You’re so fucking annoying.”

“I’m studying to be a lawyer. Most of us are. Now, excuse me as I gather my shit because staying with you would be a penance I haven’t earned.” I move in farther, heading to my side of the dorm to collect enough clothing to last me a week. I swipe a few dress suits from the closet and stuff them into a bag, praying that Cairo invested in a fucking ironing board.

“You’re supposed to stay in the dorms. It’s one of the school’s requirements.”

I ignore her taunt, knowing she’s trying to find something to throw me off guard. Nothing will work though. With my mother out of prison, there’s very little that will rattle me at this point. And if she comes on campus, my degree may very well be over if she’s as obsessive and deviant as she was years ago. Once my bags are packed, I throw her a playful kiss, loving the way her face scrunches up in anger. Paula has always been easy to rile up but it’ll be even more fun now that she can’t do anything to get on my nerves. When people start finding out she’s the reason they didn’t get paid on time, her popularity will plummet.

Which is… not my problem.

The twins remain silent during the entire exchange, taking my bags from me as I return to the courtyard. “Damn, remind me not to mess with you, princess,” Jax jokes as he hands me my bag back. He offers me a quick hug before nodding to the main building. “We’ve got class but ring if you need us.” I nod, taking my other bag from Aidan. The little bit of freedom that comes from leaving the dorm is short-lived as my phone starts ringing.

I shuffle my bags around, fumbling for my backpack. The number rolling across the screen isn’t one I recognize even if it’s a local area code. With my not-so-legal business, though, this could be any one of the fuckers that is still owed a few dollars or wants to place a bet for the next fight. So, I press the little green phone wiggling on the screen.

“Hello, daughter.”

My heart jumps into my throat as I hold my breath, my entire body tensing with a fear I haven’t felt in years. There’s no fucking way she found my number but then again, her connections could afford her just about anything.

“I know you’re there, sweetheart. I just wanted to see you. It’s been too long and now, look at you, all grown up. That navy suit fits you beautifully.”

I frantically look around the courtyard before hurrying across the pavement, head tucked until I reach an open side door. I slip in, panting in the darkness, away from prying eyes. Could my mother really be here, on campus? There’s no fucking way. She has to be messing with me.

“What the fuck do you want?”

“Is that how you speak to your mother? You used to be so lovely. And what I want is my baby girl back. I lost everything the day your uncle and those men got me locked up. I just want our family back.”

“What family?!” I scream into the phone. “You should have thought of that before trying to kill my fucking uncle for a goddamn program. Hell, you nearly killed me . You can’t have me. You’re not even supposed to be talking to me.”

“Don’t run from me, Tia. I made you. You’re mine. They’ve kept me from you for so long but that’s over with. Just come home and we can restart.”

“You’re fucked in the head if you think I’m going to do that. I wish you were still rotting behind those bars. Hell, I wished you suffered the same fucking fate that my father did. It’s a shame you’re still alive.” I hang up the phone and sink down to my ass, burying my head between my knees.

I’ve never brought up my father, not after the day I figured out who he was—effectively saving my life. He’s not the man everyone knows, the one that carries the last name Fraser like I do. My entire life is twisted down to the bone. My mother has always been evil, from day one, from before I was born. I’m the product of obsession and greed—my real father the same man who terrorized my uncle until he was a shell of himself.

Owen , they called him.

I never liked him, never liked the way he treated Rhys, and finding out that he was my father was something I carefully stuffed so far down, refusing to ever bring back up. My mother killed him in cold blood and left him to die because he didn’t have what she wanted.

And now she wants to restart our family?

I won’t let her.

She’s a monster in every sense of the word.

My body shakes with the realization that I’ve trapped myself in this little life with no way out. And that’s when the first tear falls.