Chapter 163

“So you are running,” Archer growls. “Now. After everything Neil has done to ensure you can stay here as long as possible.”

“It’s not –”

“You are a selfish, vindictive little bitch. He’s in the hospital, fighting this for you, and you are ready to throw us all away and disappear.”

“I’m not –”

“Save it. I don’t want to hear your excuses. And when Neil hears about this –”

“I’m not leaving!” I shout. It’s the only way to silence his tirade. Archer, always so ready to think the worst of everyone. How easily he thinks the worst of me. My own rage is burning. “My dear step-brother packed these boxes.”

“Wyatt?” Archer still looks angry, but at least he’s fucking listening to me now.

“He’s trying to get me to leave again,” I say. “He’s not being subtle about it.”

Archer’s face darkens further. “Did he say something to you?”

Some of my fury leaves me. I drop my gaze away from the intensity of Archer’s gaze, unable to match his fire right now.

I’m hoping he’ll let it go without pressing me, but Archer is Archer. I know better.

“Chloe.” There’s the press.

“He’s not wrong,” I say. “Neil’s been protecting me, but it’s obvious things are harder for him than he’s been letting on. If my presence is the only thing keeping the silver inside of him –”

“Bullshit,” Archer snaps. “All of this has been Neil’s choice, and his alone.”

“But it’s only because of me that –”

Archer closes the distance in three long strides. Suddenly his hand is on my cheek and he’s physically turning my face up so that I can meet his gaze once more.

His eyes burn with anger, with indignation, and with… something else. Affection? Protection? Neither of those seem right but they are the closest thing I can think.

“My father has been trying to control all of us for our entire lives,” Archer says. “Neil has taken the brunt of his ire to shield the rest of us. He’s always bent to my father to protect us. But now, he is finally fighting back, and that is because of you.”

I swallow hard.

“You can’t let him believe it was for nothing,” Archer says. “He’s made his break and we all have to support him. Do you understand?”

I do. If I hurt Neil by leaving, it will only prove to him that he should have listened to his father and let me go before enduring such pain. Who knows if he would ever step out of line again? And who knows what worse terrors his father would put on him to make sure Neil never doubts again?

“I wasn’t planning on leaving,” I say.

“You thought about it,” Archer says, an accusation.

I can’t deny that, so I don’t. Archer can usually see through my lies.

So I just repeat my conclusion, “I’m not leaving.”

“Good.” He nods, seemingly satisfied, and releases my face. “Unpack these boxes. I’ll deal with Wyatt.”

I sigh. “Don’t bother.”

Archer narrows his eyes. “Why?”

“He’ll only hate me more,” I say. “Yelling at him or punishing him won’t change that. He thinks I’m your whore, so if you defend me, it will only reinforce that.”

“You aren’t a whore,” Archer says.

“Yeah. I know that.” Granted, I am often horny as hell for the brothers, but… it’s not like that is my whole life! Plus, I’m still a virgin!

“What happened between you and Wyatt, for him to hate you this much?” Archer asks. “It feels… personal.”

“I wish I knew.” I shrug. “I thought we were at least okay. At one point, I was excited to have a sibling. But apparently he’s been harboring some serious hatred toward me since my mom married his dad.”

Archer considers this, but his face says he doesn’t quite believe it. Or at least, he doesn’t believe that’s all of it. I really wish I could tell him more, but I just don’t know. The Wyatt I thought I got along with okay was apparently an illusion. He never existed. I don’t know the real Wyatt at all.

“Wyatt is a weak little man,” Archer says the words like they taste bad in his mouth. “He likely can’t handle strong women.”

Yeah, that’s probably true.

Wait.

Strong women? Is Archer calling me a strong woman?

That’s really close to a compliment. Yet before I can fully process enough to wonder what that means, Archer changes the subject.

“I’m only here to relieve you and Beau on baby duty. You two should go and visit Neil. I already texted Beau. He should be here in a –”

“What the fuck, Nanny?” Beau curses the instant he bursts into my room. His anger doesn’t usually burn as hot as Archer’s, but in this case, his face is fury incarnate, giving Archer a run for his money.

“It’s not what it looks like,” I insist, waving to the boxes.

Beau looks from Archer to me. If I was actually in the wrong, I might cower from the fire there. Maybe. But I’m not in the wrong so I hold my head up high.

Archer rubs his forehead like he has a headache coming on.

Beau demands, “Well, what the hell is it then?”

Later, in the car on the way to the hospital, Beau sits behind the wheel and snarls, “I’m going to kill Wyatt.”

Even with the harsh words, he’s not quite as angry as he had been when he thought I was leaving. He’s more annoyed now. A touch more vindictive, too. I get the suspicion that being on Beau’s bad side is not a place you’d want to be.

He’s smarter than he lets on, and crafty too. He might not be actually planning to kill Wyatt, but whatever he is cooking up likely wasn’t pretty. Either way, Wyatt is in serious trouble.

“He’s not worth the jail time.” I say it out of concern for Beau, more than for Wyatt. Wyatt is a right asshole.

“I’ll release him as our Beta,” Beau says. “Let him go face the real world for a while. See how far being such an aggressive dick will get him.”

I can’t admit to Beau that when I met all the Hayes brothers, they were aggressive dicks too. That might spoil the mood.

“Listen, don’t bother,” I say. “I will be gone in two weeks, and none of this will matter anymore. If he was a good Beta to you before I was around, he’ll be fine when I’m gone too.”

“Who says he was ever a good Beta?” Beau says. “He’s been a failure from the start.”

“Why put up with him at all then?” I ask.

“Because it’s funny watching him try so hard.”

I roll my eyes. “You guys really are the worst.”

“Not as bad as him,” Beau says. “And now he does this? Neil made his choice, and Wyatt is trying to force you to disrespect that. It cannot be tolerated.”

“What I’m saying is, maybe just think about it first,” I say.

“What’s there to think about?” Beau says. “I don’t want someone around who I can’t trust.”

“But in two weeks…”

“Stop talking about that,” Beau says a touch too quickly, too harshly. It startles me enough to look at him closer. His lips are slanted down. He’s holding the steering wheel like he’s choking it.

Does my leaving bother him that much?

No. That can’t be. He must be upset about Wyatt.