"Wait, what?" I surged forward, but Mason blocked me again. He didn't put a hand up, but he stepped in front an inch. It was enough of a barrier that held me back.

"David hates your father. He loathes him. He thinks he walked out on his daughter." A hysterical laugh came out, followed by a hysterical sob. She choked up for a moment and then shook her head clear of the emotions. "Jokes on him, isn't it. Your real daddy never knew about you. Like I'd stomach that. That he'd come back for his daughter, but not me. Oh no. If he wouldn't take both of us, he didn't get either of us. Your father has no idea about you." Her eyes found me, crystal clear.

A chill went down my back and I wondered if that was evil lurking in her depths. No. It couldn't be. She was drunk, just drunk…and sad.

She sneered at me. "And you'll never know. He'll never know about you, you'll never know about him. You can't leave me, Sam. I've all you got. David won't take you back. Are you kidding me? He's probably already got another woman, maybe even a kid too. He always liked to play the doting father type. Maybe he'll pick a son this time. The daughter he had ended up being a screw-up. You always picked the worst types, Sam. Jeff. Lydia. Jessica. They're your closest and they all screwed you. Even I knew it. You're the screw up."

When she was done, no one said a word. A fly would've sent echoes through the room, but then Analise choked out a simper. "Pack your stuff, Sam. We're leaving."

Mason chuckled.

She whirled to him. "What are you laughing about—"

Logan and Nate jumped off the counter. Neither grinned now.

She stopped whatever she'd been about to say.

And Mason stepped away from her, but towards me. He ushered me further back, at a safer distance from my mother. When he stopped chuckling, he shook his head. His voice came out bored. "Are you this crazy?"

She gasped.

Logan smirked.

"I mean, you're effing crazy if you think you can talk to her like this. This is how you talk to the one person who's stayed by you?" He rolled his eyes. "Look, this is your daughter, but if you think she's going anywhere with you when you're like this, you're delusional too. She's not leaving. You are."

Analise went pale and her body stumbled back. It looked like a sudden violent wind had whipped against her. It came out of nowhere, but there was no wind.

"Just get lost, woman," Logan snickered. He circled around her while Nate stayed in place.

Mason stepped back again and this time was effectively in front of me. He completely blocked me, even from her vision. I tried to shift to the side, but he moved back again and had me trapped against the wall. So I snuck a hand on his side and peaked around him. He didn't stop me, but he tensed at my touch.

Logan moved again and all three had encircled her. She glanced around as panic started to set in her eyes.

Mason spoke, "We've been quiet, woman. We've taken your presence in this house like calm good little boys, but we're not good little boys."

"Not at all," Logan's hyena laugh came out. His eyes flashed hatred.

"What are you—what are you do..doing?" she stammered out.

Nate spoke in a calm voice, "We're not going to hurt you."

"No." Mason shook his head.

"But you are drunk. You're wacko in the head and you're being semi-abusive to your daughter." Logan's laugh gentled, but the sound still sent shivers down my body. "So we could say anything to you, do anything to you, and who'd believe you? Your own fiancé sent you packing tonight and went back to his dinner."

"You guys wouldn't…" She was white as a ghost and her eyes jumped between the three of them. Then she found me and held a hand out. "Sam, he—"

Mason moved again so she couldn't see me. I heard a smacking sound and my mom cried out, "Ouch!"

I jerked behind him, but I didn't know what to do. Help her or help myself? I burrowed my head in the back of his shirt.

"How do you think this is going to end?" Mason was back in charge, so cold. It was like he'd asked about the weather.

"I..I—I—what?"

"Do you really think we're going to be bitches and let you talk to Sam like that?" Logan spoke now. "You're screwed up in the head if you think you've got the power to do that, especially in front of us."

"But—bu—you guys don't even like her!"

Nate laughed.

Mason sighed. It was a pitying sound. "Don't like her? We'd like anyone compared to you."

She gasped. "But—I didn't—your father—"

Logan snapped, "Stop choking like a little bitch. I thought you had bigger balls than that."

"Wha—huh? You guys can't talk to me like this…" But she didn't sound so certain.

Mason taunted her softly, "What he doesn't know, you're not going to tell."

"What?"

Logan came out strong, "Here's the way it's going to be. You're going to leave—"

Nate jumped in, "You're going to a hotel."

"And you're going to sleep off this drunk stupor," Mason ended.

My entire body shivered as I listened. All three of them spoke as one unit. They moved as one and they had their sights on my mother. I pressed even closer to Mason, not sure what to do, if I could at all. Did I even want to? It'd been so long since someone protected me…

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