Glass Heart Hero: A Dark High School Romance by Lindsey Iler (free ebook reader for iphone .TXT) 📕

alive. I thought it would be far more fun to watch his safe little world crumble after today.”

“You did that for me?” Madison tilts her head, staring him directly in his eyes. Byron shifts, uncomfortable with the attention. “Thank you.”

“It’s no big deal.” Byron winks at Palmer across the table. Byron is proof each of us is capable of the impossible task of evolving. We aren’t what people think we are. At least not fully.

“So, what do you need from us today?” Marek asks, drawing the attention away from Byron.

“I think this is something we need to handle on our own.” I check with Delaney to get her reaction. She nods, understanding what I’m saying.

“Like hell.” Marek scoots out of his chair and leans over the table towards me. “We’re in this together. I don’t give a flying fuck what you say. Shit, we’ll sit in the car, but we’ll be there either way.”

“Listen,” Madison begins but stops to take a deep breath. “Tripp didn’t do this because of the shit at the football field. He came to find me at the downtown Sky Tech building. He heard I was doing an internship there and didn’t want me too close. Before he could drag me out of the room by my hair, I’d already read some documents.”

“What kind of documents?” I ask.

“Sky Technology International is a security company that dabbles in a lot of arenas. Your father has managed to get his hands on your sisters’ inheritance through some sort of loophole. Right now, it all seems to still be in place, but at any time he could make a transfer. Your mom was smart enough to hide it fairly well, it seems, but he used my father to dig up its whereabouts.”

“Yeah, my grandmother set up a little nest egg for each of us.”

“It’s more than a nest egg, Breaker.” Madison’s eyes avoid contact with mine. What has her so nervous?

“How big are we talking?”

“There’s a hundred million in principal alone waiting for each of you in a bank account.”

“Son of a bitch!” I bark.

“Also, there’s been surveillance on the house, your aunt, and both your sisters.”

“Why?”

“My guess is he’s gathering information to use to get his hands on that money. I had Dixon do some digging for me,” Madison says.

“He’s broke, like flat broke,” Dixon announces. “I’m sorry, man.”

“That’s why the sudden interest in them,” I reason out loud. “This got so much messier than I’d thought. The foundation was an easy solution. I’m the rightful owner. He can’t touch it. That cuts off all three of our families from the resources they need to cover their tracks.”

“Let’s think this out rationally, okay?” Byron says, grabbing our attention. “It seems like there’s only one real solution.”

“What’s that?” Delaney asks, clearly as confused as I am.

“Go see him. Both of you. I have a plan.” Byron leaves it at that.

“Byron? Will this plan work?” I ask. “I need this to work. My sisters’ happiness and safety are on the line. The revenge I deserve for what they did to my mom is on the line.”

“I got you, but I also need you to be clueless when the time comes.” He smacks me on the shoulder, daring me to question him, but I have no reason to. Byron’s tactics are typically fucked in nature, but for once, whatever he has up his sleeve, I’m rolling with it.

“Are we blindly trusting Byron?” Delaney asks.

“I heard that.” He flips Delaney off behind his back as he leaves the kitchen, making her laugh.

An hour later, I hand my key to the valet attendant. Meeting somewhere neutral was my only stipulation. I chose the country club, and since my father didn’t answer my call, I arranged the time with his secretary. I haven’t stepped foot in here since I was young, but it doesn’t matter. Our family name is plastered on the side of the building. My grandfather founded the Davenport Country Club in the fifties. The vast golf course spans as far as the eye can see, and the amenities are endless.

I fidget with the tie around my neck, hating dressing up when I’m not in my school uniform. Delaney reaches over and loosens it enough to make it feel less like a chokehold. I grab her hand, admiring the flowy floral dress she’s wearing. It fits her body perfectly, hugging her in all the right places.

“You ready for this?” I ask.

“To face the man who convinced my father to murder your mom?” Her throat jumps as she swallows. “Not a chance in hell. Am I ready for this all to be behind us? Absolutely.”

At the hostess station, a twenty-something girl smiles at me, baring her teeth.

“Put away the whites, girl.” Delaney slides between us. “He’s taken. We’re here to meet Mr. Davenport.”

At the mention of my last name, her eyes brighten. “Right this way.”

She guides us to an area by the window, near the middle of the wall as I’d requested. “When Mr. Davenport arrives, I’ll bring him to the table.”

“Thank you,” I say, grabbing the glass of water and guzzling half of the contents.

The hostess leaves us but returns a few seconds later with my father trailing behind her.

“Here you go, sir,” she says, motioning to the open seat across from Delaney and me.

My father inspects his surroundings, noticing the two empty chairs. He assumes my sisters are in the bathroom or checking out the views of the lake. He’s dead wrong.

“Where are your sisters?” he questions.

“What? No hello, Daddy?” I laugh humorlessly. “Did you actually think I’d bring them to see you today?”

“Yeah, that’s sort of the whole point, Barrett. What kind of game are you playing?”

“I’m in high school. I’m not capable of playing games, Father.”

“Don’t play coy with me. I know what kind of situation you have up at that school.” At the mention of Glass Heart Academy, his eyes slip to Delaney. “Now, who’s the pretty girl?”

“Don’t look at her.” I slam my fist on the table,