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

“Is he always this protective, sweetheart, or is this because of me?” He grazes his finger over Delaney’s hand that’s resting on the table. She jerks away, disgust blaringly obvious on her face. “Why’d you bring her, if you didn’t think I’d look her way?”

“Mr. Davenport,” she says coldly. “I’m Delaney Chambers. You know my father, if I’m correct.”

This is one time I wish I could snap a photo, capturing the memory so I can reminisce when I need a good laugh. My father isn’t one to get rattled, but the girl sitting across from him has managed to do just that.

“I see.” He glares at me. “Barrett, care to explain what’s going on?”

“I didn’t come here to talk. I came here to listen, so how about you explain to me what happened to Mom on that bridge?” I lean forward, grabbing the steak knife beside his plate. I shove the blade into the white tablecloth, shredding the delicate fabric. “Cat got your tongue, Dad?”

“I don’t know what this is, but I will not stand for it.” His chair screeches against the tile floor.

“Bailing, like you always do, huh?” I let him get a little further away before I shout, “Care to explain to these fine people why you had your wife killed?”

Silence takes over the dining room, every eye on us. My father is on me in a second, bending over the table to put his face directly in mine. “Listen here, you have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“That glorious education you pay for at Glass Heart Academy has taught me a couple of things. The most important is that you trust those who have earned it. The second, and almost as important, is that lies always reach out of their graves to reveal themselves. Your grave has been dug up.”

“I can explain.”

“Please do. I’d love to hear why you had my girlfriend’s father kill your wife, my mother, right in front of us.”

“You weren’t supposed to be there.” His fist slams down, shattering a glass and cutting his hand. “Dammit.” He grabs a white cloth napkin, covers his hand, and walks away.

The hostess hurries to his aid, wrapping his hand in a bandage. Once he’s cleaned up, he stalks over to the table. His face is red, seething with pent-up anger.

“Buckle up. You’re about to meet the real Mr. Davenport,” I whisper to Delaney.

She doesn’t seem fazed by the warning. Having lived through what she has, looking in the eyes of the evil that has harmed her, I suspect it will take a lot to move the earth beneath her.

This man’s entire life has been set up for him. Most people who don’t have to work for what they have can’t be trusted. Due to my blessings, my grandparents’ old wealth, I could very well end up like my father.

“Power is a fickle thing. On one hand, it makes you invincible, and on the other, it can rip away everything you hold dear.” I tilt my head to the side, enjoying the fact that this man has no idea what’s about to hit him. “What do you hold dearest, Dad?”

Clarity crosses his face. He knows I know.

“What do you want? What will it cost?” He sits down, wrestling with his sport coat, brushing his hands over the fabric. He’s rattled, right where I prefer him.

“The fact that you think you can buy my, rather, our silence is comical.”

A commotion across the room draws our attention away from what’s conspiring at our table. Byron and Dixon are glowering at the hostess, daring her to argue or try to stop their war path.

Halfway through the dining room, Byron stops at a table and snatches a piece of bread from a basket, takes a bite, then tosses it against an older gentleman’s chest. He saunters over with a confidence I recognize. He’s got a fuck-them-all mentality, and he’s about to shove a bat covered in barbed wire straight up my father’s ass.

“Mr. Davenport.” Byron grins, and my father glares at him in annoyance. “You’re probably wondering what I’m doing here.”

“Hello, Mr. Chambers,” the hostess says when Delaney’s father enters.

“Right on time.” Dixon laughs.

My father leans to the side to look, but Byron blocks him.

“Let’s focus up here, shall we? The way I see it, you have a couple of important but simple decisions to make, Mr. Davenport.”

“Who the hell are you?” My father tries to get to his feet.

Dixon holds him down. “Not so fast.”

“I’ll ask you one more time, who the hell are you?”

“We’re the product of parents like you, who think we don’t need to be monitored or cared for. We’re the discarded children of the rich who the world believes will be complacent because we can jump on Daddy’s jet, and we have unlimited spending on our black cards.” Dixon bends down, placing his face right in my father’s, and laughs. “News flash, daddy dearest, the lack of love and support has manifested itself in children who’ve become too smart for their own good. These children are fighting back.”

“Am I supposed to be scared?” My father rolls his eyes.

“You aren’t now, but you will be.” Dixon grins, winking at Delaney.

“Sit down, Mr. Chambers.” Byron grabs his shoulder and shoves him into the chair beside my father.

“Delaney?” Mr. Chambers says, misplaced hurt and anger loud and clear in his tone. The audacity of this man.

“You killed my mother.” I glare at the man across the table who killed the most wonderful thing in my life then, but also had a hand in creating the most wonderful thing in my life now. “Isn’t that right, Dad?” I narrow my eyes on my father. “You gave him the order, didn’t you?”

“I’ll do whatever you want.” My father’s hands tremble as he holds them up in defense.

“The walls are closing in, aren’t they?” I jump to my feet and loom at him over the table. “Your chest is tightening because the breaths you’re taking are strangling