Broken Road

Chapter 17

Chapter Seventeen

A chill stole over her body. “What do you mean, ‘who are you’?” Devil sat up halfway pulling the sheet to her chest. The feeling in the air was thick and darkening with every second that passed, it wasn’t a good sign. Devil had had this feeling before, right before she had been thrown in Royal’s cellar for three days. It was the feeling of being trapped in the dark.

   Winthrop slanted her a nasty glare and snickered. “What do I mean? I mean just what I said. You are who you said you are.”

   Now devil was confused and hurt. “I’m me, I’m Devil.”

   A rough laugh sounded from his throat. “You may be Devil, but you can’t be Lilla’s mother. You were a virgin, look there’s the proof,” he accused, point at the sheets next to her legs where a blood stain marked the crisp white sheets like an enemy in the middle of camp.

   Her hands tightened on the sheet as his meaning became all to clear as if his words weren’t enough.

   “Tell me how my brother would have a baby with you when he had a fiancée before he died and the fiancée just happened to be your sister, who just died,” Winthrop demand. “What’s your plan? To use Lilla to get what you want? Well I have news for you, you won’t get a dime.” He turned his silvery glare straight to her. “I won’t have you here!” he stood up and looked down at her with fire in his eyes and a hate so deep she knew he meant his words.

   His harsh words cut at her and how could he think she would ever do something like this!

   Tears stung her eyes, but she wouldn’t be cowed. She got off the bed to stand in front of him. His eyes trailed her body and she saw his hate at his doing it.

   “Take a good long look Mr. Canter and see what no one else has seen, although I think you got a good enough look last night. See all this scars?” Devil press a gentle hand over a nasty jagged scar across her stomach and then glared at him. “These are a gift from my father. All of them. Yes Wylde was my sister, but she left me with that man when she ran away. My mother was too weak and Lily was too young to remember. Two months ago was the first time I heard from Wylde in over ten years, she ran away when I was almost eight. She left me a letter telling me she was going to disappear forever and gave me papers to adopt Lilla. She is my daughter!” Devil stamped her foot and dared him to argue back.

   “And what in Sam hell does your brother have to do with this? Who care’s if he was my sister’s fiancé when your Lilla’s father? Wylde always did do thing differently. But I will never let you take her from me even if you are her father!” Crossing her arms she refused the shake like a leaf under her nerves. “You stupid ass, Wade Canter!”

   He was speechless. Just listening to what she had said had not only stopped him in his tracks, but cooled his heels. Winthrop had wondered at all her scars, but he never would have asked. It was her saying that Lilla was his baby that gave him that set the rest on the piece in place for him. While he had thought she was his brother’s girlfriend that he left behind he was wrong about that and her being Lilla’s mother too. Well she was legally the baby girl’s mother, but still! She had thought he was his brother and the kid’s father!

   They were both wrong on so many things!

   He took a step forward, reaching out.

   “Don’t come any closer!”

   He stopped and took a deep breath. “Fine. You’re her mother, but there is one thing you’ve gotten so wrong.”

   Devil stuck out her chin. “I doubt that. I heard you loud and clear. If you don’t believe who I am then all you need to do is do a background check on me.”