12

Oscar

I tuck her into bed, and I close the door, and I pace around the apartment. This time, I don’t lock Dolly up. I just trust that she’ll stay. My security system is top of the line, so if she tries to leave, I’ll know.

I call Phoenix and Ryan, and I fill them in. Both of my brothers want to jump into action right away, but I want to sleep. I need the night to rest, so I head into my bathroom, fill the tub, and sink inside.

There’s something to be said for just melting into a tub of hot, bubble-filled water and letting go. This has historically been a problem for me. I cling to things. I stress. I worry. I’ve lived quite a bit of my life filled with anger at my father for the mistakes he made, especially with raising us.

Ryan and Phoenix deserved better from our dad.

We all did.

When Ryan discovered that our father had been taking and stealing children and then adopting them out to wealthy families, he came to us. He shared what he’d found, but it was too late. The damage was already done, and our father was already dead.

How the hell are we supposed to heal from all of this?

I want to fix things, to make them better. I want to do whatever it takes to clean up the world, to create a place where things are nicer, better.

I can’t do that, though.

And now Craig is after me.

Will he ever get close to me again?

No.

Will I be hiring more security for the office?

Absolutely.

The fact that all it took was Dolly inviting me out to get me into trouble, though? That one hurts.

A shadow falls over my face, and I open my eyes.

“Dolly.”

“Hi, Oscar,” she says.

“What are you doing in here?”

“I couldn’t sleep.”

I sit up in the tub. The bubbles cover all of my best parts, but she can see my abs, my stomach, my arms.

“You should go back to bed.”

“Oscar.”

“What?”

“I want you to come sleep with me.”

“I’m not sleeping in that bed with you, Dolly. Be glad I even gave you a bed. I probably should have locked you up in a dog kennel.”

“What the fuck?”

“I’m just saying. It would probably be more secure.”

“You can’t lock me up,” she says.

And just like that, my hand is on her throat. I tug, pulling her into the bathtub with me. She flails around as she falls in. I catch her in my arms. She straddles me in the tub.

“Oscar.”

“Didn’t you learn your lesson about mouthing off?”

“I wasn’t-”

I kiss her, and she shuts the fuck up. My lips conquer hers, and the world stops spinning.