Read Online Wrong Side of Town by Komal Kant - Free Book Online Page A

how pathetic this woman was.
    “How long are you staying here?” I asked again through clenched teeth. She was really testing my patience. I didn’t have time to stand around and listen to her spout her well-rehearsed bullshit.
    The crying stopped just as suddenly as it’d started, and Ruby narrowed her eyes at me. “For as long as I have to.”
    “Not if I can help it.” Ryder was in the room, and in a few quick strides, he was standing beside Dylan, placing a hand on his shoulder. “You stay one night, that’s it. I don’t want you poisoning this house for longer than necessary.”
    If Ruby had been a little scared by me, it was nothing to how she reacted to Ryder’s presence. She took a step back, her eyes wide as they darted around the room, trying to find a savior.
    That was the problem with this woman. She could never pick herself up; she always needed a champion, someone who would take care of her and protect her. She was spineless and weak. She was a leech, a parasite that lived off other people. She repulsed me.
    Ruby let out a whimper and walked over to Tyson who had been silent the entire time. “Tyson, sweetie, say something. Tell your brothers that what they’re doing is wrong.” She grasped his arm and stared up at him piteously.
    For a fraction of a second, pity clouded Tyson’s face. His brow was furrowed as he stared at Ruby like he felt sorry for her. It was pretty clear that Tyson was the weak link, and Ryder could sniff out weakness in a heartbeat.
    “I dare you to say it, Son. I dare you to go against me.” Ryder didn’t exactly raise his voice, but the threat in his tone was clear. If Tyson dared to challenge him, he would ruin him.
    Whatever sympathy Tyson had been feeling, quickly vanished at Ryder’s words. He pushed Ruby away and glared at her. “I would never go against you for this piece of trash, Rye. I would never go against you over anything.”
    Seeming satisfied with Tyson’s response, Ryder turned back to Ruby. “There is no one in this house who will ever take your side, you piece of crap. You can stay here one night and one night only. After that, I want you out of here and I don’t give a shit where you go.”
    There was a creak of the floorboards, and Tyson turned and walked out the door. I think this was all too much for him. He hadn’t completely closed himself off to Ruby the way Ryder and I had. I think sometimes he thought that she’d come back as a mother, that she’d change, but the situation was too far gone now. Ruby would never be what he wanted her to be. She would never change.
    Ruby’s dark eyes landed on Dylan who was still holding onto my hand. “Fine. I’ll just take Dylan. He’s my son and I can keep him with me if I want.”
    A surge of anger pulsed through me, almost blinding me. Dylan was my responsibility; I took care of him, and there was no way I was going to let her ruin his life. For as long as I could remember, I’d looked after Dil, not because I had to, because I wanted to. I wanted to give that kid the best chance at life. I wanted him to have choices. I didn’t want him to turn out like any one of us. If Ruby thought she could get back at us by taking Dil away, she was delusional.
    Shoving Dylan behind me, I took a single step towards her that had her shrinking backwards. “Just try to take him. See what I do to you if you step out of this house with him.”
    This time there really was fear in her eyes. “What happened to you, Vin? You ain’t the same, sweet boy you used to be.” She shot Ryder an accusing look. “What have you done to him?”
    “He’s not weak anymore,” Ryder shot back. “He’s not weak like you. I made him strong. I taught him to fight back.”
    What happened next was something I didn’t expect. Ruby turned to me with sympathy on her face. “No, Ryder, you’ve taught him to be cold, hard, and uncaring. You’ve turned him into stone.”
    With that, she turned and walked away down the hall. A few