The Unmaking (The Rayne Whitmore Series Book 1) Read Online Free PDF Page A

and now I understand
what he meant. He has appearances to uphold just as my mom had told me many
times before. I wonder if she knows, if she truly knows the man that she had
fallen in love with so many years ago. How does my dad transform from this to
the kind and gentle man that he is at home? If this is the price that must be
paid to keep our family and assets safe, I’m not so sure that I want it
anymore.
                My head hurts, and all I
want to do now is be with Selene. I need to be around something good and warm.
I need something  right, to hold on to. Selene is right, she is kind, and I
need her. This is something I will never let Jasmine see. I promise myself.
Never will she have to see the violence and torture. Inside those doors, more
muffled screams are being drawn out. I slide down the wall crying silently for
the loss of the scientists and for the loss of my ignorance.
                Five minutes later, Damien
stalks down the hallway to sit next to me on the floor, his hands on his head.
We sit there silently for about five minutes before I finally ask, “Is he
dead?”
                “No,” he responds,
surprising me. “Your father isn’t done with him yet.”
                “Wow. How thorough he is,”
I spit. “How many have you killed?”
                “None. Jason doesn’t want
both of us to go down that road. He says that watching and actually having to
physically carry it out are two different things.”
                I almost laugh at that. My
daddy, the virtuous one, always taking one for the team.
                “Rayne-“
                I cut him off.
                “Don’t Damien. I’m not
ready to talk about anything else right now. I don’t want to know anything
else. I’m on overload and I just want to see Selene,” I practically beg,
feeling the full weight of exhaustion that stress can put on you.
                “Ok. I won’t argue with
you, but there is more that you need to know sooner than later now.”
                Those are the last words
spoken between us as he drops me off at Selene’s. I am deflated. I had told her
that I was coming and that I was staying the night about twenty minutes before
I arrived, then I had texted mom to let her know where I was too. I figure by
this time, she’d start to worry a bit.
                When we pull up at her house,
my body is numb and my thoughts are a tangled mess. I had always prided myself
on doing the right thing and maybe I had only seen the world the way I wanted
to see it up until now. Maybe my dad is doing the right thing, even if it
seemed wrong to me. My dad is not an evil man and clearly, he has an empire to
protect. How else are you supposed to protect an empire? Damn. What wouldn’t my
dad do if pushed?
                Right when the car stops,
I hop out before Damien can say anything and Selene flicks on the porch light.
She had been waiting for me. I have to practically fight with my legs to not
run the rest of the distance to the door. She opens it as soon as I hit the
first of four steps; and once I see her face, a wave of relief floods me.
                I’m safe now, I
tell myself. We stand in the doorway and hug as I listen for the sound of
Damien’s car driving off. Then, after a soft, much needed kiss, Selene pulls me
inside.
     
    Chapter Four
                S elene’s home is tastefully modern with creams and dark
accents as well as wonderful artwork throughout. She loves mirrors, pictures of
foreign landscapes as well as beautifully painted naked bodies of men and women
alike in various poses and positions. It makes for an interesting blend
throughout the entire house. Even the furniture is shaped with curious angles
that look uncomfortable until you actually have a seat. Add in throw pillows
and rugs and you have awesome splashes of color. Her entire