Broken (The Captive #5.5)(58)

Marie barely glanced at her though before focusing on Camille. "Whose home is this?" she inquired.

"That's none of your business," Genny told her.

"Is the man of the house here?" Marie pressed her voice taking on a desperate edge. "I would so like to meet him."

Genny's jaw locked as she realized Marie's purpose here. Marie thought that perhaps there was a chance she could get to Atticus and that he would take an interest in her if they were to meet. Marie had a way with men but Genny knew there was nothing she would be able to say or do that would entice Atticus, but the thought of Marie trying to sink her claws into him made her hands fist.

"He's not here," Genny replied briskly.

Her mother gave her a scathing look before focusing on Camille and smiling radiantly at her. Confusion rolled through Genny, she didn't understand what was going on and Camille appeared just as baffled as she shot Genny a puzzled look. "My beautiful daughter!" Marie declared loudly as she approached them once more.

Marie went to take hold of Camille's hands but she took an abrupt step away and shot a flustered look at Genny. "Leave her be," Genny ordered.

"This conversation has no place for you in it, Genevieve," Marie replied dismissively. Camille took another step away but this time Marie was able to seize her hands. "My beautiful girl, you remind me so much of me when I was young. You most certainly inherited my beauty."

"Let go of me!" Camille spat and jerked her hands free of Marie's grasp.

Marie grabbed at her again but Camille retreated hastily. "I have no one to take care of me now, and I gave up everything for you," Marie whined as she took another step toward Camille.

Genny stepped in between them and thrust her shoulders proudly back. "Leave her be," she commanded briskly.

"I am not speaking with you Genny." Tears actually swam in her sky blue eyes when Marie focused on Camille again. "Please baby, I've done so much for you over the years. Please find it in your heart to give me a room here. I'm sure if you ask your lover…"

Marie's words were drowned out by Camille's harsh bark of laughter. "You stupid, stupid woman," Camille choked out between her loud guffaws.

"Camille don't," Genny warned.

Marie's eyes were filled with confusion; she glanced between the two of them before focusing on Camille again. "I promise you won't even know I'm here. Just please have it in your heart to take care of me as I have taken care of you."

"I'm not the one Marie," Camille managed to interrupt though she was still giggling behind her hand. "You've latched onto the wrong daughter today. It seems you really don't know men as well as you think you do."

Marie's gaze slid toward her, Genny braced herself while Marie's eyes ran scathingly over her body before settling on her face. They were full of disbelief as she stared at her. "That's not possible," she murmured.

Genny thrust her chin out. She was used to Marie's dismissive and callous demeanor toward her but she couldn't deny the stab of hurt that the words caused her. No matter how much she wished it didn't, it bothered her that her mother so openly disapproved of her.

"It's time for you to leave," Genny told her in a surprisingly stable voice.

Marie's disbelieving demeanor vanished; she batted her eyelashes as she rapidly switched tactics. "But Genevieve, I have nowhere to go. You cannot expect me to live on the street."

"Perhaps Felix will come home; you can stay there until he does." Genny felt no compunction about lying to Marie. The woman would have lied to her with far more ease and would have no problem with seeing her living on the street. She'd treated her no better than a piece of meat when she'd tossed her over to the wolf that had been Felix.

"You have so much here," Marie moaned.

"It's not mine," she replied crisply. "And even if it were, I do not want you here."

Marie's eyes flared red as she took a threatening step toward Genny. Refusing to back down, Genny held her ground and stared down at the woman that had given birth to her but would just as easily allow her life to be snuffed out. "Everything you have is because of me!" Marie hissed through her teeth. "I'm the one that taught you how to get your way with a man! I'm the one who has made you what you are! You wouldn't have any of this if it wasn't for me."

"I'm nothing like you Marie," she replied. "I don't use men; I don't manipulate them. I'm here because of a good man that I love and who loves me. That is something that you could never understand. You are not welcome here; do not come back."

"You ungrateful little bitch!" Marie spat.

Marie's hand shot up so fast that Genny barely saw it moving until it was slicing through the air toward her. She recoiled, instinctively expecting the sting that accompanied such an action but Marie's hand never fell. Genny's eyes flew open, her mouth dropped when she spotted Atticus standing behind Marie with his large hand encircling her thin wrist. She had no idea where he'd come from, he'd been nowhere in sight just seconds ago, but he was there now and he looked livid enough to kill. His eyes were the color of fire as he stared at Marie. Marie's mouth hung open; her eyes bulged from her head as she gawked up at him.