Page 32 of Black Hearts
My whole life, I’d never let a woman affect me, never let them get to me. Granted, I never really made time for the opposite sex, too busy handling my family’s affairs and its business, but up until Juliet I never once imagined throwing away all the lectures, all the teachings, my father had given me growing up.
Women, girls. They weren’t supposed to change you. You were not supposed to drop to your knees and worship them or the space between their legs. They were supposed to be on their knees for you.
I had no idea how my father had gotten so many wives and girlfriends with that attitude, but some women liked the assholes, I guess. Wealth could be a great tool.
I didn’t want to be an asshole to Juliet. I knew that now.
As I drove, I knew we were all fortunate Jaxon had thought to put Rave on the case. If my father wouldn’t have shown up, we wouldn’t be in this mess to begin with—I never planned on letting Juliet go. Maybe give her a reunion with Fred, but that’s it. Now that she knew what kind of monster her father was, she had nothing, no one to go back to. That’s what I’d always wanted.
But if this somehow happened regardless of my father being here or not, I would’ve sent every single Scott I could to grab Fred. The motherfucker’s days on this world were limited. I would have him, chain him up in the basement, and relish in hearing his screams. His death would not be a job to me; I would delight in tearing that man apart limb from limb, paint the walls in his blood and entrails.
Rave would get him. After all his time watching him, he knew how Fred operated. I had faith my brother would bring him to me sooner or later, and when he did… oh, when he did, my vengeance would be swift and severe. As much as I wanted to drag Fred’s death out, I didn’t know whether I truly could.
I just wanted to kill him, make him pay for what he did to Juliet.
My Juliet.
Hours passed, the day wore on, and I grew insanely tired of driving. When I reached the city limits, it was like the scenery changed instantly. Fred didn’t live in a well-to-do city, nor did he live in the outright ghetto. It was… a poorer community than most, but not the poorest. I think that’s why his neighbors never stuck their noses in his business; they didn’t want to know what was going on with him. It was miraculous what kinds of things you could overlook when you were purposefully oblivious.
The motel I came upon was a dingy little thing. It reminded me of the motel I’d brought Jaxon to, where I’d forced him to fuck another woman in the hopes it would forever sever the tie between him and Juliet. A one-story place, the main office on the far-right side of the property, the parking lot made of gravel.
I didn’t see Jaxon’s car, so I assumed they were still at the hospital—or perhaps getting Juliet’s prescriptions filled somewhere local. I parked and texted him, asked him what room was theirs. Within a minute, he responded, and I reached over to the glove box and pulled out a small black box.
Getting out of my car, I threw a look around as I headed toward the correct door. I saw no one else around, and judging from the rest of the place, the locks weren’t going to be top-notch security. It wouldn’t take much to pick my way inside. I might be a little rusty; lockpicking wasn’t something I had to concern myself with normally, but it was a skill every Scott was taught at a young age.
I opened the small box and got out my picks, sliding the box in my suit pocket before getting to work on the old lock. With a little fiddling, the inner lock clicked, and I was able to turn the knob and walk into the motel room.
As I put my picks away, I studied the room. You could definitely tell three men had shared this space. Three bags littered the small room, though there were only two beds. Clothes were falling out of two of the bags, a few articles on the floor. The whole place reeked of something old, like a nursing home or a hospital. An old place that had seen a lot of people coming and going.
I walked through the room, heading to the bathroom. It was just as small and as dingy as the rest of the place. Barely enough room for a toilet, a small sink, and a shower that had clearly seen better days. The place felt dirty, like no matter how much or how hard you tried to clean it, it would never get truly clean.
I stopped before walking out of the bathroom, pausing to meet my reflection in the mirror. The man staring back at me looked almost haggard, the dark stubble on his face a bit too long, the glare on his features fixed. The man staring back at me was a reflection of myself, and he was a monster just like the rest.
This darkness of mine had been controlled for so long. Juliet had stumbled into my life thanks to the sins of her father, and she’d unwittingly changed everything. I wouldn’t claim to be a new man, but… but I wanted to be better for her. To be the man, the monster she needed me to be.
It was as I stared at myself in the mirror that I heard the outer door to the motel room open, and who I assumed were the guys and Juliet walk into the room. I straightened myself out, ran a hand down the front of my suit, and prepared myself.
“I’m going to put your prescriptions right here,” Jaxon’s voice carried into the bathroom. “What are you in the mood for? You’re supposed to take them with food.”
“Yes—” This was Will’s voice. “—whatever your heart desires, love. We’ll bring it to you.” Hearing him call her that made my hands clench into fists, but I swallowed down my anger. The last thing I wanted to do was lose myself to it again, especially right now.
Bennet scoffed. “Really? You guys are so fucking lame. Tripping over yourself to—” He stopped, though I couldn’t imagine why. Maybe Juliet had given him a look that stopped his humming and hawing in its tracks? Odd to think she held any power over him. “Fine. What do you want?”
“I’m not very hungry.” Her voice was soft, light, just as entrancing as I remembered it—though it did sound tired.
“You didn’t eat much at the hospital this whole time,” Jaxon said. “We’re getting you food.”
“Not all of you,” she whispered back. “You’re not leaving me alone here, are you?” I wouldn’t say she sounded scared; more like anxious, nervous that they would leave her so soon after getting out of the hospital.
I ventured out of the bathroom, coming upon Juliet’s back. The guys stood near the door, hence they were the first to see me. None of them looked surprised, which I took to mean Jaxon had told them of my plan to come. But, still, their eyes fixated on me.
Will mused, “I wouldn’t say you’d be alone here—but if you want us all to stay, just say the word—” His invitation to stay was not something I wanted, and a sound much like a growl came from my chest in response.
Juliet heard the growl from me, and she was slow to turn around, involuntarily taking a step back. Her blue eyes locked on me, and for a moment, she stood there, staring. Her small frame wore baggy clothes, clothes that were not made for a woman’s body, and I assumed one of them must’ve given her the articles of clothing from their own stash.
I didn’t like seeing her in clothes that belonged to another man, but that jealous thought faded the instant Juliet realized it was me. Her expression changed, softening, her lips parting, trembling ever so slightly. She did not move, didn’t step closer to me, and yet those big eyes of hers drew me in.
“Markus,” she whispered my name, almost as if she didn’t believe it. “You’re here.”
