Page 66 of Black Hearts
Will peered around Theo at me. “You have my heart. You know you do. I’d be lost without you.” He then paused, thinking about something. “Just so we’re all clear, you meant Markus in there, too?”
I nodded.
“I figured. Going to have to learn to see that asshole more often, I guess. Though, not going to lie, it’s hard not to bear a grudge for him locking me in the basement for so long.”
“We all could hold grudges against Markus and each other,” I said. “But I don’t want any of us to. I want to forgive and move on, and I want all of you right there with me. You make me happy to still be alive, and I don’t want that feeling to ever go away.”
I could tell by the way they held my stare that they wouldn’t. Nothing in this world could tear us apart again. I had them, and they had me, and honestly, there wasn’t anything better. No other feeling in this world could match the way I felt right now, knowing these guys were mine. The word satisfaction didn’t seem to cover it.
Hours passed. We hung out mostly in my room. No, uh, sex. Not this time. Jaxon volunteered to go get some lunch for us, even though no one was particularly hungry. He grabbed some nice, greasy fast food—something I was discovering was a favorite of mine, having not eaten it hardly ever growing up. The hot, golden fries were the best, though the chicken nuggets were a close second. Smother them both in ketchup and you had manmade heaven.
Even Markus ate with us. It was amusing to see his towering frame hunched over a fast food meal, and I watched him like a hawk as he was doing it. Every movement he made, every time that Adam's apple bobbed as he swallowed, I caught with my eyes and memorized each detail. The man was handsome and sexy no matter what he was doing.
They all were, really.
Don’t ask me why they wanted plain old me.
All in all, the day was nice. Fun. Relaxing as it could be, considering what was coming in the afternoon. I think we were all a little on edge, some more than others, which was why some of us joked around more—ahem, Will—while others were more snippy—like Markus. Everyone reacted differently to stress.
And then, just like that, it was time. Time to go, time to head back to the Scott estate and meet with Markus’s father. The others had filed out of the suite, into the hall already, and Markus and I were seconds from following them.
Markus stopped just before the door, his hand holding onto the doorknob. The folder with the contract was tucked under his other arm, his wide shoulders slumped just enough to be noticeable. His expression was unreadable, and yet I knew.
“Are you ready?” I asked quietly.
He seemed to think about the answer, but only for a few moments. “I am.” He elaborated no further, shutting the door behind us.
I think he was as ready as he would ever be. I also thought this was a long time coming. For his father to have left the mansion in Markus’s hands, and then to come back and say he wasn’t doing a good enough job, that he’d messed up by bringing me… it wasn’t right. He should’ve stayed in retirement, or whatever it was Johnathan Scott did with his time before this.
Markus and I met the others near the elevator, and once the door slid open, we crowded on. Down we went, and I let out a shaky breath. A confrontation like this… I didn’t think I could do it by myself, so I was glad to have Markus, Jaxon, Will, Bennet, and Theo here with me.
Although, really, it was mainly Markus who would do the confronting. From what it sounded like, we’d be waiting outside with the others, a mini-army ready to back Markus up.
This was it. This was our make it or break it moment.
Chapter Eleven – Markus
The others had begun to line the streets before we arrived. Juliet had ridden with me, while Bennet had gone with Theo, and Will with Jaxon. I pulled up to the gate first. To my surprise, my code hadn’t been deactivated, and the gate sprung to life. I was the first to drive in, and as I pulled up the long, winding driveway, I spotted Lincoln, Ed, and Killian standing near the marble steps in front of the main entrance.
I put the car in park and got out. The others parked their cars behind mine. Everyone else still waited on the road.
“Stella left a few minutes ago to pick Tori up,” Ed said, blue eyes taking in Juliet and the others as they got out of their respective vehicles. “We’ll make sure everyone else gets in. Good to have you all back. The house has been a little lonely without you lot.”
Beside him, Lincoln scoffed. “It’s been nice, minus the asshole being here.”
“Don’t worry. We’re going to get him to leave, one way or another,” I said, holding onto the folder tightly. I’d read over every line of it a dozen times since I’d picked it up from Oliver. It could not have been worded better, and it offered a great deal to our father, provided he left this house and never returned.
As they left to man the gate, just in case our father decided to shut off the power and lock everyone else out, I turned to Juliet. Theo, Jaxon, Will, and Bennet stood behind her, leaning against my car. The wind tousled her pretty blond hair, and those blue eyes held my stare, bold and unafraid.
All of the things I’d done, all of the mistakes I’d made; none of it mattered anymore. If we kept rehashing it, we would only succeed in repeating history. It was much better to live in the now than in the past, high time for a new chapter to begin.
“Good luck,” Juliet said, the corners of her lips twitching into a tiny smile. I could tell she was anxious, but she also had faith in me. It was… undeserved on my part but welcome all the same. If there was one person I’d hurt the most these past few months, it was Juliet, and yet she was here, choosing to be with me of her own accord.
An angel choosing to be with the devil, willingly shrouding herself in the darkness. It meant so much more to me than I could ever say. She humbled me. She was exactly what I needed. Mine. My angel would belong to me until the end of time itself.
I gave her a short nod, and then I turned to head into the house, where my father surely waited for me. He had to have seen us enter the property.
I didn’t know what I expected when I walked through the front door, but the same house greeted me. The same decorations, the same clean air. Nothing looked touched; I knew that would change once I saw my office.
