Page 70 of Black Hearts
Children. He was talking about children. We didn’t kill children, and we didn’t use them. I could not always say that was the case, especially when my father was in charge. And because Juliet had been legally a child until her eighteenth birthday, I didn’t dare bring her here until then, so Fred was, in a way, a necessary evil. A pity about all the girls he’d killed during that time, but I did not hold myself responsible for Fred’s actions.
“Does this mean more grandchildren are in my future?” my father asked. “It’s time you started populating this estate, don’t you think?”
“I don’t believe children are on any immediate plans of ours,” I spoke dryly. I… I’d never much thought about it. Getting Juliet on birth control was my top priority, mainly because I didn’t want any new children running about this house.
Plus… how would I be as a father? Would I be a good one? I didn’t know, but I wanted to, at the very least, be better than mine. That wouldn’t be too hard of a difficulty, but you never knew. Life tended to throw things at you when you least expected them.
My father made a humming noise. “So, you plan on keeping her a while, then? Juliet Osborne.”
“I plan on keeping her forever.”
“Forever is a long time for creatures like us.” Said the man who liked to have more women than he did drinks. Not keeping women around, or giving them just enough to stop them from voluntarily walking away, was his specialty. It wasn’t mine.
“Is that doubt I detect?” I asked, leaning back in my chair. It felt good to be back here, where I belonged, and knowing Juliet was also here, alive and well, filled me with something I couldn’t begin to describe.
“Not at all. I do wonder if it will work long-term, and if it doesn’t, if you’re prepared to do what’s necessary. Juliet has seen things she shouldn’t. She knows what we do, in no part thanks to you. If you tire of her, you cannot simply let her go as you would if you were releasing a butterfly in the garden.”
“I will never tire of her,” I spoke with conviction. I knew it in my heart: there would never be anyone else for me. Only Juliet. She was the only person I wanted in this world, and now that I had her, I would never, ever let her go. “Speaking of, though, there is something else I’d like you to do before you go. It’s not in the contract. Think of it as more of a goodwill gesture.”
My father must’ve had his suspicions, for he squinted at me. “What?”
And then I told him exactly what I wanted him to do. I had no idea if he’d agree to it, but I thought it would be a nice gesture. I’d already done my part, but I could not let him walk out of this house before he did this one thing for me.
Or, rather, for Juliet.
After I told him, he scoffed. “Surely, you cannot be serious, Markus?” I couldn’t tell if he sounded insulted or amused—or both.
My hands were on my desk, laying atop each other. This was something I wouldn’t back down on. “I am, in fact, very serious, father.” It wasn’t something that would mean anything to someone like him, or even to me, but to Juliet… to her, it would mean so much more.
It was a few moments before my father let out the most explosive sigh I’d ever heard. He didn’t sound happy, but I knew what that sigh meant, even before he got up and said, “Fine. Let’s get it over with then, shall we?”
That I could not agree with more, for the sooner he was out of here, the sooner I could relax. Or relax as much as a man like me could, anyway.
I walked out of my office with him, and together we headed through the house, to the back patio area. Most everyone had decided to stay for dinner, it looked like. Lincoln was with Killian, cleaning off the grill. Ed was nowhere to be seen, which I took to mean he’d gone to the store to grab more food to cook. Stella stood near Travis and Vaughn, though it didn’t look like any of them were actually talking.
Not once had I ever seen the back so full of people. It was… strange, knowing they’d all come for me, and now they were here to simply hang out.
I spotted Juliet with Tori near the pool. Tori had torn off her knee-high socks and sat with her legs in the water, swinging them back and forth. Juliet sat beside her, though she refrained from any pool-dipping. Bennet, Jaxon, Will, and Theo were not far from them, so they’d undoubtedly hear what my father was about to say.
“Can I see it?” Tori was busy asking, blue eyes wide as she gazed at Juliet.
Juliet gave the girl a nod, and she lifted up the bottom hem of her shirt, showing Tori where she was stabbed.
“Cool,” the child muttered. “You’re going to have a wicked scar—”
“Sorry to interrupt,” I said, causing both Tori’s and Juliet’s eyes to turn toward me. “But there is something my father would like to tell you, Juliet.”
“Me?” she squeaked out. “Oh, uh, okay.” Juliet didn’t sound too sure of herself, and she hurriedly got up, turning to face us. Beside her, Tori did the same, crossing her arms and giving my father a pointed glare, as if warning him not to try anything.
Juliet glanced between me and my father, clearly not knowing what the hell was going on.
My father got right to the point: “Juliet. I gave you back to your father as a punishment for my son, knowing what he would do, and for that, I am sorry. I do hope you’ll accept this apology, as you will never get another out of me.” He looked at me. “Neither of you will.”
“Oh,” she said, quite clearly speechless. “I don’t know what to say.”
“How about this: fuck you, Grandpa,” Tori spat out, not as speechless, apparently. “She almost died because of you, so you can shove it.”
I rolled my eyes at Tori’s antics, while Juliet acted shocked to hear such language out of the girl. My father, on the other hand, laughed. “You do have quite the mouth on you,” he remarked.
