Page 79 of Black Hearts
I heard footsteps, and soon enough, Theo emerged, and he spotted me immediately. “There you are,” he said. “We were looking for you in the house, but when no one could find you or Bennet, I figured you might…” Whatever else he was about to say died in the back of his throat when he finally saw Bennet lounging about behind me, still very much naked and bared to the world.
It was a sight to see, I knew. Although, I also knew Theo wouldn’t like seeing that thick cock and all those muscles as much as I did.
Theo was quick to turn around, giving us privacy neither of us asked for. Bennet didn’t seem to care who saw him naked, but he did scoff at him while getting up so he could get dressed.
I moved to stand beside Theo, staring deep into those warm amber eyes situated behind thin-rimmed glasses. He was just as put-together as always, but there was something about him that instantly made something inside me twist, and not in a good way. “What is it?” I could barely get the question out. It was like, deep down, a part of me already knew, but I needed to hear him say it.
“Rave brought him in,” Theo said, telling me I was right in my suspicions. “Your father’s here, Juliet. I… I don’t think he’ll have long. I don’t know if you want to see him or not, but if you do, I would suggest doing so now.”
As my heartbeat kicked up a few notches, behind us, Bennet scowled. “That motherfucker’s here? Oh, yeah. Let’s go see him. I have a little present for him.” Though I wasn’t watching him, I heard him flick his switchblade out, that same blade that had been used on me.
I whipped my head in Bennet’s direction. “No.” To Theo, I said, “Bring me to him.” No one was going to do anything to my father until I saw him, until I spoke to him. Don’t get me wrong, I didn’t really want to see him, but it was quite literally a now or never scenario. If I didn’t go to him now, I’d never again have the chance. This house was full of people who would gladly rid the world of him, and now that they had him in their clutches, there was no hope left for him.
Theo gently touched my cheek. “Are you sure? No one will force you if you don’t want to.”
“No,” I whispered. “I want to.”
My whole life, I’d spent unaware of the tug-of-war between Markus and my father. Both men wanted me for themselves. They couldn’t each have me, only one could, and now that I was here, my father had lost. Both men had postured, threatened each other, told lies just to try to keep me where they wanted me.
But, to me, one man was worse than the other, his intentions far more sinister. You couldn’t get more sick and twisted than my father and his plans for me, never mind the fact that he’d killed so many girls that looked like me. And my mother. There was no coming back from that.
“Okay,” Theo said after a moment, and once Bennet had picked up my torn shirt and stuffed his switchblade back in his pocket, we were good to go. Theo didn’t ask about me wearing Bennet’s shirt, though he could probably see how in tatters mine was. I doubted he wanted to think about that.
Minutes passed. We emerged out of the woods and headed straight to the house across the grassy area, past the gardens and the patio. Inside the house, we had to go our separate ways; Bennet wanted to get a shirt before meeting us in, you guessed it, the basement.
It had to be the basement. My father didn’t deserve anything less. Or anything more.
We found Jaxon and Will standing near the locked door to the stairwell down, and when they saw Theo and me, they straightened out, both their handsome faces looking grim. You didn’t get a more serious occasion. They’d seen what my father had done to me, saw the aftermath and all the blood I’d lost. I’d been moments from death. That wasn’t something either of them could forget.
“Looks like you were right,” Jaxon commented, talking to Theo. To me, he asked, “He told you?”
With a short nod, I said, “My father’s here. I… I want to see him.”
Jaxon and Will exchanged glances. Will spoke up, “Are you sure that’s a good idea? I mean, no offense, love, but you don’t have the best track record when it comes to your father.”
“I know, but I need to.” I hoped they would understand that. I didn’t think I could truly put this behind me if I didn’t have one last word with him, so to speak. All of those times he’d locked me in my room. When my room’s electricity had been shut off just so I could stay in the darkness. The nights I’d dream of another life for myself and that masked man at the masquerade, Markus… it had all led up to this.
I’d always regret not seeing him one last time. I had to face my fears and see the man who’d tried to mold me into the perfect obedient daughter… who would then grow to replace my own mother as his wife.
Yeah. There were definitely different levels of twisted out there, and I think my father took the cake.
“Well, we’ll be right there with you,” Jaxon said, and Will nodded along. “He can’t hurt you anymore, Juliet.”
That’s what they were focusing on, of course: he wouldn’t hurt me ever again. They didn’t care about the other girls he’d killed or who else he’d surely kill if he was left to his own devices out there. I was under no illusions when it came to that fact. These guys… they were all killers, too.
“Is Markus down there?” I asked. I’d definitely need him there, along with everyone else. It wouldn’t feel right to confront my father without everyone behind me. Even if they waited in the hall and I was alone in the cell with him, I still wanted them all there.
“Yeah, he’s down there,” Jaxon said, eyeing me up. “You ready to go down now? You don’t want to change or anything?” He referenced Bennet’s shirt clinging to my body.
I supposed I could change, but honestly, what would be the point? I didn’t really care to look my best for my father, even if it would be the last time I saw him.
“I’m ready.” As ready as I would ever be, that was.
Jaxon didn’t argue with me. He went to input the code into the pad beside the door, and it clicked open. He held open the door for us, letting Will go first, then me and Theo, while he took the rear. Bennet would meet us down there, I guess.
The winding stairs felt cold and dank, but maybe that was just me. Maybe my skin just felt all itchy and irritated because of what was to come. All of the pain my father had caused, everything he’d done… it was high time to put it to rest, to end it once and for all, so he could never hurt another family again by taking away their daughter.
As we walked down, I tried to puff myself up, drum up some kind of courage in my body. I might’ve told my father off, before he’d stabbed me, but this was different. Of course it was. Instead of me being at his mercy, he was at mine.
