Page 19 of Black Hearts
Markus had been the first, and I’d be lying if I didn’t notice he wasn’t here. I knew he probably had his hands full with his own father being there, but to not come to me when I was in the hospital? It hurt. It hurt me more than words could ever describe.
“I bet,” Jaxon said. “I talked to the police, but they’ll want to talk to you now that you’re awake—” Right then, Bennet walked in, holding a small paper cup with what must be water, and he bent his head in Bennet’s direction. When Bennet closed the door, he went on, “I told them that you’re my girlfriend, that you’ve told me you’re scared of your father.”
Will let go of my hand so Bennet could hand me the water, and I took it, my arm trembling as I did so. Thankfully the cup was teeny, so there wasn’t much to hold onto and lift up. I brought it to my mouth, taking a sip and wincing—the temperature of the water was a harsh contrast to the way my throat currently felt.
“I gave them his name,” Jaxon explained. “I didn’t say that your father works for my family. Everything involving us I kept out of it. When they talk to you, you have to be careful of what you tell them.”
“I know,” I whispered. And I did. I wasn’t stupid. Maybe in the beginning, but now? Now I knew what was best kept to myself and what the police needed to know to file their reports.
Jaxon squeezed my hand again. “I have their number. They told me to call them once you woke up and were ready to talk to them, so just let me know.”
I finished up the water, and Bennet took the small cup from me. “Does Markus know what happened?” A part of me reminded myself I shouldn’t care, not after what Markus had done, not after he’d let me go without fighting for me, but I couldn’t help it. I… I wished he was here, wished I could gaze into those dark, pitch-black eyes and lose myself in them.
I missed him.
Jaxon shook his head. “I didn’t want to call him until you woke up. I did tell Theo what happened with your father, though. He’s been keeping an eye on everything in the house. He and Stella have been keeping everything running in the house ever since our father showed up.”
“And Markus?”
“Markus has… from what Theo’s told me, he’s got his hands full with our father.”
“And,” I paused, swallowing, wishing I had more water but not wanting to ask for it, “he let you guys come after me?”
Will rolled his eyes. “As if the fucker can pull his head out of his ass long enough to give the order. No, we came on our own. Stella rounded us up and told us what happened with the old Scott.”
That surprised me. “Stella?”
“She didn’t do it because she gives a shit about you,” Bennet informed me. “She did it because of Tori. As crazy as that chick is, she wants her kid to be happy, and I guess you make her happy, so— “
“Theo stayed to watch over the house and Markus. We didn’t tell Markus before we left,” Jaxon finished.
I guess that made sense. With how Markus had acted lately… a part of me wondered if he’d even send anyone after me, or if he’d already let me go. The pessimistic part of me doubted a man like that could ever truly love another person in the selfless way love often demanded.
I tried to sit up, but the action caused my midsection to scream out in agony, and Jaxon let go of my hand to gently push me back down. “Careful,” he warned. “You need to move slow. The doctor said you were lucky with the stab wound, but it’s going to take a while for you to feel better. You’re going to hurt for a while, and be sore for longer after that. You need to stop yourself from overdoing it.”
He was right, of course. I couldn’t argue with him, so I let out a sigh. “I’m surprised you guys are here and not going after my father.”
“Oh, we got someone on the job,” Will chimed in, smiling at me. If my stomach wasn’t aching something fierce, it would’ve flipped and filled with butterflies at seeing that wide, handsome smile.
Eyebrows creasing, I asked, “Who?”
“Someone you’ve never met,” Jaxon said. “One of our brothers. His name is Rave. He was stationed at your father’s house for a while. We were lucky he was still in the area, and that he agreed to watch Fred some more, because otherwise…”
Bennet frowned. “Otherwise you’d be dead.” Blunt and to the point, not one to sugarcoat anything. And yet… yet his voice was softer than it usually was, almost like he didn’t appreciate the thought of me being dead. Ironic, given how he’d threatened me over and over in the beginning. How things had changed.
Huh. So I was lucky all around, then. I didn’t feel lucky. I didn’t feel it at all. How could anyone look at me, in my current state, and tell me that I was lucky? With what my father had told me before he’d stabbed me… how the hell was I lucky?
As I thought about it, tears pricked the corners of my vision, and try as I might, I couldn’t hold them back. They fell from my eyes before I could stop them, and I couldn’t hide them. The last thing I wanted to do was cry in front of them, and yet I just couldn’t seem to stop myself. I felt so… so disheartened. So sad.
“He never loved me,” I whispered, taking my hand away from Jaxon to swipe at my tears. “He said he did, but he didn’t.”
The guys exchanged glances. It was Will who offered up, “Markus?”
“My father,” I corrected him, sniffing. “He never loved me. He only wanted me because he wanted to raise me away from the sins of the world, shape me into what he wanted. He said he’d tried to do that with my mother, but it was too late for her. He’d hoped that I would be better than her, because I was a part of him.” My lungs burned, my heart aching in my chest. “He wanted me to replace my mother.”
“What the fuck?” Bennet hissed out the question, while Will looked like he wanted to strangle someone.
Jaxon, on the other hand, asked, “Did he really say all that?” When I nodded, he said, “Fuck, Juliet. I’m so sorry. That’s… I know nothing I can say will make you feel better, but he’s never going to get his hands on you again. I’m never letting you go. Not again. No matter who tries to take you from me, it won’t happen.”
