Page 87 of Judas

Her ear is flat on my chest when I finish that tidbit, rising and falling as I breathe evenly.

“Father said you’re a sex offender. Uncle Lucien said it was because of the relationship you had with Dad.”

“Hate to say it but they’re both right. The Prison Rape Elimination Act made it where correctional officers received strict punishment for having relationships with inmates. While what your dad and I had was consensual and resulted in you, it was still illegal and I faced those consequences. I didn’t hurt anyone but people don’t look at it that way when you have that kind of a conviction. It’s going to follow me everywhere, for the rest of my life, so if you don’t want to stay close because of it, promise I’ll understand.”

“And Dad?” she asks.

“Vehicular manslaughter. He was drunk and killed an important person.”

“Uncle Lucien?” Her voice is softening now.

Every time she calls him her uncle I want to correct her. Family is not blood bonded anymore—not when it comes to him. Reeling in my annoyance, I keep talking.

“Multiple homicide. Lucien is not a good person. He’s hurt a lot of people over his personal choices. Earlier, before your dad came in here, you said you killed someone. Did Lucien make you do that?”

“Yes.” Her voice is gravely and unsettling now. “I liked it though. I’ve liked it each time I’ve killed.”

My mouth goes dry and I tense; this has got to be the one inside of her that Lucien has briefly warned us about. Fuck, I need Kace. She shifts, looking up at me from where her chin rests on my sternum. Pupils are blown out to the rims of her blue irises, mouth sliding into a deviant looking grin. I’m immediately on edge.

“Y… you liked it?”

“Mhm. He needed me to sin so he could kill her, then you and himself afterward. While he directed Sadie to cut that man's throat, he thought she was in control. But we’ve been in her head so long we know how to act for her. I cut his throat, she just held the knife.”

Kace… I need Kace right fucking now!

“Anyway…” Turning her head, she lies back down on my chest. Instinctively I return to playing with her hair.

“I’m not going anywhere without you. Not when your heart sounds like mine.”

Oh god.

Chapter thirty-one

Judas

“Have a good time with your family?” Babel asks Kace when he comes out of the room, appearing distracted.

My vision is a bit too blurry to make out the details, the fine lines that have formed over the years appearing smoother than before. Can’t really make out the darker strands of his facial hair either. I do see the slight change in shade, though—damage to your optical nerves via brain trauma will do that to you. They’ve been at me for too long now; if it wasn’t for Samael, I’d probably be face down in a ditch or fed through a woodchipper. He’s a coward, looming around in the background while I take the brunt of their illicit cross-examination.

“Yeah, kid is throwing me for a loop. She’s got her mother’s attitude,” he replies.

“Oh, that’s good.”

Hardly.

“Disagree.”

“It can’t be that bad, she just met you. It’s going to take some time to warm up.”

“Shit, nothing like that. Anyway, have you gotten anything out of him? Haven’t had to sit through a job this drawn-out. The longer we are here, the more of a risk we are taking. The contact is on the move and prepping for a transfer if he lasts that long.”

“Where are you sending him?” Babel asks, stepping out of the way for Kace to take over. I’m rather curious how these two met. They’re not cut from the same cloth, that is clear even to the cloudiest eyes and foggiest of minds.

“Undisclosed location, don’t worry about it, Gunny. The less you know about certain shit, the better.”

“Don’t treat me like I’m green, Havok. I’m here for a goddamn reason.”

“Watch… your… mouth,” I squeeze out. Tilting my head back, I try to shift far enough down in this chair to prop it on the backrest.

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