A knock on my open office doors caught my attention, a single glance catching the sight of the two women quietly walking in my direction.
Sloane’s eyes were dark as she looked at me from behind the slight swelling of her bruised right lid.Shadows of red and purple graced her jawline, a grimace cracking across her busted lip as she trudged into the room.But the worst of it was the long angry red gash that streaked from across her cheekbone all the way down to her chin, the stitching keeping her skin together still very fresh.
Sloane hadn’t fared as well as she thought she might have during our little private “training” session earlier this morning.And while I made sure to leave my wife’s sole bodyguard intact, I wanted the reminder of her failure to stare at her right in the face every time she looked in the mirror.
She didn’t complain about the permanent damage done to her skin, seemingly accepting that she in fact deserved the everlasting condemnation.But as the defeated lioness prowled from the sidelines, the little mouse scurrying behind her finally made her appearance known.
“Where is Daniel?”Katherine asked, her voice soft with caution.“I haven’t heard from him since yesterday.”
I cracked my neck, ready to embrace the likely drama that was about to unfold.
“Have a seat, Katherine,” I said, nodding to the chairs in front of my desk.
Sloane folded her hands in front of herself and stood off to the side, her chin raised high like she was completely unbothered by the state of her appearance.
“What’s going on?”Katherine asked as she slowly lowered herself into the chair.
“Daniel is dead,” I stated flatly.“His body has already been incinerated and there will not be a memorial service for him.”
Katherine’s entire body stiffened, the blood draining from her face as her eyes began to gloss over.“What…what happened?Did Matt?—"
“I suppose you could give Matt the credit for Daniel’s demise, considering it was the bullet he took to the head that ultimately ruined him,” I advised her.“Unfortunately, the brain damage he sustained could not be mitigated any longer.Necessary measures had to be taken.”
Katherine just blinked at me, her face made of white stone for several seconds before she regrettably found her tongue again, understanding finally dawning on her.
“You…you killed him?”she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.
“Yes.”
She could only stare back at me in silence, but the emotions flashing in her eyes were far louder than any word she could ever speak aloud.A brief flicker of relief danced across her features, but was then quickly followed by the shadows of fear, confusion, uncertainty, concern, and maybe even a little remorse.And she had every right to feel them.Because her future was officially in my hands now, and I would be nervous as fuck if I were her too.
“Normally, in this situation, I would just ship you off back to your father to become his problem again, but unfortunately that option is no longer available to us.”
Her gaze bounced back to mine, dread now adding itself to the vast mixture of emotions in her eyes.“What do you mean?”she asked.
“Aside from the fatal mistake he made attacking my wife yesterday, Daniel also made an additional mistake by sharing a certain family rumor with your father,” I replied, my knuckles cracking under the pressure of my palm.“And your father made an even bigger mistake by threatening my family with it.”Her eyes fell back to her lap, her mouth falling open as she took in a few deep breaths.“I’d offer you my condolences, but as I remember it, you weren’t very fond of him.”
A grimace formed across her mouth as her brows furrowed, a quick sniff quickly following before she blinked away what might have been regret.“No, I wasn’t,” she confirmed.
I nodded in acknowledgment.“Since both of your parents are now gone, there is no one left to send you back to, which means your care remains within my discretion.”The reminder didn’t sit well with her, the worry growing in her softening gaze.“And as much as I would love to send you off to be someone else’s problem, I’m not going to do that.Yet.”
After considering the options last night, there was a possibility that Katherine could still serve an important purpose for me.
“What are you saying?”she asked gently.
“I’m saying that for now, you will remain here, under my roof and protection, with the specific purpose of assisting andencouragingJaden through her pregnancy and transition into motherhood,” I answered, hating the taste of the words in my mouth.“It seems that, despite my reservations, she appears to trust you.So you will use that trust to positively influence her into accepting her new role as a mother.Fail at this, and you and your daughter will find yourselves on the first flight out to a brothel in Haiti.Do I make myself clear?”
Katherine’s eyes glanced down at her lap again, a confused frown sinking her facial features as her hands curled into fists.But her delay in acknowledging her situation, as if she had any other choice at this point, was grating on my nerves.
“Katherine,” I warned, my gritted teeth emphasizing my impatience for an answer.
She closed her eyes and shook her head, taking in a deep breath before slowly exhaling.“Sorry,” she spoke quickly.“First you tell me my husband is dead, then you tell me my father is dead, and now you’re telling me in order to keep myself and my toddler daughter out of a Hattian brothel, I need to convince your wife to embrace a pregnancy we both know she doesn’t want.You’ve dropped a whole lot in my lap just now and I’m trying to come to terms with it in less than a minute.”
I cocked an irritated brow at her, unwilling to entertain her sensitivities.
“A yes or a no will suffice,” I grated.
“What happens after Jaden has her baby and she’s secure in her new role to your satisfaction?What happens to me and my daughter after we’ve fulfilled that purpose?”