Page 4 of Justice II

There is ample proof that I’m a fraud. In his eyes, she’s his precious little girl. But that bitch is the devil with a silk press.

Eventually, I was able to calm myself down and serve dinner. Shrimp scampi over angel hair pasta, Caesar salad and garlic toast. Dinner went well and everyone left the kitchen. Well, not everyone.

Once the coast was clear, this little bitch stepped to me.

“Hey Mel,” she spoke my name.

“What, Storie?”

“I don’t see you putting in much action to get out of here. Am I going to have to speed things along?”

“You said a month…”

“And it’s been a week, and I just don’t see any movement on your part. Look Melody, we don’t have room for you in this family. You can stay but then we’d have to make room. Maybe Dream can go…”

It was the way she said it. Her eyes were so dark and cold. Just before I could utter another word, Justice walked back into the kitchen.

“Storie, it’s after 10. Go to bed.”

“I will Daddy. I was just asking Skye a question about her golden bangle. It’s so pretty. I think I want one like it, Daddy,” she said, eying the bracelet on my arm. Golden. My baby’s name. She was playing games and it took the strength of the Hulk to keep me from pummeling her ass right there in the kitchen.

Ever so slightly, I bucked as if I were going to thrash her but I composed myself. My self-control was one for the books. Because I wanted to kill that little girl.

“You ain’t gettin’ shit out of me for a long time beyond the basics. You’re still on punishment. Go to bed.”

“Okay, Daddy. You’re right. I still have to prove myself,” she smiled as she hugged him. His back was facing me while she was glancing over his shoulder with a sneaky gleam in her eye. Little bitch.

She scurried down the hall and up the stairs.

Justice waited until her footsteps disappeared before he looked at me.

“What happened?” he asked.

“Nothing.”

“Why do you look like that?” I could see him reading me.

“It’s been a long day. I’m worried about Rita. She was mostly not here today. I fear she is getting worse.” It was the truth, just not the whole truth.

“Yeah, I’ve noticed. She has a doctor’s appointment coming up. Serenity will be coming down and we’ll all discuss it.” I could see the distress crinkling his brow. This man carried a lot on his shoulders. That demon child, Storie, his ailing grandmother, and then sweet little Dream. Not to mention he has no clue that his deceased wife didn’t die from cancer. She died at the hands of a psychopath.

“That’s just been bothering me. Seeing her get worse. Sometimes she’s all the way here and sometimes… I don’t know. I know you all love her but you’re losing her.”

“We gotta really use the time we have left with her. I know she’s wanted to write her memoir. Maybe we might hire someone to help get that done as soon as possible.”

“I think you should.” I looked away.

“You want some wine, or do you need something stronger?”

“Wine is fine.”

He took a bottle from the wine rack and set it on the island with two glasses while I rinsed the last few plates. Storie’s threat kept replaying in my head as I loaded the dishwasher and wiped down the counters. She had stopped speaking in riddles. If I stayed, she planned to hurt Dream.

Once I pushed the dishwasher closed, Justice picked up the bottle and glasses. “Come outside and have a drink with me.”

I followed him onto the deck. The string lights cast a soft glow over the furniture, and the firepit burned at the far end. Beyond the railing, his land disappeared into darkness. There was not another house close enough for anyone to hear what we said, which usually made the deck feel peaceful. Tonight, the privacy made me nervous.

He poured my wine and handed me the glass. I sat beside him on the outdoor sofa, leaving enough space between us to make him notice.