Page 18 of Cardinal

I shouldn't be feeling this way towards her. I couldn't.

Reluctantly, I let go when I felt her body relax with her even breaths. "That's it, that's my good girl." I praised her with a smile.

Holding her at arm's length, I softly rubbed her shoulders with my thumbs. "I am sorry. I shouldn't have grabbed you like that. It's… A habit…" Nothing took control of a situation faster than a neck grab, no matter who I was dealing with. Uppity sub? I'd have them melting under me within seconds. A target? I'd have them shaking beneath my feet and begging to spare their lives.

Her neck bobbed with her nervous swallow as she nervously fiddled with the edges of the worn pages. "I-I shouldn't have gotten in your face like that, and I shouldn't have snapped at you." Looking down at the ground, she shuffled her feet a bit. "It's just… The book's a gift from my cousin, who put it together with a good friend of his who he went to school with, and it's been one of the few things I've managed to keep hidden from my parents to enjoy."

Well, this whole thing could have been avoided had she told me that in the first place. I couldn't fault her, though. I remembered how I was at her age, going silent on my parents and snapping at them for stupid shit—I apologized in the end, of course. But, point being that communication was the last thing on my mind in my teenager and early adult years.

Besides, her life was in turmoil right now. I had to give her props for handling things as well as she has been. If I were in her situation, I would have gone mad and let my anger take over to bring ruin to anything and everything around me.

Against my better judgment, I pulled her into a tight hug, rubbing her back. "Do you want to have the whole book copied and laminated so it can be preserved for the long run? I can have one of the men do that or get you what you need to do that." I offered with a curious look down at her.

The happy smile slowly worked its way onto her face as she looked up at me with bright eyes. "You'd do that for me?" Her body jerked a bit in my arms from her happy little bounce.

Chuckling softly, I brushed and tucked away her stray bangs behind her ear. "I would do anything for you, Juliet, as long as it makes you happy."

"What about letting me have one of your cars?" She asked with a cheeky little grin and giggle.

Rolling my eyes, I leaned in and softly kissed her temple. "Okay, there may be some stipulations to that." I knew she was joking, but I couldn't let her have some slack. "I'd sooner kill someone than let you get behind the wheel with no experience." The last thing I wanted was for her to crash.

A small shiver pricked my spine at the sight of Juliet's dark eyes hardening. "So, if I asked you to kill my parents right now, you would?" Her voice was mixed with wariness and hope with how her voice lifted at the end.

Cradling her face with a hand, I stroked her cheek with a twisted smirk. "If that is what you wish and would help you sleep better at night, then yes, without any hesitation." Granted, I never had any trouble with murdering anyone in general.

Killing was a part of me like breathing, and even though I found a sick joy in it, the thought of killing at Juliet's request brought a new fire of life to the activity. I shouldn't be leading her into my dark waters, but the dangerous edge to her eyes was too tempting and exciting.

Chewing her bottom lip, she looked at me for another moment before shaking her head and returning to how she was before. "W-we should finish up and leave. I am sorry for even bringing something like that up. I don't know what came over me." Her voice had a fearful tension, but it didn't feel like it was directed towards me.

"Nothing to apologize about, they did an awful, shitty thing to their own daughter." Pulling away, I comforted her with a half-smile. "They'd be shark food by now if it were up to me." I half-joked with a chuckle before releasing her fully to return to packing.

Honestly, what the fuck was I even doing? I shouldn't be encouraging her bad behavior. She needed to stay on a good path, the one which led far away from me.

The sounds of shuffling boxes filled the tense atmosphere. "So… Coding and hacking?" Fuck, why did I have to sound so awkward?

Chuckling nervously, Juliet didn't bother looking in my direction as she replied. "Yeah, it's simple and fun. I find it so amazing how I can have access to nearly everything from a simple computer, and I love how the most mundane changes could alter a program so much." Smiling, she grinned happily to herself. "And don't even get me started on all the shit I can control with some simple keystrokes."

Soon, a small smile made its way to my own face as Juliet prattled on excitedly about all the little things she could do with fucking around with lines of codes on a computer. Little of it made sense to me, but I couldn't find it in myself to put a stop to her brightness. I don't think I have ever seen her this excited since I brought her back to my home, so it was very refreshing.

After ordering some of my men to carry the boxes out to the vehicles, I interrupted her with a question. "Do you want to stop by an electronics store to get a computer after ice cream?"

I didn't think she could get any more excited today, nor did I think I would ever enjoy the sounds of anyone squealing. Yet here we were. "Yes! Please! Yes!" Giggling, she practically jumped in her spot with delight as she grinned at me gratefully.

Unfortunately, her happiness didn't last long. "You're so disgusting. I can't believe you're my sister." Juliet's face immediately paled, and her smile turned upside down at the voice of a younger male.

Chapter 11

Juliet

Whipping around to face the door, I frowned at the sight of my younger brother, who stood there glaring at me with utter disgust.

Boldly, he trudged up to me with Luciano right at my backside. Protectively, he wrapped an arm around my waist and held a gun out at my seething brother. "Don't, please." I quietly begged Luciano, placing a hand over his and urging him to lower the weapon.

"This is the bastard you chose to abandon our family for? To cut all ties for? Do you know who he is? What he does? What he just threatened ma and ba for?" A mere foot away from me, he glared up at Luciano and jabbed a finger in his direction. "You are disgusting and cruel. Walking in here like you own the place and demanding things of my parents like that. How fucking desperate must you be to force a mar—"

"That is enough!" Luciano's booming voice trembled in the air, making both my brother and I flinch. "You are lucky I don't put a bullet in you because your sister still has a heart after your parents plucked it out and stomped over it."

"Gerald, leave, please. I'm just getting my stuff and leaving right now. I have nothing to say to you, nor do I want to see you. So, leave before something happens." I pleaded with my brother with a tired sigh.

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