Page 136 of Melt For Us, Daddy
“I’d wondered, since you’ve been spending so much time with that whore, Esther.”
Fury erupted in his veins, burning away the icy fingers of fear that had threatened to choke him. “Her name is Cordelia. And if you want to walk away from this conversation with all your teeth intact, you’ll keep her name out of your mouth.”
If he’d hoped to intimidate his father, the attempt fell flat. If anything, Harlan only grinned wider, his eyes flaring with something that almost looked like approval. “Well, well, well. It seems my son has finally managed to grow a backbone. I suppose the whore has done you a favor, after all.”
“Call her a whore one more time and I’ll?—”
The slap caught him off guard. Not only because his father had never struck him like that before, but because he hadn’t realized he was close enough to do so until the back of Harlan’s hand connected with his cheek. Pain radiated through his face, and his vision went black at the edges for a moment as he stared at the ground, struggling to breathe through the pain.
“You dare to threaten God’s holiest Prophet? If you weren’t my son, I’d have you locked away in a cage, forced to drink your own piss as repentance. That option isn’t entirely off the table, so I’d keep that in mind if I were you. I can always have another son.”
The laugh burst out of him, sharp and bitter. “If you could, you would have already. And yet, you only have me.”
“Through no fault of my own. Clearly, the wives given to me have been ill-suited for their task. But your whore… I bet she would bear me as many sons as I wish.”
Red colored Jacob’s vision. But when he lifted his head, he caught a glimpse of the cameras Braden had installed in the alleyway. Video evidence of Harlan’s attack. If he struck back now, he’d potentially end up in a cage right beside his father.
But if Jacob could provoke him, get more evidence of his abuse on camera…
Forcing back the fury boiling in his veins, Jacob pulled his lip back in a snarl. “I would die before I let you touch her. And even if you managed to get through me, Cordelia would cut off your dick and feed it to you for lunch rather than spend a single second in your bed.”
“Women like her are all talk. But when it comes down to it, they submit. Just like she did with your grandfather. Or didn’t she tell you about that?”
“About how grandfather was so weak it took him and four of his wives to hold down a twelve-year old girl so he could rape her? Yeah, she told me. She told me everything.”
Another slap, and even though he saw that one coming, his ears still rang with the force of it. “Your grandfather was a great man! You will honor his memory or you will never see the light of day again!”
Was. Memory. He waited a moment for the grief to come, but it didn’t. Only relief at the knowledge that the woman he loved was now free in a way she’d only ever dreamed of.
Straightening again, Jacob ignored the ache in his cheek as he met his father’s gaze head-on. “His memory is nothing but pain and suffering and torment. And if there is any justice in this life or the next, he will spend eternity living out the horrors he perpetuated on those who followed him. And there will be a space reserved for you right beside him in hell.”
Eyes wild, Harlan lunged for him, and they toppled to the ground together. And then his father’s hands were around his throat, squeezing until Jacob could no longer draw a breath. His vision went black at the edges as panic engulfed him.
Ivy and Cordelia’s faces swam in front of him. And it was the thought of never seeing them again, of never touching or tasting them again, that gave him the strength to fight back. Lifting his hands, he raked his fingernails down his father’s face, digging in as hard as he could. With a howl of rage, Harlan reared back, pressing his hands to his bleeding face. “You insolent little?—”
Whatever insult he’d been about to screech was cut off by a blur of motion that seemed to come out of nowhere, knocking Harlan to the ground. “Yeah, you’re going to want to keep your fucking hands off my friend.” With one knee pressed into Harlan’s back, Zach looked over at Jacob as he wrapped what looked like a zip-tie around the older man’s wrists. “You okay there, buddy?”
Coughing, Jacob pushed up onto his hands and knees, his throat burning with every breath. “I’m doing great. Took you long enough.”
Zach grimaced. “Sorry about that. Was hoping he’d say something incriminating. Never thought he’d go for you like that.”
Heavy footsteps echoed in the alleyway and a moment later Holden was there, along with several more members of his team. “What the hell happened here?”
“My father tried to kill me.” He probably should have felt fear, saying the words out loud. Or anger. But he only felt… numb.
“What, exactly, do you mean by that?” Holden demanded, and in that moment Jacob could see the fierce soldier he was.
“Choked me.” Lifting a hand, he brushed his fingers over his neck.
“Fucking hell. Cordelia is going to lose her mind.” Sighing, Holden looked down at where Zach was still kneeling on Harlan’s back. “You got a handle on him?”
“Yeah, he’s not going anywhere. Are you, big guy?”
“Let go of me you heathen! I am a Prophet of God! You will burn in hell for even daring?—”
Zach shot Holden another of his wide grins as he pressed harder on Harlan’s spine, cutting off his rant. “See? Not going anywhere.”
“Good.” With a nod for Zach, Holden turned all his attention on Jacob, worry and fury burning in his dark gaze. “We need to get you to a hospital, get you checked out.
