Page 67 of Marcellus: House of Drakos
“I got your beautiful baby girl, Daddy. Because that’s what she calls you, doesn’t she, Daddy?”
“Is she alright?”
“Oh yes. She’s most attractive. She’s just fine.” He laughed. “To look at her, she looks pure black. Like an African princess. But you, a white man, is supposedly her father? Did you take a DNA test, Daddy?”
Fuck you, Marcellus almost said. Although he did take DNA tests to confirm parentage of all of his children eventually, that was none of his business. “Put her on videocall. I want to see her face.”
“Nope. Not yet. You haven’t earned that right yet.”
“Then how do I know you have her?”
“Say something girl.”
“Daddy?” Kalayna called out.
Marcellus nearly jumped out of his skin when he heard her voice. “Are you harmed in any way?”
“No sir.”
“Now that’s enough talking for now,” said the caller.
Kari looked at Alex.Do something, she wanted to say, although she knew he was as powerless in this situation as Marcellus was.
But Marcellus was even more distressed. “You take my children,” he said to the caller. “You down my planes. But youwon’t tell me what you want from me? We can swap. Is that what you want? You give me back my daughter and you can have me. How’s that for a bargain?”
“Nope. Not good enough.”
“Then what do you want?” Marcellus cried out. The anguish in his voice stunned his sons. Savannah was so heartbroken for him that she placed her hand around his waist.
“I want you to suffer,” the caller said in a lower tone. “How’s that?” Then he screamed it out: “That’s what I want and that’s what I will have!”
“If you take me you can torture me day and night. Just release my child.” He had a plea in his voice.
Savannah was near tears. Alex and Kari were too. His sons were fighting back their tears with all they had. They wished they could comfort their father the way Savannah was doing, but he would never let them in that far.
“You know you’re proving my point,” the caller said, “with all of thatrelease my daughter and take mebullshit. That shows you care more about her than you do yourself. That’s why I have her. That’s why you’ll never see her again if you go to the authorities or try that same shit you pulled with Niko. My way is the only way so get that through your thick skull. Just because you’re rich doesn’t make you invincible. Because you know what? I can do anything I want to you.” Then he laughed again. “I’ll be in touch within forty-eight hours with an exact ask. Your ass better be ready.” Then he ended the call.
Marcellus was about to angrily throw that phone, but he knew it was the line that caller used to contact him. He, instead, tossed it on his desk for Scottie to retrieve.
“Daddy, she’ll be okay,” a distraught Freddy said. Seeing his father like that did something to him.
Marcellus ran his hand through his hair, upsetting the balance, but he didn’t give a shit. He almost felt unwell. He sat down behind his desk because he had to.
“Why don’t you eat something, Marcellus?” Savannah said. “You haven’t eaten all day.”
Eat? It was the furthest thing from Marcellus’s mind. “No,” he said.
But Savannah could see his coloring. “You’ll feel better.”
“I said no!” Marcellus screamed out and slammed the palm of his hand on his desk.
It was so dramatic that it startled Savannah. Although his children had seen it many times before and Kari had seen it in Alex before too, Savannah had never witnessed it in Marcellus.
Not that she didn’t understand why he was so enraged. She understood perfectly well. That was why she didn’t yell back at him. But she did remove herself from beside him and walked behind his desk to his window. All of this drama was getting to her too. As soon as she could, she was going to go home and get out of his way. She was useless there anyway, and nobody really wanted her there but him. And she wasn’t at all sure if he still did.
He did. Desperately. That was why, as soon as he blew up at her and saw her leave his side, he looked back and saw where she was. Then he got up himself and went to the window and stood beside her. Scottie, shocked that he would even care, looked at Olivier and Freddy. They’d never seen their father so solicitous to another human being in the entirety of their lives. It was kind of startling for them, but sad too. He never treated their mothers that well. He took care of them, but not like that.
He stood beside Savannah for a few seconds. “I apologize,” he said in a voice only she could hear.
