Page 66 of Moon Blind Hearts
“This is private property,” Oak announces. “You lot are trespassing. I suggest you turn around and go before we exercise our second amendment rights to protect our land.”
My father smirks at Oak. “I’m not here to start trouble with farmers. In fact, my campaign relies heavily on people like you, young man.”
“You ain’t got my vote,” Oak replies. “Sorry to disappoint you, Senator.”
My father’s smirk doesn’t flicker. Only when he turns it on me, taking in my changed appearance, does it fall into a scowl. “What have you done to yourself, Juliet?”
I tip up my chin despite my thundering heart. I don’t answer. No answer would satisfy him. Not when I’ve covered myself from my neck to my toes in dark ink. Not when I’ve taken the blonde hair my mother gave me and dyed it obnoxiously loud purple and yellow. I’d needed to look as different as possible and hair is easy enough to change. The ink though? The ink is permanent.
“Again, you’re trespassing,” Sawyer calls, his eyes on what must look like dark blurs in front of him. “We’ve called the police.”
My father tips his head toward Sawyer. “As have I, gentleman. Let us see which of us has more pull with law enforcement, shall we?”
Two more car doors open. The first man that steps out is one I’d like to never see again. Augustus Harrington sneers at me as he steps out, his demeanor one of annoyance rather than anything else. The man clearly doesn’t like having to chase down something he considers his. I won’t be going anywhere with that man. I won’t be marrying him. Not if he was the last man on earth.
But the second door holds someone I recognize very well. One I haven’t seen for the same amount of time I haven’t seen my father. Blue eyes meet mine as he slowly moves to stand at my father’s side. There’s a slight limp when he walks, his balance off to compensate for it. He holds his arm around his middle and he’s hunched just a little.
His face though is completely untouched.
“Oh, Albie,” I whisper, my fingers twisting together. Now I know why he didn’t answer. He couldn’t. Father already knew.
The only bit of hope in all of this is that Augustus isn’t here with his own Foundation buddies. Whatever Valerie did, she must have made sure they didn’t breach their contract, which means that Harrington has gone rogue. I’d rather take care of one asshole than a whole society of them.
“Senator Ward,” Oak starts, his eyes hard. “I can’t imagine the drama you’re about to create will look good for your presidential campaign trail.”
“Drama?” my father repeats. “A worried father coming to rescue his distressed daughter from a struggling dairy farm in the middle of Nowhere, Wyoming?” He raises his brow. “A group of sex workers who kidnapped my daughter and pimped her out for their own financial gain?”
Oh no. Not this. “I consented to everything. There are contracts that prove it.”
“Are there?” he asks. “Or were they lost in a fire?”
The threat is loud and clear. He’s powerful enough to cover something like that up. I can’t allow him to hurt them, but my main concern is that little girl in the cabin they don’t know about. As long as she remains a secret, I can keep them away.
“You’ve always been such a shame to this family,” my father continues, disappointment oozing from his words. “It’s time to come home and fulfill your duty. I’ll schedule a tattoo removal appointment immediately and?—”
“That place isn’t home,” I say, taking a step backward.
My eyes flick to Albie where he stands just off center, doing his best not to look like he’s in pain. He shakes his head just a little, telling me not to worry about him, but I can’t help myself. How badly is he hurt?
“None-the-less you will come home,” Father continues, clearly angry that I’d interrupted him. His eyes trace down my inked arms. “We’ll start the removal process of those immediately. And the hair can be fixed. No daughter of mine will be seen like this.”
“I won’t be going anywhere with you,” I try again. “I’m no longer a Ward.”
He laughs. “Once a Ward, always a Ward, Juliet. You can’t outrun it any more than I can.” He gestures toward Augustus. “I made a deal with the Harringtons, and Augustus here would very much like his wife despite your difference in appearance and the whoring you’ve been participating in. Lucky for you, he’s reassures me he enjoys breaking stubborn horses, so you’ll be no different.”
“If he needs a wife, you marry him then,” I growl. “Because I won’t be stepping anywhere near that asshole.”
My father straightens his chin. “Then you leave me no choice, Juliet.”
He snaps his fingers, and the secret service man nearest him flicks open a lighter. He takes a step forward, to do what, I’m not sure. There’s nothing that would be easy to set on fire near him. He’d have to come up to the house and I doubt the guys are going to allow that.
We never get the chance to find out.
Genie chooses that exact moment to come running, giggling, out of the screen door from the small cabin. Bonnie is right behind her, frantically trying to grab her before anyone notices, but it’s too late. Every eye turns to the giggling baby and when that giggling baby spots me and reaches out, she very clearly says, “Mommy.”
My father looks between me and the child, his eyes hard. When he meets my gaze, his face rips into a snarl that almost makes me piss myself.
“She has the eyes, Juliet,” he growls out. “Why the fuck does she have your eyes?”
