Santiago’s jaw ticked, indicating he wasn’t a fan of this decision, but he was quick to mask his irritation and nodded curtly.
“Charlie will go with you.”
I almost objected but a small voice stopped me with the reminder Judas only had eyes for me.
The gorgeous redhead that resembled Jessica Rabbit in a suit wasn’t anything to worry about.
“As long as she doesn’t beg to suck my dick again, that’s fine.”
Oh, God. Leave it to him to embarrass the woman while confirming what was somewhat obvious. Gavin’s loud laugh boomed through the garden, almost completely drowning out Theo’s sigh. To her credit, Charlie held her composure to the same degree everyone around me seemed capable of doing.
“She knows what will happen should she disrespect my daughter in any way,” he retorted, the warning in his voice crystal clear.
I was a little thrown by him so openly referring to me like that, but I guess it was only natural that he did.
“We’ll give you two some space then,” Judas stated.
“If you need me, I’ll be right around that corner.” He motioned to a different path that curved behind another side of the house.
“Okay,” I said quietly.
I didn’t want him to go anywhere but at some point, I needed to face people secure in my station. Like his sister and Nova had said, hold your own. I had a way to go before I could do any of this with the same ease a woman accustomed to this world and way of life could. I hadn’t exactly accepted this yet either, but now was a damn good time to practice.
Once they were gone, Santiago and I regarded one another silently. He wasn’t as tall as Judas but still stood a few inches above me. His thick dark hair was brushed back and didn’t show any signs of going gray. His eyes—were almost black. There was an empty coldness to them that couldn’t be ignored.
I was glad Theo had stayed behind. I didn’t know shit about this guy but if I thought Judas was a psychopath, something told me this man was worse. I’d like to think he wouldn’t hurt me, but it wasn’t as if we had some deep unbreakable bond.
I shifted on my feet and that seemed to break the trance he was in. He cleared his throat and shifted back, motioning to indicate the table.
“Please, let us sit.”
I walked over, pausing when Theo pulled out a chair for me. He had his sunglasses on so I couldn’t make eye contact, but I thanked him nonetheless and took the seat across from the one Santiago claimed.
“Drink?”
“Waters fine.”
He lifted a pitcher and poured some into one of the empty glasses, sliding it across to me when it was topped off.
“Thank you,” I said softly, taking note of his thick wedding band as I settled against the cool wrought iron backing.
“I think I should start with telling you how beautiful you’ve grown up. You look just like her.”
He was referring to my mother, someone I had never met and hardly knew anything about.
“I wouldn’t know…” I trailed off, reaching for my glass of water.
“No, you wouldn’t,” he agreed quietly.
The atmosphere was quickly turning awkward and tense for me. I didn’t know why I was here.
“Why did you want to meet me?”
He didn’t seem surprised by my question. It almost seemed as if he was expecting it.
“You’re my daughter,” he replied simply as if that explained everything.
Honestly, it was infuriating. I was a grown-ass woman. Where was he when I’d been fresh out of high school and at rock bottom? He'd clearly done well for himself so what the hell had he been doing when some crazy bitch decided she was tired of pretending to play mommy and wanted to kill me? I slightly tilted my head and looked at him bemusedly.
Was he after something too?
“I think the man who raised me would have something to say about that if he could talk. I’m sure his mouths been devoured by maggots and earthworms by now.”
He guffawed and slapped the table, catching me off guard. I hadn’t been trying to make him laugh.
“He told me you were like this.”
“Okay…” I eyed him a little concerned about his mental state.
“You’re fearless, I love it.”
I scoffed and reached for my water again. I wasn’t fearless, not even close. My sense of self-preservation was completely fucked.
“You wonder why I never came for you. I’ve known where you were for a long time, Rhiannon. There are a few reasons I didn’t step in. At first, it was because you had a father figure willing to do anything to give you a life I couldn’t.”
“Marcus,” I clarified to immortalize the man he was referring to.
He nodded and continued.
“I lost track of you for a few years and feared the worst. By the time I realized Evie was involved, it was too late. Barron had found you first.”