Vicious Minds (Children of Vice 4)

“So, they gave up on the black man and sent a grandmamma to try and get me to sign my soul away. It ain’t happening. Guard!” she yelled the moment she saw Evelyn at which Ethan just shook his head and drank.

The guard paid her no attention. He simply walked over to Evelyn with a teacup.

“I’m sorry, we had no cream,” Jimmy said in the politest voice I’d ever heard. “Is there anything else I can get you, Mrs. Callahan?”

Upon hearing her called Mrs. Callahan, Ivy’s blonde head whipped back to look at her. In a blink of an eye she lunged towards Evelyn, and I heard glass shatter beside me.

I looked over to Ethan who was now holding the broken glass his hand. His jaw was tight and eyes deadly as he glared at the screen.

“Did she just try to attack my grandmother?” He wasn’t really asking; he was in a state of disbelief. Taking the napkin, I reached over and cleaned his hand. Luckily, he hadn’t cut himself enough to bleed.

“I’m killing her,” he said as he picked up shards of glass.

“I won the bet,” I reminded him, going back to my snack. “You are so dramatic sometimes.”

“You’re starting to sound condescending.” His voice was as cold as death. I watched him for a moment and then ignored him. I loved him, but Ethan was just like his daughter…just like me. Sometimes we got cranky when we didn’t get what we wanted as soon as we wanted it. He was both looking forward to this moment and also dreading it. Having to go this far, having to pretend with her…he hated it more than I did, and it made me love and trust him more, even though he cared more about how it made him and his family look than how it made me feel.

“Don’t speak. You only make yourself look imprudent,” Evelyn snapped at her on screen before putting the tablet down in the middle of the table.

I ate and watched as her soul broke in half. I wished I could zoom in so I could see her face clearly. It truly was like watching someone from the inside out. I’ve never seen such a thing happen to a person without certain drugs; it was interesting. “Wow...she truly trusted her family.”

“It’s not a bad choice for most people,” Ethan added, a bit calmer now. “However, if she thought about it sooner, she would have put it together herself.”

“She didn’t want to think about it. She’d rather rot than be betrayed,” I said, disgusted with her. “She was amusing at first, her grit, her fighting, but now seeing how much of a broken little puppy she is. I’m no longer interested.”

“Speaking of puppies,” he said, getting my attention, “you got Gigi two?”

I nodded happily. “Aren’t they cute? They have same eyes as her. I told her I found them, but I had them crossbred.”

“Why?”

“So, she knows something living that looks like her.”

He frowned. “You’re afraid she’s going to get bullied and you decided it was best to throw her a softball and make her feel good?”

I turned fully in my chair to look at him. “I’m sorry, are we about to have a parenting dispute right now?”

r /> “You should have talked to me—”

“I got our daughter puppies because I fucking wanted her to have pets. They are a good way to teach a child discipline and responsibility. Furthermore, those pets are not going stay cute little furry puppies; they are going to be bigger and stronger than Alaskan timber wolves. Have you seen what an Alaskan timber wolf can do to a man? Not pretty. They are weapons she’s going to learn how to control. I, out of the kindness of my mommy heart, added the eye colors as a small gift for our daughter. Now where is it you want to start this fight?” I asked him, putting my wine down.

“At least let us have the fight before you end it.”

I smiled. “Or we could skip the fighting altogether and you can agree with me.”

“Keep dreaming,” he answered. “Nevertheless, at least tell me beforehand. Just because I’m not there does not mean I don’t want to know about what is going on.”

“Yes, boss.”

He gave me a look, but it was interrupted by the voice on the screen. “Seven years ago, I told you vengeance knows no boundaries and has no expiration date. I still believe that. So, watch your front became I’ll be out real soon.”

“Looks like she’s in.” I nodded, turning off the feed.

“It seems so,” he said, sending a text message. “I have people in the jail that will watch out for her for now, and when she’s out Nari can fix her, preferably better than the third runner up at the local Miss Illinois Sweet Corn Festival.”

I laughed at that again. “With the work she’ll need you’ll most likely not see her until your birthday.”

“I’m so heartbroken,” he muttered, sending out another text.