Chapter Three
I’m watching the boy from the back steps. The way he grunts and groans in frustration at the root he’s been working on for the past twenty minutes, not giving way, makes me chuckle.
Life is so much more difficult than just a stubborn root and he seems to think that anger and whatever strength he can manage is enough to get by.
“Daddy?”
“Yeah?” I ask without turning around.
“The kitchen floor is clean. I’m sorry I dropped the pitcher.”
I don’t respond because her statement doesn’t require one. Instead, I pat the spot next to me on the back step and take a deep breath when she doesn’t drop her ass right next to me immediately.
“Skylar.”
Her name rolls off my tongue as a warning more than the moniker her mother branded her with, and it’s more than enough to get her to comply.
I can feel her trembling so goddamn hard that she’s probably gonna end up pissing herself with fear if I don’t do something about it soon.
I glance at her and give her shoulder a quick squeeze before I turn my attention back toward the boy.
“Hard work is what keeps a family going,” I begin thoughtfully as I let my hand drop to the small space between us. “Your mother was a hard worker. Her mother was too. What about you, Skylar? You think you got it in you to be a good, loyal Greene woman?”
“Yes, Daddy,” she mumbles quietly as she shifts uncomfortably next to me.
“Your sister didn’t, though,” I continue completely sidestepping her bullshit response.
We both know that she won’t last long in this family, but I have a feeling that won’t be my problem.
Not that I particularly care.
“I tried to understand that girl, but all of the fucking babbling and only wanting her mother. It would have been enough to make me crazy if I let her stay. I did what was best for all of us by getting rid of her.”
“Cleo was a good girl,” she states quietly.
All it takes is a flick of the wrist to backhand her across the face. Her hand flies to her cheek and she sniffles almost instantly She’ll learn eventually to speak some fucking sense, and until she does, I’ll be more than happy to remind her to never disagree with the man of the house.
It’ll be laying the groundwork for Richter when he takes over as the head of the family, and while I’m fully prepared to be disappointed, he shouldn’t have to deal with this girl smart mouthing him.
She’s nothing like her mother, I think as I give her a stern glance.
Darby knew when to shut her mouth, but she was a spirited girl. She always stood up for herself and even put her hands on me a time or two.
I shake my head as I get to my feet and reach down for Skylar’s elbow, yanking her off her ass.
Maybe I made a mistake by not dumping her somewhere like I did her sister, but the boy needs a woman in his life.
The line needs to stay clean and pure, and this is the only way to make it happen.
I half-walk, half-drag her toward the oubliette where the boy is still fighting with the same damn root before I roughly toss her against it.
“Put some fucking work into that and maybe you’ll be able to pull it free sometime this year,” I snarl at him.
He looks up at me with defiance gleaming in his eyes. Almost as if he’s ready to give up and walk away, but when I pull the latch on the gate and flip it open, I can see the fear prominent in his eyes again.
“I’ll get it out,” he assures me quietly as he goes back to the laborious task.
“You’re not allowed to stop until you do,” I tell him evenly.