Incendiary (Inferno 4)

Chapter Six

A tear rolls down her cheek as she folds her hands on her lap, then takes in a shuddering breath.

“Her clothes, some bones and hair,” she finally answers in a soft tone.

“Really? I was expecting more than that,” I reply thoughtfully. “Alright, well, what did you do with it?”

“I couldn’t lift it all by myself, Daddy,” she confesses, her voice cracking slightly.

“It’s just as well,” I respond dismissively. “Darby was different than her mother. Hell, she was the only one of my children worth a damn, so maybe leaving some of her in there won’t be so bad.”

“What about us?”

I look at the boy.

There’s the rage again—the anger that will make him into the man he needs to be in order to run this house properly.

“You wanna hear it again?” I ask him evenly. “Darby was the only one of any ofmy children that was worth something. You know she died because of the two of you, right? So, I’ll thank you to mind your fucking manners when I talk about her.”

The mood in the room instantly sours and I let out a heavy sigh.

There’s only one way to get things back on track and if Richter isn’t willing to step up and be a man right now, then I guess it’s time to show him that his sister has been learning her own lessons behind his back.

“Skylar,” I begin as I hold the boy’s level stare. “You remember what I taught you the night your momma died?”

She nods without looking up from her hands.

“Good. Now come over here and prove it.”

Stealing a frightened glance at her brother, another tear rolls down her cheek as she slowly pushes her chair back from the table.

The sound of the scraping is loud and unnecessary, and for that, she’ll have to do a little something extra.

As she begins to walk around the table, I hold up a finger and shake my head.

“Sky, sit back down,” Richter tells her as he reaches for her arm.

I smirk at him.

He wants to play a game of who’s dick is bigger and he’s going to lose.

“On your knees, girl,” I tell her as I push my chair back a few inches from the table.

“Sit down,” Richter tells her again.

I roll my eyes and snap my fingers to get her attention. She knows what happens if she goes against my will, and unless she wants to be an only child, she’ll do as she’s told.

Taking another deep breath, I watch as she slowly lowers herself until all I can see is the top half of her face.

“Under the table. Get moving,” I say evenly as I keep my eyes on her brother who gets to his feet angrily.

“I want to be excused,” he states through gritted teeth, and I chuckle.

“Sit your ass down and learn how to be a man. Then, maybe, I’ll let you out of my sight.”

I lift the tablecloth when Skylar finally gets to me and places a hand on my knee.

Reaching down, I pull her up to her knees, making sure that he’ll be able to see what she’s learned, then look down at her and run a finger down the side of her face.

Her eyes are red, glistening with tears, and in this light she reminds me more of Taylee than she does Darby.

Down on her knees for her midnight prayers before coming into my room and asking me to love her.

“Show Daddy what you remember,” I tell her quietly.