Incendiary (Inferno 4)

Chapter Eighteen

“Go take a shower, then meet me in my room,” I instruct her as we walk through the front door.

I ignore the look of dismay on her face.

She’s thinking too much for someone that doesn’t truly understand what’s about to happen.

Before she can become Richter’s wife, she has to look the part, and for that I need her to be clean and ready.

I take the stairs up to my floor two at a time, ignoring the boy when he calls out to me. He probably has a million and one questions which I won’t answer.

Everything he needs to know will come to fruition when I present his wife to him shortly. Until then, he just needs to keep his fucking mouth shut and wait.

I take my jacket off when I walk into my bedroom and toss it on the bed.

My hands are shaking as I walk over to the closet. It’s where I keep the memory of Taylee hidden and there’s something inside that I want Skylar to wear.

I reason that, maybe if I try it this way, one of these little bitches will stick to the family rules instead of turning on her husband.

I should have done it with Darby, I think irritably as I slide the closet door open and look down at the old, dusty trunk.

I can almost feel Taylee standing behind me as I place my hands on the lid, feeling the worn, black leather.

Ever since I took possession of it, I never opened it. I tucked it away with every memory of my mother and hoped that I’d never have to look at it again.

So many fucking things about what’s inside have haunted me for as long as I’ve been alive.

Clearing my throat, I use my thumb to flip the lock I never bothered securing and sit back on my feet as I use both hands to lift the lid.

I don’t look inside right away.

I almost feel like I’m betraying the crazy bitch right now just by opening the damn thing.

I should have had it buried with her, then I wouldn’t have given it a second thought.

But burying Taylee was more than sufficient, and I wanted to have more than just her fucking couch to remind me that she was real once.

Not even her picture makes me feel like she was alive enough for me, so I kept something else.

Before I have the chance to look at the contents, a soft knock greets me.

I get to my feet, letting the lid slam back down and walk to the door to answer it.

“How the hell did you clean up that fast?” I ask Skylar testily.

“It’s been half an hour, Daddy,” she replies in confusion.

I hold her eyes for a moment before I shake my head and chuckle.

“Come in,” I tell her, stepping aside.

Time always did seem to disappear whenever Taylee was around and that’s why I felt like my childhood was a lifelong prison sentence.

“Sit on the bed,” I say as I make my way back to the trunk. “I’ve got something special for you, baby girl.”

I drop to my knees and open the lid again, glancing to the side when I hear the bed creak under the weight of Skylar’s body.

If she tries to fight me on this…