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“He came to see Carlton the other day. Didn’t he tell you?”
I don’t mention that I’d caught the scent of her perfume clinging to my husband’s suit. “Yes. Well, no. He said you were there, not Carlton.”
“I don’t think he likes dealing with strong women.” I’m not quite sure how to take that, but she continues so I push it aside. “Anyway, he was expecting Carlton, but you know your brother. He was at the Cat House, as usual.”
“Carlton? At the Cat House?” I feel my eyebrows knit together in confusion.
“Okay, maybe you don’t know Carlton that way but, it doesn’t matter. He’s not why I’m here and I’m sure if he knew I came this close to Jericho St. James, he’d lose his shit.”
“Okay, what happened exactly?”
She glances at Matty. “He came to gloat about the pregnancy. About how he was going to use the baby to take everything from us. The house. The land. The various properties. Any money that’s left.”
“What?”
She nods. “I don’t know how he is with you. I guess he handles you with kid gloves, considering.” She gestures toward my stomach and I swear there’s a moment of something dark that passes through her eyes. “He’s going to use that baby to steal it all, Isabelle. I told you that already. Now you’ve just given him what he wants.”
“I didn’t exactly give it to him.”
“No? Did he force you? Not that it matters. I’m sure he has the cops and the courts in his pocket. Not to mention the Tribunal. I don’t know where your head is in this. I can’t imagine you’ve given a family any thought.”
“A family, no—”
“Not that it would be a family,” she continues quickly. I’m pretty sure she’s not hearing me. She’s caught up in her head. It’s not like her. “Once he has the baby, he won’t need you. You’ll go the way of Nellie Bishop and any other Bishop who’s had the misfortune of crossing their path. You should read their history. Your future is written in it.”
“What does that mean?”
“He’ll twist your mind. Have you believing exactly what he wants you to believe. You’re malleable, Isabelle. It’ll be easy for him.”
“What?”’
“Never mind. We don’t have time. Let me finish. He threatened Matty, Isabelle. Matty.” Her eyes grow wet.
“What do you mean?” I ask, glancing at the tiny head on my shoulder with its blond curls. He looks like a little angel with his cherub-like face and that hair.
“He told me to stay away from you or he’d come after my family.” She wipes a stray tear from her eye.
“He did what?” I feel myself shudder and hug the tiny boy in my arms closer.
“Look, I’m sure he’s worried you’ll miscarry, and he’ll have to start all over again.”
The way she says it makes me think about how Jericho is with Angelique. Makes me wonder about our child. How he’ll be with him or her. If he’ll love him or her like he does Angelique. The way Julia says it, the child isn’t a human being. It’s either a threat or a weapon depending on which side you’re standing on.
“It’s a baby,” I say.
“I know, honey,” she says. I wonder at the use of the word honey. It’s not like Julia to use endearments but this also isn’t meant as an endearment. It’s said like she’d say it to those she finds beneath her. I’ve seen this side of Julia with waiters and other staff. It’s ugly. “To you and to me, it’s a baby. But to him, it’s a weapon. And once you hand that baby over, you’ll never see it again. If you live to see anything at all.”
I shudder and Matty stirs. I pat his head and whisper shh in his ear.
She checks her watch and stands up. “You should get back, but I wanted to tell you about what happened. I don’t think he would have been honest about that. About threatening a four-year-old.”
“Julia, he has a child himself. He wouldn’t—”
“Don’t be naïve,” she snaps. She looks upset, really upset. She reaches into her purse and takes something out.
I look at what she has in her hand.
“You may not need them all but better safe than sorry.”
“What are they?” I ask, chilled as I get to my feet.
“Mifepristone and misoprostol.” She gestures for me to take the packages from her. There are six of them, each containing four small pills on one side and one larger pill on the other.
“Abortion pills?” Shit.
“They’ll get rid of your problem.”
Your problem.
I feel cold as I drag my gaze from the packages of pills to her. “It’s a baby, Julia,” I repeat.
She nods. “Don’t think of it like that. This is the only way, Isabelle. You need to do it for yourself. For us. For Matty.” She shoves the pills into the palm of my hand and takes her child from me. He mumbles but falls back asleep easily. “You need to go back. If he sees Matty and me here, I don’t know what he’ll do.”
