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“Now we can get this over with.”
CHAPTER TEN
I had no idea what to expect walking into this house. Now that Judas had hold of my hand, I didn’t want him to let go. I used it as a source of strength. Pretty ironic given the situation but it is what it is. I preferred walking into hell with the devil than all by myself.
“You’ll do fine,” Judas reassured me with a soft flex of his fingers.
“You know I just remembered your dogs are named Romeo and Juliet and seeing as how you teased about their tragic love story years ago, that isn’t very reassuring.”
He released a short laugh and pulled me closer to his side. “That’s where their names came from. Us. Not that stupid fucking play.”
“Some people would be very offended by you disrespecting such a classic. I’m glad to know you don’t have some weird tragedy kink, though.”
“Romeo and Juliet were two over-dramatic idiots. We’re much more compatible than them.”
“Are we?” I half-joked.
“Our story might be fucked-up, unorthodox, and somewhat bloody but it is ours. We’re going to have a happy ending, just not the traditional kind.”
There was no time to give a response. The large mahogany door swung open, and we were met by an older gentleman with sandy brown hair flecked with silver. He was wearing a dapper gray suit and tie with a pastel blue undershirt.
I immediately thought of a butler, but I wasn’t sure if those were still employed in modern times.
“Young Barron,” he greeted warmly, a wide smile causing the crows-feet around his green eyes to bunch together.
Young Barron? I shot Judas an amused look. The man moved aside to grant us entry into a circular foyer that showcased how beautifully preserved the interior of the home was.
“Otto,” Judas returned the man’s greeting in a surprisingly affectionate tone and stepped into the house with me.
Otto pushed the door shut and then looked at me with his welcoming smile still in place. It didn’t seem forced, but that didn’t mean it wasn’t. I learned the hard way to expect anything from anyone.
“You must be the notorious, future Mrs. Barron.”
I opened my mouth to dispute that, but Judas had been expecting this and swooped right in.
“Otto, this is my Rhiannon Saldana.”
It was jarring to hear that name out loud and associated with mine so casually. I wasn’t sure I would ever be comfortable with it. If things went Judas' way I wouldn't have to be. He seemed convinced I was going to be his wife and apparently so was everyone he knew.
Otto’s green eyes swiveled between the two of us and his smile morphed to one of delight. “She is as beautiful as you’ve always sworn.”
“She is,” Judas replied with unmistakable pride. He lifted our still entwined hands and placed a light kiss on the back of mine.
I didn’t feel particularly ‘beautiful’ right then.
The dress was killer, and the shoes were made to grab attention, but all I’d done was the bare minimum to primp. I’d left my hair free to dry and applied a dab of lip-gloss after putting on vanilla-scented lotion.
“It’s a pleasure to finally meet you,” Otto said to me.
I couldn’t dredge up a sincere reply, so I forced a smile instead. It was impossible to hate the guy on sight just because of his association with the Barrons. He seemed like a sweet old man. That was exactly how I knew he was quite the opposite when necessary.
The sound of high heels moving at a rapid pace across polished hardwood had me diverting my attention to a long hall directly off the foyer. A raven-haired woman with porcelain skin came sashaying around a corner, making a beeline for where we were standing.
For a second, I thought she was the sister, Maisie, but the second I realized she wasn’t young enough and her bright blue eyes came into focus, one of my worst fears became a reality.
I wasn’t ready for any of this, but meeting Judas’ parents was on a whole other level of hell no. If she was here, then his father probably wasn’t too far behind. Sure enough, a clone of Judas followed not a full two seconds after her.
His long stride had him easily matching his wife’s quick pace. He wrapped an arm around her waist to slow her down and whispered something close to her lips as they finished approaching us together. The move was similar to the one his son just made outside reminding me that this was the man Judas more than likely took after.
I mean, in looks, clearly.
But what about brutality?
I briefly considered turning around and walking my ass right back out the door, but a voice in my head had me deciding against it. For what reason should I be afraid of these people?
Sure, they were terrifyingly powerful and could have the worst kinds of torture inflicted upon me, but what would be the point in doing so?
