Chapter 41 Jules
Jules
“Stop!”
The word is firm, confident, and when I turn to find Valerie Decatur stepping from the crowd, her phone pointed at my father, my whole body hums with the knowledge that this is going to be what changes things.
My father bares his teeth at her, the gun still trained on my chest. As if I’m not his daughter. As if he’d rather me dead than causing trouble for the family.
“Recording me?” he sneers. “I can just claim it’s been doctored with A.I.”
“Good afternoon, Senator Ward,” Valerie says, her lips curling into a smirk, her hand steady as she continues to record.
“In case you’re wondering, I’m not just recording these events.
I’m a little more direct than that.” She tilts her head toward her camera.
“This is a live stream. There are currently ten thousand viewers and climbing.” She looks down.
“Ope, make that a hundred thousand. My fans really like the lives.”
The secret service closest to my father immediately come up and take the gun he’s holding, leaving him to stand in front of me weaponless as they do damage control.
A ruse to look more innocent. A livestream is different from a video.
Running live, no one can refute what happened.
No one can claim it’s A.I. Not like this.
And he knows it. He’s already said enough to have to dig himself out of a hole with the media.
Valerie smiles brightly at him. “I’m sure your constituents would love to know what kind of man you are behind the suit and tie, Senator. I hear your campaign depends on it.”
My father straightens his suit and schools his features. “This is a family matter. I’d like you to respect my privacy.”
“This is a public road,” Valeria states. “And I have permission to record from a Ward herself.” She looks at me. “Don’t I, Juliet?”
I nod. “You do.”
A muscle ticks in my father’s jaw, and I know he’s being consumed by his rage. Only his media training keeps him from exploding right now.
“Now,” Valerie continues. “I hear you came for a visit with your granddaughter and accidently missed the exit to return her back to her mother. The city of Steele is here to make sure the exchange happens, you know, just in case you miss the next road again.”
Flashing lights appear behind the blockade and the Sheriff gets out of his vehicle a minute later, his hand on his belt as he watches the exchange.
He waves. “I’ve come to escort you out of the Green River Basin once the exchange happens, Senator.
These streets aren’t as safe as I’d like.
” His eyes flash. “You see, some of your buddies cut our funding recently.”
My father looks around and seemingly realizes that there are no other options. He’s trapped, and there’s nothing he can do that won’t ruin his chances of running for president. “I see,” he says through gritted teeth. “I . . . apologize for the confusion.”
Another door in the Suburban opens and Albie steps out, Genie in his arms. The urge to rush forward fills me, but I hold my ground as Albie slowly walks past our father, away from him.
He meets my father’s eyes briefly, flinching at what he sees there, that he’ll pay for this later.
When he’s only a few steps from us, I leap forward and wrap my arms around both of them, happy tears trailing down my eyes.
“I kept her safe,” he reassures me, hugging me back. “I made sure she stayed safely in my arms even with the wreck.”
“Thanks, Uncle Albie,” I croak as I hug him. It’s been too long since I’ve seen my brother. When I squeeze, he winces and I’m reminded that he’s hurt. I immediately release him and step back, trying to wipe the tears from my eyes.
“Mama!” Genie coos, wrapping her arms around me. Her eyes are wet from crying, but when she starts kissing me all over my face, I can’t help but laugh.
This could have been bad. This would have been so much worse had it not been for this city. If I’d been anywhere else, that would have been it. I’d be on the next flight back to that prison my father calls home. My heart beats so loudly, it threatens to drown all other sounds out.
“Come, Albert,” my father says, gesturing toward my brother. “It appears we’ve overstayed our welcome.”
My eyes flick to Albie, and I reach out and grab his hand. He looks down at where I hold him and then back to our father. Albie grimaces.
“Albert!” Father snaps.
Albie tips up his chin, and I can feel his pulse thundering in his wrist as he fights the programming we were both raised with. “I think I’ll stay right here,” he finally says. He meets my eyes. “After all, I’m an uncle now.”
Father straightens and looks at me with a sneer. “This isn’t over, Juliet.” He looks one more time at the camera Valerie holds before turning with the most dramatic flair every villain seems to have and climbs into one of the other undamaged Suburbans.
I release a sigh, my shoulders slumping.
Another door kicks open in front of us before he can close the door behind him, from another Suburban, and Augustus climbs out, his pupils blown wide with aggression.
“If I cannot have what I was promised, then no one will!” he roars.
The gun appears in his hand, a gun very much pointed at me and Genie.
I don’t get a chance to do anything but scream, but even that is lost in the sounds of everyone else reacting the same way. I curl around Genie instinctually, turning her away from him in the hopes that he’ll hit me and not her.
A gunshot goes off, and I tense, waiting for it to make impact, waiting for pain to slam into my body. My only hope is that the guys will take care of Genie once I’m down. I crouch, curled around my daughter . . .
. . . but no pain comes.
Confused, I lift my head and look around. My eyes find Sawyer beside me, standing with a gun held out, the end of it smoking just a little. He’s still, his face hard, as he stares in the direction of Augustus. I stand and whirl, searching until I find him.
Augustus is still standing in the same position, the gun out, his pupils wide. But he looks down at his chest the same time as I do, both of us watching the red flower bloom across his white shirt. Horrified, I cover Genie’s eyes just as Augustus collapses.
“How the fuck—” Cash starts to Sawyer.
“You gotta learn to trust your senses better,” Sawyer says, passing the gun over to him. “It slows you down otherwise.”
Oak scowls and looks toward my father where he stands halfway in the car.
My father raises his brow. “He must have done a particularly potent line of cocaine and your people acted in self-defense,” he says, surprising me. “I hear the Harrington’s have a drug problem.”
Albie nods. “I’ve heard that, too.”
I realize a moment later, it’s only because it would look bad if this was dragged through a court system, if anyone can refute it. Him covering for Sawyer isn’t a favor. It’s just another move toward his presidential campaign.
Oak looks over at the Sheriff. “Does that check out, Sheriff?”
Sheriff John nods his head. “I saw everything. Self-defense is clear.”
My father nods and looks at me one last time.
He doesn’t say good-bye. He doesn’t even say anything at all.
He just looks at me with one last look of disgust and closes the door behind him.
Cars move out of the way to allow the remaining Suburbans to leave, closing rank behind it so we’re in a protected circle.
It’s Valerie who comes up to us with a bright smile. She gives me a hug and chucks Genie on the cheek, camera still in her hand.
“Well,” she says, studying me. “I guess welcome to Steel officially.” She points the camera toward me and I straighten, suddenly consciously aware of what this is going to look like for everyone watching the live.
“You’re one of us now, Juliet Ward,” she adds, winking.
“I bet you’d look mighty fine in a cowboy hat. ”
And as each person of the town comes up to welcome us despite the literal dead body of a rich man in the street and everything else that happened, I have to fight back the tears. Everyone makes sure me and Genie are okay and can’t see. Everyone checks if we’re okay.
For the first time in my entire life, I realize what family is supposed to feel like.