Chapter 54
“SORRY” BY LAUREN JAUREGUI
Sliding my phone into my pocket, I ignored Quinntessa’s message. I had to choose. It was becoming too risky now to play around with my daughter’s life, and I had to choose Estelle.
The clock ticked loudly in my ears as I waited for my grandfather to say something. He arrived rather quickly for a man who was supposed to be in Chicago full time, eager to discuss the happenings of last night.
“How is Estelle doing?” he asked.
“She’s shaken up,” I confessed. “So, she’s staying with a friend.”
“Understandable.” Grandfather rubbed his chin and turned, eyes moving throughout the room. “It seems we need to move up our calendar.”
“Move up the calendar?” I frowned. “I can’t be making hits right now. Someone is threatening my daughter.”
“Then you must take care of business.” His hands stuffed into his suit as he shook his head at the state of Estelle’s bedroom. “I will have someone come fix this place up while you clean yourself up for the day.”
My nose scrunched. I looked down at my outfit and huffed.
“I am cleaned up?”
“Well, clean up again.” His eyes scanned over my outfit and hummed. “You are about to be the face of our family, Eleanor. Put some effort into how you dress.”
“Alright.” I rolled my eyes behind his back.
He stopped walking in the doorway and pressed his lips into a thin line as he looked at the bent hinges. My grandfather turned around and smiled at me.
“You’ll be running an errand for me tonight. Teen party just outside of Coven. One of your football players is hosting. The father.”
“Duke.” I rolled my eyes. “Why do I have to go to this party?”
A smirk tugged across his face, turning into a broad smile.
“You have a hit.”
“On a high schooler?” I asked, my shoulders dropping.
My grandfather shrugged. “Almost eighteen. It’s a favor for a friend.”
“Almost eighteen.” My breath escaped me.
“Yes.” He grabbed my shoulders and squeezed, leaning forward to kiss my forehead. “You will be brilliant.”
“What about this shit?” I asked him, tossing a hand into the nursery. “Someone wrote in blood in front of my child. She couldn’t go back to sleep!”
“She’s three. She’ll learn this isn’t anything to be scared of.”
“But what if I don’t want that for her?” I pressed. “Deba, it’s . . . She’s my everything. I am doing this for her.”
“You’re doing this for your family,” he reminded me. “You can protect Estelle through your roots. How do you expect to do that without something under your belt?”
I crossed my arms and stared at the dried blood on the walls.
No one in my family was very nurturing. My mother and grandmother were sweet at times, but they still made me wonder if psychopathic traits ran in the family.
There had to be an explanation as to why I had a hard time bonding with my child and barely felt anything when some of these people died.
“Okay . . .” I closed my eyes and turned back to him.
His warm palm patted my cheek.
“It’s decided.” Grandfather turned and walked out into the hallway, leaving me to stand at the crossroads alone. “Don’t miss breakfast with your mother and Beba!”
“Alright!” I called through the door, turning back around and staring at the bloody symbol.
My feet carried me to stand in front of it. It was large. Someone had to be taller than me to draw that top point of the star. I swallowed and wondered whose blood it might be, tracing the drips from the heart down to the floor.
Reaching up, I grabbed my pocketknife and yanked it out of the wall. I might need this later. Never knew with this family.