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“Mommy, are you okay in there?”

Sable pops her head up, her eyes going wide. “I’m fine, Kel. Go…go play.”

It’s silent for a moment, then we hear little footsteps moving away from the door and down the hall.

Her eyes finally focus on me, a sleepy little smile on her lips. “Almost go caught,” she says. “What’s all that?” she asks, inclining her head.

“That’s you,” I say, licking my lips again. “Squirted right in my face.”

“Are you serious? I’m so sorry!”

I pull my fingers out of her, bringing them to my lips. She watches me suck her off me.

“Haven’t you figured out by now that I like tasting you?”

I almost saidlove, but I caught myself, never one to use that word lightly.

I stand, wiping my beard with my hands. “Turn around.”

Sable turns and bends over my desk without a word. I line myself up, but I have some wisdom to impart first.

I grab a fistful of hair and tug her head back. “I can’t believe you really fixed them pretty lips to say I didn’t want you.”

She trembles against me. “It just felt like—“

“What doesthisfeel like?” I say as I slide into her. “Does this feel like I don’t want you?”

She exhales. “Julian…”

“Doesthis,” I pull out and push back in, “feel like I don’t want you?”

“Noooooo,” she moans. “Fuck. You feel so good.”

No more talking from me. I’m locked in, my eyes fixed on her ass, my dick hitting every last corner of her pussy. She cums again, then I let go, emptying inside her, feeling so good, it takes my fucking breath away.

After she leaves to check on the girls, my mood worsens instantly. I go to my safe, dust off the biometric pad, and placemy thumb over the scanner. The blue light pulses once, then twice, before a faint click breaks the silence. The door swings open, and I find everything inside just as I left it.

Two matte-black handguns. Spare mags stacked in perfect rows. A custom combat knife in its sheath. Unlabeled folders tied with black string. Two burner phones, still sealed in plastic. Five thick wads of cash secured with a rubber hand. And tucked away on the top shelf, a wooden box.

I grab it and set it on the floor n front of me. I open the top, my eyes settling on the contents. Diamond earrings. A Rolex. A platinum wedding band. A Cartier money clip. Other souvenirs I’ve collected over years of hits, which I have catalogued on a flash drive. But what I’m looking for today is resting on the bottom of the box. I hook a finger under the gold chain and lift it, staring at the gold dollar sign pendant as it swings back and forth like a pendulum. It feels heavy as fuck now that I know how much it really cost.

Only a woman’s heart.

35

Sable

I’m getting used toevenings here in Julian’s safehouse. The girls being silly. Silverware clinking. The occasional joke from Julian that makes them laugh way harder than they should. The outside world is still slowly creeping in, but for now, I feel at peace.

“Mommy, can you read us a story?” Rae asks, tugging at the hem of my t-shirt. I hand Kelice a plate, which she puts in the dishwasher.

“When I’m done with this, Rae Rae. Sit tight.”

“Ughhhhh, you always say that.”

“And I always mean it.”

Julian snickers behind me as he wipes down the kitchen table. “Rae Rae, come help me with this table.”