Large estates have so many hazards.
Long stairwells.
Piscinas con cubiertas pesadas.
Heavy wrought-iron gates that accidentally get left unlatched toward the main road.
Security cameras fail all the time.
Terrible, tragic things happen to unattended little girls.”
Beside me in the hallway, Mia pressed closer to my leg.
Ella no lloró.
Ella simplemente cerró los ojos y enterró su cara en mis pantalones.
She had heard this before.
That realization nearly broke whatever thread of restraint held me back.
In my world, a threat against a child was an automatic death sentence.
No tribunal, no negotiation, no second chances.
I reached for the brass handle of the door, my knuckles turning white.
I could walk inside right now.
I could snap her delicate neck before she had time to scream.
Men had suffered unimaginable fates for threatening my household with far less.
No, una voz susurró en el fondo de mi mente: la voz de mi padre, un hombre que había gobernado durante cuarenta años antes de su misteriosa muerte. Un hombre enojado golpea inmediatamente y pierde su ventaja. Un hombre paciente escucha, descubre la red y extermina todo el nido.
Si me enfrentaba a Vivien ahora, ella se pondría de rodillas.
