It was infectious, though, and I found myself hot gluing more gems and crystals to Malek’s collar while we waited for Jameson. The hot glue gun had become my friend, and I wasn’t going to stop anytime soon. “We should decorate my plant pots, Franny.”
“Oh, tomorrow?” she asked, concentrating on placing her next jewel. “I think Malek loves his collar, right?”
Stepping back, we both stared at it. The red and pink jewels might have been a bit much. “He’s never going to want to take it off.”
It was then that Rosy and Hades came down and I noticed the time.
Ten minutes late.
He told us seven. Seven ten wasn’t a good sign.
It was actually an unacceptable sign for a seven-year-old whoalready had issues with her parents being absent. Didn’t he know that?
Hades’s face was grim enough that I immediately put my arm around Franny to brace her. “So, I think we should start that movie, huh, Fran Bran,” he said.
“We’re waiting for Daddy,” Franny murmured, but her frown was evident, like she knew what Hades was going to say.
“He’s going to try to make it, Fran Bran, but he got caught up in a meeting.”
“Oh, well …” I spun and grabbed that watch that Franny had decorated. “Fran, why don’t we add some jewels right across here?” I lined the hot glue right across the face of it.
She glanced at it and then at me, confused. “I think that’s where Daddy tells the time.”
I shrugged and grabbed a few jewels to do it myself. “We can tell him I did this. I think he’ll like red and pink best.”
One by one, I placed the sparkly diamond-shaped material to his watch face and pressed it on. When I looked at Rosy, she was laughing, while Hades looked like he might be sick as I asked, “Meeting in his office, right?” Now that the watch was ruined, I was already heading toward the door. Did this man not understand that Franny didn’t need to be brought home from her grandma’s only for him not to show up when he said he was going to? If he thought he was going to skip movie night, he had another thing coming.
“Yes, but—”
“Franny, have Hades make you a big bowl of popcorn while I go grab your dad, okay?”
I stomped past Hades without a second glance and kept stomping all the way to Jameson’s office, making an extra ruckus when I swung open the door in my fluffy princess dress.
“Jameson Knight, you’re not going to work while I sit with Fran after you promised her you’d be there. You’ve got to bekidding me,” I said as I threw open that door. It bounced loudly against the wall while I stood there ready to tear him apart.
Yet he was dressed to the nines in a freaking dark-purple suit that looked like it matched Franny’s dress. His hair was styled as if he’d spent time. And he had her bejeweled belt on along with the shoes. My heart twisted at seeing this man’s effort for his daughter, but him being up here meant he wasn’t exactly trying.
Then the scene registered—the look of pure concentration on his face as he maneuvered a long needle into his brother’s arm. He murmured, “We’re done here. Get out.”
“Right,” I whispered, my eyes on Callahan, glued to all the blood. “I … We can reschedule movie night.” I was leaving, getting out of there, hoping to God he could save Callahan, hoping I hadn’t made him lose concentration.
“Mia Darling, I have a movie with you tonight. Not them. They’re all leaving. Now.”
“Oh my God,” I whispered and hurried over to his brother’s side. He was losing so much blood. “No. What? He needs a hospital and more care, Jameson.”
Callahan chuckled. “I’m fine, pretty girl. Just a scratch. No need to cancel movie night.”
“That’s not a scratch,” I cried, looking at Jameson. “He needs to go to a hospital.”
“Why, when I live just down the road? My brother is easier,” Callahan stated.
“You’re getting sewn up in his home office!”
Jameson shook his head and wrapped the wound, which seemed to cause more blood to gush out. “You need to stop instigating fights.”
“Oh, you’re one to talk.” Callahan looked at me like I was in on the joke. “This man is about to start warsforyou, but he wants to manage me.”
“Not managing. Just telling you. Fighting with her enough that she stabs you isn’t really constructive.”
