Maddie's POV
I sipped my coffee and sat on the sofa, watching the snow melt outside. I was more than happy to let the cold go. It was the first of March and spring was right around the corner. I was ready for some sun.
On this rare day, when the babies were sleeping, the house was quiet, and no one needed my attention, I took the time to think about everything going on in my life.
Somehow, the drama was at a minimum. Hell, it was almost nonexistent, compared to last year at this time. But I think that was because Justin and I had learned how to deal with it all better. We were really good at leaving the extra shit behind and focusing on each other.
The babies were healthy, and we were happy. That was what really mattered. Of course, there was always something going on with the family, mainly Jeremy and Pattie. We had ostracized them, left them out in the cold to rot. The only thing "Bieber" about the two now was their last name. They still hadn't even seen the babies. Justin wouldn't allow it.
There was a huge fight about a month ago, something to do with a book that Jeremy was writing. It apparently had things in it that shouldn't, and Justin blew up like I've never seen before. The things he said to Jeremy were some of the most vulgar and toxic utterances I had ever heard in my life. They weren't on good terms, so neither was anyone else. Pattie would try to call, but I didn't have much to say to her. She was allowing her husband to write this thing that would hurt our family, and I didn't want anything to do with it. She stopped begging to see the babies after a month or so. They stopped coming to church, they didn't talk to any of us, and Justin had all but placed a scarlet letter on their chests. I was sticking by my husband on this.
Besides that, things were good.
Roman and Sophia were growing every day. At six and a half months old, they were very advanced for their development. I almost started crying the other day when Sophia tried to crawl. She didn't make it very far, but I was terrified and overjoyed at the same time. Little Roman had a mind of his own. He rolled around like a tire. If I just set him on the floor for a minute, he would take off and try to roll away. It was exhausting keeping up with him.
They were eating pureed food now, and we stocked up on hundreds of mashed products. Thankfully, they took to it well and were both sitting in highchairs with easer. I was so proud of them, even though I was sure all mothers say that.
We had a slight health scare when Roman had a bad cough about two months ago. It was right after New Year's, and it sounded like he couldn't really breathe. We rushed him to the hospital where he stayed for some observation, but the doctor said this might be happening more often as his lungs began to grow. I got so terrified at night because I was always thinking about Roman. What if he stopped breathing? What if we couldn't get him to the hospital in time? Now I saw why mothers don't get enough sleep. It was impossible.
"Mrs. Maddie!" a scream came from upstairs.
My heart stopped, and I set my coffee on the table, running out of the room. I took the stairs two at a time, worried about what might be happening.
"Where the hell are you?" I shouted.
"In your room," Agata called back.
I hurriedly opened the door and let out a frustrated sigh when I went into the closet.
"I was trying to hang up your laundry, and I found him in here. I don't know why to do. Mr. Justin is going to kill me." Agata looked like she might start crying.
Bosco, the new dog, was ripping one of Justin's shoes to pieces. And it wasn't just any shoe, either. It was one of Justin's favorites.
"Not again!" I pulled at my hair. "Bosco, stop it."
I started to rip the shoe from his mouth, but he thought I was trying to play and tugged harder. Agata helped, and we yanked with all our might, but it was no use. My grasp slipped, and I fell to the floor into a pile of freshly folded laundry.
Bosco tackled me, licking my face and slobbering all over me.
I giggled as his tongue tickled my skin. "Get off of me. You're in trouble."
While Francis was the obedient, good dog, Bosco was the opposite. He was the rowdy teenager who could be fiercely protective but made messes that were disastrous. I kept trying to convince Justin that Bosco had a good heart, but he hated this dog with a passion. I even heard him muttering in his sleep a couple of times about how he wanted to run the poor thing over with his car.
To be fair, Bosco didn't like Justin either. They would glare at each other and have silent fights. I think Bosco just liked getting on his nerves, which he found out was fairly easy to do. The good thing was that Bosco never once snapped or bit anyone. He was always playful, and I loved him to death, but he became another item on my list of duties.
The dog was getting bigger by the day. I didn't know that German Shepherds tended to eat... a lot, and he was almost up to my knees at this point. There were huge bags of food in the storage closet downstairs, but Bosco could devour them all in no time. Even Francis couldn't keep up. Thankfully, those two got along fine. They were like best friends, but Francis knew when to back off of Justin. Bosco didn't. As a result, Francis and Justin were never separated. Whenever I wanted to find one, I just had to find the other. They were always together.
"Justin is going to throw a fit." I picked up the shoe and let the drool pour out. He licked his chops.
"I'm so sorry, Mrs. Maddie." Agata bit her lip.
"It's not a problem," I assured her. "You did nothing wrong."
She nodded and smiled, continuing to put away the laundry.
I got up from the floor and grabbed Bosco by his red collar, dragging him out of the room. His heavy feet padded down the stairs, and I opened the back door to let him run free in the yard.
"You're in big trouble when Justin gets home," I said to him. "I can't save you this time."
He ran off to chase something in the wet grass.
Francis sat at my feet, watching Bosco. I could have sworn I saw him shake his head in shame. He tried to set an example for the young one, but it never worked.
I shut the door just as the phone began to ring. I rushed to get it, but of course, Gioni beat me there. He liked to piss me off like that. I could at least answer the phone by myself, but he wouldn't hear of it.
"Bieber residence. Of course, Mr. Bieber." He handed me the phone. "It's Mr. Justin for you."
"Thank you." I took it, "Justin?"
"Hello, sweetheart."
"Hi. I didn't get a chance to see you this morning before you left."
"I know. I had to be in really early and didn't want to wake you. How has your day been?"
"Oh, you know; the usual. Babies to change, dogs to feed, staff to argue with."
"Would you like the evening off?"
"Sure."
"Come have dinner with me in the city. We can go out for a nice date."
"Really? That would actually be kind of great." I sighed. "Can I meet you in about an hour?"
"Sure. William will pick you up."
"Okay. Let me go make myself beautiful."
"Maddie, you're already beautiful to me."
I swooned.
"Well...thank you." I blushed.
"You're blushing, aren't you?"
"No!"
He chuckled, "See you soon."
William dropped me off at one of Justin's favorite places. It was a tiny, private Italian restaurant with enough room for about ten small circular tables. It reminded me of a movie with soft music playing and only candlelight illuminating the area. The food was incredibly fresh and homemade, which made Justin a very happy man.
He was seated in the far corner of the restaurant, reading through some emails on his phone. He put it away when he saw me approaching.
"Finally. I haven't seen you all day." He stood, kissed me, and pulled out my chair. "It's been hell."
"Really? What have you been up to?"
"I don't even really know." He chuckled, taking off his glasses to clean the lenses before putting them back on. "I'm so fucking tired, though."
"I know. You barely sleep anymore. Something's going on that you're not telling me."
"For your protection, of course."
"Of course." I sipped my water.
Justin had been very strange for the past two months. All the Bieber men had, actually. There was a huge investigation going on about the disappearance of some very high profile crime bosses. They just vanished, without a trace. One-by-one, they were falling off the face of the earth, no explanation or investigation. Justin was probably behind it. Correction, Justin was definitely behind it.
"And how are my children? Good, I hope." He grinned.
"They're feisty as ever. Roman refused to eat today so he spit peas in my hair."
"I told you he won't eat that stuff. He has to have sweet potatoes. Sophia is the one who likes peas."
"Well, I'm trying to make him sample it, at least. Peas are healthy for you."
"Gross." Justin shuddered.
"Like father like son, I guess."
"We have an appointment tomorrow to visit a pre-school downtown."
"I know. I didn't forget. I still think it's too early, though."
"It's never too early to have an education. I was talking to one of our neighbors and he has his one-year-old in math classes. I'll be damned if that baby gets a leg up on ours."
"But they can't even talk yet," I argued. "I'm not saying we shouldn't look into it, but we can at least wait a little longer."
"You just don't want them to leave you at home bored."
"That's ridiculous." I put my napkin in my lap, trying to hide my face from him.
"I know you too well, Maddie. You can't lie to me."
"I'm plenty busy, thank you."
"By the way, your boss keeps calling me."
"I don't have a boss."
"From the TV station. He says he's trying to get in contact with you, and you're ignoring his calls."
"I have no idea what you're talking about." I shrugged.
"You don't want to go back to work, do you?"
"Not particularly."
"Then why didn't you say anything?"
"I just don't want to miss the babies growing up. Every day they do something amazing, and I would hate myself if I worked through it all."
"Like me?"
"No, not like you. You're home most of the time," I said regretfully. I didn't want him to feel bad. "But it's just different with me. I can't take my eyes off of them. I want to stay home for now."
"That's perfectly fine with me. I don't have a problem with it, but you've got to call the guy back. He's starting to annoy me."
I nodded. "First thing in the morning."
"Good."
Our food arrived just as my stomach was about to eat itself. I hadn't realized how hungry I was until I smelled the aromas around me. Justin and I had a peaceful meal. He was in very rare spirits lately, laughing and smiling a lot.
"Oh, we had another accident at home?" I told him as we were finished up.
"What happened?" His grin faded. "Who got hurt?"
"No one, but your shoes are being destroyed."
"Which shoes? Not my brown Armani shoes."
"Sorry."
"I'm going to kill him."
"He can't help it."
"Maddie, he does this on purpose," Justin grunted. "He's got to go. I hate that mutt."
"No, you don't. Bosco is just adventurous."
"Well, why can't he be adventurous with your shoes?"
"Because he loves you more." I made a half-hearted attempt to suck up.
"He does not love me. I won't allow it. He's a dirty beast that needs to stay outside."
"What if Francis started eating your stuff, would you hate him too?"
"Francis would never do such a thing. He knows better. I'm putting him in obedience training. He can't keep acting like this. Last night, I found him in the library eating a book. He was ripping apart my first edition copy of The Great Gatsby. I'm going to shoot that thing."
"I think obedience training is good enough. He'll be perfect once he goes through that."
"I hate him, and it's your fault. I can't believe I got you another dog."
"I happen to love the cutie. He's getting so big."
"Yeah, we'll see how long we keep him." Justin got up from the table and helped me with my coat.
We walked outside into the chilly night and almost got ran over by some bike messenger. He screamed his apologies but kept on peddling.
"I hate this city," Justin griped. "I want to move."
"We can't move. You have obligations here."
"I don't care. I can do work from... a beach in Brazil, for instance."
"I don't think the family would be too keen on that."
"Who cares? I can do whatever I want," he protested.
"No, you can't. We're not moving because the babies need stability while they're growing up."
William screeched to a halt on the side of the road and got out of the car to hold the door open.
"You go home. I have a couple more hours of work to do." Justin pulled me close to him.
"More work? But you've already had a fourteen hour day. It's time to rest."
"Wish I could." He rested his forehead against mine.
"Are you sure I can't convince you? There are a lot of fun things to do at home."
"Well, what did you have in mind, Mrs. Bieber?"
"Use your imagination."
"I have a dirty mind. You might not like what's inside."
"I think I'm prepared for it." I kissed him urgently, my hands traveling up his chest and into his hair.
"Maddie... please don't do this," he pleaded as my lips played with his, teasing and nipping as I went.
"Do what?" I replied innocently.
"Okay, okay. I'll go, but half the world is going to be pissed that they didn't get their shipment of guns."
"Half the world can wait. Mrs. Bieber is horny." I pulled him into the car by his tie.
William took off, driving like a mad man.
"Maddie, you're a temptress of the worst kind." Justin huskily spoke while kissing up my neck. "I'm highly shocked by your forward and brazen actions."
"I can't help it."
Thank God the backseat was big enough for us to lie vertically. Justin hitched my leg over his hip and pushed deep against my center.
"Oh, wow," I squeaked out.
"You are in for a very interesting night," he nearly growled into my ear.
"I can't wait."
"William, hurry the fuck up!" Justin kicked the back of his chair.
"I'm trying, sir. There's an accident up ahead."
"Damn it!" he barked. "Fine. Take the next right and drop us off at the Marshall Hotel."
"Justin, we need to go home. The babies..."
"The babies can spend one night alone." He silenced me with rough kisses.
Five minutes later, I was nearly carried into the hotel; William barely had time to open the door before Justin rushed us out. We checked in and raced into the elevators like horny teenagers after prom.
Justin had me up against the mirrored wall as we rode up. Unfortunately, a father and his two kids got on the elevator on the second floor. We were pushed into a corner, and Justin made inappropriate noises of frustration under his breath.
"Stop it," I whispered.
We rode up in silence for another ten floors before they got off, leaving us alone once again. Justin and I continued kissing for the rest of the floors.
"I have to open the door," he whispered against my lips as he fumbled with the key in the hallway.
"I'm not stopping you."
"I can't see." He chuckled, reaching behind me. The door finally clicked open, and I was forced inside.
My jacket was gone and the shoes were kicked off, as I laid back into the bed.
"Madeleine, you are about to be defiled in every way possible." Justin quickly worked on his tie.
"I would love that." I put my hands above my head.
"Turn over." He ordered.
"What?"
"Over. Now." He got on the large bed, rolling me until I was on my stomach. He lifted my shirt so that my lower back was exposed.
Justin dipped his head, and I gasped quietly as his teeth began softly biting the flesh. He placed wet kisses on my back and began taking my shirt off as he traveled up my spine. After another minute, my shirt was gone completely, but I still had my bra on. I stayed face down in the covers as Justin began to lick almost every part of my back, and I couldn't help the moans that went through my body from the feel of his lips on my skin. It was indescribable.
"I don't want you to move unless I say," Justin groaned hoarsely.
"Yes, sir," I replied breathlessly.
Justin's arms snaked around my body until they were underneath me. He lifted my hips slightly so he could fumble with the button on my jeans before slowly pulling them down my legs, nipping at the back of my thighs as he did.
"Am I going to have to beg again?" I asked.
"Depends on how good you are." He chuckled against my calf and took my jeans off all the way.
I hated when he did this slow and sweet thing. It really did get on my nerves. I just wanted him to fuck the brains out of me without holding anything back, but he rarely did that for fear of hurting me.
He began traveling back up my body until he reached the clasp of my bra and unhooked it with his teeth. Needless to say, I was impressed with that trick.
I heard my sighs turn into moans and I didn't know how much longer I could take this without jumping on him, but I tried. I turned my head and saw a full-length mirror on the wall, showing our reflections. He didn't seem to notice or didn't seem to care, but either way, the sight of him on top of my body licking and biting was incredibly hot.
By this time, my panties were ruined from wetness, and I knew they weren't ever going to be dry again.
"Justin, you have to stop teasing me," I panted.
"I haven't even started yet," he said darkly and I knew this was going to be pure torture.
Justin kept my face down as he tantalizingly pulled my panties towards my ankles, and then flicked them into the corner.
I made the move to turn over but Justin's strong hands caught me before I could. "I told you to stay put," he said firmly.
I watched in the mirror as he began raking his heated hands up my naked body, squeezing when he reached my sensitive areas. His eyes locked in on mine in the reflection, and I didn't ever want to look away. I felt the bed move as he got off. He was back on within a couple of seconds, but this time, he pushed his naked body on top of mine, and I squealed as I felt his hardness against my back.
Justin moved my hair to the side and placed wet kisses on my neck. "I want you on all fours," he growled in my ear, and I smiled happily because this was my favorite position.
He moved me slowly so that I was hovering with my weight on my elbows with my ass in the air. I watched in the mirror as Justin brought his hand between my legs and felt the groan erupt from my mouth as he slowly dragged his fingers over my slit.
"Jesus, Maddie, you're so wet," he snarled.
I couldn't reply because my entire brain shut off. I was in such a state of lust that I don't think I even remembered my name.
He moved a finger so that it was inside of me, and I gasped as went deep into my body causing me to lightly shake. He added another finger after a minute of steady movement, and I didn't know how much more I could take.
"Please, Justin?" I begged, and I saw him smirk in the mirror.
He moved so that he was positioned at my entrance from behind, and then thrust deep into my body with a growl.
"Holy fuck," Justin breathed and started moving slowly so that his hips rolled into mine.
I could already feel my walls begin to clamp down, but I wasn't done yet, so I pushed back the pleasure. He continued to move within me and after a minute or two picked up the speed.
He panted as he movements got even faster; the sound of our flesh colliding sent my mind reeling. I looked in the mirror and saw how his hips rammed into mine and his hands grabbing at my ass.
The sound of slapping flesh filled the room, and our whimpers turned more guttural with each passing second.
He spread my legs wider and brought his hand down to begin rubbing the place where we connected. That was as much as I could take, because a second later, both our bodies erupted and I felt myself turn to jelly.
"Fuck." We both yelled at the same time and let the pleasure rip through our bodies.
He lied on top of me while staying connected and placed light kisses on my shoulders while I tried to catch my breath.
"That was... too good." I licked my lips.
"We're going again," he demanded, lifting me up into his arms and placing me on my back.
Four mind-numbing hours later, we collapsed against each other for the last time. I was so sore, it hurt to breathe. Justin's hands never left my body, feeling my skin and pulling me closer to him.
"This has been the best sex of my life," he admitted.
I groaned. That was the only thing I could come up with.
"Did I kill you?" Justin, seemingly happy with his sexual accomplishments for the night, laughed heartily.
"I'm so spent."
"That's what happens when your husband is an Olympic Sex Master."
"Is that what we're calling it nowadays?"
"Yes, and there's plenty more where that came from." He rolled on top of me, his tip barely enticing my entrance.
"How can you still be hard? You're a fucking machine." I laid further into the pillows.
"Genetics? Experience? Take your pick."
"It's not healthy." I pushed him off playfully. "I'm all for the multiple orgasms, but I'm going to fall apart in a minute."
"You're an amateur."
"Compared to you, everyone is."
Justin placed his hands behind his head. "I can't help that."
I pulled the sheet around my body and started to clamber over his body to get to the phone.
"Who are you calling?" he asked.
"The house. We really should tell them that we won't be home tonight." I began dialing the numbers. "And I want to wish the babies goodnight."
Justin rolled his eyes.
Gioni picked up. "Bieber residence."
"Hi, this is Maddie," I said excitedly.
"Oh, Mrs. Bieber, how nice to hear from you tonight," he replied, his voice all-knowing about the inappropriate actions going on in this hotel room.
"I was just calling to see how everything is going. How are the babies? Have they been fed? Are they sleeping? Can I talk to them?"
Justin took the phone from me. "Gioni, Mrs. Bieber is having a slight meltdown. Please inform her that everything is fine before she goes into shock."
I snatched the phone back.
"All is well. Katy Nana has attended to the young ones. and they are sleeping for the night."
"Did you give Roman his inhaler? He needs it every night before bed."
"Yes, we remembered."
"Good," I sighed in relief. "And the dogs," I whispered.
"Oh, that's another matter on its own. Bosco, the little terror, has decided to sleep on the leather couch in Mr. Justin's office. His claws are scratching up the upholstery."
Justin heard the conversation and took the phone. "Get that dog out of my house! Put him in the fucking yard and tie him to a tree. We'll be back in the morning, and if that thing has ruined any more of my stuff, I'll kill him."
He slammed the receiver down with a clang. I cringed.
"I'm sorry," I said.
"Maddie, if I didn't love you so much, I would have that thing made into a rug."
"Don't say that."
"It's true. He's going to some kind of doggy school where they teach him manners. I won't stand for it."
I nodded. "But you have to admit this is kind of funny."
"I beg to differ." Justin sat up, swinging his legs over the bed.
I went up behind him, starting to massage his shoulders. "We can get rid of him if you really want to."
He sighed, "No. You love that dog."
"But you hate him."
"He just needs training. I'll survive." Justin ran his hands through his hair.
"How about," I kissed his neck, "we get a couples' massage and work all this stress out of your body."
"In case you haven't noticed, the sex put me in a rather lethargic mood. A massage seems redundant." He smirked.
"Well, I want one."
"Ah, the root of the request. You want a massage."
"But it's more fun if it's for couples." I reached for the phone again and dialed the front desk.
The next morning, William pulled up in front of the house and I nearly fell out of the car.
Gioni opened the door with a smile. "Nice to have you home."
"Where are the babies?" I asked immediately.
"Still sleeping."
"Still?"
"Well, they woke up earlier and are down again."
"Damn." I really wanted to see them, but I knew not to wake sleeping babies.
"See, Maddie, I told you." Justin came into the house. "Just relax."
"I don't like spending the night away from them. It doesn't feel right."
"And where have you two been?" Jaxon's voice bellowed. "I was up half the night until Gioni told me you were staying in the city. I've been worried sick."
"Thanks, Dad." Justin pushed past him, going into the kitchen. "We just needed grown-up time. Away from kids."
"You could have called."
"We did," I said.
"Called me."
"Please. You aren't the keeper of my schedule," Justin argued.
"Well, I should be. I thought you were out doing..."
"Don't! Shut your mouth right now before you saying something you shouldn't." Justin's voice carried throughout the kitchen.
Both of their eyes shifted to mine. Once again, they were up to something and wouldn't say what. It was probably something dangerous and illegal. They knew I would kill them if it was something too bad, so it was just best for me to stay out of the loop for now.
Justin sat on a stool, and Agata handed him a glass of orange juice.
"I was still worried." Jaxon sat as well. "But I kept the babies entertained. They love me."
"They love everyone," I said, "Don't be too flattered."
"They're so cute."
Justin grunted some kind of reply.
"You're really not a morning person, are you?" Jaxon asked.
Before any of us could say anything else, we heard the loud padding of feet that could only be coming from one animal.
"Oh, God." Justin banged his head on the counter.
Bosco rounded the corner so fast that he hit the opposite wall before correcting himself and running into the kitchen. He went straight for Justin, putting his front feet on his lap.
"I told you he was in love." I petted his ears.
"I'm done being civil with him. Gioni, call a trainer! Someone from the military or animal control. This thing needs extra help."
"Yes, sir. Right away."
There was a lot going on in the kitchen, but the baby monitor was on loud so I could hear the wail of a baby. I ran up the stairs faster than I ever thought possible, part worried and part excited to see my children.
Roman and Sophia were both awake, rolling around in their crib.
"I'm here." I lifted Roman up into my arms. "I'm right here. It's okay."
He quieted down. I missed him so much last night, and I knew it was irrational, but I couldn't help it. They were my world, and when I was away from them, it hurt. Was that normal? I was a young mother, but that didn't mean I loved my children any less than if I was older.
"How was your night?" I kissed his forehead. "Were you a good little boy?"
"Katy Nana said they were perfect without us." Justin entered the room, picking up Sophia. "We have very well behaved babies."
"I wouldn't expect anything less."
"I can't wait until they're older when they can understand us."
"I bet they can, but can't respond, obviously." I bounced Roman in my arms.
"Someone needs a change." Justin laid Sophia down. He switched out diapers like a pro, without a word of disgust or revulsion. "There. All fresh."
The next morning, I had to take the kids for a checkup at the doctor's.
It was rather uneventful. They got a few shots and the basic lookover. I was thankful that nothing was wrong with either of them and even with his underdeveloped lungs, Roman was doing well.
After that, I had William take us over to Justin's office. I hadn't been in a while and it was nice out so I didn't want to go home yet. We got waves on our way through the lobby, and since no one had really seen the babies before, we were stopped several times. Everyone always wanted to talk to you when you had newborns.
We finally made it up to Justin's floor and Mario greeted me at the elevator.
"Hello." He waved.
"Hi."
"Security told me you were coming up." He bent down and waved at the babies in their double stroller. "Do you need water or anything?"
"No, I'm good. Is Justin around? We just wanted to come to see him."
"He's in an interview right now, but he should be done in a second."
"An interview?" My eyebrows rose.
"Yeah, he's getting a new lawyer. Mr. Jenks is retiring."
"Since when?"
"Since his wife is making him. Health reasons."
"Hmm. I wonder if I could pull that off," I thought out loud. "Is he stressing over it?"
"You know he is. He hasn't eaten lunch in about a week. I don't know when he gets the chance to even breathe."
"Okay, clear his schedule for tomorrow, please." I began pushing the stroller down the hall.
"I can't do that without his permission."
"I'm giving you permission."
Jane, who was on the phone, hung up when she saw me coming and nearly bounced over to see the babies. She held Sophia close and started making all kinds of noises.
"You came to visit us today!" she exclaimed. "The day just got ten times better. Justin is riding my ass so much these days."
"I'm sorry. Has he been saying anything bad?"
"Not particularly. He's just... um, aggressive." Jane phrased herself carefully.
The door to Justin's office opened and a rather irritated man stepped out. He looked pissed as fuck and stomped over to Jane's desk.
"That man in there is a psycho."
"I take it the interview didn't go as you would have hoped." Jane put Sophia back in the stroller.
"No. He's ridiculous."
"I'm so sorry for the inconvenience..."
"Get out!" Justin bellowed from his room. "I don't want you anywhere near my office, and especially not with my wife in the vicinity."
"Go to hell!" The man angrily began marching towards the elevators.
I stood stunned for a couple of seconds. Justin's face was red and not pleased, at all. He calmed down quickly, but you could still tell that he was upset about something.
"Wow. That was interesting," I muttered.
"I'm sorry you had to see that," Justin apologized. "That bastard and his fucking..."
I stopped him. "Justin, we talked about swearing in front of the babies."
He inhaled, closed his eyes, and then exhaled. He did this several times. "Today is not a good day for you to be here."
"I know. I should have called."
"It's fine. I'll just need to rearrange my schedule a little. We're supposed to be seeing schools anyway."
"No, don't do that. We just wanted to stop by for a second."
"I need a break. What about lunch, does that sound good?"
I nodded.
"Jane, can you give me a free hour, please?"
"No problem. Go eat."
Justin took the stroller from me and began pushing it towards the elevators. The babies were very excited to see him, waving their arms around and squealing.
"I had Mario clean your schedule for tomorrow. You're not going to work," I told him.
"That's ridiculous. I have things to do that can't be ignored."
"Justin, you're going to kill yourself if you keep going like this."
"It's what I have to do. I can't help it."
We rode down towards the cafeteria. It was fairly sparse today compared to the other times I came down here. Justin and I ordered light sandwiches before sitting down.
"You are going to be an eater like your Uncle Keegan," Justin said to Roman while feeding him his sweet potatoes. "He just keeps on going."
"Well, to be fair, babies are supposed to eat a lot." I stopped Sophia from grabbing her jar of peas. I was determined not to make a mess this time.
"True."
"We need to talk about something kind of important." I fed Sophia.
"And what is that?"
"Me going back on birth control."
"Oh? Is that what you want?"
"Well, I figure I need to unless you want another kid in nine months. I, for one, can't handle that right now."
"Agreed," Justin chuckled, "but it's not my decision. If you think that's what you need to do, then go ahead."
"Would... you want more kids?" I asked, trying to be nonchalant.
"When the time is right, sure."
"How many more?"
"However many you'll give me." He was trying desperately to help Roman eat, but he kept opening up his mouth, letting the sweet potatoes fall out.
"We'll see where we are in three years." I wanted more kids, of course, but not so close together that we were completely exhausted. But then again, I didn't want them so far apart that everyone was disconnected. Three years seemed like a perfect amount of time to wait.
"Roman, stop that. You have to finish your lunch," Justin said sternly. "And now you're making a mess."
I handed him a wipe, and he began cleaning up Roman's face, which was currently splashed with all kinds of pureed food.
"He does this on purpose," Justin complained, wiping his own face free of food.
"I think it's cute."
Before we could continue the conversation any further, Jane ran into the room. She was out of breath and frantically looking around. She spotted us in the corner and came gliding over.
"They've moved your meeting up at the preschool by an hour," she wheezed. "You have to leave now."
"What?" Justin choked out. "Did they give any explanation?"
"I don't know." She shrugged. "Something about the headmaster going home early. I'm not sure, but you two need to get over there."
"Okay, well.... can you take care of the babies until we get back?" I asked her, gathering up my stuff.
"Yeah, they'll be fine. Mario and I can handle them."
"They've been feed and will need to be burped soon. Then they can just go down for their naps," Justin instructed, standing up.
"Everything will be fine. Go!" She pushed us forward.
Justin and I were in the car in record time, speeding off through the crowded streets with William at the wheel.
"Okay, so what do I need to know about this preschool?" I asked.
"It's in an old bank, which is interesting and has a wonderful track record with higher education. They start early with developmental math and speech."
"Do they play with blocks and stuff?"
"Maddie, this is not the kind of place where they play with blocks," he replied in disgust.
"Well, babies need fun."
"You can have fun at home. School is for work."
Justin and I had different ideas of education. I wanted Roman and Sophia to have the best in life, of course, but they were just babies. I didn't want them growing up too fast. Preschool and the early years were a time to just be kids.
"I'm guessing you went to this preschool?" I said, not bothering to leave the acid from my voice.
"In fact, I did," he said smugly, "and then to Catholic school after that. I don't know about you, but that's something I don't want to subject Roman and Sophia to."
"Catholic school?"
"Yes. It's the worst experience in the world."
"Sir," William rolled down the partition of the car, "we have a problem."
"Yes." He sighed.
"Um... that thing... we were discussing earlier... It's happening now."
"That thing?" Justin questioned before it dawned on him. "Oh, shit!"
"Yes, so what would you like me to do?"
Justin pondered for a minute, muttering to himself and then snapping out of it. "Take Maddie home."
"I don't think there's time, sir. I would have to drive all the way back across town."
"Damn." Justin pulled out a very large gold gun from behind him, checking the chamber. "Maddie, listen to me very carefully. I need to you stay in the car and don't move a muscle, is that understood?"
"What's going on?"
"Something very important." That's all he said. I doubted I would get anything else out of him.
The car took a sharp right, and we were off onto another part of the city, our appointment at the preschool forgotten. I stayed silent on the way, just thinking about what could be going on. Justin's leg bounced, which only happened if he got nervous.
"Justin, should I be worried?" I asked quietly.
"No. Everything's fine."
We ended up at the recreational docks near the water. William parked in a secluded alley and kept the car running Seagulls cawed above, and it was fairly quiet since it was still too cold for sailboats to be out. There was a single black car waiting further down the alley.
"I'll be right back. Don't get out of the car, no matter what happens." Justin gripped my hand and squeezed. "Everything's all right. I promise."
"I don't like this," I admitted, my voice weak and questioning.
Justin kissed the side of my face and then opened the door. "Please stay here."
When he shut the door, the locks clicked with a loud, enforcing sound.
"Everything's fine, Mrs. Bieber. He knows what he's doing."
"I sure hope so." I slunk down into my seat, but still kept my line of vision.
Justin stood near the other car and stepping out, I saw Shinobu. I had only met the man a couple of times, but he had never really intimidated me like some of the other mob bosses. I didn't find him imposing at all. He was skinny and just seemed unimportant next to Justin.
They talked for a second, both of them clearly uncomfortable with the situation and trying to seem professional. Their lips moved and their heads bobbed in silent conversation. When Shinobu looked towards our car, Justin's pose changed, but then relaxed slightly.
He seemed so different compared to minutes ago when we were just having a leisurely drive. It had been a long time since I had since this side of him.
Justin made sure his gun was visible during the talk, which seemed to drag on for quite some time. When Shinobu pulled out his own gun, my breath hitched. I knew something bad was about to happen just by Justin's stance. He wasted no time, raising his firearm to Shinobu's head.
I wanted to shut my eyes, but couldn't.
Justin was forcefully yelling now, his face turning red, and I could see a prominent vein in his neck emerge. I was sure his voice was raised six-decibel levels, and I was somewhat glad that I couldn't hear his rage. Shinobu either didn't care or want to waste the effort to fight him. The barrel of Justin's gun was basically pushing a hole through his head.
"What is going on?" I whispered to myself as I watched Shinobu submit to Justin, falling to his knees. He didn't look sad or scared at all, but more resigned to the fact that he was probably going to die within the next couple of seconds.
Justin took Shinobu's head roughly and pushed it forward, leaning him until his stomach was on the floor. Shinobu opened his mouth wide and placed it on the curb. It almost looked like he was trying to take a bite out of the pavement.
What happened next, I wouldn't even imagine in my worst nightmares.
Justin lifted his foot and brought it down hard on the back of Shinobu's head. I could almost hear the snap of his jaw and could his teeth shatter. It was such a simple yet violent act. I covered my mouth and jerked away from the horrible sight of blood splattered concrete.
It took me more than a minute to breathe. I just couldn't do it. I felt so sick and so terrified. I had no idea I would be attending an execution when I woke up this morning. This wasn't the first time I had seen Justin murder someone, but it was surely the most violent.
The car door opened and the smell assaulted my nose like a sickness; the Italian leather of Justin's shoe and Shinobu's blood. I kept myself on the far edge of the car, not looking at him.
"I'm going to have William take you home." Justin's voice was cold, dangerous, and unsympathetic, yet fluid and calm. The fresh kill didn't matter to him. They never did.
I tried to speak, but couldn't.
"I'm sorry you had to see that, Maddie." His hand rubbed mine for a quick second. "Make sure she gets back."
"Yes, sir. Of course." William nodded.
The door shut and the car engine revved as William sped away.
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