by V. F. Mason
With my hand behind my back, I found the button on the phone and pressed it. Connor, one of the best FBI agents in the field, would be here soon, and Sapphire would be safe.
My ultimate goal was to destroy S. But choosing between my vengeance and the woman I loved? There was no choice. My life hadn’t meant shit to me for a long time. If sacrificing my life kept Sapphire safe, then it would be a death worth accepting.
John turned his head to me, chuckling.
“Have to give it to you, whore. You must have some good dick, making her loyal to you. Sure as fuck never gave the same loyalty to her old man when she ran with those papers to Ken.” My brow lifted as I watched every move he made.
“No one would give you their loyalty, John. A sad truth in life.” He narrowed his eyes and raised his gun higher, right at my heart, a sinister expression on his face. His forehead reflected perspiration, and his hands shook as excitement shone through his gaze.
The fucker still got off on pain and fear, and it probably gutted him there was none left in me.
“Should have killed you back then. But no, it was amusing to watch your ass being fucked by S.” Then he started laughing, and my fists clenched. “You were leaning over Dominic’s body, crying. Surveillance cameras showed it. Truthfully, I didn't think you’d leave him there to die alone, while he still breathed. Mistake on my part.”
The fucker didn't deserve to say my brother’s name. Sapphire stirred, but he didn’t notice it.
Come on, baby. Wake up and run.
“You might have killed everyone else, but you won’t get your hands on me or S. We are invincible,” John continued, his face nothing but a mask of happiness. Sapphire finally snapped her eyes open and they widened in fear. She was about to speak, but I shook my head a little. Enough for her to know, but not enough for John to notice. “Sapphire was my baby girl. Granted, there was no choice but to disown her once she discovered the side business. I would never have wished for her to end up with you. You brainwashed her,” he spat out as his daughter grabbed my gun and held it tight.
The organization was destroyed. I killed all the members except S and John, but they had nothing without money and their men. With the FBI on their tail, looking at all of the Manhattan elite closely, no one would create anything like it for a long time. My brother could rest in peace knowing I kept my promise to him. His sacrifice saved so many lives.
The racing of my heart stopped. My breathing evened.
She was safe. I looked at her one last time, taking in all her beauty, her sapphire eyes that shone with love for me, the monster, and my heart tugged painfully.
The love of my life.
I would have loved to spend my whole life with her, given her children and a happily ever after. She was the only one who took my demons away and made me want to live. Dying when I’d finally found happiness with her wasn't my intention, but fate and life were fickle.
I love you, I mouthed to her as tears slid down her cheeks, and then my attention turned to her father, who in his haze and euphoria hadn't noticed this exchange.
“Should have killed you all those years ago,” John repeated, and then fired the gun.
Sapphire
A fist in my mouth stopped the scream that rose from deep inside me when the bullet touched his heart. Damian smiled then looked at me one last time as his eyes closed and he fell from the cliff. Five seconds, and the love of my life was dead, consumed by the ocean. I wouldn't even have his grave to visit.
I closed my eyes as piercing pain consumed me, and even the act of breathing destroyed me. I’d have followed him, taking my own life, but the test result changed everything.
Part of him and me.
I never got the chance to tell him he gave me a baby.
The thought of our child made me snap my eyes open. My father still watched the cliff, so without thinking, I squeezed the gun in my hands harder and ran.
Run.
That was the only thought in my mind, so I did.
My bare feet burned from touching the hot concrete, but I didn’t care. With everything in me, with all the power I had, I ran until I had no strength left.
I fell to my knees on the rough ground as I breathed heavily, trying to control my rapidly beating heart.
I heard him move; he was behind me.
“Sapphire.” His disgusting voice softened as he said my name. “Come with me.” My hand moved to my abdomen, where my baby lay, and determination like never before hit me as I stood up. “Good girl. Now let’s go. We need to get out of here.”
He’d ruined so many lives. I wouldn’t allow him to touch my child or continue living in this world. Turning around, I pointed the gun in my hand at him and he froze.
“Put the gun down.”
My hands trembled as all the memories we shared flew through my mind.
How could he do it?
How could he live in this world after taking away so many lives?
And more importantly…how could he think I’d go with him willingly after he killed the man I loved?
Never.
“Goodbye,” I whispered as my finger pulled the trigger.
With a guttural groan, he fell to his knees. He held his hand to his chest and looked straight at me with hatred in his eyes. Then he collapsed on the ground, dead.
My hands fell to my sides. Tears slid down my cheeks, but not because of him, no. The bastard didn’t deserve it. My tears were for all the evil he’d done.
The sounds of sirens in the background snapped me out of my stupor, and after a second, or an hour, or maybe more, a man softly touched me, covered me with a blanket, and helped me into the ambulance.
“Don’t worry, honey. Everything will be all right,” one of the paramedics said, gently squeezing my hand reassuringly as I gazed numbly at the ceiling of the ambulance. My lips were dry and hurt. The last thing I could remember before the oblivion consumed me was his kisses and how I would never have him again.
Over.
Everything was finally over.
In that moment, I allowed myself to weep and let the grief overtake me.
Sapphire
My eyes snapped open, but then closed again when the sunlight pouring into the hospital room blinded me. I put my hand over my eyes and tentatively glanced around. The last thing I remembered was being in the ambulance as people tried to reassure me everything was fine. Their words almost made me laugh again.
Nothing about all this was fine.
My headache was killing me, my wrists and feet hurt, and my lips were dry. I needed some water. Noticing a button beside the bed, my fingers pressed it with my good hand, and in a second, a young nurse came in.
“You’re awake.” Her face brightened like we were friends and she was happy for me to be alive. “How do you feel?”
“Like shit.”
She nodded. “Understandable.” She put some ice to my lips and it felt heavenly, and then she gave me a cup with a straw. “Take a few sips, no more, okay?” I listened to her, and although my body demanded more water, I followed her instructions.
Suddenly, when my mind caught up with everything going on around me, I let out a small cry and I placed my hand protectively over my belly. “My baby?”
A look of understanding came over her face. “The baby is fine.” She patted my hand. “The doctor will be here shortly.”
I lay my head back down on the bed as relief washed over me. My baby was okay. I had protected my baby. Our baby. Tears formed in my eyes, and I did nothing to stop them from sliding down my cheeks.
Damian.
He was dead. He wouldn't be here to discover the joys of parenthood with me. To make sure we had the future he planned for. I had dreamed of giving him love and a family, something that was stolen from him, but I would never get the chance. The knowledge killed me, but at the same time, he did the right thing. The image of him sliding over the edge of the cliff as his shirt soaked in blood was still fresh in my mind, and I screamed in agon
y as a doctor rushed into the room. He grabbed my hand and checked my pulse as he adjusted an IV drip.
“It’s okay, sweetheart.”
“He is dead,” I cried, and the nurse who rushed in right after the doctor sat on the bed and ran her hand over my head.
“Yes, honey, he is dead. He will never hurt you again. Sociopath is dead.” My head shook in denial; no, he wasn't bad. He was my salvation. My father was the evil in this world. But before I could open my mouth and explain, my eyes closed and darkness claimed me.
“Miss Blake?” Melissa, the FBI agent, repeated, and I was snapped from my thoughts. I turned my head to her and raised my brow.
“Yes?”
She exchanged a look with her colleague, Agent Connor, and repeated her question. “Were you violated during your imprisonment with Sociopath?”
I shook my head and she nodded, although her face had a pitiful expression on her face. She probably thought I was lying or something. They came after a psychologist, who wanted to know how damaged I was after my time with the evil man.
He was the love of my life.
He was dead.
This devastated me.
“Okay, do you know his real name?” My head shook again and she huffed in frustration. No matter what, I’d protect him. No one needed to know who Damian and Dominic Scott were. “Did he tell you why he kidnapped you?” Finally, a question with an easy answer.
“Yes.” My hands played with the edge of the blanket. “He wanted me.” Melissa’s eyes widened as she made yet another entry in her notebook.
“Could you tell us what happened on the cliff? You called 911 and claimed your father was guilty. You had shot him by the time we arrived on the scene.” She and her partner both leaned forward, eagerly waiting for my reply. The case would win them a promotion; it wasn’t every day international criminals were caught. Her words confused me though, because I never made the call. How did they even know about Damian and me? And why were they so focused on him, when my father was the one who did all the evil things? However, I was too exhausted to care or argue with them.
I studied the huge-ass window in my room, the clear blue sky, and the images of my time in Damian’s house flashed through me.
Our first kiss.
Dance.
Meeting at the club.
Kidnapping.
Lovemaking.
Learning the truth.
Love.
Always love.
No one outside of Damian and me would ever understand our relationship, and he had left me alone in the world with just memories. I hated him for making me live with this pain alone.
“My dad ran organizations for wealthy men who liked to use children for their sick desires.” Connor’s eyes narrowed as his fists clenched, but he said nothing. “Sociopath was one of those kids. He got out and made it his life’s mission to punish those who ruined him.”
Melissa cleared her throat after my prolonged silence. “So all of his other victims, they were part of the organization too?”
I nodded.
“Your father was the head of it?” Connor asked gently, and his hand touched mine, but I quickly snatched it back from him. No one was allowed to touch me. “Sorry,” he mumbled.
“No, yes. He was the one who ran the dungeon and the organization, along with a few cops, yes. But he never slept with those kids, and they had a higher investor who was their most expensive client.”
“What was his name?” Melissa’s voice lowered as her hands squeezed the pen in her hand tightly. From the excitement of finally getting the lead? Or from anger?
“He never told me. Sociopath referred to him as S.” They exchanged looks once again, and then Connor cleared his throat.
“Thank you for your cooperation, Sapphire. They told us you don’t want to see your mother.”
A smirk appeared on my face. “I don’t. We were never close. I don’t see the point of starting now.”
He nodded. “I can understand it. The thing is, before this so called S is caught, it’s not safe for you to be on your own.”
My brows furrowed at his words. “What do you mean?”
He exhaled a heavy breath. “They know we have a lead, and they suspect you know more than you are willing to tell. You killed your own dad, so what stops you from ratting them out? You were Sociopath’s possession, and even though they were scared of him, he is dead now. No one can protect you.” His eyes looked to my stomach. “Or your baby.”
Except us.
He didn't have to say the words for me to understand what they wanted. Once they caught S, they needed me to testify against him.
“Witness Protection Program?” I whispered, and they both nodded without saying another word. They knew what ran through my mind. How long would it take them to catch him? Weeks, months, years? Was I ready to live a lie every day? To forget who I was? Was it worth it? My hand came back to my stomach, and I imagined what it would be like. The baby was the only connection I had left to him. Would he or she have his eyes? His smile? His hair? My eyes watered, and I quickly wiped them away. My baby was the most important part of my life, and for my little bean, I’d do anything. However, before I agreed, I had to make sure I was doing the right thing.
“I have to think about this.”
“We will give you one day. You can call us anytime,” Connor said, leaving a cell phone near my bed.
A caress on my cheek was like the softest of feathers.
Damian?
I woke up again with a smile on my face, but it quickly died when my mother came into view. She was holding a bouquet of roses, and when she had leaned down to look at me closer, the petals of the flowers touched my skin.
“Honey, are you awake?” Her voice was all motherly and crying. That was when I noticed the nurse from earlier was close by as she sent daggers my mother’s way.
“She showed me her ID, but I decided to wait for you to wake up to make sure it’s okay for her to stay with you.”
Mother’s eyes narrowed as she snapped, “I’m her mother. Of course she is safe with me.” The nurse shrugged but didn't budge.
I rose up on the bed, resting my back against a pillow, and turned my head to her. “No worries. We’ll take ten minutes max.” She nodded and left the room, but not before I noticed her gesture to the button next to my bed. So she wanted for me to ring once when I was done talking to my mother. “What do you want?” Mother stepped closer, but my hand in front of me stopped her. “No need to touch or hug me. You survived without me for the last year. I’m sure you can control yourself.”
“Sapphire, there are things—”
God, why couldn't she understand I didn't have time for her bullshit?
“I forgive you.” She blinked in shock. “I understand what it’s like to love a man, no matter what he did.” She exhaled a relieved breath. “But I don’t forgive you for what you allowed Dad to do the minute you found out. Loving a man is one thing. Letting him continue destroying precious lives is another. It should have been you, Mom, who pulled that trigger.” Tears slid down my cheeks. “If Sociopath had an ounce of the monster Father was in him, it wouldn't have been him dead going over the cliff. It would have been me.”
“The organization—”
“Mother, the organization? You lived with the head of the empire. You could find evidence, work with the FBI, and get into the Witness Protection Program. Do something! Not live off the business, which used innocent children for the sick desires of the men around you.”
“Those weren't just men from our society. Only Ken, Alfred, John, and—” She stopped, slapping her mouth with her hand, almost saying too much. She knew. I could see it in her green eyes.
Knowledge and fear.
S.
“Who is he, Mom?” She shook her head, went to the window, and lit up an electronic cigarette. “Mom, tell them who he is so they can catch him.”
Her hollow laughter filled the air. “You have no idea how much power he has. T
hey wouldn't be able to stop him.” She exhaled the vapor. “I thought maybe Sociopath could with all the killing he did, but now, even he is gone. S laughs in victory, I’m sure.” She gazed at me with determination in her eyes. “I know what the FBI offered you. Take it and leave. As far as I’m concerned, you are dead. I was never a good mom, wasn't in me. But you still can have a good life. They will never catch him, Sapphire.” She finished her cigarette in record time and threw it in her purse. The anger inside me was impossible to suppress.
“Again, you are a coward who thinks only about herself.”
“No, in this case, I’m saving your life, believe it or not. And yes, I’d like to live a little longer and maybe have some peace.”
“Knowing a man who uses innocent kids is out there and will never get his punishment allows you to live in peace?”
She picked up her purse along with her coat and made her way to the door, but not before replying to my question. “Yes, Sapphire. There are things in this world you learn to live with. S is invincible.” With those words, she left the room.
My mother had lived with my father for the last thirty years, and according to me, he was a monster. But what kind of monster must S be, if my mom considered him the evil of all evils?
Picking up the phone, I searched through the contact list for Connor and dialed his number. He picked up on the first ring. “Sapphire?”
“I agree.”
Connor
I put my cell back into my pocket as I took one last deep inhale of my cigarette and it calmed my nerves.
Sapphire agreed to protection, and I would do my best to shield her and the baby she carried. The last thing I could do for a man who saved my life all those years ago. I never thought he'd reach out to me, but one month ago, he made sure to contact me and let me know about the situation they had at hand. John and his organization were our targets for many years, but we could never find or get enough evidence against them. Not to mention S—no fucking clue who this bastard was.
