Wounded Birds (The Grayson Series Book 1)

by Unknown

  She yanks the gun away, waving it in the air. “So I helped Alden,” she spits out scornfully.

  My jaw drops in shock. “How?” I ask as I sway from the blood rushing around my head.

  “Come on, sweet thing, you’re smarter than that. You hired me as your cleaning lady. I have to admit that was one of my cleverest ideas.” She gloats, waving the pistol freely in the air, tilting her head side to side like some deranged woman on drugs.

  Holy shit! She is one demented woman. I would hate to meet the father. Jesus is he in on this too? Will I be getting another surprise visit? My heart continues to pound hard against my chest.

  “The security system at your building is worthless. Alden was an electrician, so he showed me how to shut the cameras on and off, which gave me the opportunity to get into your place.”

  “H-how did yo-you get in?” I manage to stutter out, still reeling over the fact that this woman is actually standing here in Michael’s barn, confessing she’s Danny and Alden’s mother. Oh, I wish this were a dream.

  “I made a copy of your key. You should never leave keys lying around, princess. Amazing what you can do with clay,” she brags and burst out into a fit of laughter.

  “I was the one who left you that note on the laptop, the doll, the wrapped package with the engagement ring on it. Oh, and let’s not forget I bugged the place, including that precious locket of yours, but Alden helped me out on that one.” She purses her lips, and her eye’s roll. “You have nice fancy underwear. Recognize the gun?” She yells out as if I’m deaf.

  Suddenly a torrential rush of blood whooshes loud in my ears. My heart rips into my chest, pounding painfully. I blink several times, staring at the revolver, staggered. “My gun,” I whisper.

  “Yep, and did you like the chocolate truffles? That was my doing. So was the note I left you at the restaurant. I was one of the bus boys. Pretty smart, I’ll admit. I even took a picture of you. Girl, you went pale white. Alden and I got such a chuckle.”

  Holy shit. What an arrogant witch, bragging about her cruel acts, as if this is normal, without one ounce of remorse, admitting she and Alden tormented me, pushing me over the edge. “You’re just as sick as they are,” I spit out, shoving her away from me to escape toward the doors.

  Before I could get away, she slams the gun across my temple. “Ahhh!” I cry out, collapsing on my knees, grabbing hold of my head between my hands. I gasp from the stabbing pain in my skull and the blood oozing onto my hand. Ah, God. I can’t catch a break. Damn this woman.

  I grunt as she kicks me in the leg and again in the back. “Ahhh!” I scream out, squirming and gasping for air between the throbbing of pain whipping through me.

  “Get up you, fuckin’ bitch. You piece of shit, you killed my boy, took his life away from me, just when I finally got reunited with them, and now I’m going to make you pay.” She slams me with another kick, this time in the ribs.

  “Ahhh!” I groan through gritted teeth, clutching onto my waist, fading away.

  “Have you . . . no . . . morals?” I slur between each painful breath. “They . . . were both . . . psychotic.” I suck in a breath of air. “Alden killed . . . his own brother, your son, Danny.” I huff out in anger, and the adrenaline in my bloodstream is kicking in. Pain continues to pierce through every muscle in my body. I plant my hands firmly on the ground. I shuffle to my knees, panting painfully with every move I make, easing my way up to my feet. I’m hit with a blow to the back. I collapse back to the floor, and now I’m beyond furious.

  “You bitch,” I scream out and quickly scramble back up and stare at her with rage. I’m going to kick some ass.

  “Lady, you have no idea the torch I’ve been carrying over my shoulders because of you,” Melinda retorts. “My anger for you stems deeper than you just killing Alden. You leaving my Danny left a bitter taste in my mouth. He cried so hard when he went to visit his mother who adopted him at the cemetery the day you left him. I so wanted to give him a hug, but how could I when he had no idea who I was. At least, not until Alden reunited us.” She swings her gun in my face, chuckling. “After I kill you, I’m going to call your boy toy and have him come out to the barn. I want to see his face when he sees your lifeless body on the ground. Then I’ll kill him.”

  Hell no! “You stay the hell away from Michael,” I explode, my body trembling, breathing hard-and-fast. The blood in my veins begins to burn through my system. I’ve had enough with Danny, his twin, and crazy, fucked-up mother. I am not going to let this bitch take me down.

  I shove the pain aside and let my adrenaline kick into an all-new level high. I launch one swift kick to her throat. I spin around and with my other leg and land a forceful impact to her gut. I grab her arm and flip her down onto the hay-covered ground.

  I jump over her, glaring at her with disgust. Images of the hell she and Alden have put Michael and me through come surfacing out with pure hate. I start swinging my fists into her face, and blood spurts out through her nose and mouth. I can’t stop hitting her. The bitch’s desperate screams continue to echo in the barn, but I hold no mercy.

  “You bitch,” she screams out, waving the revolver in my face, her finger close to the trigger. I smack her arm away, and it fires.

  I flip her over and grip her wrist into a tight twist as Danny used to do to me and pull the handgun out of her hand, hurling it across the barn.

  She makes a quick move, spins, springs up, and swings her foot in my direction. She misses; the little bitch and I roll away from her. I stand up and kick her hard, propelling her against the stall door.

  She scrambles up, regaining her balance, and runs toward me, swinging her leg in the air and delivering a powerful blow to my rib cage that sends me flying into the tack room. Shit, she’s strong.

  The barn doors spilt open with an explosive sound. “Ariana!” Oh, thank God. Michael comes bursting in. His eyes are wide, filled with fear and fury, and a thunderous growl erupts from his chest.

  Jacob — Trent and Josh follow, bolting in like lightning —.

  Michael snatches a hold of me, pulling me out of harm’s way.

  “No,” I snap. “I want this bitch to pay,” I say through heaving breaths, pushing away from Michael, but he only tightens his grip around me.

  “Ariana, stop it,” he orders.

  “No,” I yell back in his face, pushing against his torso to break free from his hold.

  “Jesus, Ariana, you’re bleeding,” Michael hisses out, his eyes wide with anger.

  I’m fixated on the scene that’s unfolding before me as I watch Jacob run for Melinda. She punches him in the mouth and kicks him in the stomach, causing him to smack into one of the stall doors. He grunts out in pain, and the same pain penetrates into my gut. I go to move to help him, and Michael tugs me back into him with a firm hold.

  Trent and Josh rush in and slam her from behind the knees, sending her flying onto her back and smacking onto the hard ground with a loud thump.

  She releases a bloodcurdling scream, causing the horses to grow restless and push into the doors of their stalls.

  Maria darts in like a missile. “Mother of God,” she exclaims. “I called the police and the ambulances after the men came soaring in here,” she rushes out in one breath. “Ariana, are you okay?” Maria asks. I don’t answer. I’m beyond angry and a numbing sensation begins to wash over me.

  The sounds of sirens reverberate outside, and the police come bursting in with their guns drawn. “Freeze,” one of the officers yells out.

  Everyone freezes except Trent, who walks over to the officer with his hands in the air, holding out his ID. I glare at Melinda as she lye’s curled up in the corner, on a mound of hay saturated in her own blood, moaning in pain.

  The medics come rushing in and attend to Melinda. I watch them wheel her out on a stretcher, sobbing out in pain. I want to spit on her, the stupid bitch.

  “Do you have another ambulance? Ariana needs to be checked out, and I don’t want her anywhere near th
at demented woman,” Michael spews out to one of the medics.

  “Yes, sir, outside. Follow me.” He gestures and escorts us out.

  Michael holds me by the elbow to steady me. We step out of the barn. I wince from the colorful, blinding lights flashing from the patrol cars and ambulances and the mass of activity.

  “Michael, God, how is she?” Jacob chokes out, his mouth tainted with blood.

  “I don’t know, Dad.”

  “She needs to get to the hospital,” Josh orders, brushing his fingers through my hair, examining my face. His eyes narrow and frowns.

  I’m numb all over. A soft light appears before me, inviting me into a warm embrace of a solitary confinement.

  “How is she?” Trent asks, brushing his hand over my arm, a touch I can’t even feel

  “Not well,” Josh replies.

  “You’re not going to believe who that woman is,” Trent retorts. “She’s Danny and Alden’s biological mother, Georgia Harris A.K.A. Melinda Candles, Ariana’s cleaning lady. I recognized her from a photo someone showed me when I went to her hometown.”

  “Holy shit,” Jacob and Michael say in unison.

  “So that explains how everything was planted in Ariana’s apartment. Who would have suspected?” Michael responds, his expression stoic.

  I find myself sitting in the ambulance with my head leaning against the cold wall and Michael is trying to convince me to lie down. “I don’t want to,” I say, disconnecting myself from the world.

  Michael releases a breath. “Okay,” he whispers, with a sullen look over his face so pale.

  I wrap my arms around myself, shivering from the cold or plain shock. We arrive at the hospital. I’m poked and probed, CT scanned, pricked with needles, and I feel nothing. I’m sucked into my own peaceful little place, where no harm will come to me.

  “Has she said anything?” Jacob asks.

  “No,” Michael snaps.

  I’m fine Michael. I’m just resting. Please let me rest for a while. With everything that’s happened in the past month, my brain has finally shut down. I’m emotionally displaced. I’m feeling no pain or fear in my confined shelter. I’ll be back, Michael.

  “Son, she’ll come through. I promise you. I know what’s going through your mind. This isn’t anything like Tania. All her tests came back negative, she just has bruised ribs, a tiny gash over her forehead, and bruises over her back that will heal.”

  I hear them conversing with each other from my happy place. I’m just incapable of communicating. I like where I am, so quiet and serene.

  “Josh, be honest with me, why won’t she respond? Her eyes are open, but she seems so distant, so empty, talk to me, please. I need some answers. This is driving me crazy,” Michael pleads.

  “Michael, relax, she’s gone through one trauma after another and is withdrawing from everything and everyone around her,” Josh explains. “We can take her home now. I’ll keep a close watch on her.”

  Chapter 34

  The Nightmares

  Sweat begins to penetrate through my skin, my breathing becomes shallow and rapid when I find myself trapped in a cold, desolate room where the walls are painted black. Just one piece of furniture sits as the centerpiece, a lonely bed. Soft, silk scarves and colorful ropes adorn the bedpost.

  I gasp, and squeeze my eyes shut, my heart ready to explode, as the all-too-familiar voice pierces my soul, like acid eating away at my flesh.

  “Come here, baby doll,” the low, raspy accent whispers out, sending my heart racing.

  “No!” I yell out at the terrorizing voice. Oh, God, this can’t be happening. Please God, don’t let this be real, don’t let this be real.

  I snap open my eyes and my heart skids to a stop as I stare at my reflection from the only mirror nailed to the wall. I stand by the bed wearing a long, silk white gown, wrapped in pink and purple ropes, my hands tied to a long, steel bar attached to the ceiling. I cry out for help, screaming for Michael as Danny approaches me as if he were a predator, hunting for his prey. His hand grips a thick, black belt, with a huge silver buckle. I whimper, tensing my muscles, my heart pounding hard against my chest as he gets closer. I can’t hear anything except for the sound of my blood thrusting through my veins, I can’t breathe, I can’t move. This is it, God, my final hours. I’m going to die in the hands of this sadistic, inhumane bastard.

  There are no windows, but one door that leads to my freedom, and it’s chained and bolted shut. I scream for help and choke on my words when I feel his breath just inches from my face, his eyes gleaming with pure evil and rage. I swallow hard, my body trembling. I know what’s coming. I brace myself for the unbearable pain.

  He swings the end of the belt, cutting into my skin. He hits me repeatedly until I let out a bloodcurdling scream. “Stop! Please stop. Just kill me, please kill me already!”

  “Ariana!”

  I wince when a pair of hands touches my face. I snap my head away. “Ariana!”

  My arms tied and suspended in the air. I cringe and cry out in pain as the metal buckle bites through the gown and my skin, cutting deep into the bone. I hold my breath to fight the painful sting burning my flesh. Blood begins to ooze from the open slices trickling down my back. “Stop, please just stop!” I try to lift my legs to kick him, but they, too, are tied and secured to the floor.

  “Ariana, Ariana.” I hear my name repeatedly and my body is shaking uncontrollable and it won’t stop.

  “Michael,” I squeal, crying out to him. I can no longer hold back the tears, and they begin to pour down my face with each welt across my back. I’m stuck in this graveyard, this black hellhole. “Help me, Michael.” I scream out, pleading, my body convulsing.

  “I’m here, Ariana. It’s me, Michael. Ariana, wake up, please it’s a bad dream.”

  I gasp with joy. Yes, Michael, he’s here to rescue me. “Oh, Michael, help me, help me,” I cry out, choking on my own tears.

  “Ariana, wake up, sweetheart. It’s a dream.” The touch of Michael’s hands over my face, gently caressing me, brings some comfort. Oh, what a sweet sensation.

  My eyes burst open, and I take a huge gulp of air into my deflated lungs, my blood still pulsing within my veins and echoing in my ears. I’m drenched in sweat, my hair plastered to my head and face. I find myself enveloped in Michael’s arms. A flood of relief rushes through me.

  “Oh, God, Michael, it was awful,” I cry out, desperately clinging to him, shaking violently. He rocks me into his chest, soothing my inner soul as well as my heart and mind. How long can I go on like this? The recurring nightmares that I’ve been having are only getting worse and are destroying me. I need help. I need help.

  “I need help,” I plead to Michael, wheezing and sobbing hysterically in his arms.

  Michael bolts up. “Josh! Josh! Get in here!” He explodes out with fury. I know this is tearing him apart.

  Josh rushes into the room almost colliding with the bed, his breathing harsh. “What’s wrong?” he cries out with alarm, panting. He stands over me and gazes at me with his warm, caring eyes. “Another nightmare, Ariana?” he says, his expression despondent.

  “Yes,” I mumble and burst into tears again. “I don’t want to sleep anymore. I can’t. Please help me get rid of these nightmares. He keeps coming back, and the pain is so excruciating. I feel the burn in my sleep.” I continue to convulse in Michael’s embrace. He rocks me, his arms wrapped tight against me. I feel his strength seeping beneath my nightgown giving me a safe and secure feeling.

  “Josh, please help her,” Michael begs.

  Josh nods. “If I give you a sedative and lower the dose every week, will you agree to see a therapist?”

  I nod frantically. “Yes, please anything, please, I’m so tired, so exhausted. The pain, the torture, is real.” I stop for a moment to catch my breath, and bile begins to creep up my throat. “Oh God, my stomach is not doing so well. I need to get up.”

  Michael stands me up, and I run for the bathroom. I just make i
t to the toilet, and my stomach ejects everything that’s inside of me. Michael takes a hold of my hair and holds it back. A cool cloth is gently pressed over my face, and I turn to see it’s Josh. I’m startled when a deep voice erupts into the room.

  “Where’s my daughter-in-law?” Jacob yells.

  Trent is right behind him, cursing, “What the hell happened? It’s two in the morning.”

  “We’re in the bathroom, Dad,” Josh hollers.

  “What in the world is going on?” Jacob asks, sounding breathless.

  “Ariana had another nightmare,” Michael explains.

  “Josh, you’re a doctor. Why can’t you give her something?” He explodes.

  “Relax, Dad, I am, but she has to consult with a therapist. I’ll be calling Dr. Rachel Cambria. She’s the best in the city.”

  “I’m getting an earlier flight back to New York today to get her the help she needs,” Michael expresses to his father.

  “Good, not that I want you to leave. I love having my family here, but I want my daughter-in-law well.”

  I stop vomiting, and the quivering in my body begins to abate.

  I start giggling for no reason. I stand up with Michael’s help. I grab hold of Jacob’s arm and pull him to the sink so I can brush my teeth. I don’t want him to leave.

  I turn to him and give him the biggest bear hug I can muster. His deep, hoarse laughter work its way out from his chest, vibrating against me.

  I stare up into his eyes filled with concern. “I love you . . . I know this is coming out of left field. If it’s okay with Michael, and of course you, I’d like to have our wedding here.”

  A big grin builds across his face, flashing those gorgeous pearly whites. His eyes watery and one crystal drop streams down his cheek. His strong, powerful arms embrace me with a slight squeeze.

  He inhales deeper and pulls me away to face me. “Darlin’, I love you too. I would do anything for you. It would be an honor to have you and Michael’s wedding here,” he chokes out. He turns to the men. “You boys get her home and get her all the help she needs. If anything happens to her, I’m coming to hunt you down, each and every one of you. You hear?” He exclaims with a stern tone, his eyes hard.