by Marie Wathen
“I don’t know,” he grunts, answering my question while rushing down the front stairs and carrying Waverly toward his motorcycle. “We got separated somewhere during the ride over. I waited, but he never showed, so I went in alone.”
Looking at the one seat on his bike, I state the obvious, “We can’t ride that thing.”
“I know,” he huffs, glancing toward the driveway. “I need to call for help, but my cell is dead.” He looks sweetly at Waverly’s dirt-covered face. “I don’t want to leave her again.”
“I can go back in and find a phone,” I offer nervously.
“Hell no,” he growls, “You’re never going back inside that damn place again. I’ll find a phone and call the police, but let’s get you out of the open first.” Looking behind him toward the front door, he tips his chin and says, “Over there.” We walk around the side of the castle and reluctantly he lays Waverly on her back, next to the outside wall. “Stay here with her. I will only be a moment and then you will be in a safe place. I promise that nothing like this will ever happen to you again, Anna.” Tenderly, he kisses me on the forehead and glances down at Waverly one last time before running back toward the front again.
“I trust you, Morgan,” I whisper into the silent rain that begins to drizzle over us, and then touch my fingertips to Waverly’s cheek. “You’re knight in shining armor came and saved us, sweetie.”
Chapter Thirty-Four
Morgan
I can’t believe that I found her, only to walk away again, and it is fucking killing me. Tucking Waverly against the wall outside the Renaissance Castle and leaving her in Anna’s care, I rush around to the front, covered entrance. The rain begins falling and my heart squeezes painfully, thinking about leaving her lying in it.
“Hello,” I roar, “Anybody awake in the goddamn place?”
A light flicks on from down the hallway to the right and then an elderly lady shuffles her fluffy house shoes toward me while pushing up a sleep-mask on her forehead and pulling closed a velvet house coat.
“Sir,” she states hoarsely, “Is everything okay?”
“No, ma’am,” I reply, shaking my head and hurrying toward her. “I need to use your phone.” She stares at me confused so I explain, “There’s…been an accident.” So, I lie, but right now, being honest is the least of my worries. Waverly is my top priority and I’ll commit any sin or break any law to save her. Please, God, don’t let me lose her again, I beg silently.
She pulls out a cell phone from her pocket and then presses the power button, turning it on. “It will just be a few moments,” she assures, glancing over me for injuries. “Son, are you hurt?”
“I’m fine,” I grumble, reaching and taking the phone, “Thank you.”
After a few rings a recording breaks the line, instructing me to not hang up if this is an emergency and that all lines are currently busy. I curse under my breath just as an operator speaks, “911, what is your emergency?”
“I’m at the Renaissance Castle and there has been an accident. Two young women need an ambulance now,” I rush through my explanation.
“Sir,” the commanding female voice tries gaining control of the call, “Can you tell me what happened and how severe are their injuries?”
“Do you have the address?” I ask sharply, ignoring her questions.
“Yes, but–”
“Here, talk to her.” I thrust the phone back to the caretaker and run back outside, unable to give any more details while Waverly is lying in a pool of rainwater outside without me.
A massive wind gust blows sand from the beach below into a swirling vortex directly at me when I step through the doorway. I cover my face while running around the side of the castle. Until someone else is here with me, I’m not risking leaving them out in the open for Tox to discover, if he’s searching for them. It may have been his voice that we heard yelling earlier. Breesan, my mind warns me that he found her.
“Anna,” I call, returning and finding her lying on top of Waverly. “What’s wrong?” She lifts her head, hard rain pummeling her and soaking through her clothing.
“I’m trying to keep her dry, Morgan,” she cries over the roaring wind, “She can’t get pneumonia too.”
She’s been responsible for Waverly while they’ve been missing and refuses to give up that role. I run over to my motorcycle, grab my leather jacket from the back rack and take it back to her.
“Here, cover your head with this,” I instruct, holding it out. She takes in and shields herself and Waverly from the downpour. “An ambulance will be here soon.”
“Shouldn’t you go back inside and look for Breesan?”
“I’m not leaving you,” I argue.
“Tox wants her and if she’s in there…” her voice breaks as tears and raindrops mix together, dripping from her long, brown eyelashes. “…He could find her and god knows what he’ll do to her, Morgan.”
I reassure her, “He’ll have to get past me to leave and I’m never going to let him take her.”
“No,” Anna disagrees, shaking her head. “This is a very busy place. He wouldn’t risk being seen bringing us things. I think he’s been taking some secret passages to come see me. Have you ever heard about the hidden boat dock?”
“I really don’t know much about the castle.”
“I remember that when we were kids Breesan’s dad would take us to play at the lagoon. We would see ships passing by and pretend they were pirate ships or fugitives running from an evil dictator. Mr. Maxwell told us about a hidden tunnel where revolutionists used it to escape the king of England. Since his family owns the castle, it must be real.”
Sharp lightening cracks and flashes down from the sky, striking something close by. A second later, all the lights around the castle flicker and then fade out completely.
“Dammit.” Focusing back on Anna’s story, I state, “If that’s true then there is no way for me to know if Breesan’s even still inside.” I rub a hand over my face, pushing away some of the water. Searching the parking lot and not finding Marcus’ Jeep, I growl, “Where the hell is my brother?”
“Morgan,” Anna starts, staring at me and then looking away, like she’s embarrassed.
“What is it?”
“Before passing out, Waverly said something that I didn’t believe, I don’t believe,” she corrects, pinning me with an arched eyebrow and dark brown eyes filled with concern. “But, since so many things are jumbled and crossed, there may be some truth to her warning.”
“Go ahead,” I urge, crouching down so that I’m eye level with her.
“She told me that Marcus is pure evil.”
Creeping into my chest, a tiny feeling of doubt, concerning his integrity is reawakened by her words, highlighting my twin’s odd behavior recently, especially where Breesan is concerned. I questioned him about his intentions, but he gave me a valid reason. After everything that he told me tonight, I trust him and I don’t know where Waverly could have come up with such ludicrous accusations. She doesn’t even know him. Suddenly, I realize that everything she knows about Marcus is all the horrible things I told her.
“She’s wrong, Anna. And that’s my fault.” My eyes shift down to Waverly and my heart bangs roughly against my chest, seeing such a strong woman lying here so weak and unresponsive. “How long has she been like this?” I don’t really want to know the answer, but someone will need to tell the medics when they get here.
“The concept of time isn’t really possible when you’ve been living in a dungeon.” She smiles. “I don’t even know what month it is.”
Nodding, I brush some wet strands of hair way from her cheek. “It’s August twenty-first.”
“God,” she breathes, lowering her eyes. “I’m leaving for Paris next month. Breesan and Tristan are supposed to start U of M next week. Once I get them in my arms, I don’t think I’ll be able to let them go again.”
Damn.
And there it is. After the living hell that she’s been through for the p
ast two months, how do I tell this sweet woman that her boyfriend is no longer the man she once knew?
***
Breesan
“You are monsters,” I whimper softly, glaring from person to person before fixating on Tox. “How can you do this?”
“Oh, you are mistaken,” Declan claims, standing in front of me. His gray eyes, twinkle with vicious satisfaction. “Matty is nothing like me or his mother. Your stepmother did everything I asked of her. She sacrificed her life to watch you, Breesan, controlling who had access, effectively keeping you miserable and broken. She nearly succeeded at having you killed, too.” Turning to his son, he remarks, “I am thoroughly disappointed that you failed at such an easy task, but it never was our intentions to kill Breesan.” Tox’s face is blood red with anger, staring at his wicked father. Declan flicks a dismissive hand toward me and explains, “Julia just hated her so much because of who her parents are, and because she couldn’t be with you and me. She would’ve never betrayed me the way you did with her friends. I’m not stupid; I know that you’ve hidden them from me. What do you have to say for your disloyalty?”
Anna and Waverly. My breath catches in my chest. “Where are they?” I demand from Tox.
“He’s deranged,” Tox snaps defensively, deflecting my question. He glares down at me like he truly hates me, and I suddenly see Julia in his face, even with it covered in gothic makeup. “He killed my mother, Breesan. You’ll forgive me if that takes precedence over your worthless friends at the moment.” Twisting to face his father again, he shouts, “I want answers and I fucking want them now. Why did you do all of this?”
Sliding a hand through his blond hair, Declan strolls over to Cayde, smiles wickedly and then says, “Simple answer: I never loved Julia, but she believed that I did. I used that devotion to my advantage. With just the thought of us being together one day, as a family, she played her role well for many years, but her recent screw-ups and insistence on us being together were intolerable.” He places a hand on Cayde’s upper arm and she stares down at it. “My heart belongs to the other Madison sister.”
“Why?” I shout, interrupting his maleficent rant. “She wanted the castle and all the money?” I guess, justifying thirteen years of a life submersed in hell.
Laughing, Declan turns and faces me. “Unlike her sister, who couldn’t wait to get her greedy little hands on it, Julia never cared about the fortune. She was simply a pawn in our masterful game of chess, as were so many others. Willing players in some cases.” He glances at Wren. “Oh, dear Wren there isn’t you’re real cousin, but I’m sure that as smart as you are, you’ve worked out that part already. She and her sister, Katya, or perhaps you know her as Candy, were implants, hired to watch your friends.” My God, he had them watching Anna and Morgan. “They were instructed to kill if necessary, but definitely use their marks to get closer to you.”
“Everything you lived through came from my sweet A’rea’s crafty imagination. Truly, it was quite brilliant.” My eyes move to Cayde and I am disgusted that I let her trick me into meeting with her. She fooled me into believing that my father is still alive. It was all part of her deception, just to get to me…to the fortune. “If you weren’t destined to die very soon, I would share the glorious details with you. I’m sure you would be equally impressed.”
Tox interrupts, his voice taking on a bitter tone, “You did all of this to give her Brendt’s fortune?”
“The Andrew’s fortune,” Declan corrects, looking fiercely at me, “The monies that I was denied many years ago, which rightfully belongs to us, is all in the lovely Breesan’s control.” Smugly he says, “Julia was the sole benefactor and would have collected once you were buried. Your mother can’t even get her hands on it, but that’s because she isn’t a Maxwell.” He throws his head back and roars a deeply disturbing laughter, pleased about Casandria not benefiting either. Focusing on Tox, he tells him, “Only your cousin holds the access to the castle and my family’s fortune. But we have her now, because of you, my boy. Today, that money will be returned back to where it belongs.” Declan turns around, searching for Cayde. During his insane rambling, she’s quietly made her way over to the door. Declan screeches, “Where the fuck do you think you are going?”
His rage sets off a strange chain of events. Completely in shock by his rapid descent into crazy, I watch in horror as he bellows at the woman he claims to love so fiercely and who he tormented my life for over a decade because of. With a hand held high above his head, Declan charges across the room, aiming for Cayde. I don’t have a clue why he does it, but before the madman can reach her, Tox attacks him. The punch he lands on Declan’s face is violent enough to knock him to the floor, dislodging the syringe of deadly toxin from his hand.
“If you want to live, come with me,” Cayde demands, holding out her hand while she pulls open the heavy door with the other.
“I will never trust you,” I insist, scowling at her and then glancing back at father and son rolling around on the floor.
“Fine, but you will die if you remain in here another minute.” She runs out the door, not waiting for my decision.
“Run,” Tox insists a second before Declan’s fist connects with his jaw, gaining the upper hand. Causing enough pain to distract Tox from their battle, Declan glances up at me, blood oozing from a wound on the side of his head. Standing, he calmly strolls toward the back of the room and reaches for a pistol lying on top of the table next to Wren. Rising up to his feet, Tox shouts, “Run, Breesan.”
My eyes connect with Tox’s for a moment and I see something different in his eyes than I had earlier. He may actually be trying to help save me. Knowing that Declan intends on keeping me locked in here, or kill me, I do as Tox instructs, leaving them to beat the hell out of each other. Stepping into the hallway, I find that Cayde didn’t leave me behind like I thought. She’s standing in the middle of the hallway, a grin tipping up the corner of her mouth.
Just inches away from the crazed gunman, chasing after me, I stall and say, “I won’t go with you.”
“You have absolutely no reason to trust or believe me, but I swear to you that I will never hurt you.”
Declan roars, “Breesan!” More scuffling within the room, tells me that they are still battling it out, but I know it won’t be long before one of them will be coming for me.
“You made me believe that you only wanted to help,” I hiss, “All while you were working with that bastard.”
Shaking her head, Cayde insists, “I was never with him. He just needed to believe that I was.”
I roll my eyes at that highly unlikely scenario and scoff, “That isn’t how it looked.”
“Trust me, or don’t, right now, I really couldn’t care less. But, if you want to live long enough to hear the rest of the story, you better run before he comes out of that room. I don’t think Tox will keep him busy for much longer.” A gunshot, followed by a painful roar coming from inside the room signifies that their fight has ended and one of them is severely injured. “Move,” she shouts, running down the long passageway. With no other options, I quickly follow.
“Breesan!” a commanding voice shouts.
My heart hammers frantically inside my chest as I glance behind me and see Declan entering the corridor, coming after us. He stumbles forward, slamming hard into the wall across the hallway, like he’s injured, and then curses my name repeatedly. Being in great physical shape and an avid runner, I have no doubts that I can easily out run the psychopath, but I hesitate to see if Tox is going to follow him out.
Seeing a glimmer of something dangling in Declan’s hand, I gulp hard and whisper, “He has the gun.”
“Let’s go!” Cayde grabs my hand, dragging me up a flight of stairs and then a few moments later we are rushing through a secret passage door, leading onto the back balcony overlooking the violently swirling ocean below. An ominous gale force storm has moved in since I ran here from Club Toxic earlier tonight. A haunting sensation tells me that the chaotic w
aters below represent a fraction of the hell that I will surely face before this night ends.
Chapter Thirty-Five
Anna
Beyond the blinding crack of lightening and crash of thunder, I hear a sound that resembles a gunshot. Apparently hearing it, too, Morgan, who was previously stalking back and forth in front of me and Waverly for the past five minutes, stops abruptly.
“You heard that?” I ask, lifting up the corner of the leather jacket, covering me and Waverly, getting a better look at him.
“Yeah, we need to get out of here,” he breathes, staring toward the back of the castle, and then he jerks around quickly to look at the front gate again. “Where is that damn ambulance?”
“Morgan, it has only been a couple of minutes.”
“They need to hurry the hell up,” he grumbles dreadfully, looking at Waverly with sadness. “I can’t take it if something else happens to either of you again.”
After a couple of minutes without hearing more rounds, I release a heavy breath. Glancing over Waverly for additional injuries, I state, “Despite everything that we’ve been through over the past two months, she looks like Sleeping Beauty taking a peaceful little nap,” I offer with a small smile, hoping to break his brooding and attempting to calm myself. “Do you think we should risk Tox finding us and move her around front to get her out of this horrible weather?”
He glances toward the front and then the back before nodding. “Yes,” he agrees, bending down to scoop her up in his arms again. “But if he comes out, you let me deal with him and just stay behind me, no matter what. Okay?”
A shriek rips through the pounding rain, sending a fiery javelin of dread in a straight line through to my gut. I bite down on my bottom lip, causing it to bleed into my mouth, suppressing the scream threatening to burst out of my chest. Morgan lowers Waverly back to the ground and pushes me to lay over her. Wrapping my arms tightly around her, I bury my face against her scrawny shoulder and pray for our safety.
