Sniper (Devil's Shadow MC, Book 2)

by K. H. Kate

  "Sir, we're ready to land." A new voice says. This man is dressed in a suit, a gun casually in his hand. Another one of Ceaser's people?

  "Good. Then go! Why are you staring like a fool?" Desmond shouts clearly irritated to get disturbed.

  "Uh...Sir-" The man only glances at me warily once, before looking away. "We got some calls from the base. There's some kind of error in the security. We're looking into it but it's been more than half an hour without any contact."

  Error?

  Desmond curses loudly shuttering the deathly silence. For some reason, it's easier to pretend that Seth has escaped and safely reached Southside. It's not hard to imagine him telling everyone including my sister what happened. It's not painful to imagine him moving on with someone else.

  Lies.

  My heart doesn't agree with him moving on. It waits for the jet to land. And when it does, I'm in that horrifying nightmare again. Desmond drags me to a car and shoves me inside before climbing in to sit beside me. I want to scream. I want to ignore his wandering hands all over my body.

  "To the Knight Manor. Go!" The driver doesn't even look back to see what's happening. He tugs my hair almost making me whimper in pain. Finally, I can hear the ugly sniffling. I can hear my breathing coming in harsh.

  "Everything will be better from now on." That's the last thing I hear before something slams into me and I think I'm finally free...

  ***

  "Wake her up, Desmond. Señor doesn't like tardiness."

  I'm flying into the darkness. My ears are buzzing and my head is disturbingly dizzy when someone trails a hand over my cheek. Desmond? No, his touch isn't this careful.

  "I'm not late! Let's just hope that I don't get into trouble for this bitch." There's an edge in his voice. He sounds afraid, terrified even.

  Someone helps me stand. My legs wobble as if I'm standing over clouds. The hand holding me isn't as harsh as Desmond. "Language Desmond! Señor would need to have a word with you if you keep disrespecting our guest."

  "Yeah, guest." He laughs while I try hard to open my eyes. "Don't pretend like we both don't know the reason why she is here."

  I don't have the energy to ask him questions. So, I don't. Instead, I work to walk on my own and open my eyes to see where we are going. My sight is nearly blurry when I finally manage to open my eyes.

  My first sight is the blurry garden. It's a memorizing place when someone wants to think alone. But I don't think there's some use to this beautiful place as I see some of the flowers dying and another almost half rotten.

  Like the owner of the house.

  "Ms. you alright?" For the first time, I turn to look at the person holding me. Her accent is heavy and she's using broken English. Her hair is in an elegant bun and she has a long gown on her body. Who is she?

  "Ms. Do you need anything?" I can see Desmond's jaw clench in anger. He obviously doesn't like her asking me questions. So for the kick of it, I give her a small smile.

  "I am fine." If we forget the fact that I can feel my cheeks sting with new cuts added. "If you don't mind-Who are you?"

  "I'm your personal maid, Ms. Señor trusts me enough to take care of you." The way she delivers the words brings a new wave of panic.

  She doesn't show that I'm starting to step back though. She tugs my hand towards the front door with a happy smile plastered on her face. "We will get along just fine. Señor traveled from the states just to meet you, come on!"

  "Gwen."

  I stiffen at the sound of my name. The tinge of accent reminds me of where I am. When did we reach the opened door? I can't move, my hold on her tightens. In fear? Or curiosity? Who is this man whose blood I share?

  "You look...beautiful." I don't have a choice other than to look up. A storm stares back at me. The same dark eyes I see every day in the mirror. The same nose, the only difference is, his is slightly crooked as if he has had his nose broken too many times.

  "Señor, I was just taking her to your study. Isn't she a beauty?" The woman says softly, running her fingers down my neck. I don't question her reason to be happy. Maybe I'm the only entertainment source she has found in days.

  Pedro stares at me longer than a second, then he sighs. "Take her to her room. I want her ready for dinner at 8. And by the time she's down here, I want to see her free of every scar and in the dress I've put in the closet. Am I clear, Carmen?"

  Carmen nods stepping back, as he starts to walk out with Desmond in tow. My heart is beating harder. I'm drenching in sweat and blood. My head is still dizzy to think about escaping. Just when I thought I was saved from the trouble, Pedro stops near the staircase. I think he talks to Carmen but his eyes are on me.

  "When she settles down I want you to make a room for her sister. It’s high time they know their heritage. Make sure no accidents happen in the way. I'd really hate to ruin a perfect day."

  Grace, my blood runs cold. The threat is clear, and oh so tempting that I want to make a run for it right now. But Carmen is obvious to everything. She helps me walk until we are standing in front of a room not old enough to be mine. The walls are painted in pink and blue, a mixed hue any kid will love. Inside the room, there are toys scattered around, there is a bed but the size is too small as if the whole room was meant for a six to ten years old.

  "Who lived here before, Carmen?" I ask despite wanting to do nothing with these people. I watch her going through dresses from the closet until finally settling on a black knee-length dress.

  She gives me a heartwarming smile before starting to undo the zipper of my dress. "This room is yours. Always been yours.”

  Mine. Not Grace’s. That’s strange.

  “And my sister? Did she not get any room reserved for her?” I try to be playful but the empty humor in my words are clear as day. Her eyes narrow but she’s smiling again.

  “There was one back in the states. Penelope told your father that she lost the baby. He didn’t know your sister existed until now.”

  And, Desmond told me they were looking for Grace, not me. Was he lying then? Or did mom lie to them too? Before I can wonder much Carmen continues. “Señor sometimes comes here when he needs to calm down.”

  "Clam down?" I'm curious. "Why?"

  Her face dampens. She's too busy wiping my blood off my face. This is something she can't say, it's clear. Yet I can't help but ask again. "Why do I have a room when I never lived here?"

  "Because your father waited for you for years." The word father makes me want to barf but I hold it in. "He was practically beaming when he got the news that Desmond found you."

  Yeah, found me only to give me my punishment. Something tells me that a man like Pedro can't be beaming. They only know how to kill, devour until there's not a soul left in their body. But there’s one thing that still doesn’t match and I can’t help but ask.

  “Why did mom gave us his last name? I mean if she really was trying to hide then why not change her identity?”

  Carmen’s face changes into a grave emotion. Dread? “Maybe all along she wanted him to catch her. She loved your father, Gwen, she truly did. What happened between them, shouldn’t have happened.”

  “What happened-?”

  She cuts me off with a soft smile. “I’ve already said much. Let’s get you clean up first, ok?”

  I have no choice but to agree with her. After bathing and getting rid of half the cuts with makeup as she could, she helps me put the dress on. The neckline is too low for my own good but at least it's more modest than what my first impression was. She also gives me a necklace with pearls. They shine against my cleavage. The scent of the perfume fills the air as she sprays it over my body with a smile.

  I don't recognize the woman staring back at me from the mirror. She looks too dead. Too many secrets in her eyes.

  "It's almost 8." Is it? "Why don't we start early? We have so much to talk about."

  Talk? What's there to talk about?

  I don't stop her when she tugs my hand to make us walk. She points out ev
ery room and their purposes. Only when we reach near the study room that she says something odd. Something...useful for once. "This is the study room. Señor barely leaves this room however later I noticed there was a hidden door behind his room that actually leads to outside. That's how he walks out of the manor and no one sees him leaving the property."

  "Oh?" I'm surprised she doesn't notice the hopeful tone in my voice. In fact, she keeps the smile on her face the entire time.

  "It's clever, isn't it? One time a man broke in through that door. Señor hung him from the ceiling in front of our eyes." Is she trying to warn me? I don't have the time to ask as we almost reach the dining room.

  "Look..." I'm barely inside the room when she stops me. "When you see Señor, offer him a meaningful hug and pick the first dish I choose for you. Not any cook's, only mine."

  There's no smile on her face. Just a snippet of a tired woman. The words blend together but her stern eyes don't lie. She wants me to give her my word. So I nod. There's nothing wrong with hearing the help, who has known my deranged sperm-donor far better than I have.

  "There she is." My trance breaks when I hear the same dreadful voice. Pedro. He observes me like an object people would gush over but can never have.

  "Does she look up to your standards, Señor?" Carmen asks the man, with a slight grin. I don't know why he doesn't get his gun out and shoot Carmen with it. Instead, he beckons me to come closer. I want to walk past him but then I remember her. Turning back I notice the same smile still on her face but there's a slight crack. Just tiny enough for me to walk up to Pedro. My arms tremble when I force them to close around him. His stiff body looks startled for once when he slowly hugs me back, inhaling my scent in.

  "Her favorite perfume." My frown deepens when he abruptly leaves my side. He looks shocked himself. And sick. "Where did you find it?"

  Where did I find it? I want to glance at Carmen but don't know why, I don't want to throw the woman under the bus. "Um...it was just in the room. It's my favorite too."

  "I see." He doesn't sound too happy but thankfully he lets it go. But the topic change makes me more nauseous than I'd like to admit. "So, how's your mother? Still lying through her teeth? What did she have to say about me, hmm?"

  My fingers twitch to just give up on all control. I wouldn't be able to survive this dinner if he keeps talking.

  "Well?

  "She's dead." The words don't hurt as much. "Actually she was killed by one of your dealers."

  Desmond chokes on his drink but doesn't say a thing. Pedro however has a dark look forming behind his eyes. Is he hurt now? Angry? Did he really loved my mother? But the illusion shatters when I remember what we all went through because of him.

  "And, who was this dealer?" He pauses as if waiting for me to start crying. "By any chance, I know them?"

  The smart thing would be to say the bastard's name. But I was never too smart to begin with.

  So I glance at Desmond with a coy smile. "Ask him. He was there too when she was killed. In fact, he's the one who took my virginity against my will. Among other peers of yours."

  If he was angry before, he is fuming now, his harsh glare thrown at me. "What the fuck did you say!? Don't play silly games with me, little Gwen. It's not funny."

  "Of course, it's not funny!" I want to break the whole chair over his head. "But then again I never had a choice. Just like my mother didn't. Like mother, like daughter, huh?"

  He waits a few seconds, I think it’s to control his anger. Then he calmly smiles. "That was different. Your mother was always after money..."

  "She was still my mother! She would have never abandoned me. Never make me dine with my rapist. Unlike you."

  He stares at me with shock before the ice cold mask slips over his face once again. Carmen quickly shoves me toward my seat. For my sake or his. That I don't get to know. He gives me a stern look the next which makes me stumble over to calm myself down. Desmond snickers but I'm already planning to look for the hidden door at night when everyone goes to sleep.

  Then I have to look for Seth.

  "Gwen?" Only when I hear my name calling that I look up.

  "Yes?" Everyone stares at me. I wreck my mind trying to recall if I've slipped some of my masks. Then I see it. The dish Carmen told me about ready to place.

  "Señor, she is still overwhelmed. So why don't I serve her today?" She sounds nervous for once. Her eyes glance between me and Pedro in distress when Pedro finally nods.

  Her relief is hard to ignore.

  Desmond and Pedro talk about business while Carmen serves me as if I didn't snap just a few minutes ago. As if he didn't insult my mother. The food smells good but I have no appetite. No desire to even look at it. But a hard nudge makes me look down in surprise.

  How...

  My shiny new friend looks back at me like a mocking freedom. I don't know what to make of it. Why would Carmen give me a...

  "C...Carmen..." The words sound different from the ruthless man a second ago. They slur into each other as if drunk. "W...Why do I feel...?"

  "Use your weapon, Gwen. Free us." Carmen doesn't need to remind me. The cold gun is already in my hand. I have to grip it tighter to actually make an aim.

  "You chose a wrong day, Pedro," Carmen says smiling. "None of your guards are with you. How can you be so foolish to think you can find your daughter when I just lost mine because of you? How? How can you get past the fact that this is not my first time trying to poison you!"

  Poison?

  I watch as Desmond whines in pain. His eyes are wide in fear. Blood is sipping from his lips. Poison? Was it in the food? I don't have to feel a damn thing when I pull the trigger. The sound breaks through the room like a storm.

  Bang!

  I'm not satisfied with one. So, I aim and shoot. Over and over. Until Carmen takes my hand off the gun and giggles.

  "See, Pedro? Your daughter is braver than you ever were."

  He reaches out to hold onto the table but his legs give out. "I...I didn't eat a damn thing."

  "It was the perfume." She mutters chuckling. "Penelope might be dense at times but you didn’t deserve her. You didn’t even want your first born when she told you about the pregnancy. Then when life gave you a second chance, you messed that up too! Your irrational jealousy, trust issues, the mafiya, everything you did was starting to suffocate her. What future could you have given them if you couldn’t even trust her?”

  “Dios!” Pedro curses, his voice echoing through the room like thunder. His face is so red that I’m afraid if that’s because he’s angry or he can’t breathe.

  “That poor girl still haunts you.”

  Carmen sighs, and if I wasn’t shaking like a leaf I’d recognize the look on her face as sympathy. “You’d do anything to bring her back just as I knew you wouldn’t be able to resist the familiar smell. I knew I couldn’t kill you, but that doesn’t mean that I can’t weaken you.”

  Pedro’s eyes widen as he starts to cough, choking on his sins.

  Carmen smiles, a smile of freedom. “Oh, yes, you made sure that none of your enemies know that you are allergic to fragrance. But I’ve worked years for you, studied you, plotted so many scenarios and I think I gave you more respect than I originally intended by choosing this perfume. It was Penelope’s."

  The words sink into me like a nail. Or an annoying moth. I think we've dragged it out too long. So the next time my hands are on the gun, I don't even have to shoot multiple times. I only aim at the heart.

  This time I share the same smile as Carmen. We are both lost souls. Both hunting for revenge. Both need to be free.

  "Y...you don't mean it! You can't k...kill..."

  "Goodbye, Papa." I don't think I don't hear his silly plea. He only shouts in pain when I pull the trigger. He screams in agony and we wait. We wait and watch as he takes his last breath. At least I gave him one last gift to be called a father. Even if he doesn't deserve it. Just like my mother. Even if she was selfish, money-hungry....she was still
my mother.

  "We've got to go. After midnight, his guards are coming back." Carmen says while dragging me from the dining to the study room. It's all dark in there, just like my mind.

  But there's still hope.

  There's still Seth somewhere waiting for me.

  And when the hidden door opens with a lurch, I don't have the energy to lift my head and smile. My energy is all spent. I'm just tired. So damn tired.

  I raise my hands somewhere in between when my hold on Carmen loses and I slam onto the ground like a rag doll. Flashes of blue worried orbs stare back at me and my world finally fades to white.

  "Help me."

  CHAPTER 36

  SNIPER

  She's alive.

  The declaration should be enough for me. I shouldn't have started looking around to find any possible danger. I should have just taken her and leave.

  But I can't.

  When I don't know if her soul is still mine. If she still has something to claim. Not anyone else's. Not any other fucker's.

  "She knows you." For the first time, since she collapsed on my lap that I look up. It's a woman with a beautiful smile. Her smile doesn't give off the feeling of dread. When I don't move, she offers me another smile but this one is urgent. Something wrong went down tonight. "You have to go."

  "What happened to her? Is she ok?" I can't help but check her body for any injury I missed. I find a couple of cuts here and there but they are well taken care for. Looks like someone washed and cleaned her up. The thought of any other man seeing her body...

  "You need to hurry up. I suggest you leave before the guards enter the manor." The woman is trying too hard to keep calm. Is Pedro inside?

  "Pedro..."

  She cuts me off with a grimace. "Dead. But his men are still alive and they wouldn't take it very well if they find you two. Please, señor, just take the hidden door and leave."

  Dead?

  How did he die?

  In Kitty's hands?