“Fuck you,” he growled at me. Then he tried to spit in my face again. I raised the hammer above his head. Just as I started swinging down, something stopped me. Henry. Damn that man. He was ruining my moment, and I was less than pleased.
“Hold on, love. I’m not done with him yet, but when I am, he’s all yours. Alright?” I nodded, and let the head of the hammer rest on the floor. My breathing was rapid, and my body was still feeding on the adrenaline.
Kellan was working hard to get out of the restraints. He was still eyeing Claire and the bag she was happily filling. Henry grabbed him by the throat. “I have one more question in mind. Give me the information on Sophie’s children.” I dropped the sledge hammer on the floor, startling Kellan. Everyone, but Nick, turned and looked at one another with a dropped jaw.
That whole time, she never said anything about having kids. I found it rather bizarre. I spun around, and she stood there with her hands covering her face. Kellan quieted down and stopped trying to free himself. He seemed to have conceded, knowing his true death was near.
“They’re safe.” His dying eyes kept flickering to Sophie, like he was trying to tell her something.
“You know that’s not what I’m asking.” Henry was stern. Not once did he break his stare.
“They’re not like us. The youngest is mine.” I was surprised about what was pouring out of his mouth. I could only imagine the child came from a rape. That would explain why Sophie was so terrified of him. And to hear him speak sorrowfully about his child was rather odd. Kellan and compassion were like oil and water. He kept glaring at Sophie.
“Now, tell me where they are.” Silence filled the room. We all waited with an intensity that I had never felt before.
“Shortly after Sophie left to retrieve you, he put them in the custody of Anne Richards.” Henry stumbled back. “Roger was sure that she wasn’t coming back. He gave it a while, and then sent me over to collect both of your sorry arses.” Kellan rolled his neck a few times. He tried arching his back, but he was bound too tight.
“Did you say Anne Richards?” Kellan didn’t answer him. He stepped right up to him. “Answer me, motherfucker!” he shouted with rage.
“Yes,” he mumbled. Kellan acted as if he gave something away that he shouldn’t have. Henry ignored his pain, and grabbed Kellan by the throat again. He was squeezing his throat so hard, he choked. I had no idea what was setting him off.
“Where is she?”
Kellan could barely breathe, let alone talk. He struggled to speak. “Safe…house.” He let go of Kellan’s throat, shoving him backward, leaving him coughing. Henry began pacing the floor, mumbling to himself.
“Henry…who is Anne Richards?” I tried to ask him with a gentle voice because I could see his emotions building. I was hoping not to set him off again. He always had a hair-trigger when he was angry. It was like he didn’t hear me. I reached out and touched his arm. “Henry…?”
“What!” he snapped, and I jumped back. I really didn’t like “Angry Henry” because he scared me. “Love, I’m sorry.” His graying eyes were wet with tears.
“Henry, are you okay? What’s he talking about?” I stepped in front of him and grabbed his shoulders.
“Anne Richards…” He repeated the name softly several times.
He snapped out of it when Kellan spoke again. “She didn’t want you anymore.”
“Shut up.” Henry’s voice was low and coarse.
“Oh, my god,” I whispered, putting my hands over my mouth.
“After your father was tired of her, he walked away. She needed money.”
“Shut up,” Henry repeated.
“She sold you into the program. It paid her handsomely then, and continues to. They staged her death, and dropped your sorry arse off at the orphanage. They offered her safety in case you went after her. So, you see…Luke, was it? She knows you are out in this big old evil world somewhere, and she has never once tried to contact you. Delicious, isn’t it?”
I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. Henry’s mother was alive, but sold him into this life? How could a mother do that to her own child? Kellan laughed through all of his pain. Henry pushed me out of the way, pulled his gun out of the back of his pants, and crammed the muzzle into Kellan’s ear.
“Where is she?!” Henry screamed. Kellan began looking more gray. Life was visibly draining from his face. All of us were terrified of what was happening. He grumbled some. “Tell me now, or I will kill you.”
“Fuck…” And before Kellan could say anything else, his body slumped over in the chair.
“Damn it!” Henry grabbed the end table and threw against the wall. It smashed into pieces. He growled in agony. I wasn’t sure if it was emotional or physical pain but, nonetheless, he was in agony.
“Henry!” I screamed. “Henry, calm down.”
“Calm down? You want me to calm down? Did you miss what just happened here?”
“No. No, I didn’t. I understand what happened. But you have to calm down so you don’t hurt yourself even more.” He ran his hands through his hair, over and over again. His jaw started to tremble. Within seconds, he dropped to his knees, leaning onto the sofa and he let go. He let go of it all.
I didn’t know what to do for him. I didn’t know what to say to him. I had never seen him that emotionally exhausted before. I couldn’t handle seeing the agony that he was in. The others just stood and watched the horror before them.
With extreme force, Henry rammed the couch into the wall. It was sickening to watch. He raged violently: throwing things, breaking stuff, punching, kicking, screaming. It was a solid display of raw emotion. My strong, stellar Henry had shattered in front of me. I grabbed him, trying to get him to stop.
“Henry! Henry, please! Henry! Stop!” I yelled, while clawing at any part I could reach while he continued to rage. He turned around and looked at me. He was lost. I grabbed his face with both of my hands. I whispered to him, “Henry. I am so sorry.”
“She threw me away. She sold me.” He fell into me. I held him as tight as I could while he cried. I brought him down to the floor. I sat and rocked him, consoling him and telling him how much I loved him; telling him I would never leave his side; telling him it would be okay, and we would find him the closure that he desperately needed.
Sophie walked over and knelt down. When he looked at her, the pain in his eyes cut through me. “Henry.” She took his hands. “I’m so sorry.” She reached for him, while looking for my permission to hug him.
I nodded and backed off, allowing her to comfort her longtime friend. Sophie kissed him on the cheek, and was talking in his ear. I couldn’t hear most of what she was saying, but she was doing her best to help him. If he wasn’t lost before, he surely was then.
I heard a grumble from Kellan’s direction. I looked over, and saw that he had opened his eyes. They were glazed over. His jaw snapped a couple times, biting the air. Then he snarled.
Claire had removed herself from the IV, and scrambled backward. Kellan was sniffing the air, sensing there was fresh blood close by. He began to rage in the chair, pulling and tugging at the restraints.
Nick yelled, “Let’s get him outside!”
Without hesitation, Thomas grabbed the back of the chair, and Nick grabbed the front. When they picked him up, Nick growled in pain. His arm was still hurting.
“We can switch!” Thomas yelled.
“No, just go!” They ran out the door with Kellan in the chair, snapping and snarling at the two of them. I headed to the door, but Claire grabbed me.
“Don’t. Let them take care of it.” She was crying.
“But Nick is hurt.” I was worried Kellan would overtake him, even though he was tied up.
“He’s got…” Before she finished her sentence, we heard a gunshot. We stood still, knowing it was the end of Kellan’s torturous reign over Henry. After all of those years of being subjected to his brutality, Henry was one step closer to getting the revenge that he sought.
Minutes later, we heard footsteps coming up the stairs on the porch. I ran to the door and pulled it open. Nick stopped when he saw me.
“Are you okay?” It seemed like a silly question.
“As good as I’m going to be.” He walked past me and over to Claire. Henry had quieted down for the moment. I sat down on the floor beside him and Sophie. He was looking at the floor with a blank expression.
“Hey.” I touched his face. “Let’s get you cleaned up. Claire finished a bag. You’re in need.”
I grabbed his hand, and he winced in pain. On top of the injuries Kellan caused and his stiffness from the virus, there were cuts all over his hands. I guided him to the kitchen, and dragged a chair in. I sat him down beside the sink. Claire brought in the antiseptic, bandages, some gauze pads, and a bottle of water. I began cleaning him up.
It was my turn to take care of my man. He stared at the floor, lost in thought, hissing as I was trying to clean his wounds. Claire helped me bandage up his hands.
I knelt down in front of him. “Henry…I love you so much.” He nodded and wrapped his arms around me, pulling me onto his lap to hold me tight.
He whispered in my ear, “I love you, too. Please, don’t ever throw me away. You’re all I have.”
My heart ached for him. He feared that I would run far and fast. “That’s not true. You have all of us. We are all here for you.”
“I don’t feel worthy. I’m a throw away.”
“No, you’re not. There must be some reason she did that. It wasn’t because of you, Henry. Maybe they forced her.”
“You heard Kellan.”
“Yes, I did. I don’t care what he said. You are not a throw away. You are not trash. You are an amazing, loving, and deserving man.” Sadly, he shook his head. “Yes, you are. You have to trust me when I say that.” I leaned in and kissed his forehead.
He dug down into his pocket, pulling out my ring. “If I’m so deserving, why did you give this back to me?” His eyes were welling up again.
“Henry…I was stupid and wrong for doing so. I’m sorry. I was just so angry with the entire situation.”
I held out my hand, and he slid the ring back on my finger where it always belonged. He wrapped his arms around me. “I can’t go on without you,” he whispered in my ear. We held one another for a few moments.
“Come on, lover. Let’s get you some blood.” An odd statement, but it was what it was. I got up and headed into the dining room. I stopped as I passed Claire. “Thanks,” I said. I grabbed the bag off of the table and went back to the kitchen. I saw him rummaging through cabinets. “What are you looking for?”
“Mugs, cups, glasses…”
After I guided him to the correct cabinet, he pulled out three mugs. I handed him the bag, and he emptied it evenly between them. He walked back out, and handed Sophie and Nick their share.
“Cheers,” Henry said, glumly. He held up his mug for a brief second, then tipped it back. He set the mug down, and had to hold onto the table. He leaned over, his head hanging in a temporary state of euphoria. Nick sat down and sipped away, enjoying every drop of Claire’s blood. Sophie stood, and hadn’t even looked at her mug. My stomach began protesting.
“How can you think that tastes good?” I asked in disgust.
“It’s not that it tastes good. It’s euphoric. Near orgasm-worthy.” Each word Henry spoke came out breathy and relaxed. I made him sit down before he crashed to the floor. He looked up at me and licked his lips. I knew exactly what he was thinking, but we knew we had other matters to be concerned about at that moment.
Without looking at her, Henry commanded Sophie to drink. She broke out of her trance and sat down at the table to sip the elixir of life. He sat and surveyed the damage he had caused. He was ashamed and embarrassed. I could see how upset he was for what he did. I grabbed his hand. “It’s okay.”
“No. No, it’s not. I destroyed your mother’s things.”
“They’re just things. I have learned, since all this fucked up bullshit started, that the only thing that matters is us. All of us. These are just objects. They don’t hold the memories. Our hearts and minds do. Nothing is more important than the love between us. My mother would understand.” His face never changed. I couldn’t tell if he absorbed what I said.
“I’ll clean it up.”
“I will help you.”
“No. I need to do this.”
Claire cleared her throat. “If you don’t mind, I’m going to go lay down for a little while. Nick, can I lay down in your room?” she sounded somber. She had her own room but, apparently, she needed to use Nick’s.
“Yes, yes, of course.” Nick sounded a little shocked, but excited. “Is it okay if I come up and speak with you for a minute?”
Claire smiled. “Yes. That would be nice.” I watched their exchange, and smiled.
I looked over at Sophie. She was twisting her long, bleach blonde hair in her fingers, staring off into space. I don’t always have the best timing, but it was burning me up on the inside. “Why didn’t you tell us you have kids?”
“Elaina, don’t. Not now.” I don’t think Henry wanted to hear anymore of anything. I am sure his brain was in melt down mode.
“Now is as good a time as any.”
“Don’t push it. It’s a long story. I didn’t know until she showed me a picture back at our flat.”
“It’s quite alright, Henry. I really should talk about what happened. It may help me deal with it.” Sophie looked over to me. “Henry used to protect me when he was at the complex. He saw Roger looking at me one day. From that point on, he was my guardian. I ended up falling in love with him.” Henry shifted in his chair, looking very uncomfortable. He decided to get up and start cleaning up the mess in the living room.
“Shortly after he left, Roger called me to his office. He overpowered me, raped me, and sent me on my way. The whole time his disgusting arse was pounding into me, he kept asking where Henry was. I laid there like a board, hoping it would end sooner rather than later.” Sophie had a difficult time holding back her emotions. “When I arrived back in my room, I wept for hours. Every night, he would visit and claim me. Some nights he was more brutal than others.” I heard Henry’s sharp intake of breath. I felt like he still had some unresolved feelings for her. Her story upset him tremendously.
“If I refused my blood vials, I would be beaten into submission, then raped again and again.” She took a deep breath. She was fighting her tears. “Sometimes Roger would allow Kellan to have me when he was done. A reward for a good beating, I suppose.” The tears began to fall down my face.
“While Henry was here in the States, I ended up having two babies. A boy, Samuel, and a girl, Anna.” She pulled a tiny picture out of her bra and handed it to me. “When I got the call that I needed to bring Henry home, I didn’t hesitate for one second. I knew that if I could get him back to the complex, he would protect me again and it would all stop. But he refused to leave you. He loves you so much, Elaina.” She took my hands in hers.
“Do not take him for granted. He never loved me the way he does you. The night you kicked him out of his room and gave him that back,” she pointed at the ring, “he was absolutely devastated. I have never seen him that defeated before…until today.” She leaned in close and whispered, “He feels he’s nothing without you. He feels he isn’t worthy of anyone’s love.” I hung my head in shame, feeling like a complete ass.
I peeked over at Henry. He was sitting on the couch with his face in his hands. I could see the tears running between his fingers. He pulled his hands away, and when he spoke, he was full of sorrow and regret. “I should have taken you with me. I am so sorry I let all of that happen to you.”
“Henry, it’s not your fault that happened…or what has happened now.” Sophie got up and sat down next to him. She took his hands in hers. “Do not blame yourself. I’ve come to the conclusion that they would have eventually gotten rid of you somehow.”
“I thought you would be
okay, and that another recruit would stand up for you in place of me.” He was beating himself up. It was a terrible thing to watch. I decided to go sit with him, as well. I started running my fingers through his hair, trying to comfort him in any way that I could. When he looked over at me, his beautiful eyes were full of guilt.
“Don’t do this to yourself. You cannot rest other’s actions on your shoulders.” He nodded at me and I wiped his face with my fingers. I leaned in and kissed him on the cheek. “You were so noble and strong, doing what you did for her. You risked your own life to defend hers.”
Sophie agreed. “Yes, he did. Thank you, Henry. You did all you could do for me.” She smiled at him. “Please, forgive yourself. I forgave myself ages ago. I used to think it was my fault, but I now know it was just a power hungry, disgusting animal who just wanted to assert more dominance over the ones he broke.”
We sat in silence, staring off into space for what seemed like an eternity. Then I had a thought. “Henry?”
“Yeah…?” His voice was soft.
“What if what Kellan was saying was a complete lie? What if he was saying all that about your mother just to get to you? He knew he was turning. What if he was saying all of this just to get in one last jab?” He looked at me with a blank expression.
“You know… I think she has a point, Henry. It makes perfect sense.”
“I don’t know. What advantage would it give him?”
“This!” I stood up and gestured to the mess in the living room. “Henry, listen. What if he did it just to break you completely? What is one thing that they knew would tear you apart?” I could see him rolling it through his mind. “He knew that you have never been at peace about your mother. I don’t think you should accept what he was saying until you can get some proof.”
Henry laughed. “And how do you propose I do that?”
“Once this madness comes to an end, we’ll find out the truth. We’ll go over there and find out.”
Henry shook his head in disbelief. “Elaina, are you mental? Do you not see that this madness will not end?”
Broken Dreams Page 42
