She blinked in surprise.
GOOD!
He was surprised, too, when she handed him his heart yesterday and took off the ring.
“When I needed you most, you left me. You know that’s my one weakness. You know it’s the one thing that will level me, and you did it. You, of all people, know my past, and you didn’t give a shit.”
She listened, and he was right.
Sarah did know it would hurt him, and it was a dirty shot at a man she loved.
“I was so hurt, Sarah. I was so damn hurt that you went to Rogue. That’s a shot at my masculinity. What if I told you I had coffee yesterday in the park with another woman?”
Her eyes got wide at the prospect.
“Did you?”
“Would it matter?”
“I wouldn’t cheat on you,” she stated. “I didn’t go to Rogue with the intent to give you that impression. Rogue is my friend. I…”
He stopped her again.
“Really? Because sneaking around is never good, Sarah. You went behind your partner’s back. That’s what a relationship is. It’s a partnership. You broke that.”
Her heart skipped.
This was NOT how she saw this going.
Not at all.
“Well, you know what? This is my fucking team. I’m responsible for it. I’m the one with Elizabeth calling daily, tearing me a new one. I’m the one who has to figure out how to do this without blowing our cover. This is my team, and you were looking to pick a fight.”
“I was.”
He stopped, not expecting it.
Then it pissed him off.
“Great. I get fucking stabbed twice. Once in the heart and once in the side. What next?”
Tears filled her eyes.
“If you wanted an exit plan, this was a shitty one,” he stated. “If you wanted out of our engagement, you could have just told me. I get it. You’re buying a bar to have a way out of this,” he said, waving his arms at the space around him. “It’s a way away from me.”
That was partially the truth.
“Why, Sarah? WHY?” he asked. “I thought what we had was damn good. I love you more than myself, and now I’m forced to have my heart handed to me again. I can’t do this recovery again. The last time it made me bitter and angry. Now it will kill me.”
She hated that he was hurting.
“I’m scared, Dakota.”
“Of?” he asked. “You need to give me something, Sarah. I can’t read your mind.”
“This is all new to me. I’m terrified of what I’m becoming. Is that who I really am? I didn’t only buy that bar for me or the team. I bought it to hide.”
“From who?” he asked. “Who are you running from?”
Sarah went with the truth.
“I kill too easily.”
He didn’t even hesitate.
Now it was becoming clearer. Sarah was turning into the exact same monster they had hunted. It was why he struggled when he crossed the line.
You can never go back.
It was a stain on your soul, and you carried it with you for all of your life.
“But you can’t go back,” he stated. “I’ve seen it happening. You’re enjoying the power behind it, aren’t you?”
And there it was.
She liked killing the assholes of the world. Before, there had been rules.
Laws.
Now, it was a chaotic free-for-all.
“Yes. It scares me. I know they’re bad, but I am feeling worse. I didn’t want to tell you that. You’d say…”
He understood.
“So stop killing.”
“Exactly. That bar isn’t me leaving you. It’s my way of saving me, and in the process being able to help you. With Purgatory, I can listen and have your back.”
That hurt him so damn much.
It was so final.
The woman he’d gone through doors with, who was always there—watching his back—was now saying her goodbye.
“So, you’re not coming back?” he asked. “You’re leaving our team?”
It hung there.
Well, that was fucking fantastic.
It set him off.
“Great. Rogue is going to bail! Zayn will leave too. Once more, all of the people I love are leaving me behind. I’m stuck here watching everyone abandon ship. Yeah, it is my team, Sarah. A team of one.”
Tears fill his eyes.
This was his breaking point.
“I can’t do this anymore. I’ll leave first,” he stated. “The funny thing is, I did leave. I walked away, Sarah, and you chased. You gave me hope with your letters, your texts, and your chasing after a man who felt worthless. Now you’ve quit on me. Well, at what cost?”
“Dakota.”
He moved away from her.
“When this is over, I’ll go.”
“Then I’ll follow. I do love you, Dakota. You’re the most amazing man in the world.”
“But?”
“But nothing. I love you. I made a mistake. For the record, I know how it feels. You left me for six months. I left you for one night. I came back today. I wanted you to know I was back. Whether you want me here or not, that’s up to you.”
The tides had changed.
It was now her anger coming out.
“Sarah.”
“One of the worst things about you, Dakota, is that you hold a wicked, nasty grudge. You can’t let it go. You held one against Elizabeth for YEARS. She didn’t want to marry you, and she became the villain in your story. She let you shit all over her, making her feel guilty, and she took it—because she loved you, but not the way you loved her!”
Jesus.
She was right.
“Well, I’m not going to be villain number two. I came back after twenty-four hours because I thought what we had was worth it. I tried to reach you. That’s all I can do. If you want to throw us away, fine. I’ll move down a floor, but I’m not going to be guilted out of MY family.”
She walked out, slamming the door behind her. When he looked over at her pajamas, the ring was still there—sitting on top of them.
She never took it.
That said it all.
Sarah had expected this, and he’d done the exact thing she saw coming.
He emotionally flogged a woman who hadn’t treated him like that when he’d done the exact same thing, but for months.
Great.
He was an asshole.
A huge one.
* * * H U N T E R * * *
Downstairs In The
Basement
Wednesday Morning
She felt bad for him.
He’d had one hell of a rough night. Her father, the man who gave her life, a roof over her head, food in her belly, and an education, was tied to a chair naked.
His hood was off, and his face said it all.
They’d already worked him over.
Stella had so much pity for him. The man she knew and loved at one time was not this man. Somewhere, along the line, he’d become a monster.
He tried to kill her mother.
Then he tried to screw over his criminal sister, and it backfired, getting her and Mercedes kidnapped.
It got Maia killed.
It set off a string of horrible events, culminating in this moment in his life—likely one of the last.
This moment was his justice.
As he sat there, trying to get free, she didn’t know if she wanted to weep or kill him herself. This was exactly how her month had been.
Naked.
Tied to a bed.
Cold.
It was almost too much for her to bear. Her heart was breaking, and she was torn.
“Why?” she finally asked, when she was able to even speak to him. “Why would you do all of this?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about. Your scumbag husband set me up. He is trying to kill me. Let me out, Stella. Let me out. We’ll escape together. I’ll take care of you. We still have my mon
ey, right?”
Ah, and there it was.
His only love in life.
“I gave it all away.”
“WHAT? You gave away my money? You are a stupid cunt like your mother.”
It stung, but you know what?
Life handed you lemons. Her father was the biggest, sourest one of them all.
“We know that Zayn didn’t do any of this,” she said, her husband standing watch not far away. She’d made a deal with Dakota, and she’d keep her word. She had to have him or Rogue there, and she wouldn’t break it, especially for a man who got her stepmother killed and stepsister taken too.
They were right not to let her do this in private. They feared she’d set him free, and she wouldn’t, but she would kill him herself. Maybe that was what Dakota was really protecting her from.
Herself.
Now, as she stood face-to-face with him, she had to make a choice.
“We know that you and Aunt Rosemary had a trafficking ring. In fact, something occurred to me last night as I was toiling over how to even look at you.”
“What?”
“Maia. She was part of that, wasn’t she? You bought her, didn’t you? She was much younger than you. She appeared out of nowhere to be a nanny, and then your wife. This all goes back to her and your involvement.”
He didn’t say a word.
“That’s okay. I can postulate on my own. I’m pretty smart. I can figure this out.”
He glared at her.
“You bought her, you helped your sister, but something went bad. What was it, Dad? Did she cut you out of the money?” Stella asked.
“Yes.”
Wow.
She was shocked that he hadn’t lied.
“Then what happened? You got angry, and you decided to go after her? Did you try to open your own ring? Is that why she took Mercedes and me? Were we the warning to you?”
“Yes.”
Oh, she hated him for that. That month she spent in captivity. The fact that they couldn’t get Mercedes back…it pissed her off.
“So then why the FBI? Surely, you worried that she’d tell them if she was caught.”
“I was going to handle that bitch. I was going to kill her operation here, and then when she came back to New Orleans, I was going to end her.”
She sighed.
“Oh, Dad.”
“Let me out, honey. We’ll escape.”
Clearly, he couldn’t see Zayn standing behind her ten feet away. She’d never betray her husband or the new family she’d been blessed with through all of this.
Never.
“Okay, Daddy, but first, who is helping her? I want to help you go after her.”
He looked hopeful.
“Some dude named Chesky. Your mother was helping him. She was blackmailing me, and now I know it had to be on Rosemary’s orders. My sister is an evil bitch.”
Oh, she didn’t disagree there.
“After Chesky, who else was helping her?” she asked. “Who tricked you into showing up at that clearing?”
He became suspicious.
“Are you wired?”
She shook her head.
“Why would I be wired? If the cops had you, they’d care. The people that have you now don’t play by the rules. There will never be a wire.”
It was true.
It would only be his death.
“His name is Carter, and he has this house. He invited people there, and we’d try out the merchandise before it was shipped off to buyers.”
“Why those parties?” she asked. “Daddy, why would you do that? You have daughters.”
“You wouldn’t understand. This business helped send you to college. This business bought you your first car. This was your bankroll. You’re as dirty as I am.”
That killed anything she had in her for him. He was officially dead to her. If anything, Stella was a victim too.
“So, you went to these parties. You realize that Carter’s sex slave was a Fed, right?”
He laughed.
“Yeah, we all knew. We fucked her extra hard because of it. She wouldn’t break. No matter what we did to her, she wouldn’t break. Chesky…he’s good at being sadistic. That girl took it. She was Carter’s favorite, but he was getting bored.”
It made her sick.
Still, she pushed on.
“What is his real name?”
“Carter.”
“No, we know that he doesn’t exist. What is his real name, Daddy?”
He shrugged.
“Where was she getting the women?”
He laughed.
“Yeah, no, now you let me free. I gave you some, so you give me my freedom and my clothes, and we’ll go. When we go, then I’ll tell you everything. You can help me take down Rosemary.”
Her father was insane.
That was the ONLY explanation.
How could a man who read her bedtime stories, cried at her graduation, and protected her become this? Revenge and money made him a monster.
“No, Dad. You need to show me some remorse so I can set you free. Start naming people.”
He laughed.
“No.”
Stella stood.
“Zayn, I don’t think I can help here any further. You and Rogue will have to get the information out of him. I’m done. He’s disgusting and makes me ill.”
Clearly, he didn’t know his son-in-law was there.
He flipped his shit.
“You betrayed me, Stella! You’re a cunt like your mother! If I get out of here, I’ll kill you!”
Tears filled her eyes.
“Oh, Dad, you aren’t getting out. Today is your judgment day.”
She stared at Zayn.
“I have to go.”
He understood. There had to be names he wasn’t giving up, and he would get them.
He hoped.
Could he kill Stella’s father?
He wasn’t sure.
As she headed up, passing Rogue on his way down, he pulled on his gloves.
“Ready?” Rogue asked.
His face said it all.
“Yeah, me either.”
And with that, they worked the man over. Killing one woman’s heart to find her sister.
It was a no-win situation.
For anyone.
Chapter Fourteen
S tanding there in the kitchen, listening to her father scream was the hardest thing she’d ever had to do in her life. It was brutal, and Stella wasn’t sure she’d ever forget it. While she could have walked away, she felt the need to stand there.
She was part of this.
She had to be in or out, but there was no halfway in her mind. The man himself admitted to doing dirty deeds, and that put him on the chopping block.
They had to find a way to find Chesky and Rosemary. Time was running out for her sister.
As she stood there, Storm and Gamble walked into the room with Odin trailing them.
“What’s going on?” Gamble asked, already knowing. Still, he was being polite in case the women didn’t know.
“They’re interrogating one of the people who set up the original sex ring,” she stated, leaving out his identity.
“Good. I hope he suffers,” Storm stated. “I hope they peel off his skin and torture him until he weeps blood.”
Stella didn’t say anything.
“I hope they destroy his body and he lives through it like I did,” she added.
Tears filled Stella’s eyes.
“Are you okay?” Gamble asked.
“The man they’re torturing is my father,” she whispered as the emotion overwhelmed her.
Storm went silent.
Stella turned around and faced her, tears running down her cheeks.
“I’m sorry you were hurt. I wish I could take your pain and suffering away, but I can’t. I hope that his death helps you find a little peace in life,” Stella stated, wiping her eyes.
Storm didn’t expect that.
“
He was a horrible person, and he is paying for what he did to you. He admitted to being at the parties. He’s Danny Boy.”
“Oh.”
Storm didn’t know what to say. She wanted to go down there and kill him herself, but this woman had been nothing but kind to her, and now she was suffering.
She was innocent in all this and had even been abducted herself.
“From my family to you, I’m sorry,” Stella stated. “I’m so very sorry for what he did.”
Gamble took it all in.
These people were something. He watched them, reporting back to Blackhawk. They were constantly surprising him with their compassion, humor, and decisions. They’d formed this little family, having each other’s backs.
He wasn’t accustomed to that.
Sarah came in, and then stopped when she heard the screams emanating from their prison below. Her gut clenched when she saw Stella crying.
Immediately, she hugged her.
“Shhhhh, it’s okay.”
“He’s my blood,” she whispered, “and he’s a monster,” Stella admitted.
Storm moved closer.
“It’s okay. I’m good now,” she said, touching her arm in reassurance. “This isn’t on you. It’s on him. Please don’t cry. I forgive your family.”
“He’s still my father, even though he’s horrible,” she whispered.
And there it was.
She was a woman torn.
Sarah got it.
“Yeah, I know. You can’t help who you love. That’s the joke of life. You fall in love and share your heart, and it hurts when it’s betrayed.”
Dakota didn’t miss her comment as he walked into the kitchen.
“Are you okay, Stella?” he asked. “What can we do for you?”
There was nothing to do.
“Please don’t make me see him dead,” was all she said. “I saw the video of Maia being killed. I know what my sister is living. I can’t handle more death. Spare me of it.”
They could do that.
It didn’t take long for the two men to come upstairs. They were pulling off rubber gloves, and there was that look upon their faces.
“Did he give you anything?” Dakota asked. “Did you break him?”
Zayn shook his head.
God knew they tried and tried hard. Only, the man hated them enough to keep his mouth closed through all of it.
Absolution: The Hunter Mercenary Series (Book Two) Page 36
