Time seemed to stand still, with no reaction from Giddeon to her outburst. He just stood there, glaring down at her like a statue, motionless, unblinking, and void of all emotions. No guilt passed through his expression. His eyes looked cold -- dead.
Then he seemed to come to some kind of internal decision. His eyes narrowed on the sitting target and sneered with a hatred she didn’t understand. What had she done to make this man hate her so much that he looked forward to ending her life? Ellora thought she was going to go crazy from the deafening silence in the room. Strangely enough, the man was more terrifying when he was quiet and still. She could almost see him contemplating her demise. Her body shook as adrenaline rose with the tension between them and the devastating anticipation as to what would happen next.
He nodded once. “Yes, Ellora, I killed them.” With a deep timbre, his voice echoed around the empty room, every word uttered repeated back to her. The moment felt surreal.
“Why?” Her voice broke on the small word, her question incredibly heavy.
Giddeon turned. Slowly, he walked over and knelt beside the duffle bag. “Fear is a very powerful motivator... wouldn't you agree, Miss Sutherland?”
A deep sob escaped her chest as he took all the tools from the bag and lined them up in neat rows. Pulling out the curved blade she’d become intimately familiar with, he slowly stalked over to where she sat bound.
He got within inches of her face, and she could feel his hot breath trickle over her. Ellora turned her head in panic.
Reaching out, he grabbed her chin. He forced her to turn her head back around, tsk’ing, “Ah aaah, I want you to look at me when I'm talking to you. I want to see the fear in your eyes. That’s my favorite part, after all.” Ellora squeezed her eyes shut in defiance. Not only that, but she didn’t want his evil eyes to be the last thing she ever saw.
His voice deepened, laced thick with anger that vibrated through him. He snarled,
“Look at me! Or I will plunge my blade into this eye...” He tapped the blade on her left eyebrow. The cold steel made her jump and flinch. He moved, tapping the other eyebrow. “Then dig out the other.”
Sweat beaded up on her forehead and trickled down her temple.
“You find out what makes people tick, and use it to bend them to your will. Fear and leverage… That's how Dalton handles all business transactions. THAT is why Dalton chose to hire your father. Joseph was great at what he did. He was new to the States and, therefore, ignorant to the way Dalton handled his business. Joseph was desperate to make a name for himself and for the family he cared for. Dalton loved to use families as leverage. He thought it would be easy to train him to fit his specific needs. He just had to keep his mouth shut and look the other way, no matter what he saw. It was difficult for Joseph right from the start. He witnessed Dalton's unorthodox methods that he liked to use to force a decision, land a big deal, and get the job done… no matter what the cost.”
Ellora shook her head in disgust. She had witnessed firsthand the vile things Dalton was willing to do just to get to her, and could only imagine how ruthless he’d be when his money was on the line.
Giddeon looked at the cause of all the drama in disgust. He didn’t understand how someone could be so obsessed over a simple girl. “Things took a turn for the worse when your father started bringing you on the job with him.” Giddeon said this with malice in his tone. “All the lines blurred once Dalton set his sights on you, but the more he went after you, the bolder Joseph became. He wasn't easily swayed or manipulated after that. He challenged every decision, questioned every deal and the methods used to get them done. When Dalton started pushing himself on you…” Giddeon flung his arms out, motioning to the frozen girl sitting helpless on the chair, and continued, “Joseph had had enough and was determined to take down the shark. I was told to deal with his behavior, because it’s hard to find a man with his kind of natural talent. Because of you, your father had more chances than most ever did. Dalton is a very ruthless and impatient man, who never gives second chances. I was instructed to instill some much needed fear into him, so he would be frightened into falling in line.
Ellora just sat there and stared back at him. She was surprised that he was freely telling her any of this.
“I was just supposed to hurt him enough to get the message across. That's all. He was supposed to drive around town, and the brake lines I’d cut would slowly leak out. He would hit a pole or land in a ditch somewhere and be scared straight. I didn’t know he would get on the highway for an extended trip... especially since he left you home. By the time he needed to get off his exit, he was going almost seventy miles per hour, without any way to stop.” Giddeon paused for a moment. Ellora let herself believe that, maybe… deep down, he was sorry for what he’d done. “I never meant for either of them to be killed. That was not my intent. That was a major fuck up that Dalton was NOT happy with.”
Those fleeting thoughts left Ellora when Giddeon’s expression grew cold once again. “But what's done is done.” He shrugged. “I had to scramble to fix my mistake, so the law wouldn’t come down hard on Dalton or the company.”
“Well, you did it! It was done! They're dead! You won! Why are you still trying to kill me? Why couldn't you just let me disappear?” Ellora argued, desperate to get out of this, to reason or bargain with him to let her go.
Amused, he turned his thin lips up to what should've been a smile, but took on a twisted sneer. “You're a feisty one. I now see why Dalton’s entertained by you. Besides, I didn't WANT to kill you... at first. But you wouldn't cooperate with Dalton, and threatened to leave… just walk away. Just like that, you were going to leave the project unfinished.” He shook his head at her like he was disappointed. “Which is very unprofessional, I must say. I was surprised at you! Your father would be, too.”
Ellora flinched. She knew, deep down, that it wasn’t true, but it still tore her heart open to hear the hurtful words.
“You’d already cost Dalton so much money from all the delays and stalled progress. But when you tried to run… He was more furious than I have ever seen him. He was willing to blow billion dollar deals, just drop everything else in his life to get to you. And just like your father, you just wouldn't do as you were told. So I was instructed to bring you back. No matter what it took. No exceptions. Because no one turns their back on Dalton Ramsey. He found out from his inside source at the local police station, that Joseph had documents that could take down Dalton and his entire empire. So he ordered me to find everything… and to do it quickly.
I kept a close watch on you, and would've just left you alone, knowing how much Dalton wanted to make you his woman, his possession. But you were getting closer to the truth that I was trying so hard to cover up. I just had to get my hands on the original copy Joseph collected of everything that had gone on behind the scenes, before it was my neck on the chopping block. Dalton would not let another failure or screw-up by me go unpunished.”
Ellora started to wonder just how many people were under Dalton’s thumb. How many were blackmailed into doing what he wanted done… when he wanted it done? How many were forced into doing grotesque, imaginable things, for fear of what Dalton had the power to do to them or maybe their families. She was pulled out of her thoughts when Giddeon continued.
“With your car disabled, it should’ve bought me enough time to rip your house apart until I found what I was looking for. You weren’t meant to come home, not so soon, but once you saw my face, I had to finish you. Or he would’ve finished me. Self-preservation and all that. Nothing personal.”
“Well, I don't ever plan on going back! I want to stay as far away as I can. I will disappear, so you see, I won't be a problem for you. I didn't even see the evidence! I've never even looked at it! You can go back and just say I'm dead! It would be better that way. My old life is dead anyways. You don't have to do this!” Ellora’s voice rose higher and higher as she pleaded with him. She knew that, with the end of his story, her chances of try
ing to break free would be gone, as well.
Giddeon walked around behind the girl slowly, like a beast stalking his prey. Ellora craned her neck to the side. If he was going to kill her now, she wanted to see it coming. No surprises. With a quick upward stroke of his blade, he cut her hands free. Ellora was relieved for just a moment, as blood rushed back to her numb hands. For a split second, she thought she saw understanding in his eyes. She almost let herself hope that he would let her run.
Until he jerked her up out of the chair. He re-tied her hands behind her back with the duct tape. Grabbing her arm roughly, he dragged the stunned girl across the floor and dropped her hard on top of the duffle bag.
“Nope. Sorry, sweetheart. I'm afraid I can't do that. Unlike you, Miss Sutherland, I don't EVER walk away from a job. I ALWAYS finish what I start.” Violently, he shoved her limbs into the bag.
Ellora panicked, crying out, “Oh my God! What are you going to do?”
“I have only one chance left to save my own neck and to redeem myself in Dalton's eyes, and that is to bring you back with me. Before the detective gets to you first.”
Ellora wiggled, kicked, and bucked wildly, shouting at him, “I will never go willingly! I will always fight back!”
Giddeon just snickered madly at her useless efforts to fight back. “I figured as much. That's why you're going in there.” He grabbed her legs and crushed them together. Her ankle bones ground together painfully while he tried to tape them together.
Ellora hysterically shook her head, repeatedly screaming, “No! No! No!” Trying to yank her leg out of his grip, she fought him as hard as she could. She knew she had to keep fighting and screaming until either she broke free, someone heard her screams, or he just got it over with and killed her quickly. This couldn’t keep going on for the rest of her life. She wouldn’t just lie back and take it anymore. She would fight back and keep fighting, no matter what the outcome.
Giddeon ripped off a piece of tape and stretched it out over her mouth. He pressed down hard and shoved her head to the side when he was done.
“You have two options, sweetheart. Just two. Taped, shoved, and intact... Or cut up and bagged in plastic. Either way, you are coming with me.” Giddeon pointed down. “And you are going in there.”
He grabbed Ellora’s snarled hair so tight she felt several strands pull out. Heaving her inside the bag, he slammed her face to the ground. Screaming frantically through the tape, she tried kicking his legs out from under him. He just laughed at her weak efforts and gave a swift hard kick of his own directly to her gut. She winced in pain at the crushing blow. Tears streamed down her face, and her nose ran, making it hard to breathe through the tape. Giddeon took enjoyment out of kicking her again and again, knocking all the wind out of her. This effectively halted all of her struggles, as she focused hard on not throwing up after every blow. With no exit, she didn’t want to choke on her own vomit.
“Stop fucking fighting me, little girl! I’m losing my patience with you. Dalton didn’t say I couldn’t bring you back cut up!” he snarled out, crushing her under his weight as he sat on her. Pulling out the dagger, he dragged the blade down her chest. “Stop fighting back, or I will mark you here...” He easily sliced through the thin material of her shirt with the razor sharp blade, all the way down her abdomen. The cut was just barely deep enough to leave a small trail of blood behind. Then he continued his threat, “So it matches the one I gave you here...” He pointed at her back with the blade still in his hands. That wasn't a warning... it was a promise! And Ellora believed every word of it.
She stared helplessly up at him, his black eyes sending paralyzing chills straight to her soul. His evil stare and murderous intent froze the blood in her veins. She realized in that moment that he loved this. Giddeon didn’t do these things because he was told to do them. He was hired to do them because he loved inflicting pain on others. He enjoyed every moment of it.
Finally, Ellora turned her head, pinching her eyes closed. She couldn’t bear to look at him anymore. A mournful wail escaped her lips. She didn’t know how much longer she could do this! Right when Ellora was ready to give up the fight, she got an overpowering sense of her parents’ presence in the room with her. They would want her to fight, and to keep fighting, so long as there was still breath in her body, she wouldn’t let Giddeon take her back to Dalton. Not after her parents had died trying to shield her from him.
Ellora breathed in and out faster and faster, hyperventilating with the mounting stress as she heard the loud echo of the heavy zipper dragging across the track. Giddeon slowly closed the duffle bag over her. This bag was her coffin… It signified the end. Darkness. Death. Seeing his black eyes before being engulfed in darkness was too much for her to take. Her panicked breathing was pulling her closer and closer to passing out. She HAD to get out of this bag.
A thunderous boom shook the building, followed by an ear-piercing crash. The powerful force of the blast knocked Giddeon back. Ellora’s eyes zeroed in on the chaotic scene through the tiny opening of the bag. Shattered glass rained down all around them. Giddeon snatched the machete off the dirty ground next to him, holding it up with the curved dagger already in his hand. Jumping up onto his feet, he sprinted toward the source of the destruction.
Taking advantage of the moment, Ellora quickly rolled from the fetal position that she was in, over onto her back. Using the strength in her knees, she pushed hard on the flap of the duffle bag. The stress caused the zipper to slowly pull apart. When the flap was more than half opened, a manic animalistic shout roared out through the window, freezing her progress. It was haunting. An uncontrollable tremble shuddered down her spine at the heart stopping sound.
An enormous monstrous figure had smashed his way through the glass of the picture window, landing hard on the balls of his feet. He charged full throttle at Giddeon with no fear and no hesitation. The once settled dust stirred up around him. This ominous man was exactly who she'd picture as the much feared monster in a horror flick movie.
They collided into each other, officially starting their brawl. Giddeon swung his blades around expertly, crossing them in a downward X motion. The dark monster quickly dodged them both at the last second, before grabbing both of Giddeon’s wrists and easily wrenching them out to his sides. Cocking his head back, he crashed it into Gideon’s forehead with a sickening crunch. His head snapped back sharply. The monster let go of him, letting the backward momentum push him down. Giddeon used the fall to his advantage, and skillfully rolled back all the way. His legs went up over him until his feet came back around, landing underneath him in a perfect back flip.
Ellora stared on, stunned at his fighting skills. Even when he was hit, his moves were fluid and flawlessly executed. Giddeon brought himself up in a crouching position, poised and ready for the next attack, which followed immediately. The monster never let up. He kept coming at him. There was no hesitation, no pausing, and no stopping him from trying to walk right through this man.
Kicking the machete out of his hand, the intruder stepped forward, landing two devastating punches, instantly splitting Giddeon’s cheekbone wide open. Giddeon’s eyes darkened, and he smiled wickedly at his opponent. He seemed to love every moment of the fight as blood oozed out of the opened gash. There was absolutely no fear in this man.
His arrogant smile only angered the monster more. He lunged, ready to throw another dangerous blow, but Giddeon quickly dodged it. He answered with a jab, cross hook combo of his own, and followed it up with an uppercut to the midsection, before jumping out of the way of the monster’s fists. Giddeon was the more skilled and methodical fighter, but the monster was obviously bigger and much stronger, which made the fight evenly matched.
Ellora snapped out of it and finally dragged her eyes off the battle. She went to work on her bound hands, still behind her back. She easily slid her arms over the curve of her rear end in this position. Pulling her knees tightly to her chest, she then slid her arms over her legs. Now, they were succes
sfully in front of her. Grabbing the zipper with both hands, she yanked it open the rest of the way. She rolled out clumsily, carefully looking around to make sure the battling men were nowhere around her.
They were still going to war, right in front of the window… and her only exit out. If she could just sneak her way around them without drawing attention to herself, she could make a run for it. Lifting her hands up above her head, Ellora brought them down hard over her knee, ripping the tape off. Cautiously, she walked a wide circle around them, staying in the shadows and out of their sight. She slipped several times on the broken glass but slowly made her way toward the window.
Grunts, groans, and snarls ripped their way out of the warring men as they struggled to get the upper hand and gain control of the knife. The larger monster easily pushed Giddeon across the room, with one fist tightly wrapped around his shirt and the other gripping the wrist that held the dagger. Giddeon pounded away at the monster’s face with his free hand, but it had no effect on him. The monster lifted him off the ground, smashing his body against the wall. It stopped his attack, and now blocked Ellora’s escape.
She stood in the corner shadows, frozen in place, her eyes transfixed on the two brutal animals viciously battling it out in front of her. Outside, the cloudy over-cast dissipated overhead. The moon cast a bright light through the large open window and onto the fierce face of the monster. Ellora’s feet froze in place. It was Behr! Her Behr. He was the ominous monster savagely fighting her most feared nightmare. Her mouth hung open in a mix of shock and awe. Behr had turned into an entirely different person when angry. His pure unadulterated rage and twisted expression frightened her for a moment. She didn't even recognize him.
Her need to run had vanished. She couldn't bring herself to leave him behind… she just couldn't. Ellora must have unconsciously walked toward him, because before she even realized it, she was dangerously close.
Forever Marked (Marked Series Book 1) Page 21
