“You really think Mark told me what he was doing with her? You’ll have to find someone else to pester. My business with Mark concluded the night we stole her away for him. That was it.”
“What about your arrangement with Jack? You betrayed his trust. You went against him. He even called you a friend.”
Russo looks away from me dismissively. “Jack should have fucking known better than to go against Mark. Mark and I may not have done business before, but I’ve always known better than to get on his bad side. Mark also happens to be more financially thriving than the good old physician, though I admire the man for the success of his solo business all these years.”
I feel like I’m getting nowhere. I need something from him. Anything. “Where is Jack?”
“I haven’t heard a word from Jack. You want my honest opinion? He’s either dead already or Mark’s got him, too. I doubt Mark takes betrayal lightly.” Russo turns his head to give me a knowing smile, as if hinting toward my own fate.
I ignore his attempt to weaken my resolve and continue with my questioning. “What happened after your men grabbed Morgan? Did Mark take her or did you bring her back here?”
“I got to spend a little time with her at that warehouse while Mark dealt with you,” he says with a smug expression. “Boy, she was a fighter. She got a good swing at me before we got her under control. We had a full dose of sedative ready for her but decided to have a little fun instead. Gave her enough to make her woozy. Watched her stumble around in that skimpy red dress while she kept trying to fend off my guys.”
I reaffirm my gun’s position on Russo’s temple. “That’s enough.”
My gaze drifts to Robert. He’s fuming where he stands, his anger visible in the slight tremble of the weapons he’s holding.
Russo also notices this, his curiosity apparently having forgotten that I have a gun to his head. “Who’s your new partner, Leo?”
I shake my head at Robert. I know better than to give this man anything, but there’s nothing I can do to stop Robert’s visible reaction to Russo’s description of what he did to Morgan.
“Wait. Let me guess.” Russo’s face lights up. “You’re the girl’s father, aren’t you? The detective who couldn’t even find his own daughter. You should have kept that sweet little piece of ass on a tighter leash.”
“That’s enough!” I step out in front of Russo and in the same movement hit him hard across the face with the gun.
I turn to Robert. In that small glance, I see all his devastation and anger and heartbreak at once. I should have stopped Russo the moment he opened his mouth about what he did to Morgan.
The door opens swiftly behind Robert, and my heart sinks. The guard from out front is fully conscious and brandishing his own knife I didn’t know he had. He has it pointed directly at Robert’s neck.
We all remain completely still and silent, and in that moment I wonder if my short stint with Robert as partners has come to an abrupt end.
“Stand down,” Russo says behind me. I turn to him, speechless. “These two are off-limits.”
The man with the knife to Robert’s throat hesitates before stepping away cautiously. Robert’s guns remain trained on the other two men in front of him. My gun remains on Russo.
“I was given special instructions not to harm you or the father should either of you show up. The risk was well worth the price Mark paid to get my word that I wouldn’t kill you.” Russo looks between me and Robert. “I’ve told you everything I know. As I said before, you’ll have to bother someone else about your beloved girlfriend and daughter.”
I take in the room around me and know that this is our cue to exit. We’ve done the best we could, and whether Russo is telling the truth about being clueless as to Morgan’s whereabouts or not, we’re in no position to get further information from him.
Keeping my gun trained on Russo, I slowly back away from him to meet Robert on the other side of the room. I touch his shoulder and nod to the door, indicating for him to leave first.
“An unlikely duo you are, joining forces against Mark,” Russo says nonchalantly as I step through the doorway. “This should be very interesting.”
My face remains impassive as I slam the door shut and run with Robert back down the hall.
5
His Strength
∞
I’m crumpled, battered, destroyed,
but not broken.
He was my rock, my solidity, my strength.
He gave me life and so much more.
With him it all faded away
into the light and darkness.
I hold on to him inside,
feeling that piece of him through me,
pulling from it.
His strength that remains.
∞
They say the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result. Am I insane for opening my eyes each morning and expecting to find this all to be a dream?
Or a nightmare.
My eyes open reluctantly, my face pressed roughly against the pillow as I lie on my side in a silky black negligee with my legs curled up into me, reverting me back to my fetal state. I see my hand extended just in front of my face, grasping the pillowcase for dear life. I see the metal handcuff on my other wrist and the trickles of dried blood that decorate my skin. I see the door that he comes through to find me, to take me on this bed as his own and fill me with his evil seed. I see the smirk and satisfaction on his face when he’s done and leaves me here, defiled and devastated, stripped of whatever dignity and humanity I had left.
Mark Castili took me months before, but he didn’t own me until three days ago.
In the movement of my face to grimace at the soreness throughout my body, it feels like my skin is cracking apart underneath the dried tears and blood. I feel dirty, disgusted with myself, nauseated at the thought of what I’ve become.
A carrier. A vessel. An incubator to create and grow a tiny human being for a man who will ruin its life from birth. From the moment he touches this baby I’m expected to develop for him, the child’s life will be forfeit.
I can’t let that happen, because this child will mean the absolute world to me, not just because I will have given birth to it, but because it’s Leo’s child.
It has to be. I have to believe we were successful the night I asked Leo to sleep with me unprotected to preempt what I knew Mark would do if our escape plan failed. There’s no question in my mind that a tiny piece of Leo is growing inside me, mostly because I can’t fathom the other possibility.
Mark has visited me morning, noon, and night the last two days. He climbs on top of me each time, his weight heavy and disgusting over my body. His fingers crawl across my bare skin with their eager touch, claiming all parts of me, only fueling the lust and primal need within him. His balding head rubs up against me in every possible way as he attacks my breasts with his mouth and presses his cock between my legs. He enters me violently, moving against me as if I’m an object and not a person. He continues until he’s yelling and trembling, filling me with tiny pieces of him that burrow away at my resolve more and more each time.
Last night I stopped fighting it. I kept up my resistance as long as I could, constantly flailing my body and pushing against him and squeezing my legs shut and bending my knees. No matter what I did, the end result was always the same. He found ways to subdue me: beating me to the verge of unconsciousness, drugging me with sedatives, strangling me until I was too desperate for oxygen. Whether I fought him or not, he would always win.
So I let him.
I refuse to think of it as defeat. It’s more like self-preservation, not just for me, but for the baby that is inevitably going to grow inside me. I can’t be careless with my body or my life, because soon I won’t be alone in this body, and regardless of who the father is, I’ll do whatever I have to in order to protect my baby.
The deadbolt turns in the door, and I immediately shut my eyes, wishi
ng I could mentally will away the insatiable monster determined to destroy me. I push past the exhaustion and heartache within me to find and embrace the strength that Leo gave me even when he can’t be my rock by my side. He got me through the last four months in person. My love for him and memories of him will get me through today, and tomorrow, and every day to come. He will continue to be my strength.
“Morgan.”
My lips part and tears instantly form in my eyes. I peek up from the pillow to see Jack standing in the basement room before me with his black medical bag in hand. His gray hair is messy and his clothes are wrinkled and torn.
“Jack.”
I can barely say his name before I’m drowning in my own tears. After two full days of being solely with Mark and all his evils, this comforting old man is the most welcome sight to my eyes.
He pulls up a white plastic chair beside me, moving my wild auburn hair out of my face. He assesses my visible injuries before doing anything else, just as I expected a doctor to do.
“God, I’m so sorry, Morgan.” He’s barely keeping it together. “This is all my fault. I was trying to help you and Leo, and all I did was lead you into a trap. Russo betrayed me. He went to Mark behind my back, and I was none the wiser for it.”
“It’s okay,” I whisper to him with a tired smile. My face feels sore from moving those muscles that haven’t formed anything close to a smile in over two days. “I wish you weren’t dragged into this, but I’m so happy you’re here.”
Jack gives me a concerned look. “Honestly, there’s nowhere I’d rather be. You need someone to look after you without Leo here.”
He seems to instantly regret what he just said as my smile falters. It feels like my heart is split in two with the other half nowhere to be found. This separation from Leo is perhaps the most painful of all the things that Mark has done to me.
“I miss him,” I say quietly through my tears. “It’s only been a few days, and I miss him so much. It physically hurts to be away from him like this.” I realize this is the first time I’ve had a chance to talk to anyone else about what happened. “Please tell me he’s still alive. Mark didn’t kill him, did he?”
Jack places his hand on my shoulder. “I’m as in the dark about everything as you are, but I don’t think Mark would kill him. If he truly wants to get back at Leo for trying to steal you away, he’ll want him to be alive for all of this.”
I nod at Jack as my expression turns somber. If Leo’s alive, he must be absolutely devastated. After all he did to help me and protect me, he lost me anyway. I wish I could tell him I’m okay, that I’m surviving and that the strength he gave me carries through to help me win this war even though I’m losing the battles.
“Mark wants me to check you over,” Jack says, inspecting the lacerations on my forehead. “He thought a couple of these might need stitches, but I think you’ll heal just fine.”
He opens the medical bag and pulls out some supplies to clean and dress the wounds.
After a few minutes of silence, Jack finally speaks up again. “He’s doing exactly what I expected, isn’t he?”
I close my eyes for a moment, hopelessly wishing this wasn’t my reality, before opening them again and nodding. “I don’t fight him anymore,” I whisper guiltily. “Does that make me a horrible person? Last night I just laid there and let it happen. I cried the whole time, but I didn’t fight him.”
Jack pauses what he’s doing and looks me in the eyes. “You’ve fought enough, Morgan. Look at what he’s already done to you. Your body can only take so much, and now you’re going to have to be more careful with it.”
His thoughts echo my own exactly. His confirmation that I made the right decision lifts the tiniest bit of weight off my shoulders.
I’m not a terrible person. I’m not weak. I’m just doing what I have to in order to survive, not just for me, but for my baby.
When Jack places the last bandage on the top of my shoulder where Mark’s fingernails ripped into my skin, he looks at me hesitantly. “Can I check the rest of you? I don’t want you to feel uncomfortable.”
“Everything about me being here is uncomfortable,” I say with a sad smile. Jack looks at me with concern, but I try to dismiss his worry. “It’s fine, Jack. Do what you need to do.”
I turn onto my back and stretch my legs out, feeling the stiffness and soreness in them with each extension of tendon and muscle. Jack inspects me from my feet upwards, cleaning a few cuts and scrapes on my calves and knees that were residual from three days ago when Russo and his men drugged me until I could barely walk. I stumbled into things and fell down on the concrete over and over until Mark finally showed up and ended their fun, giving me the rest of the sedative to put me out of my misery and into unconsciousness.
Jack’s touch reaches my bruised thighs. He pulls the negligee up enough to keep me covered, respecting my privacy, but I know he should check me there, too. I pull the silky material up all the way to my chest and part my legs.
Jack looks at me questioningly.
“It hurts, Jack. I want you to check it.”
He lets out a worried sigh before returning his attention to my lower body, parting me, prodding me, and inspecting me carefully. “You’re torn up a bit, but you’re okay.” I can see the anger swelling inside him as he avoids my gaze. “I’ll tell that sick fuck he needs to be more gentle with you.”
I’m a little taken aback by seeing this side of Jack who otherwise seems so harmless. Whatever steam was raging inside him dissipates after a moment, and he returns to the task at hand.
He runs his hands over the large bruise on my side, feeling for the bone. “Bruised ribs. I don’t think they’re broken.”
“He’ll never break me, Jack,” I say reassuringly, “not completely.”
Jack pulls the negligee back down to cover me. “You’re strong. I know you can get through this, and I’ll be here for you in any way he’ll let me.”
“Is he keeping you here, too?”
Jack turns away from me, focusing his attention on packing up his medical bag. “He has me in a room upstairs. He’s going to need me to check on you… and to deliver the baby.”
That word that has haunted me almost as a dream or a figment of my imagination suddenly becomes very real in my mind. In nine to ten months I’m going to give birth to a living, breathing thing. The man standing before me will help pull the poor creature out of me, and the man or monster or thing existing somewhere outside the door to this basement will take the baby away from me, to make him or her his own even though the child may share none of his DNA.
“Please don’t feel guilty,” I plead with Jack, reaching out to grab his arm. “I don’t blame you for what happened. I don’t blame Leo, either. We all did what we thought was best in that horrible situation.”
Jack manages a half-smile, reducing his voice to a whisper. “Thanks, but I don’t think I’ll ever forgive myself for my part in this. What Mark’s doing to you… it’s something beyond revenge down to the very essence of evil. That man is no longer a man, not the friend I knew so many years ago. He’s touched the fires of hell, and I don’t expect he’ll ever come back from that.” Jack’s eyes are watery, but I need him to be strong. “You don’t deserve any of this. You should be free to live your life with Leo, to start a family with him and find a house and be in love and grow old together. You don’t deserve this fate.”
A tear races down my cheek as Jack grasps my hand in his, squeezing it tightly. I squeeze back just as hard.
“You should rest,” Jack says, rising to his feet and grabbing his medical bag.
I can’t help grinning at his suggestion that I’m only too stubborn to follow when Leo requests it of me. “I’ll get some rest. Thank you, Jack.”
He makes it to the door, grasping the handle before turning back to me. “Stay strong. You can get through this.”
Just as Leo would say, I think as Jack opens the door and closes it behind him.
6
∞
We were so together, connected, feeling.
Sometimes I forget she’s no longer with me.
Everything about her radiates on
as if she’s right by my side.
Loving me.
Holding me.
Giving herself to me.
Her presence lives on unimpeded.
∞
It was a quiet night at the hotel after Robert and I left Russo’s place. It was a quiet morning of getting ready and quickly eating bagels and fruit from the continental breakfast.
Now that we’re in the car and on the road again, I can’t seem to shut up.
“He must have paid Russo a pretty penny for all this,” I say while tapping my fingers nervously on the steering wheel. “It’s no wonder the guy went back on his deal with Jack. He knew Mark would offer him so much more.”
Robert looks distracted by his laptop, but I know he’s listening to me. He’s been like this since the moment we left the hotel, poring over the compilation of information that we’ve learned so far, which isn’t much.
He finally looks up at me. “Would he keep the other men in the dark or pay them off for their silence? We can go after them, but it won’t do any good if they don’t know anything or won’t talk.”
I think about Robert’s question for a moment. Mark’s self-reliance waned in the years leading up to his capture and subsequent incarceration by Robert, but that all changed when his wife and daughter were killed while he was in prison. After he was released, he still needed me and the rest of his crew to help him, but he clearly organized anything of major importance by himself. I was his second-in-command, and I had no idea he was planning to take Morgan from her life less than a week after his release.
A surge of frustration rushes through me. “This is exactly the kind of operation he would run solo. Even if I was still with him and hadn’t betrayed him, he wouldn’t have brought me in on his plans for something like this.”
Beyond Revenge (The Ransom Series) Page 4
