by K. I. Lynn
“About time your lazy ass woke up.”
“Where am I?” I asked.
“Doesn’t fucking matter,” he said, which neither confirmed nor denied if I’d been moved while out.
“How long have I been here?”
The door opened again and my mother walked in. A tiny spark of hope fought to light, but the fight quickly died. She was part of the plan and not on my side.
Never on my side.
She tossed a bottle of water at me, then a sandwich. “Those drugs were stronger than they said. You’ve been out for over a day.”
A day? No wonder I was sore.
“And no one in that fucking family has even noticed you’re gone. That’s how little you mean to them.”
No one? That didn’t make sense. Atticus wouldn’t…
I swallowed hard.
No matter my fears and doubts, there was one thing I was confident about—Atticus would come for me. He would search until he found me, no matter what.
Contract or not, I knew that truth. The goal was to hold on, to not lose hope in him while I waited.
He would come.
“Where are Andrea and Brooke?”
“We had ‘em, but took ‘em back to your Aunt’s. Didn’t want your prince to figure out too quickly.”
At least they were away from him. For now.
“What do you want?” I ground out. The situation was extreme, even for them.
“I want that shithead fiancé of yours to pay, and I want to have him watch your fall from grace. What would he want with you when I’m done?”
A shiver rolled down my spine.
“First, I’m going to get your sisters again,” Mom said.
The blood drained from my face. “What? You just said they were with Stacey.”
The corner of her mouth twitched up and she sneered down at me. “Gotta keep appearances and keep my cunt sister from blabbing. Little traitor cried when I tied her up. She put up a fight. Only bringing them ‘cause you might need some incentive to cooperate.”
Lou took a set of keys out of his pocket and handed them over. “I’ll handle the little bitch. You get the girls.”
I scoffed, gaining their attention. “You really are the shittiest mother ever.”
Her face twisted and she stomped forward, her arm swinging back before her hand collided with my cheek. “You have always thought you were better than us. Always staring at me with those eyes just like your father’s. But don’t worry—Lou’s gonna straighten you out.”
My cheek stung, and I pressed the back of my hand against the warming skin.
They kissed, making my stomach turn, before she disappeared through the door and leaving me alone with him. His dark eyes narrowed in on me.
“Now, should I start with my fist, or…” he pulled something from his pocket and that familiar schnick sound hit my ears. Once upon a time that sound filled me with fear, and he used it to threaten me again and again.
“What the hell did I ever do to you? You’re the fucking drunk that would fly off in a rage and hit me. You’re doing it again now with Andrea and Brooke!”
“Shut up!” he roared as he raised his arm holding the knife.
A tremble vibrated in every muscle as I stared at his hand, wondering where he’d strike first. It took everything in me not to crumble at the situation, but I was stubborn enough I wasn’t going to let him see my fear. Not ever again would I give him that power over me.
“This is all your fucking fault, bitch. I should have fucking put you down when your no-good father stopped breathing.”
“Don’t talk about my father like that.” That’s it. Stay strong.
“When he was gone, you were worthless. If he just woulda given custody to your mom so we could get the child support, but no, made me ram him with the car.”
I froze, the blood falling from my face as I stared at him. The world seemed to turn on its axis, my stomach dropping as the ground went out from under me.
“What?”
He sneered at me. “Yeah, it was me. I hit your little bitch of a daddy. Asshole wasn’t supposed to die, just take the hint to back off.”
A lightning bolt broke through my chest. I was frozen as the dam inside me broke. For years, ever since Lou married my mom, I wasn’t allowed to talk about my dad. If I cried about missing my dad, Lou would get angry and push me against the wall or slap me.
It all made sense why.
“So what now?” I asked. What did he have in store for me?
“Now I gotta think about what I’m gonna do to you. We got some time. Think I’m gonna take some of this anger out of that pretty skin of yours.”
I sat still, unmoving, trying to figure a way out of the situation. Running would result in him stabbing and possibly killing me. Staying would result in him probably killing me. Either way, not the greatest outcome for me. My bound wrists left me at a disadvantage. Otherwise, I could easily out maneuver him and lock his ass in the dark.
“What pissed you off so badly?” I asked. I’d never seen him so hyped up and began to wonder if he was on something.
I couldn’t tell how long I’d been in there, so my tactic became stalling. Atticus had to notice I was missing by now, right? He would check in or return my phone call and when he couldn’t get ahold of me, he’d have someone look for me.
“Some trumped-up charges were pinned on me. Think I can guess who tipped them off.”
“It wasn’t me.”
“No, but it was that bastard you’re engaged to,” he snarled. “He’s the reason the girls got taken away. Your momma’s been miserable without them little shits.”
After her act and what I remembered from living with them, plus what I’d heard from Brooke and Andrea, that was a lie. She probably just missed them doing everything so she could sit on her ass all day.
“If you hate them so much, you should have wrapped it up.”
“Why you little…” He charged forward and grabbed at the hair at the back of my head, squeezing his fist around the strands as he pulled.
I cried out from the pain and reached back to loosen his grip.
“You’re gonna do as I say, and if you don’t, I’m gonna hurt you real bad.”
“I don’t think you’re man enough.”
His hand wrapped around my throat, squeezing hard, cutting off my air supply. “How ‘bout now?”
“What does it matter? You already said nobody is looking for me. So, why all the dramatics? If he doesn’t care enough, what are you going to do that will make him?”
Keep him talking, Ophelia. Find out all his secrets. Find out the truth.
Find a way back to Atticus.
“Were you always such an uppity bitch?”
“Yup.” An annoying scratch in my mind broke open and my gaze snapped to him. “How did you know where I was?” He specifically mentioned making sure nobody followed me from the hotel I was staying at.
“Been tailin’ you,” he revealed. “Couldn’t get near you in that heavily guarded tower, but then you went to that hotel. And I know those girls are your weakness.”
He pushed me back down to the ground and headed toward the door. Fear shot through me when he flipped the switch, blacking out the room.
“About time you were good for something, and when the payout comes, your usefulness will be gone. Get me?”
He slammed the door and locked it, leaving me all alone in the bare room with his words ringing in my head. A blanket of dread settled on my shoulders, and it took everything in me to not sink into the fear.
Atticus would come for me.
He would come.
Just hold on.
Shortly after my near breakdown with still no notification on her whereabouts, a video link was texted to my phone from an unknown number. I immediately shared the screen with the TV mounted to the wall in my office so that all could see.
My body went numb as I watched the infrared video of Ophelia. All alone in the dark, tears slipping down
her cheeks.
What tore at me and ramped up my thirst for blood was when she cried out for me. My name a whimper in the black, searching for comfort. I promised I’d keep her safe. I’d done everything in my power to avenge those who had wronged her, but my ego failed to think of retribution.
“Are we tracking where this came from?” I asked.
“The tech team is on it,” Damien answered. It was minimal, keeping my anger from exploding.
Suddenly the lights flashed on and color filled the screen. She cringed against the flash of illumination, holding her hands up to cover her eyes, exposing raw skin and a sheen of blood from shallow nicks. It was then I noticed the zip ties cutting into her wrists.
Red filled my vision, blotting out everything else.
“Where?” I was going to fucking kill whoever had her.
“We’re working on narrowing it at this moment.”
She lowered her hands, her eyes still fighting to adjust. How long had she been trapped in the dark? Finally, I was able to get a good look at her condition, and every muscle tensed. The question wasn’t simply how long had she been in the dark, but how long had she been in that room.
Dirt covered her clothes, her hair was matted, and debris coated her sweat-covered skin. Her beautiful face was littered with bruises and her lip was split.
“Say it,” a low voice growled through the speakers.
I expected to see her beaten down, and while tears did stream down her cheeks, her jaw was locked and there was a hard set in her eyes as she glared up at someone.
“Go to hell.”
A figure stepped into the line of the camera and a cry rang out as she fell back down to the ground. A fist grabbed at her hair, pulling, and she reached up to push them off as her lips curled back and her face twisted in pain.
A gasp sounded behind me along with a choked sob. Everyone in the room, all of my siblings, Rhys with his siblings, and security along with Holly stood powerless to the images before us.
In all my life, I’d never felt as helpless as I did at that moment. For all my money and power, I couldn’t stop what was happening to the woman I loved. Stuck, forced to watch her be assaulted and unable to stop it.
The man that had her dragged her forward, closer to the camera, and held her by her throat, his other hand still fisted in her hair. “Do it!”
Her cheeks were red, tears pooling in her eyes, and blood dripped down her chin from the newly reopened split in her lip. The fear in her eyes, the pain, had me nearly doubled over, but I refused to look away. This was the penance for my pride, and I vowed that whoever had her would feel all that she felt a hundred times over.
“You son of a bitch, I said no,” she hissed, a small smile on her lips as he roared with anger.
The smile faded as he threw her into the wall, her head slamming against the plaster. Her head lulled, but she tilted it back to look up at her captor.
“You won’t win. I won’t let you.”
“You’ll do it for Andrea, won’t you? For Brooke? If you don’t say it, I’ll bring them down here and start in on them until you do.”
Her face twisted in anguish. “You fucking bastard!”
“Say it!”
Her head drooped, her shoulders shaking. She looked up and into the camera. “The fucker wants a million dollars before he’ll tell you where I am. Don’t give it to him.” A smirk lit up her face before her body jolted as a foot slammed into her stomach.
Again and again he kicked her until the camera fell over, leaving only a view of her delicate fingers blocking everything else.
“Get me her location now!” I yelled.
The grimy, overweight face of her stepfather filled the camera, his breath harsh from exertion.
I was going to kill him.
“You want her, de Loughrey? I’ll give her back for a price. One million. The longer you wait, the less I can guarantee her condition when she’s returned.” There was a pause before a knife entered the picture. “For every hour I don’t have my money, I’m gonna use this on a part of her. Wonder how many hours it would take before she dies of blood loss. Don’t keep me waiting.”
On the screen was a phone number and a bank account.
“I want him dead,” I growled. Every muscle was so tight I was shaking in furious anger.
I drew in a sharp breath, a cough taking over that only made my stomach hurt worse. I’d forgotten how powerful Lou’s kicks could be.
With no windows, I’d had no way to track how long I’d been there, but it had to be days. My body had grown weak, and it took every ounce of energy to keep my spirit up. They didn’t give me food often, and a drink even less.
All of my body’s energy was spent trying to repair itself from the damage inflicted every few hours.
The tang of rust hit my tongue, and I swiped at the cut in my lip. It had first broken open at least a day earlier. Brooke’s tear-streaked face filled my mind, her cries for me as she pleaded with Lou to stop hurting me. He struck her in front of me, and I mustered all of my strength, tackling him to the ground.
I diverted his anger and became the outlet while Mom pulled her out of the room.
The latest round was the most brutal. Though I paid for my defiance, hope was renewed. That video was for Atticus. The end of suffering was in sight.
Lou underestimated Atticus, and soon the wicked king would rain hellfire down upon my captors. That, I could have faith in.
Faith in Atticus.
Faith in his destructive anger—that darkness that slept beneath the surface.
The door swung open, and I glared at the man. He turned to close it, his shirt lifting up, giving me just enough of a peek at a familiar silhouette.
The blood drained from my face at the revolver stuffed in his waistband.
So, that was how it was going to end. Lou’s endgame.
My stomach turned, and a wave of nausea rolled over me.
Hurry.
“An hour’s up,” Lou said as he stomped into the room. The knife was back in his hand, and he waved it at me. “Where should I start?”
“How about your eyes?”
A grin spread on his face, sending a shiver down my spine.
“That’s a great place.” He squatted down in front of me and grabbed my face. “Your momma always hated your eyes. Think of how happy she’ll be once I destroy them.”
My eyes widened, and I struggled to release his grip. He moved the knife in closer and I pulled back, shifting my weight to press away from him.
“N-no!” I cried out.
I shut my eyes, sealing them tight as I pulled my arms up to protect me. The sharp edge of the blade hit my cheekbone.
His breath was harsh against my face. “Open your eyes.”
“No,” I hissed as the tip of the blade sliced into my skin.
The sudden slamming of the door banging against the wall startled us both. Lou turned his head ready to yell at my mom, but we both were frozen as we stared at the figure now in the room.
Relief flooded me, and tears slipped down my cheeks.
Atticus.
Our eyes met and there was a flash of pain in his expression that was quickly surpassed by anger.
Lou released me, backing up as he stared at Atticus.
My heart pounded in my chest, a sob erupting from me as happiness rushed in. He came. He made it.
“Well, well, well, if it isn’t the fucking asshole who destroyed my life.”
Atticus cautiously stepped toward me, his attention locked on Lou, who was blocking him from getting closer. “And I’ll do it a thousand times again if you touch her one more time.”
Lou looked behind him at me. “Bitch is still breathing, ain’t she?”
Emotionally, I was frantically trying to hold myself together. Fear rocked me as elation raised me up. What if he got hurt? Lou was definitely in a vindictive mood, and I knew what he was hiding at his waist.
“She is, but you’ve hurt what’s mine, and for that
, you will not be breathing by the time the night is over,” Atticus snarled.
“She that good of a whore? Should have been selling her body off long ago.”
My stomach rolled again at that thought. I remembered his “friends,” and I knew they were all as crooked and sleazy as him.
“You will refrain from speaking about my fiancée in such a manner.”
I couldn’t see Lou’s expression, but I could see the tension in his shoulders.
“So fucking proper and shit. Just another jackass with a golden spoon in his mouth, money flowing from his momma’s tit.”
“Release her to me. Now.”
Lou reached for me, grabbing hold of my hair and pulling me forward. I flinched and cried out, falling back to the ground when he let go. “Show me the motherfucking money, and I’ll hand her over. But you seem to be empty handed, and my bank account is still empty, so hows about I just kill you both.”
I was finally able to look at Atticus. The gleam in his eyes was murderous, but when he glanced at me, I saw pain flicker in their blue depths.
“And then what? I’ve ruined your life, and taking mine would ruin your future. Speaking of—where is your wife?”
“Went to fetch the girls again. We’re takin’ ‘em with us.”
Atticus smirked. “Are you certain of that?”
Lou’s gaze narrowed. “What the fuck did you do?”
“What I had to.” It almost felt like his aura increased, becoming larger and taking up more and more room, threatening to pull everything into its darkness. “You threaten me, I take from you. You take from me, I end you. There is no mercy and no second chances.”
All of Lou’s attention was focused on Atticus. I was weak, but there was enough in me for one sudden burst. Pushing off the floor, I launched myself toward Atticus. Lou yelled out, but I was already too far away for him to grab hold. Atticus reached for me, catching me by my bound arms and pulling me tightly to his chest.
“I never did nothin’ to you.”
“You did to Ophelia. As my soon-to-be wife, she is an extension of myself. Ergo, you threatened me. You harmed me.”
“He killed my father,” I said, a tear sliding down my cheek. Would Lou take away the only other man I’d ever loved as well?
