Damaged: A Dark Bully Romance (The Primes Book 2), page 21
As I raced down the road, my mind kept picturing Leah being tortured. I turned onto a secluded road and drove up the hill toward a solitary ranch. The lights were on, so they probably already knew I was here.
When I exited the car, William stepped out of the front door to greet me.
“I’m here. Let Leah go.”
He threw his head back, bellowed a laugh, and then walked inside the house. My heart raced with every step. The horrible feeling grew heavier the closer I got. When I entered the house, I found William on the couch looking smug. Heather entered the room and rolled her eyes.
“Where’s Leah?”
Heather snorted, then turned to William. “I told you she’d do anything for her.”
“You’re right, Heather. I’m very pleased.”
She grinned in response while my stomach filled with lead. Did they mean Leah wasn’t here?
“Where’s Leah?” Please let her be okay.
“Heather,” William barked, and Heather snatched the keys off my hands. I didn’t care, as long as Leah was safe.
Heather flashed me a nasty smirk, making me want to scratch her eyes out. I had never hated anyone as much as I hated William and Senior, but Heather came close.
William’s predatory smile had goosebumps running down my spine. “Leah isn’t here. My soon-to-be-dead brother has her well protected.” Relief filled me, but I realized how much of a fool I was. I straightened my back and demanded, “What do you want from me?”
He patted the seat next to him. “Sit. I’m done with your little show. From now on, you’re staying where I can see you. If you displease me, we have everything ready for a wedding ceremony. If you keep me happy, you can have a little more freedom.”
The deluded fuck really believed what he was saying. How the hell was that considered freedom?
There was no way out of this. Heather had my keys, and I was certain they had kept the keys to the other car hidden. I had no means of contacting anyone, and there were no other houses for miles away. In short, I was truly fucked.
My only comfort was knowing William didn’t want to kill me. My advantage was I didn’t have those reservations, and I would take out the fucker if an opportunity presented itself. If I could manage it, I’d also take the whore.
The house was furnished, so I could use plenty of weapons against these two. I didn’t waste my time training all these months for nothing.
“Fine. Where’s the bedroom? I’m tired and haven’t slept.”
William’s eyes widened in surprise. He probably expected me to fight, but all I needed was to buy time until my family found me. Even without a device on the car or any other means to track me, they'd find me. I now regretted dismissing the tracking implants they suggested several months ago.
He gestured for Heather, and again, she rolled her eyes and stomped off. I followed her, eager to be far away from William.
My eyes darted around, noting what I could use as a weapon. There was a heavy vase and some metal ornaments I could use. However, there wasn’t anything in the room. The TV was bolted to the wall.
“Get comfortable and be a good girl. Don’t piss William off.” Heather sounded scared of William, but I didn’t care what she thought. I’d had enough of her. She wouldn’t get away with this again. I’d make sure of it. When the door shut after her, I ransacked the closet, drawers, and the bathroom, but there wasn’t anything I could use.
I lay in bed and closed my eyes. If I were to make a move, I needed to be rested with a clear head. Just a few hours of sleep would do. Hopefully by then, the brothers and Christian would be breaking down the door.
I must have dozed off because after an undetermined amount of time, I jerked awake when I felt movement beside me. I gasped when I found William lying next to me. The psycho was watching me sleep. “I’m glad to have you back, Catherine. This is where you belong. You and I will be together forever.”
“What are you doing here? Where’s Heather?”
“Don’t worry about her. She means nothing to me and knows better than to interrupt.”
I felt like a trapped animal, so I stayed still because he looked calm for now, but that could change quickly.
“I now realize why you left. I went too far with you. Father warned me not to break you, and I understand that now. It’s why Heather is here. She can tame my urges, but you . . .” He touched my cheek, and I shuddered in disgust. “You’re precious to me. I promise to be careful and not break you. Then we can be together forever. You’re mine, Catherine.”
Fear flooded my veins. William had violent tendencies, but I could always predict his triggers. This was different. He had no emotions in his eyes, and he was rambling about nonsensical shit.
He kept his hand on my face, tilted his head, and studied me clinically. “You’re mine. A toy that won’t break. We’ll be together forever.” His fingers paused at playing with my hair, and his brows knotted. “Father promised you’d never leave, but you did. You left me.”
I tensed, ready to jump out of bed, but he gazed back at me with a blank expression. “Don’t worry.” He traced my lips with his thumb. “I don’t blame you. I promise not to push you too far. We’ll go slow, okay?” Perhaps Lauren and Alexander weren’t lying; William had lost it. “You gotta be patient, though. We have a few more obstacles to overcome, but I’m handling it. No worries.” He grinned. I shuddered at the look of pure evil—someone who had no soul. He’d completely lost touch with reality.
“What do you want with me, William?”
“Remember how happy we were in St. George?” he asked, completely ignoring my question.
We were never happy, you deluded fuck. Perhaps we were a regular couple initially, that was all tainted now and I shuddered at those memories.
“We can be that happy again, Catherine. I promise not to hurt you. Father wanted me to take out Junior, but I chose you. We couldn't be together if I were to ascend as the heir. But no worries, I have other plans for Junior.” He laughed. I remembered how much he was jealous of Junior. He raved about how he deserved to be heir and not Junior, because he was his father’s favorite and he’d make a better patriarch because Junior was weak. “When we marry, I get to have you and represent the Vanderford line as the patriarch. I’ll make Junior suffer then.” He grinned, but his eyes remained empty.
“What does your father want with my parents?”
“Don’t worry about that. They’re cunts. I know you hate them. I’ve kept close tabs on you, Catherine. Don’t worry. You’ll get your revenge soon. Father is taking care of it as we speak.” I sat up, forgetting about William. I needed to get to my parents. Even if we had our differences, they were still my parents. I wouldn’t wish my worst enemy to fall into Arnoult's hand. “What do you mean, William? Where are my parents?” I moved out of bed, but he gripped my wrist.
I automatically thrust my palm up with my free hand, breaking his nose. He released my hand, and I heard the psycho laugh. I ran, but he caught me when I opened the front door, dragged me back into the room and threw me roughly on the bed.
“I think my father is wrong about you. You like it rough, Catherine. Don’t you?” His eyes sparkled with excitement as he advanced toward me. I scanned the room for something to hit him with, but he dragged my ankles toward him. I kicked and struggled, but that only made him grin wider.
He reached for my waistband, but I socked him right in the jaw, causing him to stagger backward. “I like it rough, Catherine, but I will tie you down if you don’t behave. As I recall, you hate that.” He caught my legs again as I tried to get off the bed, but this time, he laid his entire weight on me and pinned me down. I bucked but couldn’t dislodge him, and my punches were ineffective.
However, I didn’t give up. I couldn’t. The only thought that went through my mind was Christian would have a hard time accepting this. I couldn’t let that happen. I fought and struggled, scratching, kicking, and screaming. I could feel the sick fuck’s erection against my belly; he was enjoying himself.
William tore my top off, but not my bra. He struggled to get my arms over my head, but I was tiring, and my muscles were weakening. He licked and nipped at my neck, my face, and anywhere he could reach. He palmed my breast and he moaned loudly.
“God, baby, I’ve missed you so much.”
When hands restrained my wrists above my head, I panicked at the thought that this would be it for Christian and me. We couldn’t get past this. I wasn’t concerned about what William was about to do to me. I’d survived him for over a year and would survive him again.
However, I couldn’t live without Christian in my life. “Christian!” I wailed loudly, which made William pause from unbuttoning his jeans. His wild eyes stared down at me. With a lung full of breath, I braced myself for the punishment he would dole out for calling for Christian.
William released my hands, but the door banged open, and I briefly glimpsed Christian before William was hauled off me. I sat up and watched Christian beating the shit out of William. Christian savagely punched him in succession until William stopped struggling.
I was frozen in bed, unable to move. There was a commotion outside, but saw something shiny and called out to Christian, who was about to stand. “Watch out. Knife!”
William slashed at Christian’s stomach, but he jerked away and grabbed the wrist holding the knife. Then slammed William’s head against the ground until William released the blade. Christian grabbed the knife and plunged it into William’s throat. A wet choking sound came out of William. He gasped for air as blood sputtered from his mouth.
I couldn’t tear my eyes off William gasping for air, then Christian slumped on the floor.
I got out of bed, but I saw Heather with a gun so I pivoted to her and tackled her instead.
We both hit the wall, and I heard the gun clatter to the ground. Heather looked dazed, so I crawled to where she dropped the gun, but the bitch got a handful of my hair and yanked me back before diving for the gun. I lunged after her, both of us trying to gain control of it, then a shot rang into the air and I jerked at the heat that flooded through my chest.
“Izzy!” I heard someone call my name, but was too dazed to move. Someone pulled me off Heather. Her shirt was soaked with blood, but so was my front.
“Izzy. Izzy. Talk to me. Iz.” Christian cleared the blood off me while I watched Heather’s eyes roll back. She gasped, and I saw life leave her eyes.
“It isn’t my blood,” I said numbly.
I killed someone, and I watched the life drain out of her. I was a killer.
Close to Heather was William’s unmoving, prone body. He was also dead.
Christian and I took lives tonight. I should feel horrible, but I was numb. Mason draped a blanket over me while Noah spoke on the phone. I didn’t understand what they were saying, but I recalled what William said. “Noah. My parents.”
He stopped talking on the phone and stared at me, but he must have understood because he nodded and started talking.
Someone called my name, but all I could focus on was the feel of the gun going off, and the look in Heather’s eyes when . . . when . . .
Someone led me to the bathroom, and I jerked when I felt cold water hit me. “It’s okay, baby. We just need to clean the blood off of us. Okay?”
I nodded. Christian was holding me again. He didn’t hate me. William didn’t succeed in . . . A sob escaped me. It opened the dam of tears and couldn't stop. My shoulders shook, and I heaved a choked breath. “You’re safe, baby. I got you. You’re safe.” I cried harder and clutched at Christian. He was still with me, unharmed. William and Heather didn’t succeed. Christian was touching me; he still loved me.
“Of course, I still love you. That will never change. I got you, baby. You're safe. Shhh. I love you so much. Shhh.”
I nodded, but I couldn’t form words. Only tears. I cried and cried until I struggled to draw breath. Christian patiently held me until the water ran cold. Noah and Mason wrapped a towel over me when we stepped out and pulled me into a three-way embrace. I leaned into the safety of their arms.
“Noah. Did you find my parents?”
“No. Tilly and Luc are on it, though.”
Mason stepped back and asked, “What can you tell us about your parents?”
I shook my head while Christian pulled a dress over my head. “I don’t know. Wil . . .” My voice caught, but after a deep breath, I said, “William said his father was taking care of them. He made it sound like Senior did something to them.”
Mason pulled his phone out and walked out, followed by Noah.
“Are you okay?” I reached for Christian’s face but stopped millimeters from touching him. He moved closer and cupped my hand in his. “I am now. You scared me, Iz. If I’d lost you . . .”
I smiled. Christian and I were together—safe, and he was touching me.
“Thank you for saving me, Christian.”
“I’ll always keep you safe, baby.” He pulled me close, and I sighed, leaning on his chest. This was where I belonged, and no one would keep us apart.
Chapter 16
Christian
I kept my arms around Izzy, unable to release her. There was nothing like the fear of losing someone you love to put everything into perspective.
She looked like she was in shock. She had been staring at my phone for a while.
How many traumas could she go through before it ruined her? I hated the thought of Izzy changing—becoming more like me. The first time I took a life was under my father’s watchful eye, a part of my training, and I remembered having nightmares for months. However, it got easier the next time it happened. My father drilled into me that this was the way of the primes. We needed to be the top predator, which meant getting our hands dirty sometimes. He’d say, “Don’t trust important shit to others.” The death of William was something that needed to be done by my hands. Next was Arnoult Senior.
Izzy finally dialed Tilly’s number. “Tilly, have you found them?”
“Yes. Luc should be there shortly.” I could hear Tilly’s response while I rested my chin on Izzy’s head. “I’m glad you’re safe,” Tilly added. Izzy nodded, then handed me the phone. Perhaps she hadn’t fully absorbed what transpired here tonight because she was worried about her parents.
Izzy ran outside when we heard a chopper land not too far away.
“Izzy, stay inside,” Mason had demanded, but she pushed past him. Noah was hot on her heels with his gun drawn and only lowered it when Luc emerged, followed by Alexander Junior, Lauren, and Leah.
“God, Iz.” Luc embraced her tightly, taking her out of my hold. “Iz.” Leah and Izzy fell against each other.
“What are you two doing here?” I squared up, facing Alexander Junior, not keen on seeing any Arnoult, especially after what happened. As far as I was concerned, the entire clan was rotten and deserved the same fate.
“My father took Catherine’s parents. You must hurry,” Lauren said, but I didn’t glance in her direction; my focus was on the Arnoult heir, who couldn’t hide the worried look on his face as his gaze darted inside the house. “What happened? Where’s William?” If the fucker had something sinister planned, I’d take him out, too. Fuck the consequences. Izzy had suffered enough from this family.
Watching his expression closely, I said, “William is dead.”
His eyes widened, but there was no anger or sorrow in them. Only relief. The fucker might not be lying, but I still didn’t trust him. Lauren sucked in a breath, but I only had eyes for her brother, who quickly recovered and was again wearing the mask of a prime heir.
“Go. I’ll take care of this.”
“What will you do?” Mason asked with a narrowed gaze, his expression full of skepticism.
“I’ll tell everyone that he tried to kill me and I was defending myself.” My brows rose in surprise. Why would he cover for me? Even though I wasn’t too worried, the patriarchs would still have something to say about William’s demise.
“Heather . . . She . . .” Izzy looked back toward the house. I could see her swallow hard, and with a deep breath, she faced the Arnoults. Before she could finish, Alexander shrugged. “She’s not important, but we’ll come up with a plausible story.”
“Is she dead?” Lauren asked, but everyone ignored her.
“Why would you cover for us?” I couldn’t afford to trust him—he was an Arnoult—but the patriarchs knew about Izzy and me and they wouldn’t hesitate to use this incident against us.
Alexander met my eyes with no pretense and said, “This is me proving myself.” The last time we met, he couldn’t convince me to work together until he proved himself. We shall see if he followed through.
Leah tugged on Izzy’s arm. “Listen. Arnoult Senior has your parents. You must hurry.” Leah’s lip trembled, but Izzy turned toward Luc and glanced back at Leah.
“We’ll make sure nothing happens to her,” Alexander said.
“Go. I’ll be fine,” Leah added, which was good enough for Izzy because she took my hand and we ran to the chopper, closely followed by the triplets.
Once we were in the air, Izzy wouldn’t sit still. She anxiously glanced out the windows. I wanted to tell her everything would be fine because the crazy fucker couldn’t attack another patriarch. But then again, Arnoult Senior killed her grandmother.
Fuck.
“How much longer?” I asked. We were flying over farmlands with crops as far as the eye could see.
“Five minutes,” Luc responded from the front, next to the pilot. After a moment, I spotted a white house surrounded by trees on top of a hill. It was a ranch. Not a place known as a prime property, but secrecy was what primes did best.
“Stay here,” Mason instructed Izzy as he unbuckled. Luc turned to me and said, “Keep her here until we clear the area. Noah will stay with you two.” He didn't trust Izzy to stay put.
“No. My parents . . .” Izzy moved to stand up, but I gripped her hand and shook my head as we watched Mason and Luc jump off the chopper without a backward glance.
