Chapter 1
1
T he door creaked open ominously and I stepped inside. Silence overcame me once more as the door clicked in the latch and cut me off from freedom, from the outside. Panic threatened to overtake me again, but I shoved it down and took a few steps into the dark foyer. It seemed darker than usual, but maybe that was just the effect of the coming dusk.
Regardless, it gave everything a gloomy tone as shadows crept across the floor. They seemed to be reaching for me, ready to catch me before I could fall further into my past. Perhaps they’d catch me and careen me down the hallway where I needed to go. Which one, I didn’t know, but I took a long steady breath; ready to find out. I might see you sooner than you wanted Mom.
All of us felt we were ready for this, even men who had been loyal to her father for years, yet nobody was anywhere to be seen; probably dead or hiding until Walker's men ambushed them. Swallowing the growing lump in my throat, I continued forward.
“My father is dead…” Charlotte’s terrified voice called out from the depths of my memories from the phone call that seemed so long ago, though it had only been a short time.
Somehow, I knew she wouldn’t be in her room, or even in the front of the house, but I called out her name in a whisper anyway. Something within me hoped that she’d been able to escape the clutches of Richard Walker, and I let my mind run away with the idea that I’d find her hidden away in a closet and we’d be able to sneak away undetected. Away from this life and starting the one we deserved. I’d give anything to have a child with Lottie; maybe they would have my hair and her beautiful eyes. The perfect mix of two broken people that happened to find something worth living for in one another. Whether our children were biological or not, I would love them all the same and protect them just as fiercely as I do Charlotte.
While a hopeful fantasy, it was too good to be true. I knew from experience that Walker had his men placed at strategic locations all over the house, hiding and waiting for their cue to jump into action. Walker and his men were slimy, sneaking little bastards, always hitting you where it hurts the most.
“Charlotte,” I called out again, a little louder this time. Keeping to the shadows, though futile, made me feel safer.
Concern rose within me at just how silent the house really was, you could hear a pin drop from a mile away. Passing her bedroom, I reached around to my waistband quickly realizing that my gun was buried under the rubble of my home; left on the coffee table.? Where the hell are the staff? Where are Jace and Nikki? Anybody?
It was just too eerie, and dread slithered over me as I approached Mr. Bennett’s bedroom. The glass crunched under my feet as I moved around the room searching for anything that might give me a clue as to where they dragged her to, and I was getting worried; there was nothing.
Rubbing my hand through my sweaty hair, my eyes scanned over a body that lay in front of the closet and it didn’t take a rocket scientist to know who it was. Mr. Bennett . I looked around the room trying to get a mental picture of what could have happened. The mirror was on the opposite end of the door, which meant she must have been on the opposite wall. My eyes darted to the floor noticing a trail of blood that started near the shards of glass, and went into the hallway. She must have been fighting them. One of them smashed her head into the mirror, then they dragged her down the hall, to god knows where.
Clenching my jaw, I took the sheet off Mr. Bennett’s bed and kneeled down laying it across him.
“I’ll take care of her, Sir. I promise.” I whispered and started to follow the blood trail, until the droplets landed right outside of his office.
I pushed through the door noiselessly and stood in the center of the wide room, glancing around. Everything was so dark. Taking a few steps forward to investigate I heard a crunch under me, and stepped back to pick it up; examining it until a small light cast a shine on Charlotte's bloody necklace. Please don’t be dead .
My eyes landed behind Mr. Bennett’s desk, where a shadowed silhouette caught my attention. Someone was sitting in his chair, only it looked as though the person was sleeping.
I crept closer, and realized the long-matted locks of dark brown hair staring back at me were Lottie’s. Lurching forward, I rounded the desk and knelt by her side.
“Charlotte, wake up!” I shook her, desperately trying to get a response from her. She was tied down to the leather chair by harsh ropes, and she was gagged; a disgusting dirty cloth shoved into her mouth. We didn't have a lot of time, so I got to work quickly.
As I reached up to remove the gag from her mouth, I saw her chest fill with air. Thank you Princess…
Just knowing she was alive was all I needed to feel confident in myself again. With my thumb, I wiped the dark, sticky liquid from the corner of her mouth.
“I’m so sorry, Charlotte…”
I knew she couldn’t hear me, but she needed to know. Anger coursed through me as I felt her body for any wounds and found one on the back of her head, still wet and crusting over. There were tiny pieces of glass embedded into her wound, and I made a mental note to help her clean it up when we got out of there. I focused my intentions on freeing her from the binds that held her to the chair, but they were not budging, and I was getting frustrated, trying to work fast so we could leave before Richard returned.
“Come on,” I grunted pulling at the ropes when I heard heavy footsteps coming toward me. The air of the room changed, sending a shiver down my spine, and I swallowed thickly.
Suddenly, a sharp noise sounded throughout the room, followed by another and another. I froze and closed my eyes before gaining the courage to stand up, facing the man who had a hand in the suffering I endured for years. Someone I never wanted to face again.? Richard Walker had stepped out of the shadows slowly approaching, clapping his hands and harboring an amused expression.
“That was great, son,” he mused. “So dramatic.”
I swallowed hard?as Walker walked around me and strategically placed himself between Charlotte and me. From this angle, he had the upper hand; to get to her, I would have to go through him. My pulse raced as he rested a hand on her shoulder before running it to the back of her neck and through her hair. I winced as he yanked his fingers through a knot that must have formed.
“Isn’t she beautiful, Rowan?” Walker asked, grabbing her roughly by the chin, forcing her head up so I could see her bloodied face. “You're truly a lucky man.”
With a clenched jaw, I looked on helplessly as he assaulted Charlotte, taunting me. There was nothing I could do. I had no idea who else lurked in the shadows, or if he had a weapon on him. I had to be smart, think rationally.
“You’re stupid for coming here, boy,” he continued his tirade. “Why wouldn’t you just skip town?”
Rage coursed through me as he spoke. “That’s none of your business,” I fired at him.
“Oh, but it is,” Richard returned calmly. “You see, when you were branded, you swore an oath to the Walkers. That's a lifetime oath, not an ‘anytime you want’ oath.”
“I was branded against my will,” I growled. “If I’d known what the job entailed, I would never have gone to the house that night, and you know it.”
Walker drank in the sight of Charlotte unconscious on the chair before responding.
“Son, you can say what you like, but I saw the pleasure in your eyes each time you participated. And that’s a good thing because what I have in store for Charlotte? You’re going to want to be there to see it all. It’s only fair you share.”
“You’re not going to lay a hand on her,” I spat, anger flashing in my eyes. If he went any lower, I would rip his throat out with my teeth.
He burst out laughing. “Oh, I see what’s going on here. You love her.”
I didn’t say anything. It was the exact?reason Charlotte and I hadn’t wanted to make our relationship public. Walker confirmed my worst fear with his next sentence.
“That’s just perfect, son. We’re going to have so much fun with this, and when we’re done, I’ll chain her to this very desk to be taken whenever and however I please and you will watch, every time. Her name will be more irrelevant than dog shit on the bottom of someone's shoe. The things we are going to do to her, and knowing there’s nothing you can do about it gives me all the more pleasure,” He chuckled darkly.
My heart palpitated in my chest, and I clenched my fists at my sides. Listening to the way he spoke about her made my skin crawl. I cracked my knuckles, wishing they were around his throat.
“The Bennetts will be a distant memory, and I get all of this.” He groaned. This piece of shit was actually getting turned on by his own words.
“This is between you and me. If you touch her again, you’ll regret it,” I said, stepping closer. I was trying to come across as menacing, mean. But I don’t think it worked, my words were coming out quiet and forced. “Let her go.”
“I’d watch yourself, son. You’re in no position to make demands right now,” he said, shaking his head. “You see, you sealed your fate the day you thought walking away was an option.”
Thoughts raced through my mind, threatening to explode, and I said the one thing I hoped to never have to say again. But I'd do anything to save Charlotte. “If you let her go, I’ll come back. Whatever you need me to do. Total compliance.”
He searched my face with narrowed eyes, and I could tell I had his attention. He walked around the desk and stood in front of me.
“Kneel,” he commanded.
I shot daggers at him. I didn’t kneel for anyone but Charlotte, but he needed to believe me. That meant meeting his demands. With a growl, I knelt in front of him and waited for orders like the obedient bitch he thought he owned. Of course I didn't want to comply, but I had no choice.
“You,” Richard said, pacing around me. “Are pathetic. I want you to know that what happens to Charlotte is all your fault. You thought she was safe, while you disappeared like a coward. She always thought it was you stalking her every move, boy was she wrong, and so naive. Now, thanks to you, she's just another number.”
Walker was doing a great job at making me blame myself, and I resolved then and there that if I couldn’t save Charlotte, I wouldn’t save myself, either. It was a sad thought, but I refused to live a life where she wa s n’t included. We had been through too much for it to end like this, and I would never start over.
Before I could register what was happening, he backhanded me across my face, and I went down, feeling the jagged edge of his ring slice across my face. Keep fucking pushing me old man. He stepped on my chest, taking my breath away, and I attempted to grab his ankle and lift it off, but he only pushed harder, and I grunted in pain as he spoke.
“You're going to be chained up like an animal for the rest of your life, Rowan, listening to her screams. Then when I'm done with her, and she's used up, I'll slit her throat and make you watch her bleed out.”
I cried out in pain as his weight continued to hold me hostage. Just as I waited for a crack to come, the pressure released me from my confines, and I shakily tried to push myself up.
“Now get back on your knees like a good boy and take your punishment for the disgusting lack of loyalty.” he barked.
“I just want to let you know that if I’m going down, I’m taking you with me, you bastard,” I chuckled dangerously. He's only giving me the motivation I need.