Chapter Twenty-One
E than
I open my eyes as the door opens and closes.
I feel the chains tightly on my wrists keeping me lifted off the floor.
I can feel the blood still rolling down my stomach from the open knife wound.
The bruises from the beating I just got letting me know just how weak my body has become.
Everything is pounding and hurts from my head to my fucking toes.
I look down and see my bare feet a few feet off the ground, my arms still lifted above my head, my shoulders screaming out in pain from trying to hold my weight.
When I get my hands on this motherfucker I will make him scream.
He thinks his man can give a good beating, well, he hasn’t seen what I can do yet.
But he will. I swear by the end of this night I will not be the only one bleeding.
I look up as Tristan slowly makes his way into the room. His hands are behind his back as he looks me up and down checking out the handiwork his man did to me—beating the fuck out of me to see if I love Jenn. Fuck, man, he will have to do more than that if he wants me to break.
I would take a million beatings for Jenn if it proved to him that I love her.
“Are you willing to die for her, Ethan?” he asks me simply. He already knows the answer to the question. I have been proving it since I let his men take me into this place.
“Yes.” Now he’s still just playing games. Does this dude ever get sick of playing games? I am hanging from the ceiling bleeding out. I don’t have time for his fucking back and forth.
“Don’t need to think of the answer, huh?”
“No.”
“Good. At least we’re on the same page with that,” he states with amusement. “You know, she tried to give herself to me so I would let you go.” He’s finally getting it. He is finally seeing how deep our love for each other actually is.
“What?” I ask, processing his words. She wouldn’t.
She fucking can’t. I won’t let her give up her life for me.
Nope, not going to happen. I will make sure he kills me if it means she doesn’t make a deal with this prick.
She’s already served one life sentence at the hands of her father.
I won’t let her do it again. Not for me.
“She is willing to give up her life for yours. I want that love from her, what you have with her. What you don’t fucking deserve from her is what I want,” he says with irritation.
He will never get it. I will make sure of that. He doesn’t deserve her love. I don’t even deserve her love and I don’t deserve her giving up her life for mine.
Her love needs to be earned and cherished. And that is something I planned on doing, something I started to do until Oliver betrayed us, and now here we are.
“Where the fuck is she, prick?”
“Not here with you. Nope, not here with you. Actually, last time I saw her she was on her bed. She’s waiting for me to come and pleasure her which I intend on doing very soon.” I can hear the desire and longing in his voice, making my stomach turn.
I slowly lift my head and look up at the chains secured on the ceiling keeping me hanging and defenseless. Fucking shit. I pull on the chains. They’re secure as fuck. There’s no way I can pull these from the ceiling. Tristan made sure to think of everything.
I look back down at Tristan. He has an amused look on his face as he slowly starts to circle the room.
He is so used to people begging for their lives, crying and screaming for him to stop. He won’t get any of that from me.
“I found out something very interesting this morning,” Tristan states, continuing to circle the room at a painfully slow pace.
He doesn’t have a care in the world. He isn’t worried.
He is too comfortable. I can’t wait to fuck up all his plans.
I want to look into his eyes and see the look when he realizes just how little control and power he actually has.
It will be so much fun to burn this place to the fucking ground.
Showing everyone that anyone can be touched and brought down. He won’t be on his throne for very much longer. I don’t know how or when, but I will get out of this if it is the last thing I do.
“I’m not playing this game,” I snap.
I hear him laugh behind me. “It’s funny how you think you have a choice. You’re hanging from my ceiling in nothing but your slacks. Dude, you have no choice but to listen to what I have to say.”
I take a deep breath as Tristan walks around me stopping directly in front of me.
“I found out a secret, a secret that was kept from you. Ethan, do you want to know the secret?” Tristan asks in an amused voice.
“What secret?” I snap again, wanting to get whatever this is over with.
“You are going to be a father, Ethan. Or, correction, I am going to be a father.” He allows a smile to form across his lips.
How the fuck did he find out? His last words are repeating— he is going to be a father.
He doesn’t just want to take Jenn from me, he wants my child too. This guy wants everything I have.
“How did you—” I stop and look into his eyes. The amusement is gone as he leans in, his eyes locked on me, his hands still behind his back.
“I know Jenn better then you, Ethan. I know her body. I know her thoughts. It wasn’t that hard to find out.”
I know she would never tell him about the baby. And I knew he would eventually find out. But to now know his fucking plans makes my heart ache and my blood boil.
I am going to so enjoy killing this guy.
“I am going to kill you,” I growl, keeping my eyes on him. It might not be right now, but I will fucking kill him.
Tristan stands still and takes a step back. He shakes his head and smiles, making my heart drop.
“Do you want to see her before I kill you?” he asks, his eyes watching me. More fucking games.
“Yes.”
Tristan nods and quickly turns around and makes his way out of the room leaving me hanging from the ceiling, my heart racing with each second he is gone.
I know that Shawn and Emory and the rest of our people are coming for me. They know where I am.
I continue to watch the door he just exited. I pull on the chains and feel them getting tighter. I look around the room and see where the chains are connected to the wall. He made sure to make it far enough away that no matter what I do I would never be able to reach it to lower the chains.
I watch as Tristan guides in Jenn. She is wearing a black silk nightgown. My heart races and my bloods boils as I see his hand on her stomach and one gripping onto her throat making sure she can’t leave him, making sure that she can’t get away.
Tristan makes them both stop a few feet away from me. Jenn lifts her head and her eyes lock with mine. I see the dried tears on her cheeks. Her eyes are rapidly searching mine. She is terrified, but I also see a hint of hope in her eyes.
“You came.”
“Of course, I came. I will always come for you.” I look over her. Her body is shaking. She looks scared out of her mind.
“Oh, how sweet, he kept his promise.” Tristan pulls her against him. I will enjoy cutting off those fucking hands.
“I swear to God if you have touched her...” I yell, keeping my eyes on Jenn.
“I know you think you know who I am, Ethan. But you don’t. I haven’t touched her. I am not like the others.” He speaks with so much confidence, I can feel it radiating off of him all the way over here. He actually believes his words.
“Then let her go.” My heartbeat increases every second his hands are on her.
He shakes his head and laughs. “Nice try. That is never going to happen.”
“Please. I will do anything, just let her go,” I plead.
“That’s cute. But it won’t work,” he laughs again.
“Please!” I scream, pulling on the chains feeling them dip into my wrists. I can feel the blood starting to roll down my arms.
“I love her, Ethan. I’m not going to hurt her.”
“The fuck you do,” I yell again, pulling harder on the chains.
“Is that so hard for you to believe?” he asks in a low voice.
What the fuck is he asking? If I believe that he loves Jenn? Fuck, no, he doesn’t love Jenn. I don’t believe a damn word that comes out of his mouth.
He thinks what he is doing to her is love. But it’s not. It’s obsession plain and simple. This man doesn’t know how to love someone because he loves his money and power above all else.
He would put his money and power above her every time. That isn’t love.
“Yes.” I roar, feeling the rage and fear building inside me.
Tristan takes a deep breath. “I do love her. And I will give her a good life, Ethan. Once I deal with you.” His own emotions are becoming more unhinged. He prides himself on having control, but in this moment, he is starting to lose it and he will continue to fucking lose it.
Jenn’s eyes widen at his words. I feel my heart racing and breaking at the same time. Jenn shakes her head and quickly turns around in his arms. He lets her as he releases his hold on her throat allowing her to turn around and look at him.
“I will do whatever you want, Tristan. Just please don’t hurt him” she states in a low defeated voice that makes me want to scream.
Tristan looks down at Jenn, his breathing is steady and even as he rests his hand on her lower back.
“You will stay here with me?” Tristan asks her softly.
“Yes,” she replies, not needing to think about her answer. There is no fucking way.
“Fuck, no, Jenn. What are you doing?” But she doesn’t answer me. Instead she leans into Tristan. Her eyes locked with his. He leans down and connects his lips to hers as my heart fucking shatters.
“You will marry me?” Tristan asks in the same soft voice.
“Yes,” she says again, agreeing to whatever he asks her. This can’t be happening. I will not let this fucking happen.
“Jenn, don’t do this,” I scream, pulling harder on the chains, but it doesn’t do shit. She wraps her arms around him, leaning into him, making my stomach turn into knots.
My heart stops when I finally realize what’s happening. She wraps her arms around him and then quickly pulls out of his arms and takes several steps back towards me. She lifts up the gun and points it at him. It happens so fast I can see the confusion consume Tristan’s face for a moment.
He takes a deep breath and slowly puts his hands behind his back. His eyes are filled with rage and sadness by what she has just done. “What are you doing?” Tristan asks just as softly as he has done before.
“Saving him.” I can hear the rage in her voice.
She was never going to give in to him. I don’t know why I thought she would.
I know her. She is strong and I know that she loves me—she wouldn’t fucking give herself to Tristan.
I feel the shame and guilt my doubts bring on.
Even though the doubts didn’t stay very long I’m ashamed and guilty for even having them in the first place.
“You would really rather be with him than me?” Tristan asks in a pained, confused voice.
What the fuck did he think was going to happen? That he was going to kidnap her, kill her lover, and she would thank him and fall in love with him? Did he actually think he could force her to not love me anymore? Fucking idiot.
“Yes.” She starts to back up towards the button on the wall.
Tristan doesn’t move as he watches her continue to back up, keeping the gun pointed right at his face. Her hands are steady.
“Jenn, please don’t do this,” Tristan pleads with her as she continues to back up. I watch her carefully as she gets to the wall and quickly pushes the button. The chains fall to the floor and I fall to my knees, quickly removing the chains from my wrists. Jenn is at my side helping me to my feet.
We both watch as Tristan calmly leans down and grabs the gun from his leg. He stands up straight and slowly lifts the gun and points it right at my head. “If you don’t come to my side right now, Jenn, I will shoot him.”
I quickly grab the gun from Jenn’s now shaky hands and slowly move in front of her. She rests her hands against my back. Oh, how I have missed feeling her touch on my skin.
“You really fucking willing to die for her?” Tristan asks, pointing the gun at me.
“Yes. Are you?”
“You have no idea what I am willing to do for her!” He has completely lost all control just like I knew he would.
“I guess we are about to find out, aren’t we?” I allow a smile to form across my lips.
Jenn leans in and gently kisses my back, making my heart race. I am doing this for her. Everything I have done is for her.
She has saved me. She has made me realize that I am not just a monster. And I am worthy of love. She is my everything. And this is the best way I can show her just how much I really do love her and how much she means to me.
This is not how I wanted it to end, but I am at peace knowing she will be free, my child will grow up loved and cared for. After all, that is all I can ask for after what I have done in my life.
And right then we both pull the trigger. I hear Jenn scream. A new pain in my stomach hits me then everything goes black.