Four
Erin
“Kneel bitch,”
the man says as he grabs my hair and lifts my upper body from the ground. I’m so exhausted, but I know he will hurt Charlie if I don’t obey him pushes me. I dig down deep in my beaten, exhausted soul and push myself to my hands and knees. I pant, feeling like I ran a marathon with that just that one movement. I lift my upper body up but can only hold it for a few moments before I fall to the ground.
“Fucking useless,”
he says as he uses the chains around my wrist, which he added who knows how many days ago, and clips them to a hook in the wall. I lean my head against the wall, I close my eyes and thinking about Charlie.
The joy I felt the moment I held him in my arms for the first time. In that moment I knew I would do everything in my power to keep him safe. So, if I die here in this basement, I will die hoping he knows how much I love him. I never have regretted having him and never will. He is the one thing in this world that I have loved with every inch of my soul.
Like all the endless times he’s beaten me, it isn’t that long until I pass out. Having the shit beaten out of you and while also being given barely any food and water will do that to you.
Unknown
This bitch has been a useful way to release my anger at the fucking O’Sullivan’s. Did they really think after they killed my son, I would be okay with being around these fuckers? If it wasn’t for my sweet girl, I would have left and started my revenge, but she needs a good education. I only have four more years until she is out of high school.
As soon as she graduates. I can finally get revenge for my son.
I can’t wait to watch as Peter watches as I torture his precious wife, children, and grandchildren in front of his eyes.
OSCAR
It has been a few weeks since I had Erin kidnapped and I decided to go see how she is and if it’s time for me to “save”
her. I probably should have told Robert that I am coming by, but, he knows this is my future wife, he has here and he is only scaring her because I’ve allowed it.
I step inside after typing the security code in and I expect to see a pissed off or scared Erin, but what I see has me bolting inside her room. I barely register hearing the door slam against the wall.
“Erin,”
I say, shaking her shoulders, she groans.
She groans, “Please, don’t hurt Charlie.”
What the fuck?
“Erin, Charlie’s safe. Open your eyes, aingeal.” (angel)
“I promise, I will do anything. Don’t hurt my baby.”
What the fuck? Is she delirious? I put one hand under her knees and move to do the same for her back, but my hand meets something wet and hot. I move my hand from under her legs and slowly roll her to her side.
Her back is cut up, her shirt is barely hanging on her shoulders by a thread, and some of the fabric is stuck to the cuts that have started healing. That is going to hurt when clean them, and she has cuts that are clearly infected. The smell coming from her wounds is nauseating. If I had a weaker stomach it would have had me gagging. She cries out when I gently run my finger across one of the cuts.
“I’m so sorry, Erin. I will find out who did this to you and deal with them.”
I promise her. So help me, if Robert has anything to do with this, he is going to regret the day he met my father. Fuck, how am I going to lift her without causing her any more pain?
I wrap my arm around her shoulders as gently as I can, and she still cries out in pain. Despite that, I carefully stand up. She opens her eyes and for a moment my breath stops. I forgot just how fucking beautiful she is, it has been too long. She is the only woman who is able to knock the breath of out me with one look.
“Please?”
“Shh, m'aingeal (my angel), I’m here. I promise everything will be okay.”
“Charlie.”
“I promise he is safe. Rest now you are safe now.”
“Please. I’m sorry,”
she says as her body shakes as she sobs.
“Relax, Erin, Charlie is safe. I’m going to bring you to my doctor, and you will see Charlie soon.”
She stares deep into my eyes, searching for the truth.
It is time we are reunited as a family, and soon enough, she will be Mrs. Oscar O’Sullivan. She must see the honesty or something that soothes her anxiety, and she closes her eyes.
With each step I take toward the car Erin’s hold on my shirt becomes tighter .
“I’m so sorry m'aingeal. We are almost to the car,”
I tell her and kiss the top of her hair. I watch as tears slowly run down her cheeks.
Did I do this to her by having her kidnapped? Was I wrong? No. I wasn’t. She had to learn that keeping Charlie from me was wrong, so fucking wrong. Will this cause her to hate me if she finds out I was behind her, and Charlie being kidnapped?
“AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!”
Erin screams when I gently lay her down in the back seat, and she tries to fight me as I try to move her to her side.
“I know, Erin,”
I say in a soothing voice, but it doesn’t work. I sigh and hold her in my arms and climb into the backseat. While my driver is speeding through the streets I call Daniel, and he tells me to come to his home.
As soon as my driver pulls in front of Daniel’s home before I can bang on his door, Daniel opens the door and rushes out with Cillian behind him.
“What the fuck, Oscar?”
My older brother basically growls at me. I ignore him and push inside of Daniel’s home.
“Who is that? Why does she look like a breath away from death? Did you find her? Is that your angel? Would you fucking answer me?”
I hear in his tone that he is pissed and annoyed that I’m ignoring him. Too fucking bad.
Without turning around. I tell him, “I will tell you more once I know she will be okay.”
He continues to follow behind me as I follow Daniel to his medical room. “Lay her on her stomach,”
Daniel tells me, and I do so immediately. I have her head facing me and brush her brunette hair behind her ear that was preventing me from seeing her face.
Out of the corner of my eye, I see Daniel holding up a needle and realize he is about to interject something into Erin.
“What the fuck are you doing?”
“Sedating her. When I start cleaning her wounds, it will be extremely painful. Unless you want her awake and suffering?”
“No, give it to her.”
I watch as her tense body starts to relax as the sedation takes effect. I kiss her knuckles and keep my eyes on her face. I know she won't be waking up soon, but the second I see her in any pain, I will make Daniel fix it.
It takes him over an hour to disinfect, clean and patch up over forty wounds on her back, shoulders, and hips.
He tells me I can take her home after she wakes up, and he makes sure there aren’t any other injuries we are not aware of. Daniel leaves and I can feel the heat of Cillian’s stare on the back of my head. I choose not to acknowledge him maybe if I’m lucky he will take the hint and leave. I’m not in the mood for the shit he will have to say.
“Who is she?”
he asks in a deadly quiet tone.
“M'aingeal.”
“Who did this to her?”
“I have no idea but I plan on finding out. Robert was watching over her, and now I can't reach him.”
“Watching over her how?”
he asks, stepping closer to me.
“As in I had him mentally messing with her for keeping Charlie from me.”
“Charlie?”
“My son.”
“You have a son?”
“Yes.”
“How long did you keep her away from her son?”
“Our son.”
“Oh no. A father doesn’t keep a child away from their mother unless she is a danger to him. Is she?”
“No she isn’t.”
“Okay then answer my question. How long did you keep him away from her?”
“A few weeks.”
I hear him take a deep breath, “You have to be fucking kidding me. You kept the baby away from her for weeks. Do you know how much a baby depends on their mother? What possible reason do you have for keeping him away from her?”
“I already told you. She kept my son from me. I missed so much.”
“So, you figured fucking with her would make things even?”
“No, but at least she would understand how I feel.”
“Are you fucking five?”
“Obviously not.”
“Could have fooled me. How do you think this will affect things between you two? Do you think she will forgive you?”
“I’m not worried about forgiving me. She needs to understand what she did wrong so that she will never do something this stupid again.”
“Again? You think she will want to get pregnant by you again after this shit much less have anything to do with you?”
“We will have more babies, and I want to be there for every step. She is never leaving me. I won’t let her.”
He sighs as he runs his hand through his hair. “I know you’re pissed, you missed out on some of Charlie’s firsts, but you still have plenty of firsts you can experience with him. Did you even ask her why she ran? She had to have a good reason for running halfway across the world. Actually, I know the answer. Mr. Impulsive who never thinks things through would never stop to talk to her first.”
I go to open my mouth to protest but he points at Erin, “That proves my point. She will be coming back to the mansion with Charlie. And have fun with Ma and Daidí.”
“Fuck,”
I grumble to myself.
“How old is my nephew?”
“Eight months. He is a few weeks younger than Brayden.”
Cillian smiles when I show him a picture of Charlie.
“He is adorable, and there’s no doubt he is an O’Sullivan. I will be back in a few hours to come get you both. Have Charlie here when I return.”
He is already walking out the door before I can answer. Typical asshole Cillian. Guess that comes with being the oldest of seven kids and being the boss of the Irish Mafia.
The next hour goes by at a snail's pace. I wait for her to wake up, while I’m getting coffee and talking to Daniel about her injuries and what her treatment will be.
“She has to keep them dry and clean for a while. I will come by every day to check on them. If she starts getting-.”
But he is cut off by the voice I’ve been craving to hear.
“Let me out of here!”
“Shit,”
I say placing my coffee down and racing up the stairs to where m'aingeal is. I open the door and rush to her side, “Erin, you need to calm down.”
“No! I need Charlie. Where is he?”
“He is safe.”
“NO! I NEED CHARLIE!”
“Aingeal I promise you he is safe.”
“I need to see that he is safe.”
“I will bring him here soon.”
I watch as you see her whole body relaxes.
“Please, Oscar. Let us go. I won’t say anything.”
“No. Nou are not leaving.”
“Please, Oscar. What do you want me to do?”
“We will discuss it later,”
I tell her and leave the room to go get Charlie. I need to show her I keep my word. Unlike her, I can be trusted.