Chapter 35
Thirty-Five
As soon as I step into the maze, it feels as though the walls are pressing in on me, hovering over me like a grim reaper with a scythe in hand. But I force myself to push on. Who knows what Rapsody’s mother is capable of? Certainly more than I ever thought, given the information that came my way via phone call this morning.
Her mother kidnapped Rapsody from her parents when she was almost eighteen months old and has kept her in hiding all this time. As soon as I got the phone call confirming who Rapsody’s birth parents are and I looked them up and saw that their child had been abducted by her nanny, all the dots connected.
The years of keeping Rapsody sequestered away from the world, why her mother was ready to leave at the drop of a hat, why she didn’t call the police when Rapsody went missing. All of it was for selfish reasons, not because she loved Rapsody.
The darkness falling feels like an ominous cloud bearing down on me. I swear to God, if Rapsody is hurt, I will murder that bitch without a second thought.
I keep pushing myself to move forward despite the flashes of memory that assault my brain. The past attempts to derail me, but I refuse to let it. I am not a small boy any longer. I refuse to let my father win in this regard.
As I turn the corner, I come to a stop, seeing the warm glow of a floating light ahead. I suck in a breath. It’s at the end of the section I’m in, and it takes a left, disappearing from view.
I rush after it, remembering what Rapsody told me about the lights she followed to find me on those nights when I needed her. It leads me up and down rows, and I feel as though I’m getting nowhere until I hear Rapsody crying. I move as fast as I can on this shitty ankle until I turn a corner, and the light is gone. But I see an opening to the courtyard, and I know that they’re in there from how close their voices are.
“Thank you, Mom,” I whisper into the night air, then make my way to the opening.
“Mother, why didn’t you call the police when I went missing that day?” Rapsody asks her mother. She’s on the ground, clutching her wrist, and one of her cheeks is bright red as though she’s been smacked.
I grind my teeth together.
“Because I knew it had to be him and that involving the police would have no effect. With all the money and influence the Voss family has? All they have to do is to pay off the right people to make it all go away. I figured it was better to find you myself so that they wouldn’t know what I was up to and couldn’t be tipped off when I was close to getting you back.” Such a good liar, that woman.
Enough of this bullshit. Time to bring the truth to light.
“She didn’t call the police because she was worried she would be identified as the woman who kidnapped a child two decades ago,” I say, stepping over the threshold and into the courtyard.
Rapsody’s head whips around, and there’s relief in her eyes when she sees me.
“Hello, Margaret,” I say with venom.
Rapsody’s attention returns to her mother, who scowls at me.
I limp a few steps closer to them. “Isn’t that right? You worried that reporting Rapsody missing might set off a few red flags if anyone delved too hard into your past. What if her disappearance garnered international attention? The media and all the internet sleuths would have a field day breaking down every single detail of your lives.”
When I take another step closer, Margaret yanks Rapsody up onto her knees by her hair. She brings the knife to Rapsody’s neck. “Don’t come any closer, or I swear to God I’ll slice her!”
My hands fist at my side. Margaret is obviously panicked, eyes darting to find all the possible ways out of here. But there are none. At least not for her. I can’t risk Rapsody, but this woman is leaving here either in a body bag or in handcuffs. The choice is hers.
“No, you won’t. She means too much to you.” I hope. I take a tentative step forward.
She points the knife at me, still gripping Rapsody’s hair. “Stay back!”
“Let me go!” Rapsody flinches when Margaret tugs on her hair harder and brings the knife back to her neck. “You’re telling me he’s evil when really, you’re the one who has been pretending to be someone else. You may look like a good person on the outside, but inside you’re evil. Kol wears his skin inside out, showing the world all the damage and terrible things he’s had to endure, but inside he’s a good man. He cares deeply.”
“I can barely listen to this nonsense,” her mom says with a sneer.
I don’t know how Rapsody will feel about me if she watches me kill her mother, but if things escalate any further, I’m going to use the goon’s gun that’s tucked into the back of my pants. I will not risk Rapsody’s life to save this woman’s.
“Did your boyfriend here tell you about how he killed Preston Wallace and his driver? How he’s a murderer?” She spits the accusation at me, and it’s clear from the gleam in her eye that she thinks she’s gotten one over on me.
“Yes, yes, he did.”
Margaret stills, eyes widening. Clearly, she wasn’t expecting Rapsody to know.
“Why don’t you let her go? We both know you don’t want to hurt her,” I say.
She gets a vile look on her face. “You’ve poisoned her against me. After everything, you turned her against me, and now it can never be the same. Never! I’ll be alone, all alone while you two…”
I see her intent before Rapsody does. Margaret pulls the knife away from Rapsody’s neck, and everything happens in slow motion. For a split second, Rapsody appears relieved, as though her mother is releasing her. But when Margaret adjusts her grip on the knife and yanks Rapsody’s hair farther back, I see it register on Rapsody’s face that the woman who raised her is about to stab her in the chest.
I slide my hand back to the metal of the gun and allow my instincts and training to kick in. I fire the gun, hitting Margaret in the upper chest as far away from Rapsody as possible. The bullet strikes, and Margaret screams, releasing Rapsody’s hair and stumbling backward.
I rush to Rapsody. She’s heaped over, crying on the ground. I ignore the searing pain in my ankle and collapse between her and her mother.
“Sweetheart, are you okay?” I pull her up by under her arms, and she winds herself around me, sobbing into my neck. My hands rub up and down her back, trying to give her comfort, but knowing it’s not enough. “It’s okay. You’re okay now.”
After a minute or two, she pulls back enough to look me in the eyes. “I was so scared.”
God, the devastation in her eyes kills me.
“I know. You’re okay now, though. No one is going to hurt you.”
She starts to give me a hesitant smile, then her eyes widen and a look of horror transforms her face.
It takes a moment for the pain in my lower back to register, and when it does, I blink and collapse to the side.
Rapsody screams, then there are sounds of a struggle. I try to get up, but I can’t. Then more shouting, and Sid is hovering over me along with Rapsody, tears streaming down her face.
Though I try to keep looking at her, my eyes drift closed and darkness consumes me.