Chapter 12 #3
The sound of his cruel laughter was the final key to unlocking the floodgates of my tears.
I screamed for help, inflating my theatrics and parading my pain for all to eventually witness from the security tapes.
My torment was all the fuel Daniel needed to keep going, encouraged by the anguish he thought he was causing me.
Come on, motherfucker. Do your worst while you still can.
Daniel was so lost in his attempt to destroy my body that he didn’t seem to notice the sound of multiple thundering footsteps coming down the hall, only bothering to look up just as a knee clocked him square in the face.
He grimaced and grunted just as a hand wrapped around his neck and another in his hair, yanking him back and hauling him away from my body.
Relieved it was finally over, I awkwardly crawled away to huddle against the wall, tucking my legs into my chest and making my body as small as possible. My pussy pulsed and stung from the abuse it had endured, and no amount of adjusting my position would help reduce the ache.
Bodies swarmed above me, a hurricane of chaos with so much shouting I could barely make out a single word.
Peeking up from my cracked lids, I could see Sloane had Daniel by the throat, pinned against the floor.
She was screaming at him in Russian, her fists slamming into his face and body over and over again while multiple guards stood watch in awe.
No one stopped her, the rage with which she wielded was a weapon of mass destruction that no one else wanted to disrupt.
But then the chaos descended into a frigid silence, no one speaking a single word as another set of definitive footsteps entered the room. I didn’t dare look up, my eyes focusing on the floor and my own heavy breathing to keep myself from panicking further.
“Sir,” Sloane said as she stood, her eyes wide with alarm.
I felt my body start to shiver in place, fear crystalizing up my spine the moment I knew Darren’s eyes had landed on my huddled form.
My jaw was clenched, my muscles tense under the weight of his stare as I clutched my knees to my chest. I allowed my fury to surface, displaying the wretched scowl on my face before I forced my watery eyes to meet Darren’s. And all the blood in my veins froze.
He stood several feet in front of me, his hands hanging loosely at his sides, while the rest of him stood rigid and unyielding. The expression building on his face was indicative of a man on the cusp of madness, a dark shadow flickering across his gaze as violence sparked in his eyes.
And at that tense moment, as he assessed what his brother had done, an ugly but necessary decision had finally been made.
Darren cleared the distance between us, his body moving so swiftly it made me flinch as he crouched in front of me.
I shut my eyes, my courage to face him fleeting by the second, the very real possibility that he would still find a way to blame me, making me wince.
Or worse, he’d realize the actual truth.
But when his large hands reached out to cup my face, his movements were surprisingly gentle.
“Look at me,” he ordered, his voice soft but deceptive.
I sucked in a breath and slowly lifted my lids, falling straight into the deep blue abyss that swallowed me whole. I found myself frozen in place, uncertain of the moves the man crouching in front of me would make.
Words could not be formed in my mouth, the only method of communicating my anguish being the single tear I allowed to flow down my tender, swelling cheek.
It caught Darren’s attention, his hands shifting my face to the side so he could get a better look at the damage his brother had caused again in such a short span of time.
His thumb grazed the sliding tear, the slight touch encouraging me not to fight the wince it caused. Another detail he caught.
But then his gaze shifted to my bare knees, huddled closely to my chest so that the worst of my pain was blocked from his view. He sucked in a slow breath as his hands wrapped around my knees suggestively.
“Let me see,” he whispered, his voice like velvet, so calm and warm.
“No,” I begged with a gasp, gripping one of his wrists to stop him.
“Shhh,” he shushed me gently, coaxing me to let him part my knees so he could see what was hidden so far down between them. Cool air graced what I knew would be red and inflamed tissues, the movement drawing a sharp sting that made me grit my teeth.
Darren’s jaw clenched as his eyes soaked up the evidence of Daniel’s betrayal, his entire body tensing with the barely controlled rage I could feel radiating from him in waves.
“I…I tried to run, not fight…like you said,” I murmured softly.
I would not be taking the blame for failing at my own defense when Darren had literally ordered me to run instead of fighting on more than one occasion.
I could practically hear his jaw grinding away as he briefly closed his eyes in response and then released a slow, easy breath.
“Are you hurt anywhere else?” he asked evenly, his hard gaze returning to mine.
I shook my head.
“Any contractions or cramps?”
I shook my head again.
“Not so special anymore, now is she, Darren?” came Daniel’s voice from across the room. “You’re welcome.”
Oh, you fucking idiot.
Darren’s eyes closed as he ducked his chin, taking in a deep breath like it was his last moment for solitude. With my hand still on Darren’s wrist, I squeezed hard as my hateful eyes swung back into Daniel’s direction.
He’d been hauled up from the floor, held secure between two guards while his busted nose bled down the side of his mouth. Sloane stood directly in front of him, but her regretful and furious eyes stayed focused on me.
Darren then abruptly stood, his gaze lingering on me as he spoke. “Sloane, take Jaden out of here. And have Sid look her over immediately. Everyone else, get out,” he ordered.
Everyone sprang into action, guards exiting the room as Sloane reached down and helped me to my feet.
She didn’t even ask me if I could walk, just swung me up into her arms and carried me out of the room.
My eyes caught Daniel’s one final time before the door was shut behind us, and I knew it would be the last time I ever saw him alive.
It was almost impossible not to smile.