6. Saint
Chapter six
Saint
I observe my twin quietly as he drops the young woman to the ground, and when I step closer to inspect our victim, my world tips on its axis.
Fuck.
King Leroy’s daughter certainly is beautiful. How did he manage to keep a precious thing like this locked away from the world? Especially our world of ruthless men. It boggles the mind.
Full red lips, raven black hair, I can only imagine how lovely her eyes will be when they finally open.
Again, how did Leroy keep her hidden, and why ?
A daughter this gorgeous would have been enough to broker peace with any warring family.
Unless he loved her. It’s not unheard of in this world.
I crouch, reaching across with a gloved hand as I push aside a black curl to get a better look at her visage, and my mouth dries instantly.
As I feared, absolutely perfect.
Tainting her won’t be an easy pill to swallow.
Angel is still hovering above her as he gazes down with that lone blue eye. He breathes heavily through his teeth, and I can tell he’s having the same thoughts.
He doesn’t want to go through with this…
Shit .
Angel never feels. He’s a fucking monster.
So, any woman that gives my brother pause deserves a chance, right?
What should we do? The moment we take her back to the compound, Prince will destroy her.
He has plenty of plans for Leroy’s daughter.
Anything to taint the man’s honor and destroy his legacy.
I know he plans on using her as ransom against Regina, but maybe there’s another way.
One that doesn’t have to involve innocent blood.
That’s when my eyes catch the red stains on her fingers, and could it be…
Blood?
Maybe Snow White’s not so innocent after all.
I rise back to my feet, joining my brother’s side before the darkness consumes him.
He gets this way, and it’s always up to me to drag him back when the abyss wraps its evil claws around him.
“Angel, it’s done. We have her.”
Still, my twin doesn’t hear me. His lone eyes flashes, and I spy the maniac beneath the surface as a knife materializes in his fingers.
People always assume Angel is the sane twin, but that couldn’t be farther from the truth.
He's unhinged, twisted, and downright terrifying. I only act like the evil twin to protect my brother because I know what such a moniker would do to him.
It would mess with his mind until he eventually becomes that maniac.
So, for him, I will be the ruthless, bat-shit twin.
Still, as ruthless as he can be, I know he regrets what we have to do next.
We must bring this woman back to the compound as our cousin ordered.
He's the don, so we must heed his orders, yet still. Maybe there is a way we can turn the other cheek.
Pretend we never found anything…
Another dead lead.
We came here to scout Regina’s estate, but she has guards protecting her compound for miles.
How the girl managed to escape is anyone’s guess.
I shake my brother’s shoulder, trying to snap him out of his trance.
“Angel.”
Finally, he takes a deep breath through his nose, and just like that, he’s my little brother again.
Only by an hour, but he will still always be my baby brother.
He gazes down at Snow on the ground, a forlorn expression in his single eye. “We… we did it… We found her…”
“We did.”
“So… what…what do we do now?”
I think.
While I can tell he’s enamored with her, just as I am, we still have a duty to our late father and to our family.
Diamante men always do what needs to be done in the name of family and honor.
And that means kidnapping this woman and holding her captive.
It must be done.
But I just didn’t bank on her being so beautiful.
A pretty face never crippled me before. I could always do any task Prince asked of me, but this one… this one has truly left me stumped.
Prince will ruin her.
Whatever shine she has in those eyes will be gone once that monster’s through with her.
Our cousin is a deeply troubled man. Plagued by many demons—demons borne from a harsh childhood.
I had a similar childhood, so I understand.
My father raised me to be a killer, too. Even though he loved me, loved us all, he passed down the family trade onto me, teaching me how to be a ruthless man just like him.
So, when Prince’s mind is set, there is nothing any of us can do to stop him.
His word is law.
“We take her with us. What else is there?”
I spy the regret in Angel’s eye, and I remind him then what this woman’s father did to us.
“If it weren’t for her father, Angel, then we would still have one. Have you forgotten?”
He sighs, “Of course I haven’t. It’s just…”
He gazes down at her again, and I take stock of that line between her eyebrows, that troubled, sweet face.
The face of a woman who has given up all hope.
Any hope she does have left will be snuffed out once we take her back. Prince will make sure of that.
His demons are too strong.
“Angel, it must be done. For our father… for our uncle…”
He groans, reaching up to rub beneath his eyepatch. Then he opens his eye again, and I spy the resolve at last.
He's made up his mind.
She’s coming with us.
So, I lean down and lift her in my arms, and she’s as weightless as a bird. A truly fragile thing, with easily breakable bones.
But I push that thought aside and carry her back through the woods to our vehicle, one we use for stealth operations.
A shame.
I never got to see what color her eyes were.
I bet I never will.
Prince will no doubt gouge them from her skull.
Back home, I place her down on the bed as gently as I can.
It's the most comfortable cell in our compound, but it’s still a cell.
I doubt this girl will ever see the light of day again.
Angel still stands by my side, and now we mirror each other as usual as we cross our arms.
Even in the dingy light of the cell, she’s spectacular.
Dewy skin, pert nose. I thought girls like this only existed in books.
Yet here she is, a real-life fairy tale princess.
“Prince will be here soon,” I tell Angel.
He closes his eye, taking several moments to compose himself. When he opens it again, he looks straight through me with hardened resolve.
The void is back.
“So he will…”
I don’t look away from his eye. He can’t fool me; I saw him break for a moment out there.
“Yes. And once he’s here, this girl will be his.”
Angel’s eye wavers slightly, but then it hardens again as he pushes past me, turning his back on Snow.
“And let him have her. It’s time to avenge our father.”
That’s it. Angel has made up his mind.
Still, I just need to know what those eyes look like, but they’re still closed.
The bed she lays on is hard and has no cushions or pillows. Prince will make sure to deprive her of all comfort.
There’s nothing more I can do for her.
Her fate is sealed.
“I’m sorry,” I whisper, knowing she can’t hear me, and finally, I turn my back on her.
It has to be done.
That way, we can all get the vengeance we seek.
For our fathers.
Maybe then we can all find some semblance of peace.