by Dani René
Shaking my head, I glance over at Dante. He’s always been more open about things than I have. And I can tell he’ll have his hands full with the two little spitfires.
“And how did you find out about Dad?”
“Hamish was more than happy to share the information when I threatened to slice off his balls.”
I watch my brother for a moment before telling him, “And you had us . . . what? Drugged? Brought back here?”
“The girl’s needed retribution. We needed the truth, and I think I did well.”
I nod. He’s right. This was a better idea than racing into the man’s home to kill him, but I only did that because I wanted to give Caia the one thing she needed.
Revenge.
“I will never forgive him.” My words are cold, harsh, but I don’t care. “He did things to us I can never forget, things that will always leave me broken.”
“Aren’t we all, brother?” Dante offers when he glances over at Harper who’s smiling at her mother’s tears. When the video clicks off, she takes one of the metal implements similar to a pair of pliers and knocks her mother out.
“I’m done.” She smiles at my brother as if he’s her savior.
“Get your girl down here, brother,” Dante informs me. “Because I can’t keep Harper from killing her all day. Make it quick.”
He reaches for Harper’s hand and tugs her past me toward the door. She offers an innocent smile when she looks over at me, and I wonder just how broken this girl truly is, and if my brother can save her.
34
Caia
The knife presses against his flesh. I can feel their eyes on me, burning into me as they watch me take his life. His eyes are wide with shock, but I feel no remorse, no guilt at what I’m doing. He deserves what is happening, and I find my mouth kicking up into a smile. A happy grin as the blood drains from him.
Harper’s soft giggle is the only other sound besides my father whimpering and pleading with me to stop. He’s finally the one in agony, and it makes me happy. I can see how people get addicted to murder, how they bask in the power they hold from taking someone’s life in their hands.
He’s shuddering as I watch the vital fluid drenching my hand. It’s sticky, the scent metallic and strong as it invades my nostrils. It’s the only thing I can smell.
“This is for all those young lives you stole,” I tell him. “And this,” I press the blade against the vein pumping wildly, severing the flesh as the silver edge drags across the wrinkles. “Is for me and Harper, your daughters.”
“Caia.” Drake’s voice steals me from the memory, and I glance up to find him standing behind me. I’m seated at the dressing table in his bedroom, staring at myself in the mirror. “We need to decide what to do with your mother.”
“And we need to find out why my father did what he did,” I tell him. I need to know how a man who is meant to love his daughters can do something so vile.
I rise, turning to face the man who holds my heart. He pulls me closer. Leaning in, he presses his lips to mine. For a moment, I feel him. I feel his emotions — guilt, fear, love, anger, rage — whirling through him, and they tumble into me.
I’m the one to break the kiss before I offer him a whispered response. “She doesn’t deserve to live, but I need to say goodbye,” I tell him.
He laces his fingers through mine, and we make our way down to the dungeon that brings back memories I had long-since buried. I always knew this place was here, but since I’d been back in Drake’s life, I never ventured down here. I didn’t want to see it. But once you’ve purged yourself of the past, it’s remarkable how differently you feel about things.
“Hello, Mother,” I offer as soon as we step into the familiar room. She’s bound, but her mouth is no longer covered with tape.
“Baby girl,” she utters, and her voice sends me right back to being ten years old and listening to her read me fairytales before bed. The same woman who taught me about dragons and princes was the same woman who let me be stolen.
“I’m no longer anyone’s baby girl,” I tell her. “You made sure of that.”
Shaking her head, she meets my angry glare with a sad gaze of her own. “I didn’t mean to hurt you,” she whimpers. “Your father . . . He’s always had . . . He’s been a bad person for a long time.” Her words tumble freely as she confesses. “His own childhood was filled with darkness.”
“So you decided to leave your daughters with a fucked-up monster?”
“No, I . . . I didn’t have a way of taking you with me, and he would’ve found me. I allowed him to rule my life.”
“Why Malcolm?” I question, needing to know for me, for Drake, and for Dante. “What did Malcolm do to Hamish that he could blackmail him into starting this horror show?”
The door clicks behind us. Dante and Harper stroll inside, and I know we’re nearing the end of my mother’s life. My sister is raging, her eyes wide, darkness swirling in them, and I’m certain she’s as ready as I am to move on.
But I want answers. I need them.
“Tell me,” I hiss, stepping closer to her. My face right in hers, and I see it. I see Harper and me in her features. We’re her daughters, there’s no doubt about it. “What did my father have over Malcolm Savage?”
“When Malcolm was at college, he and your father were best of friends. Until one night, they had gone to a frat party.” She finally sighs, and my heartrate only spikes at the revelations. “Malcolm had a girlfriend who was . . . She wanted to do drugs with him while partying with boys who were far too old for her.” My mother lowers her gaze for a moment, and I wonder if she’s stalling. Then she looks up at me again as tears trickle down her cheeks. “Malcolm gave her some pills she swallowed without knowing what they were. Hamish found her on Malcolm’s bed. She died.”
“That still doesn’t—”
“The girl was your father’s sister.”
Silence hangs heavily in the air. The truth grips my chest with a painful ferocity I didn’t expect. Drake and Dante’s father killed my aunt.
“The problem is that she wanted to die. I found her diary months later; your father had been with her since she was too young to fight back. She fell in love with Malcolm and confessed everything. Hamish knew, and he told Malcolm if the truth ever came out they’d both be put in prison. As time went on, your father’s needs only intensified.” She spits the word needs, and I don’t blame her.
“And you still left us with him?”
“I made a mistake. I wasn’t there when you—”
I can’t listen to her anymore. My body is vibrating with rage as I rear back, and my fist connects with her jaw.
“You’re dead to me,” I tell her. Turning to face Drake, I shake my head. “I don’t want anything more to do with her. Kill her if you want to. I’m done.”
Without a backward glance, I head back to Drake’s room. Throwing my body on the bed, I allow my tears to fall free. I allow my pain and sadness to overtake me, and I finally cry. It feels like I’m purging the pain from my body. I grip the pillow, holding it close to me as I sob so hard my whole body is wracked, shaking and trembling.
It’s finally over.
Epilogue
Caia
Six months later
Months have gone by since we were freed from the past. My stomach is slowly swelling with every day that passes. I never thought I’d be pregnant after the horrors I faced, but either Drake's or River’s baby is growing inside me. We didn’t need to find out who the father is because we’re in this together.
The sun is shining through the large bay windows. I glance out to the garden to find River and Drake sparring in the heat. They’re both shirtless because of the hot summer weather. River’s wearing gray sweatpants as he punches the mitts Drake has bound to his hands. Both bodies glisten with sweat, and I find myself intoxicated at the sight.
The house is quiet. I enjoy time alone inside. After Dante, Harper, and Rayne decided they were going to travel to Europe
for a few months, we threw a goodbye party and burned down the Savage Mansion.
Drake suggested we move into the cabin for a few months, which seems to be doing us all some good. I recall the time I spent here when they’d saved me from Thanos. It was the first time I’d seen Drake after four long years.
He was everything I remembered. Cold, savage, and still as handsome as the moment I’d realized I was in love with him. For years, I prayed for him to find me, and when he finally did, my life took a turn once more. He offered me strength in his own way.
I think if River wasn’t there, he’d still be locked up in the guilt he lived with for so long. He may not have shown it, but it certainly danced in his eyes, like a flame. I watched in awe as each day passed and he allowed me in. He opened his life to me, but it was only when he finally let me into his heart did I really get to know Drake Savage.
He may have killed and maimed in the past — some of it I still don’t know — but I choose not to. I told him it wasn’t important. If he wanted to go back there, to relive it while he confessed, I’d listen, but the man I love is not a monster.
River glances at me through the window, offering a wink as he and his best friend swap mitts. This time, Drake is punching, and I watch with a grin as the two most handsome men I’ve ever laid eyes on workout while I sip my apple juice.
It took some time for me to come to terms with killing my father, but I knew I’d finally set myself, along with my sister, free. She’s finally allowing herself to be happy. Her love for Dante is strong, and he gives her what she needs.
I never knew my sister was into both men and women, but watching her with Rayne and Dante, it’s clear she’s finally found a family she can love. We’ll always love each other, but she needs to be happy on her own now.
I always promised myself I’d free her. And I did. And in the process, I freed us all from the monsters that didn’t just hide under our beds, they lurked within the homes we grew up in, within the lives we thought we were safe in.
My hand gently lands on my stomach, circling the small bump just visible through the tank top I’m wearing. At least I know our baby will grow up in a safe, loving home.
And all I can do is pray the past will stay buried.
Acknowledgments
This was one wild ride, and I couldn’t have done it with a team behind me. With every story I finish, and each time I hit publish, there’s an excitement that doesn’t compare to anything else. Here’s to so many more…
Thank you to my BETA’s—Alicia, Allyson, Cat—you ladies are amazing. I don’t know how I could do this without you!
Candy, my editor who delved into this dark world with me and polished my words, I’m just thankful she hasn’t run yet! ;) Thank you!
My proofreader, Brian Joseph, thank you for your hard work, and thank you to Jo-Anne for being an amazing support.
A huge thanks to my my Angels street team—Tre, Sheena, Sarah, Lisa, Caroline, TJ, Hayfaah, Joy, Cinders, Kathy, Sara, Tanya—thank you for pimping my work EVERYWHERE. You ladies rock!!
To my adult, Diane, thank you for everything! Thanks for keeping me in line and ensuring I don’t completely lose it!
My reader group, The Darklings, as always, you’re the only place I know I’ll find like-minded ladies and a handful of gents who will have a laugh without drama. The group has grown so much and I’m excited for the future! Thank you for being there.
To all my author colleagues, thank you for always sharing, commenting, and supporting me. I appreciate every one of you. Having a support system is important and you ladies provide that and so much more.
Readers and bloggers, from the bottom of my little black heart, THANK YOU. All you do for us authors is incredible. Reading and reviewing is demanding on your own time and you do it with a smile. Thank you so, so much. You are valued and appreciated for taking time out to show us so much love.
If you enjoyed this story, please consider leaving a review. I’d love you forever. (Even though I already do!)
Also by Dani René
Stand Alones
Ace of Harts
Love Beyond Words
Cuffed
Fragile Innocence (A dark ménage romance)
Perfectly Flawed
Taboo Novellas
Sunshine and the Stalker
His Temptation
Austin’s Christmas Shortcake
Crime and Punishment (Newsletter Exclusive)
Sins of Seven Series
Kneel (Book #1)
Whisper (Book #2)
Indulge (Book #3)
Ruthless (Book #4)
The Stolen Series
Stolen
Severed
TBC
Four Fathers Series
Kingston
Four Sons Series
Brock
Carina Press Novellas
Pierced Ink
Madd Ink
Broken Series
Broken by Desire
Shattered by Love
The Backstage Series
Between Love & Fire
Between Lust & Tears
Between Want & Fear
Forbidden Series
From the Ashes - A Prequel
Crave (Book #1)
Covet (Book #2)
About the Author
Dani is an international bestselling author and proud member of the Romance Writer's Organization of South Africa (ROSA) and the Romance Writer’s of America (RWA).
A fan of dark romance that grabs you by the throat and doesn't let go. It's from this passion that her writing has evolved from sweet and romantic, to dark and delicious. It's in this world she's found her calling, growing from strength to strength and hitting her stride.
On a daily basis, she has a few hundred characters, storylines, and ideas floating around in her head. From the feisty heroines she delivers to the dark, dominant alphas that grace the pages of her books, she promises light in a world filled with danger and darkness.
She has a healthy addiction to reading, TV series, music, tattoos, chocolate, and ice cream.
www.danirene.com
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