Leave Him in Pieces

by August Red

  He’s such a bastard.

  Sitting on his Dyna, his eyes lock on to the house where it all began, looking for the answer, remembering the night that changed everything.

  Judas sits, motionless, his heart aching with regret.

  I should’ve never let you go, Little Bit…

  When he returned home last night, Abruzzi offered to join forces with Judas, just as he’d expected. He’s now a powerful crime lord. He’s right at the top. Judas finally has everything he’s been striving for in life.

  Except…

  Everything he’s done has always been about climbing to the top of the chain and you can’t get more higher than Abruzzi. But when Abruzzi went on about their endless stream of power, all the territory they now owned and controlled, all Judas could think about was how this life isn’t him anymore.

  Not since Belle saved him.

  He sees the world differently now.

  Because of her.

  The crime world is—was—his life. When he left Belle, he truly believed he could return to that life as if nothing had changed. But it has.

  Belle’s kindness, her compassion, her enigmatic beauty—it has all gotten under his skin, seeped right into his very bones.

  Looking up at the attic window, he fantasizes about finding her. Tracking her down—like she had once done with him—to start a new life with her. Maybe that’s what made him detour here in the first place. But he wants the best for Belle. He wants her to move on and go to college, become the best doctor that he knows she will be. And the only way for that to happen, is if he stays away from her.

  He will only drag her down.

  Judas goes to gun up the engine, ready to meet Tate by the—

  The fuck was that?

  The sound of glass shattering stops him from leaving.

  His eyes dart straight up. The attic window has been smashed through. And…

  What in the hell is that?

  A shadow moves in the attic window for a spilt second. He sees a face. The muscles in his arms jump, his hands clamp around the bike’s handlebars.

  Belle... The fuck...?

  A low guttural sound emanates from his throat and he doesn’t wait to think about what to do next. He jumps off his bike and sprints straight to the house. The door is slightly ajar and he enters with caution.

  The house is dark. All the lights are off and he can barely see anything. He draws his gun, hearing a muffled bang from upstairs like something heavy has fallen over.

  Then Belle's scream shatters the silence, breaking something inside of him.

  Belle.

  He tears through the darkness, racing up the stairs, his gun sweeping every corner until he reaches the attic door. He holds his breath when he hears the sound of flesh hitting flesh. Belle screams again and his vision goes red. He tries the handle of the door. It’s locked.

  Fuck!

  Backing up, he kicks the door hard, shattering the frame. The door bursts inward and Judas fills with white-hot rage when he sees what lurks in the attic.

  Emmett Irving is crouching over Belle, clutching a bloody knife in his hands.

  And Belle... she's naked.

  “Judas,” she barely breathes out.

  Her eyes watch him as if she’s seeing a ghost. Her lip is split and she’s bleeding from several visible wounds. Emmett turns his head to look at him.

  Judas has never once run from a fight. He knows how to handle a bad situation; it's what he’s trained to do. He promised to keep Belle safe.

  He isn't about to break that promise today.

  "Get the fuck away from her!" Judas roars, leveling his gun. Emmett smirks, ignoring Judas completely and turns his attention back to Belle. Emmett slips behind her, using her as a shield, and forces her to her knees as he draws the knife to her throat.

  “Belle…” Her name escapes from Judas’ lips before he even feels them move. Emmett’s face twists into a horrifying smile. Belle struggles, but doesn't put up much of a fight. She looks weak, like she’s been drugged.

  "Move back right now or she's dead!" Emmett shouts, dragging the knife down Belle’s throat, his fingers tightening on the handle. Judas stands still, his gun aimed, his eyes searching for a clear shot. Fear tightens in his chest, his heart feels like it’s clamped in a vise.

  He will die before anyone hurts his Belle.

  His Little Bit.

  Judas has thought about this moment many times; the moment where it all ends. He’s been an enforcer for most of his adult life; there’s no way to get around the possibility that one day it will happen in his line of work.

  But Belle… she is what’s worth dying for.

  "Drop the knife," Judas commands. "There's no way you're walking out of here." His finger tightens on the trigger a fraction-of-an-inch. "Let her go now and maybe your death will be short," Judas warns, teeth clenched, his eyes flicking back and forth between Belle and her captor.

  Belle’s eyes are half-lidded, her mouth moves but no sound comes out. Judas concentrates on her lips, trying to understand what she's telling him.

  Shoot.

  She’s begging for him to shoot.

  Judas shakes his head faintly. Fuck, he still doesn’t have a clean shot and there’s no fucking way he’s going to shoot through her.

  "Fuck you! You're in no position to make demands," Emmett seethes, his eyes flashing with contempt. The hand that holds the knife scrapes down to Belle’s left breast, digging into her skin. Her eyes go wide with pain. Then his other hand snakes down across her stomach, slithering lower and lower, until it reaches her opening. He gropes her with his fingers, causing her to cry out. It takes all of Judas’ strength not to charge at Emmett like an angry bull.

  “Don’t,” Judas rasps.

  "I'm the one in charge here," Emmett says, his eyes dancing with excitement.

  Belle looks terrified and Judas feels rage surge through him. The familiar emotion swells through his veins, his blood boils with hatred.

  "You're a dead man!" Judas seethes, his grip on his gun tightening until his fingers are white. "You hear me?" he grinds out. "You're dead!" His eyes lock with Belle’s.

  He feels her—more than hears—speak his name, "Judas..." It comes out like a tiny sob, a desperate plea for help, tearing at his heart.

  Judas tears his eyes away from hers, unable to bare the pain he sees there. Emmett watches him, his eyes glint and his mouth twists in an obscene smirk.

  "She belongs to me," Emmett says, as he drags Belle to her feet and forces her to rise with him.

  Judas feels his stomach lurch at the look on Emmett Irving's face. He looks like a child who’s gotten exactly what they wanted for Christmas.

  Judas’ blood runs cold when a shocked gasp bursts from between her lips. Emmett chuckles, his lips twisting into a demonic smile. "This, should be fun," Emmett continues. “You can watch. Find out what Belle really needs from a man.”

  Judas searches for a clean shot, his lips pursing. Emmett begins to force Belle backwards, closer to the broken window.

  Is he planning to escape through the window? Or… is he going to push Belle out?

  "I will kill you!" Judas roars, his adrenaline running like wildfire.

  This is his worst nightmare come true.

  His father had tied him up at just seven-years-old, forced Judas to watch him rape and murder his own mother. Said it would toughen him up, make him man enough to take over the family empire one day.

  Ever since that dark day, Judas vowed to never let that happen again. He’s trained in firearms since he was thirteen. Moments like these is what Judas Bane is renowned for.

  Judas takes a step forward, his gun extends in front of him, his hand holding the gun steady.

  There is no chance in Hell that bastard will kill her. No chance at all.

  And Emmett knows it.

  Emmett’s head tilts away from Belle’s. Judas has the shot. He lines it up and his finger tightens just as the darkness surrounds his whole world.


  Judas sees it a split-second too late.

  Emmett’s hand seems to move in slow-motion as it arcs down, carrying the knife with it. Judas fires his gun twice, both rounds hitting Emmett in the chest.

  But the damage has already been done.

  Emmett’s face turns to look at Judas, and Emmett actually has the nerve to smirk. Judas fires one last time. This time, the bullet penetrates the center of Emmett’s forehead. He crashes to the floor, his evil smile still splashed across his face.

  Judas looks at Belle in horror, feeling the life drain from him. Belle lays slumped on the attic floor, her blood seeping everywhere.

  And a five-inch blade juts from her chest.

  Chapter Sixteen

  “NO!”

  Judas feels the ground crumble beneath his feet as his world crashes around him. The seconds that pass, as he races to her side, feel like an eternity.

  "Belle!" he cries out, falling to his knees beside her. "Belle, can you hear me?" There is so much blood; her naked flesh is soaked with it. Judas’ hands slide up her arms, slick with blood.

  He’s afraid to move her, afraid the knife may shift. He can’t pull it out. It’s likely that the knife is slowing the blood loss, temporarily capping the wound. Pulling it out will only aggravate it and make her bleed out sooner.

  Belle's eyes flutter open and she gasps, her breathing becoming increasingly ragged. "Judas?" she says, her eyes searching for him.

  "I'm right here," he assures her, taking off his leather jacket and placing it gingerly underneath her head to support her. He grabs the blanket nearby, the same one she had given him, and covers her trembling naked body as much as possible, making sure not to shift the knife.

  Leaning over her, he brushes away the hair that hides her face. "I'm going to call for help," he tells her, reaching for his cell. "Just stay with me. Stay with me, Belle," he says, his voice panicking as her eyes begin to slide shut. “Belle?”

  He breathes a sigh of relief when her eyes once again focus on him. "I need an ambulance at 103 Briarheart Lake. Someone’s been stabbed. We’re in the attic. Hurry!" He tosses his phone aside, ignoring the answering chatter, and returns his full attention to Belle.

  "You… saved me," she croaks, fighting to keep her eyes from closing. She smiles weakly at him, her eyes slipping shut. "I knew you'd… come… for me, Judas..." He feels sheer terror clutch his heart when her head rolls to the side.

  "Belle? Belle?! C’mon, Belle, wake up!" he pleads. "Belle, don't you dare leave me," he orders, his voice rough with grief. “I should’ve never let you go.” He presses his fingers to the pulse-point on her neck, squeezing his eyes shut, praying.

  He hadn't been able to protect her. He'd been forced to stand there and watch as that scum-of-the-earth hurt her. Judas feels a hot tear fall down his face. He’d been so powerless. The terrified, trapped look, she'd had on her face haunts him. Belle’s eyes had pleaded with him to do something—anything—to save her.

  Just like his mother had done…

  It can’t end like this. Not again. Not like this!

  “You can’t leave, Belle. I can’t lose you too,” he whispers, against the softness of her hair. It smells of strawberries. Of innocence and kindness.

  Belle’s the sweet in his life; she dissolves the bitterness inside him.

  Loving her had been unavoidable. It’s just the consequences of his love that he never understood. Falling for her had been devastating enough, but the thought of losing her forever, that is just plain unbearable. If they aren’t meant to be together, then why did Fate have to be so cruel to give him a taste of what their love could be? Looking at her then, he gets it; his heart is truly breaking.

  “I’ll die if I lose you.” He feels her pulse beneath his fingers and the air caught in his throat exhales deeply. Belle is going to survive this. She isn’t going anywhere.

  “Olivia…” she whispers. His heart leaps, his chest tightens. “She… she was your mother.”

  Judas closes his eyes, feeling the ice melting, seeing the dreadful memories of the night that burned his very soul; the pain, the anger, all contained inside, with nowhere to run and nowhere to hide

  Except with Belle.

  Opening his eyes, a tear falls. “I miss her, Belle. I miss her so much.” He has never spoken about his mother to anyone. Ever.

  Judas feels like he’s just opened the door to his soul with his dying angel.

  Belle has to live; he wants to give more of himself to her, like never before.

  “I should have saved her…” he murmurs. “It was all my fault, Belle.”

  “No it wasn’t…”

  “You don’t understand… I… I let her out. I wasn’t supposed to let her out…” His voice is barely above a whisper.

  “Judas…”

  “My dad locked my mom inside the house. She was never allowed out. One day she begged me to show her the stars. She wanted to go outside. I thought… I thought it would be okay… but he found us… He found us and then he killed her to punish me… It was all my fault…” The heart-wrenching agony of that day consumes his body and tears flow down his cheeks, unrelenting.

  “No… No, don’t blame yourself for what your father did… No matter what… You’re beautiful, Judas… So… beautiful… I have to look away from you sometimes… like you’re… not real.”

  Nearly breaking apart, he finds courage from within her words. “I’ve tried… tried to forgive myself for not saving her but… the things I’ve done since then…”

  Coughing, she replies, “You’ve more than made up for any past mistakes with me.”

  “I was wrong.”

  “You’re never wrong.” She smiles, but Judas can see that she’s in so much pain.

  She’s dying.

  God, he loves Belle so much it hurts. He loves how strong she’s been through every hardship she’s suffered. Her beauty holds no boundaries. He can’t help but smile at her strength, though it fades quickly as his features turn dark once more.

  Judas feels like he’s about to burst out of his skin. She hasn’t moved in the past minute, her breathing quiet. His face is set in stone and his eyes, his ears, his mind, and his heart, all lock to her.

  The attic is bathed in the soft glow of the moonlight that clings to the floor around her. Dust particles twinkle like falling stars on top of them, and his heart clenches in his chest when he realizes she’s wearing his silver cross.

  The one his mother had given to him.

  Every day, since it’s been missing, it’s pained him that he’d lost it. But looking down, seeing it glimmer around Belle’s neck, the cross is exactly where it belongs.

  As he takes in the sight of her, it gnaws at him, slowly, painfully inside. Bruises cover her. Her wrists are red and swollen. His eyes travel over her, catching on to where the knife pierces her heart.

  Beauty dying beneath him.

  And there’s nothing he can do.

  He wants to kill Emmett Irving all over again. But he's dead. He can never hurt Belle again. Judas closes his eyes for a second, taking a deep breath. But his mind tortures him with images of Belle being stabbed, reliving the horror again, and he opens them immediately.

  Her eyes gradually open, their brimming with fear as though for a moment she believes she’s still trapped in the attic with Emmett. Alone.

  “It’s okay, Belle, I’m here. He’s gone. He can’t hurt you anymore. I promise, I won’t let anyone hurt you,” he soothes, gently stroking the side of her face.

  "Judas…"

  Bending his head down, his lips brush across her forehead. "It's just me, Little Bit." He wants to touch her all over, to make sure she really is breathing, really is alive. He wants to see the vanilla return to her skin, the familiar shade of rose to come back to her lips.

  A heart-wrenching sob rips from her throat, "Judas?" Her voice moves him, breaks him. He makes a sound deep in his chest as he watches what little color remains drain from her. The darkness of t
he attic merging with the brightness of the moonlight, almost makes her appear like a ghost.

  Even in death, Belle is breathtakingly beautiful.

  But he refuses to let her go.

  Judas will fight Death himself to keep her alive.

  “Emmett—”

  “He’s dead.” The fear vanishes from Belle’s eyes as soon as they look up at him, and it’s replaced with something so intense, it shakes him to the core. He watches her eyes spark for a second before sadness consumes her.

  “I… I thought I lost you,” he says, the words choking out amidst the anguish as his body starts to tremble and his legs shake. He moves his hand from her hair and adjusts the blanket on her. Her hand comes up and brushes along his neck, cupping the curve of his jaw. He fights the emotions that assault him, the ones that have been plaguing him since he watched her fall to the attic floor.

  He should be the one to die. Not his Belle.

  When his eyes meet hers again, he sees the tears reflected there, the pain, the sorrow, the grief. He leans down, kisses her softly on the lips, taking her quaking ones with his own, giving in to the desire that curls up inside of him.

  "You came back… for me," she whispers, as he pulls away. Christ, he loves that angelic voice of hers. Warmth fills his stomach, even despite it sounding coarse and low.

  “Help’s coming, Belle. You’re gonna be okay. But you have to hold on. Just hold on. Please.”

  “I don't need anyone… but you, Judas.”

  “I’m no good for you.” His voice trails off and his face falls to the side, turning away from her, feeling more tears invading his eyes. “You deserve the world.”

  What the fuck is wrong with me?

  He needs to be strong. For Belle’s sake.

  "I'm okay, Judas… When you’re with me… I'm always going to be okay," she says, tenderly. “Emmett… he was from my world... Don’t you get it?”

  "I left to keep you safe," he whispers, the emotions inside of him too much to bear. "But I left you all alone and…" The guilt begins to consume him and he can’t see a way out from the hell that churns inside his head. “If I hadn’t left you…” he murmurs, as he brings her hand that still caresses him to his lips, his words quiet against her soft skin. “…If I’d kept you safe from the start you wouldn’t have gotten hurt.”