Corrupt Empire Series: A Dark Romance Boxset

by Sarah Bailey

  “Daddy!”

  I ran into the room as fast as my little legs could carry me. He was sitting at his desk, but he pushed his chair back and opened his arms. I launched myself into his lap, savouring the bear hug he gave me.

  “Morning Angel, did you sleep well?”

  “Yes, Mummy said we’re having pancakes this morning.”

  “She did? Well, aren’t we in for a treat?”

  I nodded. He ruffled my hair.

  “You’re getting so big now. Soon you’ll be as tall as Mummy.”

  I grinned, wriggling in his grasp.

  “Will I be as beautiful as Mummy?”

  “Between you and me, I think you’ll be the most beautiful girl in the whole wide world.”

  He looked over my shoulder, smiling.

  “Careful, Mitch, you’ll have her thinking she can take on the world if you start talking like that,” my mum’s voice came from behind us.

  I turned around, sitting in my dad’s lap properly.

  “She will. My little girl is going to do great things. Just no boys, you hear me?”

  “Boys are gross.”

  He ruffled my hair.

  “You’ll change your mind about that one day.”

  I shook my head.

  “No way. Boys are stupid.”

  “Even James?”

  I put my finger on my chin.

  “James is okay.”

  “I thought you didn’t like any boys.”

  “James is my friend.”

  Mum came further into the room.

  “If you don’t come and get dressed, then you won’t get to see James later.”

  I shot out of my dad’s lap, running towards my mum.

  “No, please. I want to see James.”

  She took my hand.

  “Come along then, pancakes will be ready soon.”

  “Will Dante be at James’ when we go?”

  She smiled at me as we walked out of my dad’s office together.

  “I’m sure he will.”

  “He owes me a new Lego set.”

  She raised an eyebrow.

  “Does he now?”

  “Yes. He promised to get me one for my birthday.”

  “Well, I’m sure he will if you’re a good girl.”

  I heard my dad chuckling as we walked out the door.

  ~~~

  I took a shaky step forward, trying to remind myself that was the past. I couldn’t get lost in it. At that moment, all I wanted was my best friend. He’d understand why this hurt me so much. Dredging up memories I wanted to forget. What he didn’t know was what happened that night in the kitchen. He didn’t know I’d watched them die.

  I could do this without James. I could do this without Aiden. I had to stand on my own two feet.

  I approached the first filing cabinet and pulled open a drawer. It would take time to go through the contents of these. I had no idea where he’d have put the paperwork.

  The office was littered with paper by the time I found the folder. My dad had always been one for keeping hard copies rather than relying on computers. I’d found some useful documents other than my trust fund paperwork. I piled up everything I needed into the bag I’d brought with me and carefully put everything else back in its place. I didn’t want to stay here any longer than I had to, so I’d read it back at Aiden’s.

  I shut the office door behind me and walked back down the hallway into the lift. I looked at the portrait of my family one last time before the doors closed. This place could burn to the ground for all I cared. At least I would never have to relive those memories again.

  When I reached the car, John got out and opened the passenger door for me.

  “Did you get what you needed?”

  “Yes, I think so.”

  I strapped myself in and turned to look out the window. I didn’t really want to make small talk. The lingering fear I felt at being back there still threatened to break me. I wasn’t going to let it. Those memories couldn’t hurt me now.

  John thankfully left me to my own thoughts. He dropped me off outside Aiden’s flat, waiting until I got through the door before he drove away. I trudged through the front door a few minutes later. I popped the bag of documents on the kitchen counter before taking off my coat and kicking off my shoes. I hung the coat up on the rack before I walked down the hallway. I came to a standstill when I noticed the cell door was open.

  What the fuck?

  I approached it cautiously, peering around the doorway. Two women were huddled together in the corner. They were barely clothed and had bruises all over their bodies. They both looked at me, fear in their expressions.

  Why were these women here? And where the hell was my boyfriend?

  “Aiden, why are there two women in our flat?” I called out.

  I stepped away from the door, looking down the hall towards the living room.

  “Aiden?”

  I heard a masculine grunt coming from the bathroom. So that’s where he was. I had questions for that man. Bringing home bruised and battered women without telling me. What the hell had he done today?

  I pulled my phone out of my pocket and checked it. There were no messages. He really hadn’t stopped to tell me. I slipped it back in my pocket before striding towards the bathroom. I shoved the door open.

  “You better have a damn good explanation as to why—”

  I stopped in my tracks. He was sitting bare-chested on the side of the bath. The first aid kit was on top of the sink counter. He had a black eye, split lip and a gash down the side of his forehead. He had bruised knuckles and another gash across his chest along with rapidly colouring bruises.

  Oh my god.

  “Aiden, what the hell happened?”

  Chapter Twenty Two

  Aiden

  Today had been a fucking mess from start to finish. I’d lost the plot entirely. Everything ached, especially my head. It had all gone to shit and now, I sorely regretted every moment.

  Avery stared at me with wide eyes. I knew I was in for one hell of a conversation when she got back, but now I really didn’t feel like explaining myself. I was in pain and needed to sort out all this blood.

  She approached me, taking the antiseptic wipe out of my hand and squatting down.

  “Let me do that.”

  I wanted to protest but decided against it. I normally fixed myself up. The look in her eyes told me she wouldn’t take no for an answer.

  I winced as she cleaned the gash on my forehead. She plucked the first aid kit off the counter and dug through it. I’d already looked over the cuts. They weren’t deep enough that they’d need stitches. Besides, it’s not like I would let her take me to hospital if they were.

  “That one,” I said, pointing at the bandages and tape.

  She picked them up and bandaged up my head. Then she cleaned the gash on my chest and taped that up too. Getting a face cloth, she wiped away the rest of the blood and carefully cleaned up my split lip. She packed the first aid kit back up and popped it on the counter.

  “Why did I have to come home to find you beaten up with two half-naked women in the cell?”

  I sighed, looking away from her. I really did owe her an explanation.

  “I got into a fight.”

  “With who?”

  “One of Rick’s friends… Well, technically it was his security guard who did all this, but he looked worse than me. I left him unconscious.”

  She put a hand on my thigh.

  “Why did you go see Rick’s friend?”

  In all honesty, it hadn’t been my intention to go see Robert Bassington at all. It was only after Chuck rang to speak to me about this party for Avery, I found myself frustrated. He’d told me who was meant to attend. It reminded me of Robert and how he’d helped Rick abduct Avery. I wanted to send them both a message. If they went near my girlfriend again, I would have their heads.

  Dealing with the
fact that Avery had to go to her parent’s penthouse today without me and knowing she’d probably relive that night killed me. I’d bottled up all my feelings regarding that and Rick taking her. And now, they’d reared their ugly head making it impossible for me not to completely lose control.

  I really had lost it. Spectacularly. I’d been so angry when I’d got there. So fucking pissed off at the world for making me feel like I couldn’t protect Avery. Making me feel helpless. It was seriously fucked up and I knew it was a mistake.

  “I was pretty sure he helped Rick take you. When I got there, my suspicions were confirmed. He practically laughed in my face when I accused him. He tried to have me escorted out, but you can see how that turned out. I beat the shit out of him and discovered he had two of your uncle’s girls at his house. So I took them.”

  Her expression darkened.

  “Are you insane? What if Charlie finds out about this?”

  “He won’t.”

  “How do you know?”

  “He thinks Chuck sent me.”

  “Aiden…”

  I cupped her face. She didn’t believe me. I’d spun him a story. Chuck would be none the wiser. Besides, Robert wouldn’t want to admit to me beating the crap out of him to anyone. He’d rather save face than show any sign of weakness. And if he did talk, he’d end up in the gutter where he belonged.

  I knew I was trying to justify it all to her even though I’d messed everything up and I didn’t know what to do about it now.

  “Princess, I know it was impulsive. He won’t say anything. I promise we’re safe.”

  “How are we safe, Aiden? We have two women in our flat. Charlie will look for them when he finds out they’re missing. He’ll know who had them last. What the hell are we going to do?”

  I hadn’t really thought that far ahead. I had to take them away from Robert. I couldn’t leave them there to be abused any further. They hadn’t wanted to come with me at first. When I assured them, I would keep them safe, they left with me willingly. I had to do right by them because I could never do right by her.

  ~~~

  Tina held me back. She was lying on the floor, her arms wrapped around her stomach, groaning in agony.

  “Let me go,” I shouted.

  “Aiden, you need to calm down. Your mother needs medical help.”

  “Tina, please.”

  Tears ran down my cheeks. I was only seven and most of our lives had been plagued with this. Some weeks the men didn’t come, but others, like this, they hurt her worse than ever.

  She held my shoulders and squatted down to my level, looking into my eyes.

  “Sweetie, your mum is hurting right now. I know it’s painful to see, but you have to let me help her, okay? Can you do that for me?”

  I just wanted to hold her. She always called me her angel. Didn’t angels look after their charges? Didn’t they save them? But how could I do anything? I was a kid who couldn’t fight back with his fists. Who couldn’t protect his own mother from horrible men and women.

  My shoulders slumped and I looked at the floor.

  “Okay, Tina.”

  She bundled me up in her arms, kissing the top of my head.

  “Be a good boy and get the first aid kit from the bathroom.”

  Tina pulled away, standing up and patting my head. I gave Mummy one last look. Her wracking sobs killed me inside. Turning away, I walked out of the room, determined to help her in any way I could.

  Little did I know in two short weeks, she’d be dead and my world would crumble before my eyes.

  ~~~

  “We’re going to keep them away from him, that’s what we’re going to do.”

  “And where do you suggest we keep them? They can’t stay here with us.”

  I knew that. They’d be better off far away from London where it’d be harder for Chuck to find them. I thought she’d be happy I’d rescued them.

  “We’ll take them to one of my places outside the city. They can stay there until this is resolved.”

  She sighed, pulling away from me. She stood up and paced the room. I’d done something stupid all because I’d kept everything inside rather than admitting to how much her abduction had affected me. I’d allowed my control to slip. Now we had to deal with the consequences.

  “Why did you put them in the cell? They look terrified.”

  “I don’t know.”

  “You know you’ve put us in a dangerous situation, right? We’re already in enough shit as it is.”

  “Did you expect me to leave them there?”

  “No. I would’ve taken them too. Charlie is going to question Rick’s friend. He’s going to ask who took the girls away. What do you think he’ll say when he finds out it was you?”

  She rubbed her face. She was right. I should never have gone to Robert’s. I was just so fucked off with everything. I was fed up with feeling so fucking helpless. So I’d done something about it instead. As idiotic and selfish as that sounds.

  “I’ll sort it.”

  “How?”

  “It’s not for you to worry about.”

  She threw her hands up.

  “What has gotten into you? You’ve been acting all weird since Rick took me.”

  I ran a hand through my hair. Having Rick take her drove me fucking crazy. I just hadn’t realised she’d noticed. I opened my mouth to speak, but she cut me off.

  “Do not tell me it’s nothing, Aiden.”

  “I wasn’t going to.”

  I knew better than to tell her nothing was wrong when that clearly wasn’t the case. I looked away, staring down at the bathroom mat on the floor.

  “Do you know how fucking terrified I was for you? How helpless it all made me feel. I’m meant to protect you, princess. I couldn’t even do that. You were almost assaulted by Tristan and then Rick took you away. It fucking killed me. I couldn’t deal with it. Any of it.”

  I dared look up at her. Her expression softened. She walked over and knelt before me, taking my hands in hers. Admitting this to her was fucking hard. Telling her how it chewed me up inside. How much it destroyed me that she was taken on my watch.

  “Aiden…”

  “I fucking hated it. I lost all my fucking control and did something stupid as shit and I know that. Okay? I know I messed up. All I want is for you to be safe. I dragged you into all of this. I made it dangerous for you. I did this.”

  “You’re not to blame for what happened to me.”

  “I am. Do you know James had a go at me over this whole thing? He told me I shouldn’t have made you get involved and that you had a target on your back because of me.”

  She shifted closer, letting go of one of my hands and reaching up to hold my face instead. Her touch soothed my racing heart a little. The way she was looking at me without any judgement, just compassion, made my chest constrict.

  “He shouldn’t have. You couldn’t have stopped Rick taking me. He was determined to speak to me. You need to stop beating yourself up about this. And you need to talk to me instead of bottling it up. If you’re struggling with something, then tell me. That’s what I’m here for, to listen and help you deal with it.”

  Fuck. My princess. Her words tore at me.

  “I know how much you struggle to let anyone in, but we’re partners, Aiden. We’re in this relationship together. You’re there for me when I need you so let me do the same for you. Don’t think I don’t know how you put aside everything to help me after Rick took me. I was a mess, but you gave me what I needed. You made it okay. Please, tell me what you need.”

  I let go of her hand and crushed her to my chest, burying my face in her hair. No matter how much it pained me to show any weakness in front of anyone, Avery was different. She mattered most to me in this world. She was the one.

  “I just need you,” I whispered. “Just you. The rest of the bullshit doesn’t matter.”

  She wrapped her arms around my back, not complaining abou
t how tightly I held her.

  “I love you so much, princess. I’m sorry I put us in danger again. I’m so sorry.”

  “Shh, it’s okay. We’ll fix it. It’ll be fine.”

  She pulled away, looking up at me.

  “You tell my uncle it was Rick’s friend who helped take me. That’s why you went around his and beat him up. He’ll be happy about that, trust me. He apologised to me today and told me never to marry Tristan or trust the Shaws. If he finds out who helped kidnap me, he’ll be livid. Perhaps enough that he might not notice the girls are gone. That will give us time to get them away from here.”

  Chuck had apologised to Avery?

  “He did what?”

  “He said sorry for what he did when I was a kid. It doesn’t change how I feel about him.”

  I was glad he’d apologised. Still didn’t negate what he’d done. He’d hurt other girls and that was unforgivable.

  “Do you really think he’d be that pissed?”

  “I don’t know, but I don’t have any better ideas. Do you?”

  I shook my head.

  “We just need to keep him away from Rick’s friend long enough for us to work out what our next move is. He’s got a lot on his plate with this birthday event, so we can use that to our advantage.”

  I stared at her. I wasn’t quite sure why I was surprised by her resourcefulness. She’d full on taken charge of the situation. It didn’t bother me. In fact, it was quite the opposite. Seeing her so assertive and in control was hot. Here I’d been all fucked up and unable to think straight and she’d handled it for me.

  Maybe she was right. Maybe I did need to let her in properly. I did want her for life. I could start here, by making sure I learnt how to rely on her just as she’d always relied on me.

  “What?” she said after a few minutes went by.

  “Just you.”

  Her brow furrowed.

  “What about me?”

  I smiled.

  “You’re telling me what to do.”

  She flushed, looking away.

  “Well… I’m just trying to help.”

  “Princess, you’ve more than helped. You’ve worked out a plan. And you’re right, we are in this together. You and me.”

  She shifted on her knees, staring up at me with wide eyes.