by Penelope Sky
I froze.
Panic hit me hard in the chest.
There was an intruder in the house, someone violent and aggressive.
I wanted to bolt out the stairs and through the front doors but the man was down there, probably watching exit.
Shit.
Feet sounded on the tile until a man with dark brown hair emerged. He had hypnotic green eyes, identical to his brother’s. Greed shined in his eyes when he spotted me. Violence was written all over his face. Without an explanation, I knew exactly why he was there.
To kill me.
“Black and blue, my ass.” He stopped the end of the stairs, tensing before he made his move.
My heart slammed into my chest and survival mode kicked in. I had to think and think fast. Crow wouldn’t be home for hours so I couldn’t rely on his protection. The only person I could rely on was myself.
“Don’t run. You’ll just make it worse.” He slowly ascended the stairs, his eyes on me the entire time.
“Come near me and see what happens.”
He chuckled. “I forgot how feisty you are. Maybe that’s why he won’t give you up.” He kept moving up the stairs, inching closer to me.
I had no other choice but to run. If I moved quickly enough I could find a weapon. The third floor contained Crow’s bedroom, his study, and the playroom. I would definitely find something to my advantage there.
I chucked my book at him and ran.
“Get your ass back here.”
I sprinted up the stairs as quickly as my body would carry me. When I reached the top there were only two places to go—left or right. Within an instant I made my decision and sprinted down the right hallway and straight into the playroom. By a stroke of luck, it was unlocked.
I burst inside and grabbed the first weapon I could find. A whip was on the ground and I snatched it. I could strike him across the face or choke him with it. I’d killed a man before—and I would do it again.
Cane caught up to me and shut the door behind him, blocking the exit with his back. He eyed the whip in my hand, a dangerous smile on his lips. “What are you going to do with that, sweetheart?”
“Crow is going to kill you.”
“He’s too much of a pussy. He won’t even give you up.”
“Because he’s not a monster.” I held the whip ready, prepared to strike him when he was close enough.
“No. He’s just a lying piece-of-shit. He cares more about getting his dick wet then protecting his own family. Since he can’t do what’s necessary, I will.”
His words fell on deaf ears because I didn’t understand them. All that mattered was surviving. I had to get through this. I had to fight him off until Crow came home. His staff was incapacitated and he would figure out exactly what happened instantly.
“If you surrender, I’ll go easy on you.”
“If you touch me I’ll kill you.”
He chuckled. “You’re on fire, sweetheart.” He faked a sprint to his right then changed his footing at the last minute, coming at me from the left.
I struck him with my whip and snapped him right across the wrist but that didn’t accomplish anything. It didn’t even slow him down.
He charged right into me and pinned me to the floor.
The fight was still in me and I punched him hard in the face, connecting my knuckles against his nose. Blood streamed out and oozed down his face. I punched him again, prepared to kill him.
“Fucking cunt.” He pinned my arms above my head then punched me as hard as he could right face.
I felt my cheekbone crack.
“Black and blue.” He hit me again. “I’m going to make Bones suffer for what he’s done to me. When I’m through with you no one will recognize your face. Bones won’t even want you anymore.” He slammed his fists harder into my face, beating me until blood oozed everywhere.
I didn’t scream.
I didn’t beg.
I didn’t plea.
I would never give him that satisfaction.
He grabbed me by the neck and slammed my head into the floor. “Today is the last day you’ll ever see.”
Chapter Eight
Crow
I drove into the roundabout with such speed that I skid across the pavement and almost collided with one of the pillars of the entryway. With the car still running I jumped out with my gun in my hand.
Lars hit the distress button from the kitchen and alerted the alarm on my phone. I jumped in my car and drove as fast as I could, almost crashing on the way here. Without getting any details I knew exactly what happened.
Cane.
I sprinted into the house and saw Lars tied up on the tile floor right outside the kitchen. He was still breathing but his eyes were closed. “CANE!” My chest swelled with hatred. The adrenaline kicked in as I prepared for the fight of my life. I had to choose Button over my last family member, I would.
Because he crossed a line.
I sprinted upstairs and checked the bedrooms, searching for them. Cane may have snatched her and took her back to the headquarters. Or he may have handed her over to Bones already.
I had to check just in case.
I ran to the third floor and checked every room. The only room that remained was the playroom.
Somehow, I knew he was in there.
I ran to the door and broke it down with my shoulder despite the fact it was a foot thick. Right now I was a ten times stronger than usual. My muscles were twitching and firing at constant speed. My body prepared me for the ultimate battle, the fight that would claim my life or his.
What I saw made me stop in my tracks.
Button lay on the floor covered in so much blood I couldn’t distinguish her features. She was a limp corpse, smelling like death. I couldn’t tell if she was bleeding. Her blood gleamed under the light.
Cane stood there with his head held high. He was caked in her blood. His eyes lacked remorse. Rage was the only feeling he could convey. “Black and Blue, Crow. You should have done this a long time ago.”
Without thinking twice about it, I pointed the gun right at his head.
“Like you would shoot—”
I pulled the trigger and he crumpled to the ground.
My eyes turned to her crumpled mass on the floor. I found her neck and listened to for a pulse, needing there to be some form of life. If she slipped away I would never forgive myself. I already broke my promise to her. Now I would never get the chance to apologize for it.
But it was there—weak and dangerous.
“Button, hold on. I’m here.” I lifted her from the floor and carried her out of the room, leaving my brother to bleed out and die. My rage was quickly replaced with terror. If I didn’t get her to the hospital quick enough she would pass on. I couldn’t lose another person. I just lost Vanessa and now I was going to lose someone else I couldn’t live without.
Button.
***
I got her checked into the hospital and they whisked her off for emergency surgery. If they didn’t perform immediately, she was guaranteed to die. But she was likely going to die anyway.
I paced in the hallway and watched the clock as time stood still. My legs carried me back and forth and my chest ached with every breath I took. If she didn’t make it I wasn’t sure what I was going to do with myself.
I’d probably take my own life.
Hours dragged on indefinitely. I stayed in the exact same spot in the waiting room just in case anyone came looking for me. I didn’t eat or drink. I was exposing myself to my enemies by lingering without my guards but that didn’t matter right now.
Nothing mattered but Button.
***
Ten hours later she was out of surgery.
“How is she?”
“Critical,” the doctor said.
I processed the word without reacting, without feeling. It was just like Vanessa all over again. The pain was too unbearable. If I allowed my body to feel the pain it would shut down forever. “Will she be okay?�
�
He looked at the ground and avoided my look. “It’s too early to tell. She lost a lot of blood. Had a lot of internal injuries. We fixed everything but that doesn’t mean she’ll pull through. It’s a lot trauma for one person to take. It’s all up to her at this point.”
She was a fighter. She would push through. “Take me to her.”
“She can’t have any visitors—”
“Now.”
He didn’t dare defy me after the terrified expression I gave him. If anyone fucked me with right now, he was an idiot. I was delirious with pain and could snap at any moment. “Right this way.”
He guided me to her room, a private room in the corner of the hospital. It had a large bed, a private living room, and a large window overlooking the city. He nodded before he shut the door behind me.
I approached her bed and stood over her. The blood had been cleaned up but she looked half her usual size. Her skin was no longer plump and it was unusually pale. Bruises and cuts still marked her face. It was so bad I couldn’t distinguish her features at all.
I sat in a chair at her bedside and felt the grief creep up my throat. She was in this condition because of me. I shouldn’t have been so arrogant to assume she was safe in my home. She’d already been through so much and now she went through something worse.
I failed her.
My hand found hers and I interlocked our fingers together. It reminded me of the times I held her hand during the drive. Her fingers felt smaller now, lifeless. The affection wasn’t the same. It was like touching a corpse. “Button, I know you can hear me. You’re going to pull through this. You’re strong. You’ve been through worse. Just keep fighting.” I squeezed her hand gently, hoping she knew I was there. “Don’t give up on me.”
***
Two days passed and she didn’t wake up.
I showered in her room and ate whatever the nurse brought for me. I didn’t leave her side because I was too afraid. If I weren’t here to protect her, she would be vulnerable and alone. Even if Bones’s men came with guns I still wouldn’t move. I would cover her body with mine until I was pierced with bullet holes.
I would protect her at all costs.
I hadn’t slept because it was too difficult to close my eyes. I was afraid she might need something. What if she woke up but I wasn’t awake to comfort her? And I knew the nightmares would descend the second I closed my eyes. “Button, keep fighting.” I held her hand like always, wanting her to feel the warm of my skin against her ice fingers. “You’re going to pull through this. I know you are.”
***
It’d been four days since she was admitted to the hospital and there still wasn’t a sign of life. Her bruises hadn’t faded and she still looked like hell swallowed her then spit her back out.
What if she never woke up?
My phone rang in my pocket.
I answered it without looking at the name. “What?”
“It’s Lars, sir.”
“What?” I repeated. I didn’t have the ability to put on a face. I didn’t have the ability to be polite. Everything died within me.
“I just wanted to let you know that Cane just checked out of the hospital.”
He was alive? “Oh.”
“I thought you might like to know.”
If he came here I’d shoot him again—and this time I wouldn’t miss. “Thank you, Lars. How are things at the house?”
“Good. Everyone is okay. We just hope Miss Pearl comes home soon.”
Pearl. It was a beautiful name, one that I never used. “She will. She’ll pull through.” My thumb moved over her knuckles.
“Is there anything I can get you, sir?”
“No.”
“Okay. I’ll be on standby, sir.”
I hung up and shoved the phone into my pocket.
Cane would be stupid to fuck with me right now. I shot him in the arm so I meant business. If he crossed me again I’d make sure that bullet went into his head. Family or not, he shouldn’t have messed with me.
Button suddenly took a deep breath and her eyes opened. She stared straight ahead, the light from the window making her eyes wince. She took another deep breath and her pulse quickened under my fingertips.
Shocked that she was awake, I forgot to speak. “He’s gone. You’re safe.”
She turned to me and narrowed her eyes on my face. She stared at me for several heartbeats, processing her memories and reality at the same time. Her hand moved to her chest and she felt her skin, needing to make sure it wasn’t a dream.
She made it through.
“Crow?”
“Button, I’m here.” I held her hand in both of mine, thankful she was still on this earth. She was still beaten beyond recognition but I recognized her beautiful blue eyes. They looked into mine countless times.
My body reacted in a way I couldn’t anticipate. Tears sprang into my eyes, hot moisture that came from nowhere. They filled my eyes at the sight of her. My sister didn’t make it but she did. I couldn’t handle another corpse in my arms. I couldn’t handle burying another innocent woman. I couldn’t lose someone else...that I cared so much for. “I’m so fucking sorry.”
She didn’t hide her surprise at the tears in my eyes. Her hand reached up and touched my cheek. Her thumb slowly moved to the corner of my eye, the unfailing tear sticking to the pad of her thumb.
I wasn’t ashamed of my emotion. It was the first time I showed it. It reminded me that I was human, that I wasn’t made of solid stone. I had a heart that still worked. Just when I thought nothing was left she filled me with something new—she filled me with hope.
“I hate myself.” I kissed her hand then rested it against my cheek, needing to feel the distant pulse to remain calm. “I hate myself for letting this happen to you.” I kissed her hand again and closed my eyes, steeling my resolve and controlling my composure.
“It wasn’t your fault...” Her voice cracked from not speaking for days.
“Yes, it is.” There was no point in sugarcoating it. “I broke my promise to you.”
“Crow...” She was too weak to speak normally. Normally, her mouth went off a million miles a minute. But now it was slow and quiet. Her lips were chapped from sleeping for so long. “It’s okay.”
“It’ll never be okay.” I’ll never get over this. I’ll never forgive myself for letting this happen. I’ll never forgive my brother for doing this. He beat her so viciously, worse than Bones ever did to her.
“Is Cane dead?”
“No.” I was embarrassed to say otherwise. “I shot him but he just left the hospital.”
“Oh...” She couldn’t hide her disappointment.
“He won’t come near you again. Don’t worry about him.” It was hard to look her in the eye when her face was demolished with bruises. It physically pained me to see it. Not because she looked different—but because she was still in immense pain.
“Can I leave?”
I wasn’t going to make her stay with me. The buttons didn’t matter anymore. She’d been through enough. If she wanted to walk away I wouldn’t stop her. “You’re free to go whenever you wish.” I thought she was safe with me but I quickly learned how incompetent I was.
“So we can go home now?” she whispered. “I hate hospitals...”
We? “You want to go to the estate?” I kept the hope out of my voice. If she asked me to drop her off at the airport right this instant I would.
She nodded. “I want to be in my bed—with my window.”
If that were what she wanted, she would have it.
“I have a room with a private balcony. Would you want to move in there instead?” I should have offered that to her a long time ago.
“A balcony?” she whispered.
“Yeah. You can leave the doors open whenever you want. You could lay out there in the shade.” If she even wanted my room I would give it to her.
After a moment of consideration she nodded. “I’d like that.”
“I’m
going to speak with the doctor and we’ll be on our way.” I kept my hand in hers because it was too difficult to pull away. I didn’t want to leave her grasp, not even for a second. I almost lost her and it was the most painful feeling in the world.
She sensed my hesitance. “I’ll be okay.” She pulled her hand away, taking care of the difficult part for me.
I stood up and leaned over her. My mouth immediately moved to her forehead and I placed a long kiss against the skin. I held the affection for nearly a minute, my heart aching in violent pain. I’d never done such a thing, but it somehow felt right with her.
Like I should have been doing it from the beginning.
Chapter Nine
Pearl
Everything hurt.
Even days after my surgeries I felt weak. My body didn’t work the same way it used to. The strength I once felt in my muscles was absent. If I had to defend myself, I was embarrassed to say I had no chance of succeeding.
I was that broken.
Cane was ruthless. When he got going, he couldn’t be stopped. He wailed on me like I’d done something to him personally. Something in his mind snapped and he beat me to an inch of my life.
When I did nothing to provoke him.
What was his obsession with me? Crow wasn’t going to return me to Bones so why did his brother keep fighting it? What did beating me senseless accomplish? Was his intention to kill me? I honestly thought I was dead. When I opened my eyes in the hospital room I couldn’t believe where I was.
A part of me hoped I was dead.
I’d grown attached to a man who enjoyed hurting me, my own boyfriend sold me into slavery to pay off his own debts, I’d been raped by a madman, and there was no one waiting for me at home.
What was the point?
Crow took me back to his mansion and set me up in the room with the balcony. He carried me in his arms and placed me on the couch he positioned out under the shade. A table laden with books was placed beside it. Instead of having one of his maids attend to me, he stuck by my side. “Is there anything else I can get you?” He placed the armchair beside me and sat down. He wore jeans and a t-shirt, but he held himself with such rigidness it seemed like he was in a meeting. He was on edge every second we were together.