Hard as Steel: Book four ( Surviving Series )

by Virginia Wine

  “After what, Grace?” he rested his forearms on his knees, ready to carry the burden I held for so long.

  “After the monster, he would be filled with remorse. I was his to cherish, his to fuck, his to break and his to heal as a virgin, untouched. I had no compass to steer me to what was thought as normal or perverse.” I became too overwhelmed to speak, removing the main obstacle would come at a price. Vane would be held accountable. Whether dead or alive.

  “I didn’t know the word, I should have but when does a seventeen-year-old girl explore the world of dominance, I was now a willing participant as a submissive. These new perverse feelings and sensations were unlike anything I’d experienced; I craved his darkness. I was a prisoner in that house of horrors, and what had happened was unspeakable.”

  I could sense the key parts of Theo’s mind working, the pendulum swinging in time. Energy to power the mechanism; his gears winding up to drive at the right speed. The injustice registering. The word rape floating in his mind, unafraid to use it if needed.

  “Where were your Mom and Dad during all this?” I never deserved love, it was proven by my parent’s lack of interest, the few visits that had taken place were supervised, and I was their shining pupil their pride in my success blinded them of the truth I was living.

  “They’re living out their own dreams somewhere out in the world.”

  The dark urge lurks around unsuspecting corners awaiting his opportunity to strike. Like a sword buried deep within my heart. But it’s far too late for regrets now that freedom was here.

  “How did you get away, Grace?”

  “I wasn’t the first young girl who lived in that house, Dr.” I swiped at the tear tracking down my face. “I wasn’t the first to witness the rage, the violence.” Reaching for a tissue, the tears were mixed with anger and regret. “You never actually know the reasons why people do the things they do. It all came to a head one night, not long ago.” The night I ran.

  “My mind had left me, he had broken my soul shattered it to pieces. Running through the wooded forest, chaos swirling in my head. The night turned cold dressed only in the thin cotton dress. The fear grew one agonizing step after another. I couldn’t bear to be disregarded like trash. I woke to the whisper of birds singing in the sky and squirrels in the trees scurrying to the ground. My hand softly touched the skin around my eye, I could feel the swelling, the protruding lump of pain throbbing intensely, I couldn’t count the bruises, the marks. My head hit the floor bashing hard against the tile floor, a knot the size of Kansas throbbed and pulsed.”

  My heart picks up as I take a much-needed breath. “I understand why you let yourself push those memories down, bury them, but now you need to feel them, remember them, Grace.”

  “But, I wasn’t safe, I had to keep on the move. The road, deserted and turning into gravel. I ignored the fear and pushed on desperately. Crossing the path into freedom. The concrete and brick of the city brought a safer environment to disappear into. The scuffle of patrons their heads bent low buried in their phones, never noticing my dishevelment. The next alley I was certain he was on my heels, so I ducked safely around the side of the building, paranoia licking at my heels.”

  “You felt he was still chasing you?” A quite unsettling undertone was heard that Theo couldn’t hide.

  “Regret, the poison of sinners, I should have run long before that night.” Feelings of despair that can’t be explained. “I lived a hollow life, it’s like no one cared.”

  “Grace, in almost every case of psychological abuse, physical aggression between intimate partners is a precursor to physical violence. But you know that now, don’t you?” He ran a nervous hand threw his hair. “I’m sorry, continue.”

  “The night I met Steel and Elijah, the dark clouds rolled overhead, lifeless as another night approached. Concealed by calculated lies, covered by the mask he put in place, conveniently oblivious to the pain he caused. Ready to swallow me up in its grand cocoon. But the weather shifted. A storm was brewing, lightening streaked across the dark leaving only a ghost in its wake. Figures scurry, ignoring the surroundings, as panic began to set in as my memory faded into darkness. I was covered in blood, hurt, and terrified.”

  “Grace, I understand how the distressing memories had become blocked, protecting you from the anxiety, fear and the recollections of violence forced upon you. It’s how you survived. The truth revealing a portion at a time. The trust issues alone are overwhelming, it’s taken time to regain control again.”

  “I’m coming back to life now, with Elijah’s help. Tragedy brought us together, and I’ll be there for him through his injury.” I tuck one foot under and curl into the chair, already feeling lighter than I have in weeks.

  “Grace, I’m only sorry we can’t charge Vane with attempted murder, but know justice has its own reward, he’s in hell, among the other monsters.”

  “Dr. Grant, Vane delighted in the taste of my pain, it was the way he was. Sexually.” Shrugging my right shoulder slightly uncomfortable with the personal nature I’d come accustomed to. “But he would never have wanted to kill me.”

  “Then who?” He asks sharply. “Who were you running from that night?”

  “A savage who wants nothing more than to bury me, like all the others-. Godfrey”

  I witnessed Theo’s mind spinning in circles. Confused, the cold-hearted truth slapping him in the face. Completely lost for words. “Why?”

  “Because I knew the truth.”

  Detained, they call it. I haven’t had time to recover from the shock of being held let alone possibly charged. But here I am behind bars staring at four dingy white walls. What will happen next, I didn’t know exactly. I rub my hand over my chin, the stubble prickly and rough. So many unanswered questions adding to my nightmares.

  I can’t shake the image of Flynn lying there, shot and bleeding out. My greatest professional failure, and with a heavy sigh visions of Flynn’s lifeless body flash before me, drowning in guilt. I ruin everything I touch. I was helpless, imprisoned, locked up like a caged animal trying to harness the rage stampeding through my veins.

  And there sits my life to judge or be judged, nothing can save me now.

  “You have a visitor.” The agent says pulling me out of my self-contained misery, on this side of the bars. My heart is pounding like hail against the glass as she makes her way down the hall. I could sense her reluctance as she froze, gazing through the barriers. It can’t get any worse than this. I can feel her inner conflict like a hot poker in my gut. I feared every nuance of my existence was about to be altered. Feeling as if she was now a stranger before me. A new degree of distance settled in her eyes a flash, a warning. What if she doesn’t believe me.

  “Officer.” She yells, yet her gaze never waivers from mine. “Let me in.” The man scurries down the hall and within seconds she’s inside. She cocks her head, but I can barely look at her with pity in her eyes.

  “Are you okay?

  “I’m fine, I’ll be out of here in no time.”

  “You don’t know that.” Disappointment spread across her face, as it nearly stops my heart. Her anger had begun to soften. “Why-”

  “You of all people should understand.” I cut in. “I couldn’t run the risk of tarnishing your reputation. Until I had evidence, the five hundred-thousand-dollar deposit had to remain between my team.”

  She touches my shoulder. “Oh, for God’s sake Steel, look where it’s got you?” Tears fall at once, and for the first time I witness the tender side hidden by years of veiled emotions. I’d fork over my own beating heart to calm the storm within her, the one I created.

  My throat grew thick “Don’t Nick.”

  “Just promise me no more secrets.”

  “No more secrets.”

  But for this one moment, there was a secret waiting to unfold. I’ve never been in love before, not like this, not pure unadulterated love. I’ve said the words but I’ve yet to show them. She’s the first woman who is strong enough, e
quipped enough to be my equal, to anchor me. She’s all I have, she’s all I’ll ever want. I think about her constantly. When was the last time I had kissed her, touched her, taken her. And what I’d give to hear those words returned, now. But this wasn’t the time or the place. That’s what falling for an FBI agent will get you.

  “Once we get the coroner’s report back we’ll know more.”

  “Maybe.” I whisper my hands itching to touch her.

  “Here at the FBI we are graced with the most comprehensive forensic laboratories in the country.” She offered. “We have to know what happened, find out who shot who and why.”

  “And Flynn?”

  “No change.” The words like burning coal in the pit of my gut. “I’m sorry, Steel.”

  Life unjust at times, not for a single moment did I ever envision myself on this side of the bars. And Flynn, he was only following orders, my orders. Our last moment, the headwound, he had a gash a gaping wound where blood pooled on the wooden floor like a halo of death. Disturbing, brutal, barbaric.

  “You said so yourself, you’ve been framed.”

  “Face the facts Nick, it might not keep me out of prison.”

  She regains her composure, as the guard returns. “Times up.” Reluctant to let her go my chest tightens and in a few short minutes, she’s gone. I’m left with the light across her face streaming in through the hall window causing her hair to shimmer. Her mouth tightens before she turns, leaving me to embrace my destiny and an agonizing emptiness.

  “Convenient if you ask me.” Alex says, as he paces the room awaiting the arrival of the holy grail of lawyers. Edward Jacobson, criminal attorney.

  “Stop with the pacing, you’re driving me insane.” Wreaking havoc on my nerves. At this rate I’ll be a mess before the real fun starts. The room was too small for the intensity residing deep within me. The ache in my chest tightens as the door is unlocked, and in walks Edward Jacobson, he’s larger than life in his three piece suit and salt and pepper hair. He’s carting two cases of files behind him when his deep brown eyes peer into mine.

  “Mr. Archer.” Extending his hand as we shake, his firm grip as confident as his reputation. “Stone.” Acknowledging Alex. “It’s been a long time.”

  “It has.” Alex says. “But we needed the best.”

  “That’s a matter of opinion.

  “And Gloria Allred wasn’t available.”

  “Uh huh,” his smile wavers as we gather around the table “Details continue to surface.” he says, resting the piles of paperwork on the table. “Cooperating with the Feds was a good move, but that stops now.”

  “Stop? How will that help?”

  “That’s my job now.” Reaching in the inner pocket of his suit for his Montblanc pen. “There seems to be some jurisdiction issues between the prosecuting attorney office, and the FBI. Were you aware?” Never wavering, his gaze buried in his notes. My eyes lock on Alex as he shakes his head.

  “No.”

  “You have not been formally charged.” I watch as he expertly runs over the case against me. “It just so happens they can hold you up to ninety-six hours.” Hoping that’s not the case. It was as if he understood what was on the line, of course he did. He’d had plenty of opportunities to master the law, specifically the criminal aspect. He was quick, he was pushy he was all business. I guess that’s what it takes to be the best.

  “The FBI have been using a secret scoring system to judge the likelihood that someone will carry out a violent attack. Called the “Indicators of Mobilization to Violence.”

  “Indicators?”

  “Profiling, basically. You don’t fit the points based on religion, travel, physical appearance. But here’s where it gets a little sticky, it’s the financial transaction, wired from another country.”

  Jacobson rests his pen on his legal pad, there must have been ten pages scribbled on it already. Then leans back, he didn’t so much as bat an eye, his sharp gaze riveted on my every move.

  “I have obtained and reviewed all "Discovery", including: police reports, and the one witness’s statement, the photographs and other material provided by the Prosecutor. But I want to hear it from you.” He asks calmly.

  “We got a lead, a good one. Evidence connected to a murder.”

  “We, as in…” Flipping back a few pages. “Elijah Flynn?”

  “Yes.”

  “Uh huh, go on.”

  My mind is racing I’m the reason this all went down. I rehash the entire event, recalling a few details I’d missed during the interrogation with the FBI. Complex factors coming to light, searching for something solid to help pin point my innocence, and give a viable option as to why this happened. I’m not willing to give up the fight, I knew who was behind this, what I needed was for Edward Jacobson to prove it.

  “And the money?”

  “I had gotten snagged in Carrington’s web. Find the twisted fuck, find Carrington and you’ll have your answers.”

  I should have known this could be a possibility, being framed given Carrington’s reputation, and past actions. He thrives on revenge; his monstrosities and worldwide connections gives him unlimited access.

  “Carrington, he knows what he’s doing.” Alex adds. “This is as real as it gets, he’s still at large, and potentially dangerous to all involved. Make no mistake, the man’s a killer.”

  “You believe there’s a connection between Vane and Carrington?”

  “I don’t know.” I say. “Criminals are good at hiding who they really are, and he’s the best of the worse.”

  It was only a matter of finding him. I’d make him talk, make him squeal. The fucker had me chasing my own tail. I won’t rest until I’m free and he gets what is coming to him.

  “My men.” I snap, “Not just any victims here, they were my brother’s all killed in cold blood. He was snuffing out my men, one by one, all basically found in the same manor. He’s the scum of the earth, with deep pockets. But we knew there wasn’t enough to charge him.”

  “Guys a fuckin’ coward if you ask me.” Alex adds. “We can’t catch him with the goods.”

  “The way I see it, it’s all trickling down to the money. Five hundred thousand dollars screams guilty. Federal law enforcement agencies only investigate a crime if there is reason to believe that the crime violated federal law. FBI is the lead federal agency for terrorism cases. I don’t see you as a federal threat.” He says gathering his paperwork. “My evaluation of the evidence is, they have no case. The only witness testified he shot first. You were forced to act. You fired in self-defense. The witness has already been released.”

  My gut instantly twisted. “Let go?” Fury erupts in my voice and my pulse roars. “He shot Flynn, who’s lying in a hospital bed barely hanging on as we speak. How could he have that kind of pull?” Cutting a vicious look straight through him.

  “I couldn’t agree more, but I’m your attorney, not his. I’m going to get you out of here. Trust me Mr. Archer, I’ll show you leverage.”

  My freedom is on the line. “I’m banking on the fact that can apply enough pressure to make it happen.” The seconds flew by, the man would have to pull off a miracle. He was so adamant. Hell, maybe he could.

  “You can trust me.” The smile fades from his lips, but my instinct tells me he’s capable. As if turning it around to be something else entirely. The weight lifted, dare I believe I could be in the clear? I believed he could make it happen.

  And as luck would have it, I awake to the sound of keys rattling and the sweet clang unlocking the bars that held me prisoner.

  “You’re free to go.”

  “Just like that?”

  The voice belonging to non-other than the attorney general, Andrew Quentin, who appears agitated. “Edward Jacobson, pulled some strings or lined some pockets. That’s all I can figure.” His three-piece suit tailored to perfection, but the sneer in place exposing his temper brewing as he opened the door to my freedom.

  “Don’t think you’re off the ho
ok, Archer. If I ever get wind of the fact you’ve crossed the line, I’ll be on you like stink on shit.”

  “You can forget about a career at Hallmark.”

  He didn’t look away, how could he?

  The venomous gaze penetrating as if a rattle, a highly effective warning sign, signaling predators to tread lightly. The hiss heard, as they lie in wait until a victim comes along. I wouldn’t be his next victim. Guy’s a snake. Gathering my personal effects, I slip past him refusing to be intimidated. The guard ushers me to the door. My first steps were of the sunlight filtering through the tree. The air was cool and lingered in my bones, clinging to my escape from prison. I made a call to Alex who was already on his way. He brought the car to a screeching halt, I climbed in to see his slanted smirk.

  “That went well.”

  “It was just another ordinary day.”

  “Where to?”

  “The hospital.”

  The air still, the odor medicinal. I could hardly breathe my chest was so heavy as I watch from the fringes of the room staring at his lifeless body. Flynn, the tubes and monitors chiming in unison. As Grace and Nick’s brother, Will, sat on opposing sides of the hospital bed. Neither of them said a word.

  “Will…” the strapping young man is now in the police academy, but his torn jeans and T-shirt telling me this isn’t training today. “It’s a surprise to see you here.”

  “Nick asked if I would give Grace a ride home.” A shy smile spread across Grace’s face.

  “Grace, how is he?”

  “The same.” She replies calmly, tucking her hair behind her ear. “The medically induced coma order has been lifted. They stopped the sedation, but it’s no guarantee he will wake up quickly.” And for a split second I could swear I saw his index finger move. Or was it wishful thinking.

  “His finger-.”

  “The doctor explained a coma patient may exhibit spontaneous movements, a jerk or a shake. But will have no conscious response to external stimuli. We’re not to take these movements as a sign he’s coming out of the coma.”