by Fawn Bailey
I made myself stay calm until they were gone, but once the door shut behind them, I roared to life, slamming my fist into the wall and staring blankly at my even more fucked up knuckles and the hole I'd made in the wall.
"Fuck," I cursed softly, then turned around, sitting behind my desk.
The chair was still warm from my father's body sinking into it with a sense of ownership he had no right to, and my blood boiled at the thought of him. I needed to do something now, needed to know what exactly had happened when he was in the room without me there.
I scrolled through my computer until I found the video feed from the security cameras.
My fingers felt stiff as I clicked on the footage, my lips forming a thin line as I watched the events of the past few hours unfolding on the screen before me.
Dad's car pulled up in front of the house, where he was greeted by my guards. I could see their hesitation, but I could also see my father charming his way through the ranks, convincing them of the shit he'd give them, or, in the same syrupy-sweet voice, telling them how badly he was going to hurt them and everybody they loved if they didn't do what he said.
Slowly, he made his way into the house.
He ran into Ginger first, and my heart swelled with pride watching the little blonde trying to defend Ophelia. She stood in front of my girl's bedroom for ages, arguing with my father on the silent video. I wished for the umpteenth time the cameras had sound and promised myself I'd get the upgrade installed as soon as possible.
Finally, my father unceremoniously pushed Ginger to the side, and she fell to the ground, grimacing when she hit her arm and holding onto it with her eyes begging him to stop.
But he wouldn't.
Ignoring the young woman completely, my father walked into Ophelia's bedroom, and I switched the feed from the hallway to the room he'd entered.
I watched Ophelia stir awake, and the second she saw who was in the room, climb the headboard of her bed, her frightened eyes glancing at my father. She grabbed a lamp on her nightstand as a makeshift weapon and my piece of shit father laughed at her, knowing she wouldn't be able to overpower him.
I watched him talking to her, Ophelia's face changing from fear to anger, and finally, a blind, red-hot rage.
But she didn't move, didn't attempt to attack him, even though her knuckles turned white from holding onto the lamp so tightly. Her face paled and then paled some more as my father spoke to her, and when he approached her, she was white as a ghost.
His fingers sought out her cheek and I roared in anger as he stroked her pale skin.
I half-expected her to defend herself, bite him or try to get away, but she merely stared at him, not saying a word.
The thing that sick prick did next chilled me to the bone.
He cupper her chin and forced her to look right at the camera, grinning widely and giving the lens a little wave.
He knew I was going to catch this.
His visit hadn't been about intimidating Ophelia.
It had been about putting me in my place and letting me know I'd never be able to take him the fuck down.
But that's where he was wrong.
I had every intention of getting rid of my father...
Chapter Fourteen
Ryker
I called Thorn for backup.
I was so worried about my own reaction to the video, I knew I needed somebody to advise me and help me get through the fucked up shit my father was putting me through. I also thought seeing Rose would be good for Ophelia. I knew they'd gotten along well at the Mansion from what I'd heard, and I hoped that Rose would be able to bring Ophelia out of her shell a little more.
It was only a day after the episode with my father, and I hadn't seen Ophelia since Ginger had let her out of my study. I knew she wasn't doing well though, and from what Ginger had told me, she'd retreated even farther into the recess of her own mind than last time. I was desperate to break the cycle, to finally get Ophelia back, so I did the only thing I thought would help - I called for backup.
Thorn and his Rose arrived on a sweltering hot afternoon, and I greeted them rigidly, too worried about the whole situation to think about pleasantries.
"Where is she?" Rose asked in her sweet, calm voice.
"She's in her bedroom," I replied. "It's been damn near impossible to get her out of there. She's been in hiding. I'm afraid my father coming here has fucked her up more than I'd care to admit."
"Don't worry." She squeezed my palm, her fingers pleasantly cool. "I'm here to help. I've been through this, and I know what to do."
I gave her a thankful smile and another one to Thorn before leading them to the living room.
"Would you like to go see her?" I asked Rose. "She's probably with the girl who's taking care of her, Ginger."
"I would love to," she replied with a smile. "I'll try to bring her down here."
I nodded and motioned for one of the maids to take her upstairs. Once I was alone with Thorn, I took a deep shaky breath and asked him if he wanted a drink. He agreed though it seemed like it was only for my own benefit. Still, I was grateful for his courtesy. My fingers trembled as I prepared our drinks, carrying Thorn's glass over to where he was sitting.
We both drank from out glasses, and as the burning liquid slid down my throat, I managed to relax a little, sitting up straight in my armchair.
"This is weighing on you pretty heavily," Thorn remarked, his eyes meeting mine. "It's obvious, so don't try to deny it."
"Would be pretty hard to lie to you," I laughed nervously, toying with the lemon slice in my glass. "I... I care about her deeply. More deeply than I'd be willing to admit, not just a couple of years ago, but especially now."
"Because she's in love with someone else?" Thorn asked, and I glared at him before nodding.
He really wasn't one to watch what he was saying, and though I respected that about him, sometimes it felt like a wake-up call.
"I know you're in touch with both me and Kain," I said openly. "I don't expect you to pick sides."
We were silent for an excruciatingly long moment before I picked my next words.
"I just think he isn't good for her," I finally managed to say. "He's hurt her so fucking badly. She might never recover from what he's done to her, and I'd never be able to forgive myself if I played a part in all of it."
"I understand," Thorn nodded. "But you also need to know when to take a step back, Ryker. She chose him several times, but it was his decision to bring her here, not hers. Do you think she would have chosen to be with you instead of him if she'd been given the choice?"
I stared at him, my heart beating a little too fast as I pondered his words.
I didn't particularly want to admit it, but a part of me agreed with the man sitting opposite from me. I'd seen Ophelia exhibit her feelings for Kain several times, and I was pretty much convinced if he hadn't fucked her up, she'd pick him again and again. Still, what he did to her, how he treated her, changed things for everybody. And I wanted her to know I was there for her if she changed her mind.
"What about the other girl?"
My eyes snapped to Thorn's again, and I furrowed my brows in confusion.
"The girl who's taking care of her," he said, giving me a wicked grin. "She's pretty, isn't she?"
"She's a kid," I muttered.
"She's only a year younger than Ophelia," he reminded me.
"She's got a stupid fucking crush on Kain," I managed to get out through gritted teeth. "Don't they all."
Thorn laughed, shaking his head.
"I think you're closing your eyes to the possibility of the two of you," he finally told me. "Maybe there's more there than you'd care to admit. And maybe you're ignoring it because you're so focused on Ophelia. But maybe the truth's been staring you right in the eyes for a while now, and you're just refusing to see it."
I didn't like what he was implying, and I was about to retort when I heard voices in the hallway. We both looked at the entrance to the living
room and I couldn't stop the smile fighting its way onto my face.
The three women stood in the doorway - Thorn's Rose, beautiful and elegant, Ginger, sweet and much too innocent, and Ophelia, with her haunted eyes that were looking right at me.
It was the most I'd gotten out of her in a while, and I was also happy to see her wearing a pretty broderie Anglaise white dress.
"Come on, let's go sit by the window," Rose said easily, and the two women followed her inside the room.
They settled in the sitting area by the bay window, Ophelia on the window seat and the other two women in the armchairs across from her. Ginger picked up a glossy magazine from the coffee table and busied herself by flipping through the pages while Rose focused her full attention on my woman. Ophelia's eyes flitted from mine to Thorn's until she finally focused her attention on Rose, offering her a small smile that meant everything in the world to me. I hadn't seen her smiling in so long.
"Would you like a drink, Ophelia?" Rose asked, and my girl shook her head.
A reaction. It fucking meant everything in the world to me to see her do that.
Rose started chatting to her, just filling her in on everything that had been going on, saying this and that to fill the silence, and Ophelia followed the conversation closely, shaking her head and nodding, even smiling, at all the right places. My heart soared watching her.
I spoke to Thorn, who did his best to distract me even though all I wanted to do was stare at Ophelia, who seemed even more ethereally beautiful in the daylight, her skin so pale it was almost translucent and her lips tempting me more than ever as they stretched into a smile.
"I brought you a present," Rose finally said. "I hope Ryker agrees that I can let you have it."
"Let's see it," I said, nodding to give her permission.
Rose dug around in her designer purse and smiled sweetly as she pulled out a gun.
I paled as she presented it to the room, and even Ginger pushed away her magazine to focus her attention on what Rose was doing.
"It's a Glock," she said in her kind voice. "But I had it customized for you. See?"
Her long, pale fingers slid along the sides of the gun where a rose was engraved.
"Something to remind you of me," she giggled, and at that moment, she truly reminded me of just how young she really was.
I glanced at Thorn to find him staring at her affectionately, and my heart swelled with the love the two obviously had for one another. I wanted exactly the same thing with Ophelia, and it was killing me knowing that she might not ever be ready, or even want that kind of relationship with me.
"Thank you."
Ophelia's words rang out in the room, rendering our little group silent.
She reached out for the gun, taking it from Rose's outstretched fingers and weighing the small weapon in her hands. She smiled to herself as her fingers slid along the rose on the gun, and she looked up at me the next second, her eyes wide, obviously asking for permission to keep it.
I felt the weight of the world on my shoulders.
On one hand, I didn't want her having a weapon. It was too fucking dangerous to let her hold onto it.
But the other part of me was eager for her to have something she could use in self-defense. Having seen my father waltzing into the house as if he didn't have a care in the world filled me with so much fucking rage. And I wanted Ophelia to be able to protect herself if it came down to it.
I gave her a barely there nod, and she beamed with happiness, hugging Rose.
"I'll teach you how to fire it," I said rigidly. "There's a shooting range on the property. I'll take you there tomorrow."
She took me by surprise by neatly setting the gun down on the coffee table and walking over to me, wrapping me up in a shy, but honest hug. I fought the urge to cling to her curves, instead just holding onto her gently, as if she might break if I squeezed too hard. She pulled back after a moment, and my eyes lingered on her retreating form as she sat back down.
I was going to keep my word and teach her how to shoot.
But first, I was just going to enjoy the afternoon in the company of my friends, and my girl, who was finally starting to feel like herself again.
The sound of her first shot rang out in the garden, and a flock of birds took off from a nearby tree, flying away from the intruding noise.
"Good," I complimented Ophelia. "You're a natural."
She beamed at me, and even though she didn't say a word, my heart swelled with pride when I saw her taking on my instructions.
"Try balancing yourself like this," I told her, showing her how to stand to get a more accurate shot and adjusting her aim. "It's going to be much easier to hit a moving target if you shift your weight."
She nodded, and I took a step back, waiting for her to fire again.
This time, she hit the target I'd set out for her.
Maybe I was a sick fucking bastard, but I couldn't help putting my father's face on the bullseye. At first, Ophelia had giggled, but I could tell what I'd done filled her with righteous rage and only made her more determined to learn how to shoot and take the piece of shit down.
I spent the morning teaching her how to shoot, and by the time we were done, my father's smiling, slimy face had more than just a few shots in it.
Ophelia seemed pleased with her own progress. I showed her how to clean and polish her gun and we stayed in the garden until the sun became too hot to handle it. Then, I walked her back into the house to spend some time with Ginger while I focused on work.
She surprised me by leaning closer, her lips gently brushing my cheek in a kiss I had no idea was coming. I stiffened, my hand lingering on the small of her back, desperate to bring her closer but too worried I'd freak her out if I did.
She offered me a big, courageous smile after, took her gun from my hands, and ran up the stairs to where her friend was waiting on her.
My eyes went to Ginger's standing at the top of the stairs, and I noticed she was staring at me hard, as if trying to punish me for what had just happened.
A moment later, she disappeared down the hallway, and I was left by myself, pondering Thorn's words.
Maybe the truth's been staring you right in the eyes for a while now, and you're just refusing to see it...
Chapter Fifteen
Kain
My new normal was lonely.
I missed Ophelia like a phantom limb. I woke up feeling around for her body in the bed, fell asleep while hugging pillows that felt nothing like her. But most of all, I missed the conversations, the way she knelt next to me with her eyes adoringly on mine. I fucking hated that she wasn't with me. But lately, Ryker's calls had been more and more promising. Perhaps there was finally a chance that I would get her back, that we'd be reunited. It was all I wanted.
It was a lazy day, with no work to do. I needed to stay low though because I'd heard of the incident with Michael coming to find my woman. It had made me incredibly angry, and I'd barely resisted the urge to kill the motherfucker who dared to bother my woman when she needed peace and quiet to heal the soul I had broken.
But my informants had made it clear Michael wasn't resting - he was intent on finding me and ending my life. I was well-protected and hidden, but one crack in my armor would be enough for Michael to storm the property and kill me like he'd wanted to do for so fucking long.
I almost craved him to do it, maybe so we'd finally be face-to-face, and maybe so I could end his sorry life myself. I'd had just about enough of him and his sick fucking games, and I was ready to put a stop to it all.
The day began like any other, with me unable to sleep and getting up in the early morning to pace the gardens, with a guard following closely behind. Ginger called me like she always did, knowing I'd be up as early as she always was.
"Any updates?" I asked as I answered the call. "How has she been?"
"Better," Ginger reported. "I think in a week or so you might be able to visit. Perhaps even take her to come with you, or maybe let her
come over for a visit."
"That's great news," I admitted, grinning to myself at the possibility of having Ophelia back in my arms. "You've seen Rose and Thorn?"
"They were here," she admitted reluctantly. "They... gave her a gift. Well, Rose did."
"What kind of gift?" I asked curiously.
She hesitated before answering, and I had a feeling I wasn't going to like whatever she said one bit.
"A gun," she finally confessed. "To protect herself. Ryker's been teaching her how to shoot it."
"A gun?" I repeated, feeling anger simmering in the pit of my stomach.
Fuck, I should have thought of that first. She needed to be able to defend herself in case something went wrong. I should have been the one to give her the weapon.
And if I was being honest with myself, it wasn't pretty little Rose or dangerous, dominant Thorn that I was jealous of. It was Ryker - Ryker, who got to spend all this fucking time with her, touching my girl, having what should have been mine all along. God, it made me so angry I wanted to smash my fist into his strong jaw and hear bones crunch.
"Alright," I managed to get out through gritted teeth. "Why didn't you tell me sooner?"
"I knew you'd be angry," she said softly.
"Right," I ground out. "But that's your fucking job, Ginger. Now you've only made me angry at you. You need to tell me this shit as it happens. I want to know everything. Do you understand?"
"Yes," she said, her voice barely above a whisper and trembly as fuck.
Shit, now I'd nearly made her cry.
I cleared my throat awkwardly, not sure how to make things better or right. I knew she had a little crush on me, but obviously, I wasn't about to act on it - I wasn't interested in the slightest. All I cared about was Ophelia.
Yet knowing Ginger had a case of unrequited love filled me with the need to let her down gently. I didn't want her suffering. She was just a kid.
"Look, Ginger," I said, forcing my tone to be nicer. "I understand you got scared. But this will only work if you're a hundred percent honest with me. Now, will you tell me if anything else has happened? Shit you've been keeping from me?"