Fearless

by Nicole Coverdale

Where was she?

  What were they doing?

  She heard a roar behind her.

  A television, she realized, turning her head. Staring at it, as bombs were going off in another state.

  Good God. She thought to herself. What was going on?

  She turned her head, grabbing Isabella by the arm.

  “Isabella, what’s going on?” she whispered, her grip tightening on her sister’s arm.

  Isabella stared at her. Her eyes blank.

  What was wrong with her?

  Then Isabella uttered two words.

  “It’s happened.”

  “What’s happened?”

  “The end of the world.”

  She gasped. “What? Isabella, what are we doing here?”

  “We’re soldiers, Torianna. We’re soldiers.”

  Torianna felt the breath leave her body.

  She gasped for breath.

  And suddenly she remembered everything.

  Waking up in that dark room, surrounded by all of her sisters.

  Hearing Irena’s screams.

  She turned her head, watching the woman with long, dark auburn hair as she focused on the punching bag. Punching at it with such force. Behind her, she saw a man lay a hand on her shoulder, nodding. Congratulating her.

  What had happened to the young girl who had been raped in that room all those years ago?

  Tears clouded her eyes.

  She remembered the way Elena had tried to stand up to their father. But had only failed in her attempts. Being beaten down like a dog.

  Elena.

  A tear slid down her cheek.

  Elena had always tried to stand up for them. She had always tried to do what was right. But their father had been too much for her. He’d been too set in his ways and he would not stand for anyone questioning his authority.

  Anyone who did question him, ended up paying a big price. And Elena, strong willed as she was, was the one who had paid that price many times.

  Abel.

  She raised her head, watching as the man walked up to the window in his office. Staring down at them. Hatred rolling through her body.

  He was responsible for this.

  He was responsible for everything.

  He had turned her into this.

  He had turned her into a killer.

  And she was only now realizing it, she thought to herself. How long had she been under this cloud of unknowing? How long had she been walking around, completely unaware of what she was doing? How many people had she hurt? Had she killed?

  Faces flashed through her mind.

  A cry escaped her throat.

  “Isabella, we have to get out of here.” She whispered.

  Isabella stared at her. “We don’t leave. We don’t go anywhere. We have a duty to serve.”

  Rage filled her.

  She raised her hands, gripping Isabella by the shoulders. “Dammitt, Isabella, wake up!” she shouted. “Wake up! You’re not thinking clearly! Come on, Isabella, wake up! Our sister needs our help!”

  Elena had known their father was a traitor. She had uttered the words the last time she’d been here, but none of them could have even helped her. None of them would have believed her. They had been under the influence that their father was a man of honesty. That everything he told them was the truth, when he had been the one lying to them all along and Elena had never been the traitor he had made them believe.

  “I don’t have any sisters.” Isabella whispered.

  “I’m your sister, Isabella.”

  “I don’t have any sisters!” Isabella screamed, her arms wrapping around Torianna’s waist and slamming her against the wall.

  Torianna gasped. Her back hitting the bullet proof glass just behind her.

  She raised her head.

  “Yes you do.” She whispered. “You have nine sisters.”

  Isabella screamed, raising her hand.

  Her fist slammed into Torianna’s jaw.

  Torianna didn’t even flinch. She raised her head.

  “Your mother died when you were just a kid.”

  “No!”

  Another fist slammed against her face.

  “And our father turned us into killers. Into monsters. He doesn’t care about the world, Isabella. He only cares about himself.”

  “He’s saving the world.” Isabella whispered. “He’s saving the world!” Her knee slammed up, into Torianna’s stomach.

  Torianna gasped. Her body slamming back against the glass.

  Another fist slammed into her face, and her head snapped back. The side of her head hitting the glass. Her vision swam, and she blinked, turning to stare at her sister. For the first time in her life realizing that the sister she knew. The sister she had once known was gone. They were all gone. They were strangers. Her family. It was gone. Taken away from her in a blink of an eye.

  “Fine.” She whispered, raising her head. “Have it your way. But just know, it’s not like I didn’t give you a chance to do the right thing.” Her hands shot up, pressing against Isabella’s chest, and shoving her away from her.

  Isabella stumbled back.

  She raised her head.

  “You can’t go against us, alone.” She whispered. “You’ll never win.”

  “I won’t be alone.” Torianna whispered.

  “Yes you will. Because you’ll be dead.” Isabella whispered, withdrawing a knife from behind her, and lunging forward.

  Torianna gasped, dodging out of the way.

  Something hit her in the side of the neck.

  She gasped. Falling to the ground. Lifting a hand to her neck. Lifting her head and staring at the blood on the blade of the knife Isabella held. She hadn’t been fast enough.

  She lifted her head, watching as Isabella started towards her.

  She kicked out her leg, knocking out Isabella’s knees from under her and watching as she fell to the ground.

  She jumped to her feet. “Good bye, Isabella.” She whispered. “I love you. I will always love you.”

  She turned.

  And found herself staring into the eyes of two men dressed in black.

  The guards.

  She stumbled back a step.

  A hand grasped her by the back of the neck.

  “You’ve been a very bad girl, Torianna.” A man whispered in her ear. “Abel is going to be so disappointed in you.” And she felt herself being thrown to the ground.

  Her body hit the ground with a thud.

  She lifted her head.

  Footsteps sounded in her ears.

  She watched, as Abel walked towards her.

  Isabella rose to her feet, stopping next to him.

  “She’s a traitor.”

  “I know she is.” Abel whispered, staring down at Torianna, shaking his head. “Grab her!” he shouted at the guards.

  Hands grabbed her by the arm. Pulling her to her feet.

  She lifted her head, watching as Abel walked towards her. He lifted a hand, cupping her chin in his hand.

  “What is it with you and Elena?” he whispered. “Why must you defy me at every turn?”

  “Maybe it’s because we don’t believe in the same things you believe in. You’re a monster. You’ve destroyed everything. You have to be stopped.”

  “And what? You think that you’re going to be able to stop me?” he laughed. “Elena is dead, Torianna. She can’t help you now. No one can help you. Because you know what happens to those who go against me, don’t you?”

  “They’re put to death.” Torianna whispered. She smiled, staring at him. “Death would be better than following orders from you.” She whispered, jerking her chin out of his grasp.

  “And everything I have done for you? I’ve made you who you are today, Torianna.”

  “You didn’t make me. You just put a drug in my system, and expected me to do whatever you asked. You did not make me. I make myself. I am my own person. And I will never become someone like you. You’re killing innocent people out there. You’r
e destroying lives. You destroyed our family! How can you even live with yourself?”

  “Because I see the bigger picture.” Abel told her. “And you are not in it.” He paused, staring at her. “I do wonder though. Why is it that you and Elena have both been able to break free of that drug?”

  Torianna shrugged. “Maybe we’re just stronger than you. Maybe we’re just better than you. Maybe it’s because we actually have a heart.” And she lifted her head, spitting right in his face.

  His head jerked back.

  He lifted a hand. Wiping it across his face, and a laugh escaped his mouth.

  “Oh, Torianna. How I am going to enjoy killing you.” He whispered. “I’m going to enjoy killing you nice and slow. Removing limb from limb from you until you’re begging me to kill you.”

  “I’ll never beg.” Torianna whispered. “Because you’re not going to kill me.” And she slammed both of her elbows back.

  The two guards gasped, stumbling back, loosening their grips.

  She jerked free of their grasp. Ducking, as they charged towards her. They’re fists raised. She dropped to the ground, her hand wrapping around the knife Isabella had dropped, and jumped forward. Jabbing the knife in one of the guard’s chest. Then she swung around, sending a high kick towards the other one. Getting him right in the groin.

  He fell to the ground.

  Out of the corner of her eye she saw Isabella charge towards her.

  She ducked, grabbing Isabella by the arm, throwing her to the ground.

  “I warned you.” She whispered. “I so warned you.” And she sent a kick towards her sister’s head, watching as she dropped unconscious.

  She turned her head, watching as Abel withdrew a gun.

  He pointed it right at her.

  She dropped to the ground, rolling.

  She saw the bullets zing past her.

  She rose to her feet. Raising the knife, and threw it in the air.

  It landed in the middle of his forearm.

  The gun fell from his hands, as he clutched his arm, blood oozing from between his fingers.

  And she raised her hand. Waving at him.

  “I’ll be seeing you, father.” She whispered, before turning, and racing towards the front doors of the facility.

  “Stop her!” she heard Abel shout from behind her. “Close the doors!”

  She squeezed through the doors. Turning her head, watching as they slammed shut behind her. And stood there, staring at her sisters. Staring at her father. Staring at the guards. Watching as they all stared at her as if she were some kind of vermin, before turning and racing off into the distance.

  She didn’t look back.

  She didn’t give herself time to think.

  She just kept running.

  And she wouldn’t stop.

  Not ever.

  Not until her father was dead in the ground and he paid for everything he had done to her. To them. To their family.

  Elena might be dead, but she had been right about everything and Torianna swore that she would avenge her sister’s death.

  She deserved that much.

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  Abel Rodriquez was a bastard.

  Luis Rosehart narrowed his eyes, raising the beer to his lips, taking a sip of the dark brew. The harsh liquid rolling down his throat and he winced, shaking his head as he stared out at the miles of trees that lay before him.

  Around him, the wind shook the porch, screeching.

  And he closed his eyes, leaning his forehead against the screen, feeling the weight of every bad thing he had done in his life suddenly come back at him.

  And he remembered being that ten year old boy, with no home. That ten year old boy whose parents had left him in the middle of the night with only a note telling him that they loved him but they could no longer afford to take care of him. He deserved better than what they had to offer him.

  Luis snorted.

  He had deserved better.

  He’d deserved parents who loved him. Parents who wouldn’t abandon him. Parents who actually gave a rat’s ass about him.

  He’d deserved better than having to walk down that abandoned street. Sleeping on cold benches. Digging through garbage cans just to survive. And he had deserved better than to be picked up off the street by Dominic Rodriquez.

  The man had been a fake.

  Pretending that he cared. Pretending to raise him as his own. Pretending to make him feel like part of his own family when all he’d wanted was to use him for his own personal gain. All he’d ever wanted was to teach him to kill. Was to teach him how to be a monster. And for that, Luis would never, ever forgive him.

  Fortunately he never would have to see him again.

  Because the bastard was finally dead.

  “About damned time.” Luis muttered, opening his eyes and staring out before him. Watching as the dark clouds gathered above him. “You destroyed my life. You made me into a monster. You made me hurt other people. And I don’t know if I will ever be able to fully trust myself.”

  Wasn’t that the truth.

  He was still plagued by the faces of the people he had killed.

  Especially the young girl, who had gotten in the way of a man he had been ordered to kill years ago. The sound of the glass breaking echoing in his ears. The image of the small girl’s body jerking as the bullet entered her body. The blood that had seeped from her body, as she had fallen to the floor. And the screams that had followed.

  It was the one event that had changed everything for him.

  And then he’d heard what Dominic had had to say at the news of her death.

  “Sacrifices must be made for the greater good, Luis. People are going to get hurt. People are going to suffer. We must not get emotional for if we get emotional we lose focus. We will lose focus of our goal, and our goal, is for the better of everyone. The world will be a better place. You’ll see. You’ll see.”

  The man had no sense of sympathy.

  He had no sense of humanity.

  And now, his son had restarted the operation.

  A notion that made him sick to his stomach.

  He just wanted to get away.

  He wanted to get away from all thoughts of his past.

  He wanted to get away from all the misery he felt.

  And he wanted to pretend that nothing bad would happen to the world ever again.

  Only he knew better.

  He knew something bad was going to happen. He knew something was going to happen very soon and he knew that he would have no choice but to go out and help fight against it. Because if he didn’t the world would be lost and lord help him he liked this world.

  No he loved this world.

  He and Kieran had fought so hard to get away from the grips of their past. From the organization. They had tried so hard to rebuild their lives and neither of them could stand back and watch as more lives were destroyed. They just couldn’t.

  He blew out a deep breath.

  Watching as lightning flew across the sky.

  And rain fell from the sky.

  He raised the beer to his lips.

  “Help me.”

  The words echoed in his ears.

  He froze, slowly lowering the beer from his lips, the liquid washing down his throat. His eyes narrowing, as the trees shivered and a young woman stumbled out from the trees and fell to the ground just a dozen feet in front of him.

  “What the hell?”

  The bottle slid from his fingers, crashing to the ground.

  He faintly felt the splash of beer soaking his bare feet.

  And he watched, as the woman lay there, unmoving as the skies opened up above her.

  “Good God, you have got to be freaking kidding me!” Luis muttered the words, shaking his head in dismay, staring up at the skies. Mentally wanting to scream at the Gods for this. All he wanted was some peace and quiet. All he wanted was some alone time. All he wanted, was to be left alone. But it seemed, he was not able to have any of tho
se things.

  He blew out a breath, and stepped forward. Whipping the porch door open and jumping down the three steps that descended down from the porch. His bare feet hitting the wet grass, and he gasped, as the rain poured down on him. Shaking the droplets that ran down his face and darted towards the woman.

  “Jesus Christ, Lady!” he cried, as he dropped to his knees next to her. Reaching a hand out to touch her arm. “You must be crazy being out here.”

  The woman slowly sat up, jerking her arm away from his touch, and turned her head. Staring up at him.

  “Where am I?” she whispered. “Why is it so cold?”

  Luis felt a laugh bubble up inside of him. Was this some sort of joke? How could the woman not know where she was? Had she never seen rain before?

  “You’re in South Carolina.” He finally said. “At my cabin. And it’s cold because it’s raining.” He rose to his feet, taking a step towards her. “We should get you inside.”

  The woman shook her head, rising to her feet, and stumbling back a step. “No. No I can’t. I can’t stop. I have to keep moving. They’re after me.”

  “Who’s after you?”

  The woman ignored him, turning to look back behind her. Out into the distance. And Luis watched. Staring at her tanned face that was full of bruises. Her dark brown eyes full of fear. And the blood that was smeared on the side of her neck.

  “You’re hurt.”

  “I’m okay.” The woman whispered. “I’m okay. It happened hours ago. It’s stopped bleeding.”

  “Who did that to you?”

  “It’s not important. The only thing that’s important is that I keep going. Forget you ever saw me. I don’t want to bring danger to your door.” She turned away from him.

  “Wait!” Luis lunged forward, grabbing her by the wrist.

  She swung around, punching him in the face.

  He stumbled back, lifting his hands.

  And stared at her. The way she sprung into action. The look in her eyes.

  “You’re part of the organization.” He suddenly whispered. “You’re one of Elena’s sisters.”

  “You know about the organization? You know Elena?”

  Luis laughed.

  “Oh, lady, you have no idea how much I know. Because I used to be just like you at one time.” He turned his head, pointing to the scar that lay on the back of his neck. “I even had the tracker.”