Gabriel shook his head no. “This place is secluded, no phone line, no guards. Silas has always been secretive about this place …”
Carter nodded. “Good. That means we have time before Silas returns with reinforcements. We have much to discuss, but we’ll have plenty of time to do that once we get to a safer area.”
Gabe took her hand and stood from the floor. “Come on,” he said, and pulled her down the hallway. “I know where we can get you some clothes to change into. Plus, there are some keys to one of the Jeeps in the south basement garage.”
“Jeeps?”
“Yep, Silas is old school. He doesn’t like change.”
Carter smiled and turned to hug her brother again, just because she needed to. Gabe chuckled and hugged her back warmly.
He looked into her eyes. “What was that for?”
Carter smiled. “I’m just really glad you’re here,” she said truthfully. “I couldn’t imagine going through something like this alone again.”
“Again?”
“I’ll tell you all about my life later.” They held tightly to each other’s hands as they began to stroll down the hallway. “Let’s get the hell out of here, shall we?”
Gabe smiled wide. “You have no idea how ready I am.”
Chapter 5: The ex
“So how far along are you?”
Carter focused on loading the guns she’d found in Silas’s office, but she knew her brother was smiling. He was so sweet, good, and innocent. The complete opposite from herself, their mother, and her father. They had both found clothing to change into. He found some of Silas’s clothes in a closet, and Carter had found a box full of extravagant dresses. She wasn’t excited about walking out of here looking like she was going to a wedding, but it would do. She’d chosen the simplest dress she could find. It was off-white and long sleeved with a subtle gold belt. The only downfall was the length. The dress was chiffon, and it fell all the way past her feet. She loved the way it flowed when she walked, but now wasn’t the time to be pretty.
“I’m seven weeks,” Carter answered her brother. “It’s still early.”
“Are you excited?” he asked with excitement in his voice. “I have to say that I kind of am. I mean, I know we’ve just met, but I’ll be living with you and all. So it will be nice to have a little niece or nephew to play with and love and stuff, especially since it’s something I never thought I’d have.”
Carter peeked over at him with a smile on her face. “I know you’ll be great, Gabe. The baby will love you. He or she will never know what it’s like not to have you in their life.”
“That’s the best part,” he said as he began packing more clothing and supplies for them in a duffle bag they’d found. “The baby will never be able to imagine that there was a time when, you know, we were apart.”
She glanced over at him, discovering he was looking at her. They both smiled warmly at each other, already feeling this experience alone pulling them closer together.
Carter broke the eye contact and went back to her task. There were four guns to load and ammo to pack up, just in case they ran into some more problems on the way to the south basement. Carter had already pored over a map and stored it into her memory. They were in Germany in a town call Rigton. In a few hours she could be in the next city over, which happened to be a city that one of she and Nathan’s friends lived in with his family. His name was Rashid. Carter had only met Rashid once, but she’d talked to him over the phone numerous times. He had a convenient little business that helped people acquire new identities. She knew he could be trusted because the man had invited her and Nathan to dinner at his home, which he lived in with his family. An untrustworthy man wouldn’t do such a thing.
“Do you need all of those guns?” Gabriel asked her.
Carter nodded her head, but continued her task. “Yes, Gabe, I do.”
“I thought you said that you already got through to them. Maybe nobody else has to die … well, except Silas. But everyone else can live, right?”
Carter sighed and looked up from the guns to her brother.
Gabe continued speaking. “Killing may be a means to survival, but it’s also an addiction, Carter. Especially for people like us …”
“Like us?” Carter asked, confused by his statement.
Gabe nodded. “Silas and Anastacia’s kids.”
Carter pursed her lips. “How much did Silas tell you about our mother?”
“Silas didn’t have to tell me, Carter. Everyone else did the moment they noticed I was her son, which was the moment they saw me.”
“Well, regardless of the fact that both of our parents are killers, there’s a possibility that I may have to kill more people. If anyone that I don’t trust tries to come at us, I won’t hesitate. I will kill them, and I won’t feel bad about it either. These people will kill us, all three of us, without blinking. Do you understand? I have a responsibility to you and this baby. I will protect you both. If I have to kill to do so, then so be it. We are getting out of this country,” Carter said with firm confidence. She knew her brother wasn’t comfortable with weapons and the possibility of her killing others, but she couldn’t let that keep her from protecting him and her baby. Carter was getting them home healthy and in one piece by any means necessary.
Gabriel nodded his head and gave her a smile of understanding. “Okay. Just remember what I said. I’ve never killed anyone personally, but I have,” he cleared his throat uncomfortably, “done something I’m not particularly proud of,” he whispered as he went back to organizing the supplies as well as the money they’d found.
Carter frowned. “Umm … I’m going need to know exactly what you did.”
Gabriel nodded. “I’ll tell you, but you must promise me that you won’t let it define me. I’m not a killer.”
“What did Aziz say about you in the hallway?” Carter asked. She’d been thinking about it non-stop since it happened. Why hadn’t Gabe translated that part?
Gabe continued his task. “I’ll tell you once I tell you more about myself.”
Carter accepted his answer for now. They were both preparing quietly when Carter heard Gabe say something quietly. She looked over to him again, her brows furrowed in confusion. “Did you say something?” she asked.
He glanced over at her with gratitude in his eyes. “I said … thank you. Maybe if I was as smart as you are, I wouldn’t have been in that basement for eight years …”
“Gabriel, you are smart.”
He shook his head. “Not like you, Carter. I’ve never gotten this far before. You do what you have to do to survive and protect the ones you love. Here I am, your bigger, physically stronger brother, and I’m useless. I honestly have no idea what to do. Our survival is all on you because I know nothing outside of these walls anymore.”
Carter packed the loaded guns and ammunition into the backpack in her hand, put it on her back, and walked over to her brother. She stood in front of him with her hands on her hips. “Gabe, I need you just as much as you need me.”
Gabe pursed his lips. “How?”
“For one, you translated what Aziz was saying to Silas in the hallway. Now I know that we need to look around a little before we leave. You knew how to find Silas’s office. You are packing us supplies and food, you found the money, clothes, and you taught me an easier way to read a map …”
He smiled.
“You have your strengths and I have mine. The baby and I need you just as much as you need us. Going through this alone would be terrifying, Gabe. Believe it or not, having you here makes me feel … safe,” Carter said truthfully. She didn’t even want to think about how she would have gotten through this mess without Gabriel. It would have been so much harder.
Gabe surprised Carter by lifting her into a tight hug. Squealing, Carter giggled when he twirled her around. “I’m glad I make you feel safe. You make me feel that way, too. You’re already a good sister, Carter.”
“Well, give it a little more time,” she laughed.
“This is still too good to be true. It can’t be this easy. What if something else bad happens?” He took her hand in his. “I know that I’ve just met you, but I already care about what happens to you … and the baby.”
Wrapping her arms around his waist, Carter gave his back a comforting pat before she rested her head against his chest. “Don’t you think you’ve been through enough, Gabriel? From what you told me, it sounds like nothing other than bad things have been happening to you lately. Don’t you think it’s finally time for some good?”
Gabriel gave her a brief squeeze. “Yeah, I guess so. Come on, we should go. This castle is big, we need to do your little search and get out of here, before Silas and Aziz get back.”
Nodding, Carter cocked her gun and lifted it while walking slowly toward the door. Outside of the door, she checked for any type of danger before signaling for her brother to come out of the room. Gabe rolled his eyes and strolled into the hallway right past Carter. She tried to grab him but he’d already walked past.
“Gabe, what the hell? Stay with me,” Carter whispered.
Gabe pursed his lips. “Why the hell are you whispering, Carter? Nobody’s here.”
“We don’t know that!”
“Will you stop it,” he said through a chuckle. “And put that gun down. You said you would only kill if you had to. Why don’t you just use some of those fierce fighting moves you used before you killed Scott Flanagan? Then no one will have to die.”
Carter rolled her eyes. “Fine, but if things get too bad I’m shooting. Until then,” she lifted the gun in show of surrender, “I’ll be good and put it—”
Right when she was about to put her weapon away, she heard two people—one male and one female—coming their way. It sounded like they were arguing about something. Carter placed a firm hand against Gabe’s chest to stop him. She brought her finger to her lips, telling him to be silent. It sounded like the male and female were arguing about Silas.
Carter frowned.
“I told you it wouldn’t work,” the male said. “Father still won’t even see us!”
“And whose fault is that?” the woman yelled. “You’re the one that ruined the only mission he’d ever trusted us with!”
“I ruined it? You were supposed to be watching her that day remember?”
“Yes, Cole, I do. It was the day you felt her distancing herself from your fake relationship. You wanted to propose to our damn sister!”
“Half-sister, Lucretzia! I had to do what I had to do to keep her with me.”
“That was the problem, Cole. That’s why father hates us. You got caught up; you fell in love with her. The moment she gave you her virginity, you lost all power and influence. She ran the show, and she got away from you.”
“Correction, Lucretzia, she got away from us. We were supposed to be doing it together. You should have had my back.”
They came around the corner arguing and didn’t even notice Gabe and Carter standing in the hallway watching them.
“And you should have never fucked her!” Lucretzia spat. “You couldn’t control yourself? Was the sex that good?”
“No, it wasn’t,” Carter said.
Startled, Cole and Lucretzia released a loud gasp and stopped walking. They looked at both Carter and Gabe in shock before reaching for the guns at their sides.
Carter lifted her gun quickly. “I don’t think so,” she stated, stopping them. “For kicks, how about the both of you lift your hands in the air.”
They did as she said with scowls on their faces.
“What the fuck?” Cole said.
Carter smiled at the sick, perverted piece of shit smugly. She was going to enjoy this particular kill. This lying motherfucker was about to pay the price for his sins against Carter. From the moment she’d seen him on the street in New York, Carter had felt betrayed. When she found out that he’d coerced her into a sexual relationship with him, even though he knew they were siblings, she felt downright violated. Henr—Cole, must die.
As soon as she felt the chilling thrill at the thought of Cole’s blood make a slow creep through her body, she remembered what Gabe had said in the office. Killing could easily become an addiction for her … okay, she was pretty sure it already had.
Dammit! Killing is your last resort, a means to survival, Carter. You can’t let it become an addiction. She recited the words to herself over and over again until she was able calm her inner killer, and think rationally.
Okay, maybe she wasn’t going to kill the guy, but she was at least going to beat him to a bloody pulp.
“How did you get out?” Lucretzia asked frantically. “Where’s father?”
“Your father ran away like the little bitch he is,” Carter said with a shrug. “Why are you two still here?”
The woman’s jaw clenched. “We were looking for our father you fucking whore. We didn’t think we’d run into his two little mistakes!” she spat.
Carter chuckled, poking out her lips in a fake pout. “Jealous much? Are you mad because your daddy pays more attention to us than he does to you and your brother?”
Carter stared into her dark eyes and watched as anger masked her face. She could tell that the two had the same mother. Lucretzia had the same exotic features as her brother. Caramel-colored skin and striking Asian features, which Carter knew now, came from their mother.
“You little slut!”
“Calm down, Lucretzia,” Cole said. He lowered his hands and locked eyes with Carter. “Caterpillar,” he said with a sigh as if he were annoyed with her, “put the gun down. It’s me.”
He extended his arms as if he expected Carter to come running to him.
Carter frowned. “Who the fuck are you?” she asked.
He rolled his eyes. “You’re being childish. Let’s just talk about this. You’re upset with me because I betrayed you.”
He spoke to her as if she were a simple-minded weakling. Carter now remembered that he’d always talked to her in that same tone back in St. Louis and she hated it. When Henry had found her, she wasn’t in the best of shape and he reveled in that. He’d lied to her, made her think he was a nice Christian boy, and treated her like she was an idiot. Carter hated herself for letting him talk to her the way he had when they were together. She’d never told his stupid ass off because she thought she owed him her life. Now she knew she didn’t owe him shit but a thorough ass whoopin’.
“Fuck you, Henry!” Carter yelled for the first time ever and it felt damn good. So many times Carter had wanted to yell “Fuck you!” at the know-it-all motherfucker and now she finally had the chance to tell him off.
“I never loved your stupid ass,” she spat. “The best day of my life was when I got away from you. I’m glad you left that night because it gave me a chance to get my shit and catch the first plane out of that hell hole.”
Cole frowned. “You don’t mean that, Caterpillar.”
“I’m not your fucking caterpillar, Henry. I hated that name then, and I hate it even more now. And since I’m on the subject of what I hated, I hated the way you used to follow me around. You were so fucking desperate, and when I finally gave in to your pathetic ass you hurt me. However, I convinced myself that it was beautiful because you told me you loved me. I was so stupid and naïve then, but no more. You want to know why we barely had sex? It’s because I couldn’t stand being touched by you. Everything you did to me made me want to vomit! The sex was horrible, and your dick is the size of my damn pinky. These gave me more pleasure than you ever did,” she said, holding up two fingers. “I never should have given myself to you. You were nothing but a huge disappointment. You know what, as a matter of fact,” she lifted the gun and pointed it at his face, “you’re fired from being my first. I just decided that it didn’t count. The man that gets the title as my first is the first man that gave me an orgasm.” She smiled wickedly
. “And that crown goes to Nathan Salerno, you little bitch.”
Rage filled Cole’s dark eyes and he shot forward toward Carter. She smirked and tossed the gun aside as she lunged forward, meeting him halfway. The first punch was for every time he made her feel stupid, the second was for the dumbass nickname. The five uppercuts, knee to the gut, balls, and face were for the few times she’d allowed him to have sex with her, and the series of forceful kicks to the face and body were just because it felt damn good to kick his ass.
She heard Lucretzia scream, and Carter had expected her to attack, but she never did. As a matter of fact, after a moment, her screaming had stopped and the only sound in the hallway was the sound of Cole’s wails of pain. Soon Carter stopped and took a step back, both tired and satisfied with the beating she’d given her ex-boyfriend.
“You should leave now,” Gabe said, nodding toward Lucretzia. “Let’s not wait for things to get worse.”
Lucretzia frantically ran over to her brother and pulled him away as quickly as she could while simultaneously screaming, telling them to get out of the castle.
Walking over to pick up her gun, Carter stuffed it in the side pocket of her backpack and grabbed Gabe’s hand, not even looking back at him. She stormed down the hallway with her brother.
“Now I’ll put the gun away and be good,” she said.
Gabe surprised her and burst into laughter. Carter couldn’t help it, she joined in. She was happy to see that although Gabe didn’t share her homicidal side, he did have a dark sense of humor like her.
~*~
“I didn’t see anything but the black doors. I don’t understand what Aziz was talking about.”
Carter continued to look through the huge chain of keys, searching for the key that opened the south basement. They’d searched the whole castle and came up with nothing. Neither of them had any idea what Aziz was talking about when he’d mentioned Carter might find ‘something else’ that she wasn’t supposed to.
“I don’t know either,” Gabe said. “Let’s just go, Carter. I don’t want to be in this castle anymore.”
Dangerous Beauty: Part Three: This is War Page 8