Relinquished

by K. A. Hunter

  He nodded impatiently, then spun me toward the stairs. It took every ounce of strength I had to place one foot in front of the other, heading to my possible doom. On our way up, he tapped his cell then spoke softly into the mouthpiece. “It’s show time.”

  So much had gone on this morning, I didn’t know what to think or who to trust. But one thing was for sure—shit was about to go down, and I could only hope Holden would get out in one piece.

  When Marcus froze, I turned. The shoeprints I’d left after slipping were prominently displayed on the top few steps, leaving no doubt that I’d already been downstairs. Our eyes locked, and I sucked in a panicked breath as we heard voices coming closer.

  “Struggle and fight me,” he whispered in a panic.

  I couldn’t move for a second, but when he lifted me off my feet and held tight as though he’d just caught me running away, my survival instincts kicked in. I screamed and squirmed to get free when Raymond approached the bottom of the stairs.

  Lifting an eyebrow, he asked, “Having some trouble up there?”

  “Nope. Everything’s under control.” Marcus stomped up the last few stairs, hiking me up further in front of him, so my feet didn’t come close to the cement.

  Once we made it to the landing, Marcus held my hands behind my back, loose enough that I knew he wasn’t trying to hurt me, but strong enough that it looked legitimate.

  Everyone made their way up the stairs, and I couldn’t fight the impulse to look at Holden. His hands were also being held behind his back but what killed me the most was the despondent look in his eyes as he scanned my ripped clothes and disheveled hair.

  I took a quick peek at Raymond, who was ordering his guys to stand close to the top of the stairs. The second Holden looked at my face, I mouthed a quick, “I’m okay,” then turned my attention back to Raymond.

  The air felt heavy with the sins of this evil bastard as he took slow, predatory steps toward me. With a bloodthirsty glare, he lifted his fingers and skimmed his knuckles along the inside of my torn collar, gliding across the top of my breasts.

  “She doesn’t look very worn in. I can still see a glimmer of spirit in her.” He glanced over to Holden as he lifted my chin to peer into his demented eyes. “I might have a go since I’ve been known to break in the girls who fight the hardest.”

  Holden jerked forward, nearly breaking free of the guy detaining him. “Don’t you fucking dare!”

  Raymond chuckled darkly. “It’s nice to see that reaction from you, son, but it’s a little too late.” He strolled away casually. “I bet I can get you to do anything I want in no time at all.” Raising his eyebrow, he gauged Holden’s reaction as he said, “Your mother wasn’t much of a fighter, but I didn’t mind teaching her to behave, and damn did I love to hear her screams as I did.”

  Holden blinked hard as he made his resolve. “You are the most disgusting piece of trash I’ve ever met. My real father taught me about men like you, the ones who wouldn’t know what to do with a woman if she ever offered herself willingly. Rape is the only kind of physical connection you can understand, and it makes you nothing but a fucking animal.”

  Raymond barely reacted. He was probably used to it all, hearing what an animal he was and thriving on it.

  Marcus slowly moved my hands to his hip, allowing my fingertips to brush against the gun. Pulling me back toward his chest, he murmured, “It’s your choice, either you do it or I will.”

  I blinked for a second as I realized what he was saying.

  Marcus was giving me something I’d never been offered before—a choice. Tracing my finger over the holster, my thoughts went to Casey and the girls caught up in the trafficking. To Scott, my father, my brother, and everyone else that had lost their lives, all because of the man standing in front of me.

  Quickly, I unhooked the holster and wrapped my fingers around the grip. With shaky hands, I pointed it directly at Raymond.

  He had the fucking nerve to laugh at me, but his tone sounded a little on edge. “Oh, that’s cute, but you and I both know you’re clueless on how to shoot a firearm.” He was attempting to use my insecurities against me, but he had no idea how far he’d pushed me. I wanted his fucking head.

  Marcus looked over my shoulder at my quivering hands, and I could hear the smile in his voice. “Safety’s off, just pull the trigger whenever you like, sweetheart.”

  “No, Jules,” Holden pleaded. “Don’t do it. You’ll carry his death around for the rest of your life. He’ll always be with us, no matter how far we go.”

  Irritated, Raymond ordered his guards, “Enough with this bullshit. What the fuck do I pay you for? Take care of her.”

  Just as one of them raised his gun, I shouted, “The second you do, I’ll blow his fucking brains out! Both of you, drop your guns and kick them down the stairs.”

  The chickenshit stared back and forth between his boss and me, deciding it wasn’t worth the risk. He dropped his weapon, then grabbed the other guy’s, letting it hit the floor before kicking them to the stairs.

  I tried hard to steady my hands. “I’m sorry, Holden, but he’s not getting away with any of this. He has to pay, I don’t care about my consequences.” I turned to Raymond, giving him the same smug ass smile he’d given me all morning. “You’ve spent my entire life seeing how far you could push people to save me, but you never even considered what I would do to keep them safe. This is how far I’m willing to go.” I pulled the trigger, testing the recoil of the gun and missing him on purpose. I needed to see this motherfucker squirm before he died.

  Narrowing his eyes at Marcus, Raymond spurted out, “Apparently you don’t care what I plan to do with those women I named off to you earlier. I see where your loyalty is.”

  The floor shook like someone was making their way up the stairs while Marcus retorted, “All I hear is a dead man rambling. You won’t be getting out of here alive, so I’m not worried about your idle threats. Right now my devotion is to rescue all the girls you’ve destroyed.”

  “Me too.” Abel made it to the top, reached down, and picked up the guns. Waving them, he said, “Thanks for these.”

  What the hell was he doing here? He’s on our side?

  With a guilty look on his face, Abel explained, “Sorry to scare ya back there in the room, but I had to play this jackass’s game for a bit.” He looked at Holden. “Hope I didn’t hurt ya when I had to tackle ya.”

  He stepped toward the guards, held one of the guns up, and flicked his wrist until both men moved away from us, against the wall.

  Holden ran over to me, turned his back to Marcus so he could cut him loose, then shook his hands out to get the circulation flowing again. The mere brush of his arm on mine calmed me, helped stabilize me.

  And then I heard, “Anabella.”

  No…

  It was my dad’s voice, but there was no way it could be real. But it was. He was real. And alive. He stepped up to the loft. Holden and I both gasped.

  “You’re alive,” I said faintly.

  He nodded and glanced at the gun in my still shaky hands. “Give the gun to Marcus, princess. I finally got you back, I can’t lose you again. Guilt is a powerful thing. It can strip you bare and ruin your life forever.” From his expression, I could tell he was speaking from experience.

  Looking between my father and me, Raymond patronizingly interrupted our moment. “Listen to your father, little girl. It’s not like you’re really going to kill me anyway.”

  I glared at him, the man who’d ruined my entire life. I wanted to kill him, but I knew my father was right. If I’d opted to take his life, I’d be no better than him.

  Twisting around, I passed the gun back to Marcus before rushing toward my dad. I gripped onto his shirt, still not believing he was really here. “How is this possible?” I touched the purple bruises and gashes on his face, then the spot where he’d supposedly been shot and found his chest solid underneath a red blotch.

  A moment later, I spotted Dante standing beh
ind him, then I heard the gun go off and felt a hand grab my ankle, pulling me off balance. Clutching my father, I looked down, finding Raymond gripping onto me while holding his knee with his other hand.

  Both Dante and Holden dove for him, freeing my leg, then hauled him away by the arms. Wincing in pain, Dante dropped Raymond’s arm and rubbed his own shoulder. “I think this douchebag deserves to know what it feels like to be strung up like the fucking animal he is.”

  Raymond grabbed for his knee again, grumbling over his injury.

  “We can definitely take care of that.” Marcus handed his gun to Holden. “Keep an eye on those two.” He pointed to the worthless guards. “Abel, come help me with this pig?”

  “My pleasure. Here.” He gave a few ties to Dante as Holden aimed the gun at the guys now cowering against the wall.

  Dante secured their hands and legs while Marcus and Abel did the same to Raymond. Sidestepping the dead asshole still on the floor, they lifted his arms and attached the same chain to his wrists that he’d used on Holden.

  Defiant, Raymond kept his lips in a tight line while he braced his weight on one leg.

  The rag that had been in my mouth earlier was sitting near Raymond in the pool around Sam’s body, soaking up the dark red gore. Marcus reached down and held it up as a thick stream of blood drizzled from the corner. A devious smile spread across Marcus’s face before he shoved it in Raymond’s mouth and secured it with the same tie that had been used on me.

  Serves you right, fucker!

  Raymond immediately began to gag before Marcus stepped back, looked at the gun in his hand, and shot Raymond in the forehead.

  I jumped at the loud bang and saw his head bounce back then forward before I had a chance to bury my face into my dad’s chest. He held me close the entire time, making me feel every moment I’d missed out on his comfort.

  Both Marcus and Abel busted up while Raymond screamed behind the gag.

  He was still alive?

  “Did you see his face when I nailed him with that blank?” Marcus barked out a loud laugh.

  “Yeah, I think he shit himself.” Abel bent down in hysterics, slapping his thigh.

  Winking at me, Marcus added, “That would be way too easy. Nope, I think we need to let real justice take care of him. You know, send him directly into the general population in prison after announcing what kind of sexual predator he is.”

  Abel continued his playful tone. “Yeah, inmates don’t take too kindly to that kinda shit. Justice will definitely be served that day.” Walking over and giving Raymond's face a joking slap, he added, “Raymond my man, don’t bend over while you’re locked in the slammer.” Then he held up his hand and whispered, “They tend to favor mop handles.”

  Holden grimaced and handed the gun over to my father, then he pulled me into his arms, almost like he needed me to ground him. I couldn't even imagine what he was thinking or feeling. Raymond was still his biological father, after all. It would take time to come to terms with that and heal.

  I ran my hands soothingly along Holden’s back, as Marcus lifted his foot, gave Raymond’s legs a shove, and we all watched him swing back and forth, glaring as though he was already plotting his revenge.

  Marcus glared at Raymond. “This ends tonight. We’ve seen too many broken women left to die by this fucker and his men.” He glanced at Abel. “When I look at this sack of shit, all I see are the devastated faces of the mothers who hired us to find their little girls, just to be told they were found tortured.” The tension in the air had risen, and Marcus became increasingly agitated as he stared at Raymond. “I won’t feel the slightest bit guilty for taking you out.”

  I pulled away from Holden. “Are we going to call the cops?”

  Marcus began to pace back and forth, running his fingers through his hair, even more worked up than I’d thought. He stopped, stared at Abel, communicating without words before Abel slowly nodded.

  With a resolved look on his face, Marcus walked over to my dad, taking the gun from his hand. “Why don’t you guys get Jules out of here?”

  My father nodded with an expression that said he knew what was about to happen. “Princess, this has gone too far to allow the cops to handle it. He’s got dirt on people that can get him off. We need to leave, now, but know that it will be solved. He’ll never have a chance to hurt us again.” After patting Marcus’s shoulder, he placed a kiss on the top of my head and directed me toward the stairs.

  Wait, what?

  Before I had time to ask any questions, Holden, Dante, my father, and I were rushing down the steps toward the exit. My hands flew to my ears when the sound of a gunshot echoed around us.

  I faced my father, frantically searching his eyes.

  Is this really it? Is he gone? Forever out of my life?

  My dad swiped the hair away from my face, glancing at me tenderly. “It’s over, sweetheart. We’re free.”

  We drove past the lush grass littered with various flowers on our way up the long curved driveway. Despite the beautiful weather and the birds chirping all around, this was the last place I ever wanted to take Jules.

  I felt my thoughts slipping back to the day that changed our lives forever. It was so hard to believe that the monster who’d wreaked havoc on Jules’ world had done so undetected from the moment she took her first breath. I still hadn’t been able to come to terms with the fact that the monster himself was my biological father. His tainted blood ran through my veins and would someday run through my children’s.

  Jules has reminded me over and over that DNA does not define who you are. It might seem naive, but I’m choosing to believe her. She was and will always be my inspiration for not letting shitty circumstances drag me down. Together we plan to take our experiences and use them to help others.

  I set a gentle hand on her thigh, squeezing it. “Sure you’re ready for this?”

  Biting that beautiful bottom lip, she nodded quickly as a tear escaped from the corner of her eye.

  This woman held my heart, and I wanted to do everything in my power to keep those tears from her eyes. But today has been a long time coming.

  I rubbed tiny circles on top of her knuckles before bringing them up to my lips for a reassuring kiss. “Have I told you how much I love you?”

  That brought a sweet smile to her lips, just as I’d hoped it would. “Not in the last five minutes.”

  I chuckled just as I saw Dad and Dante waiting for us off in the distance. After the truth had come out, it had been difficult at first to still consider them my family but hell, I grew up thinking they were. Because of their insistence, I’ve finally given in to the fact that our family tree is just a little more screwed up than most.

  The driver’s side door of my International Scout squeaked as I got out, reminding me of the times Jules insisted we drive this old beat up thing instead of my sports car. I loved that she preferred the more simple things in life over the flashy eye candy. It was part of what made her so special to me.

  The appreciative expression on Jules’ face never got old each time I opened the passenger door and offered my hand. With delicate fingers wrapped around mine, I helped her jump out before pushing the door closed.

  A tractor drove across the lawn, calling my attention as we made our way up the cemented path. Although it was a bright and sunny morning, a gloomy feeling surrounded us because we knew what was about to happen.

  The vanilla scent coming from Jules’ hair tickled my nose when she laced her arm through mine and placed her head on my chest.

  Kissing the top of her head, I murmured, “I know this is going to be difficult, but I couldn't imagine going through this with anyone else.”

  She peered up at me with that heartwarming smile laced with sadness as she clutched the flowers we’d bought on our way here. “Me too.”

  Before we stepped on the grass, I stopped and pulled her in, resting our foreheads. “Let’s go meet our moms.”

  “Okay,” she whispered, blinking hard.

>   I knew it would be difficult for her because it was difficult for me. We made our way to Dante and Dad. Jules dipped a bit with each step, her heels sinking into the grass.

  Dad reached out for Jules first while Dante gave me the universal guy’s clap on the back. “How are you doing, man?” he asked somberly.

  I shrugged. “Been better, but I’m glad we’re finally here.”

  Dad took Jules’ face in his hands and wiped away the additional tears. “Your mother would be so proud of you, princess. I know I am.” He leaned in and kissed her forehead.

  I’d be lying if I said that wasn’t going to take some getting used to. The man raised me as his child and here he was calling my girlfriend ‘princess’ because she was actually his daughter.

  Evidence of our jacked up family tree, I reminded myself.

  Dad led Jules to her mother’s headstone, and I decided to stay back with Dante to give them a few moments together.

  Dante turned to face me, keeping his voice down. “Hey, Malory’s still putting everything together, but said all the new evidence is going to keep Travis locked up for the rest of his life.”

  Once news had broken about Raymond Maxwell’s death, evidence in several cases that had once been conveniently lost mysteriously reappeared, including the cold case file for our mothers’ murders. One of the lawyers at the district attorney’s office, Malory Villena, and Dante were now keeping in touch as she built the case. Although Travis Malcolm was already carrying several life sentences for his other crimes, it was nice to know the new charges would ensure he’d never be a free man again.

  I watched Jules from afar. Staring at her had become one of my favorite pastimes and now was no different. She nodded, listening to whatever Dad was sharing about her mother, celebrating the woman he’d loved. Jules’ strength was a beautiful thing to watch as she turned to comfort Dad the moment he began to cry alongside her.

  I took a step forward when Dante put his hand up to my chest. “I know how much it’s killing you, but give them a few minutes.” His brotherly smile reminded me that they had every right to focus on their relationship, just the two of them. I was thankful he was here to remind me.