Betrayal of Cupids (14 page)

Ryan

I wasn’t comfortable with Grace being out of my sight for so long.  I also wasn’t comfortable with her seeing me being tortured by my uncle, but at least I knew while he was hurting me, he couldn’t be hurting her.

Sean had tired of the physical torture.  It was onto the emotional.

“How does it feel knowing that once I kill you, I’ll have her to myself?”

I tried not to let his words faze me; it would only excite his viciousness even more.

“Come on Ryan, there has to be something going on in that brain of yours right now.  You must be miserable.  They’ve been gone forever.  Do you really think she’s been spewing her guts?  What else could be going on?  What do you think Danny is doing to her out there?”  I tried to wipe clear the thoughts, the images, spiraling through my mind. 

“You know I promised him a taste of her, right?”

“You didn’t.”  I couldn’t help my reaction.  He caught me off guard.

“Oh, I absolutely did.  See, I play nice with others.  I share.”  He stressed his final word, attempting to get a rise out of me.  “Do you think she likes the taste of his cock, Ryan?  Do you think she’s begging for him to stick his filthy dick inside of her?”

I felt my heart race inside my chest.  If Danny put his prick anywhere near her, I promised myself that he would share the same fate as Sean.  Still, I held strong, not looking in his direction.  He pushed on.

“You know I’ve seen her rack, right?  While I was slicing my knife down her chest, they were kind of hard to miss.  I’ve grabbed them too.  I’ve grabbed all of her.  Did she tell you that?  Did she tell you how I held her tits in my palms and squeezed them so hard?  Did she tell you I sucked her nipple until she screamed?  Do you do that, Ryan?  Do you fuck her tits?”  He was taking his time with each description, waiting for me to form the images in my head.  “I’m going to fuck those sweet tits as soon as I rid myself of you.  I’m going to fuck her tits and her mouth and her ass.  And then I’m going to taste her.  She does taste sweet, doesn’t she, Ryan?  Did she tell you I stuck my hand inside of her and licked my fingers clean?  Did she tell you how she liked it?  Do you eat that cunt before you wet your dick with it?”

He had gone too far.  If what he had said was true… if he had really done all that to Grace… why had she hid it from me?  Why was he the one to tell me?  How could I live with that knowledge?  I used the support of my wall-bound arms to lift my legs off the ground.  Although tied at the ankles, I was still able to kick him to the ground.  With the blood still dripping from my reopened wound and my now bruised ribs, the act knocked the wind out of me.  I tried to regain my breath, preparing for his attack.  He wobbled to his feet and came at me, pounding on my ribs. I tried to pick up my knees to guard against the blows, but in my state, I was no match.  The blows continued, rendering me unable to breath.  I couldn’t stop him.  I was sure to pass out any second.  I felt my head spin and blackness begin to take over my eyes.

Then I heard a deep cry, and the pounding stopped.  I blinked back into consciousness to see Grace standing there, holding a bloody bowie knife over my uncle.  Sean was grabbing at his leg as she continued to stab.

Then she stood, solidly straddling him.  I saw her raise the knife above her head, aiming at his heart.

“Grace!”  It was as if she were possessed.  “Grace, no!”

My second call to her caught her attention, and she turned to me, her eyes wide.

“Grace, knock him out,” I bellowed.

She looked around in a panic and reached for piece of piping that was against the wall.  Sean had found his way to his knees, even with his leg gushing blood, but she was faster than him.  She stood behind him, lifted the pipe, and then swung with all her might, bashing him in the head. 

Once again, Sean fell to the ground, but this time he was out cold.

Grace stood there, frozen, pipe still in hand.

“Baby, you did it.  You did it.”  I tried to ease her out of her trance with my voice.  She slowly looked at me.

“Is he dead?”

“No, he’s not, so we have to move fast.  Where’s Danny?”

“He’s outside.  I kicked him a lot.”  She was in shock.  I needed her to focus.

“Grace, can you get the keys from Sean’s back pocket.”

“Yes.”  She knelt down, and carefully pulled the key ring out without disturbing his forced slumber.

“Great.  Now untie me.”

Grace started with my ankles, using her knife to saw through the bindings.  She then cautiously brought over a chair and did the same with my wrists.  Upon the release of my final arm, I collapsed.  I hadn’t realized how little strength I had left.

“Ryan.  Are you okay?”

“I’ll be fine.  Can you help me up?”  I hated to ask that of her, but I couldn’t do it myself.  We had decided to work as a team, and right then I needed her.

She took my weight well, allowing my feet to barely touch the ground.  We slid out the door and took notice of Danny, still doubled over on the ground.  She had done a good job.  Grace helped me crawl into the truck, and then ran around to her place behind the wheel. 

As we pulled out onto the road, she assured me everything would be okay.

“I’m going to get you to the hospital.”

“No, you can’t do that.”

“Ryan, we have no choice.”

“Grace, they’ll involve the cops.  You know we can’t have that happen.”

“You’re bleeding everywhere and your ribs are bruised, probably cracked.  What do you suggest I do?”

I reached into my pocket and pulled out my phone.  “Call Rocky.”

“Who is Rocky?”

“Just call him.  Tell him what happened.  Is there somewhere we can go?”

“Yes.”

“Tell him the address.

She was hesitant at first, but then took my phone from my hands.  “Okay.”

“Thank you, Grace.”

She touched her palm to my face.

“Oh, and Grace?”

“Yes?”

“I’m really proud of you.  I could not have done that without you.”

Her face brightened with my compliment, and I allowed myself to relax.  I’d let her take it from here, at least for the time being.  I felt a peace run through my body, as if this was all behind us now.

But I knew it wasn’t: it was only the calm before the storm.

Ryan,

Don’t freak out.  You’re at my Aunt Kathryn’s house.  You passed out in the truck, and she helped me get you inside.  You were able to walk, but I don’t know how conscious you were at the time.  I’m just down the hallway in the kitchen with Aunt Kathryn, catching her up on today’s “festivities.”

We’re a bit off the beaten path, so we should be safe from Sean and Danny for the time being; I don’t believe Sean knows about this place.  And all the Shadows
know not to disturb Aunt Kathryn at her home, so I thought this would be the safest hideout. 

Rocky is on his way.  He knows what happened and is bringing his kit.  Don’t try to get up; I know you’re hurt.  I don’t know if you know how badly.  Your phone is on the pillow next to you.  Call me, and I’ll come keep you company.

As we promised: today, tomorrow, and past the light.  We’ll make it through this.

All my love,

Grace

Grace

“I’m just not comfortable having two Cupids in my home, Grace.”

“Aunt Kathryn, I don’t mean to put you out, but we had nowhere to go.”

She paced the kitchen, trying to come to terms with everything I had been telling her.  It was strange sitting in that kitchen, exactly as I had for so many years.  The table stood off the corner of the bar, nestled against a row of windows.  The patch of grass in the backyard was small, but the wooded area behind was where I had imagined countless adventures.  I fought pirates by the stream and monsters by the cluster of trees.  I saved children from witches and princes from dragons.  I evaded torture and escaped with treasure.  Never would I have thought that my imagination wouldn’t hold a candle to the adventure my real life would become.  Who knew that rescuing princes and evading torture would be so difficult?

“He doesn’t look so good.” She nodded down the hall in the direction of the bedroom, where Ryan was resting.

“I know.  I’m not quite sure what happened when I was dealing with the other one, but when I came back in, Sean was furious.”  I paused, collecting my thoughts.  “It’s all my fault,” I whispered.

“No, no, no, baby girl.  Don’t do that to yourself.”  She came around the table and threw her arms around me.

“He asked me to run away with him, to start our own life, but I couldn’t do that.  Not with Sean here, and you here.  I just couldn’t do that.”

She sat in the chair next to me.  “Grace, you know I love you, but I do not need you to take care of me.  I’m a grown woman.  I’ve done pretty well on my own for quite some time.  And if me having to put up with that bastard’s antics means that you could get out of here and start living your life, the life you have to be able to live, then sign me up.”

I chuckled at her rant.  She really was amazing.  And running away sounded so easy, but I think that was the problem.  I couldn’t take the easy way out.  I would spend the rest of my life plagued by the guilt that I wasn’t able to stop him.  But why didn’t I stop him?  Why didn’t I just kill him when he was curled up on the floor?  I had a knife in my hand.  It would’ve been so easy.  Then it would all be over.

“Grace!”  I heard him, but I couldn’t react.  I was covered in blood, both Danny’s blood and Sean’s.  Sean was weak, powerless, unmoving.  It was my chance.  I could end it all right there.  I raised the knife higher, hoping the extra inch would be exactly what I needed to pierce his heart.  “Grace, no!”

I froze, turning to Ryan.  This is what we had been waiting for: a life without the threat of Sean.  Why was he stopping me from finishing it? 

“Grace, knock him out.”

I listened to him, but didn’t know how to follow through.  A quick scan of the room directed me to a large piece of pipe against the wall.

Sean had come to his knees, and I knew I had to react fast.  Just as I would’ve done with the knife, I used every ounce of energy still inside of me to swing that thick metal.  I aimed for his head, and his head was what I hit. 

He fell to the ground; his eyes were closed.

“Baby, you did it.  You did it.”  I heard Ryan’s faint voice cheering for me.

“Is he dead?”  I wanted the answer to be ‘yes’.  I wanted that so badly.

“No he’s not, so we have to move fast.  Where’s Danny?”

“He’s outside.  I kicked him a lot.”  The words spewed from my mouth.

“Grace, can you get the keys from Sean’s back pocket?”

I looked at his unconscious body.  Could I touch him?  Would he wake up?  Did I want him to wake up just so I could knock him out again?  Wow. I needed to get out of there; I was beginning to frighten myself. “Yes.” 

“Great.  Now untie me.”

The sound of my ring tone startled me from my gaze.  Ryan must have been awake.

“I’m going to go check on him.”

“You do that, baby.  I’ll just be in here.”

I placed my hand on top of hers.  “Thank you so much for this.  For everything.”

“Go get him.”

I left the kitchen and slid my hands down the wall of the hallway.  I turned into the bedroom and saw my love in the same place I had left him.

“Hey.”

“Hey.”

“How are you feeling?”

“Probably better than I look,” he joked.

“Well, that’s good.”

“It’s not great.”  He smiled and patted the bed.  “Thanks for the letter.”

“I assumed you’d wake up confused.”

“You assumed correctly.  Come closer.”

“I don’t want to hurt you.”

“I’m not as fragile as I may seem.  Lay next to me.”

I curled up beside him, and he slowly wrapped his arm around my shoulder.

“How long do you think we have?” he asked.

“Before what?”

“Before all hell breaks loose.  How long do I have to recover?”

I really didn’t know.  Sean had mentioned to me that Danny wasn’t his only ally.  Someone would eventually find out where we were, and word would get back to Sean.

“You just worry about recovering.  I’ll worry about everything else.”

Ryan turned to me, shaking his head.  “Grace, listen, while I appreciate everything you have done up until now, I need to ask you to stop.”

“No, this is as much my battle as it is yours.”

“You’re really not treating it that way.”

“What do you mean?”

“You’re trying to do it all yourself.  You’re trying to end this by yourself.  I saw your face when you were holding that knife above your head.  You almost killed him.”

“So what?”  I was defensive.

“Grace, just let me talk for a minute.”  His voice deepened.  “I am asking you to let me be your man.  Sitting here like this is not right: it’s embarrassing for me.  I don’t allow myself to take a beating from anyone, but I have to be cautious around you.  If something were ever to happen to you, I wouldn’t be able to live with myself.  I can barely live with myself now.  Had Sean not had your life in his hands as collateral, I would not have let him get as far as he did.  He wouldn’t have lived to see the inside of that warehouse.”

“I should’ve killed him when I had the chance.”

“No.  This is what I’m talking about.  I don’t want you to have that on your conscience.  That’s not who you are; it’s not who I fell in love with.  You should never have to live with the knowledge that you took another person’s life; I don’t care how much he deserves it.  And Grace, had I known what he had done to you, had you told me any of it…”

I had to cut him off.  I didn’t want him to know.  I wish I could’ve forgotten it all.  “I wanted to tell you, but I couldn’t… if I told you, it would make it true.”

“It is my job to protect you now.  Let me handle Sean.  I will finish this once and for all.  Give me at least that.  Please, I need you to stay out of it.”

I didn’t realize he felt so strongly about this.  No wonder he got so angry whenever I tried to shield him from the truth.  He was just trying to take care of me.  For so long, I had been coddled and handled by club members.  When Ryan came along and asked to take care of me, I took offense.  I wanted to prove my worth, to show him I could take care of myself.  But maybe he was right.  Maybe it was time to take a step back.  I had gotten us into some pretty nasty situations.  Maybe it was time to let him take the lead.

“Let’s see what Rocky has to say when he gets here.  If he thinks you’re in for a long recovery, we can look into finding a more secure hideout.  Then, when you’re ready, we’ll take on Sean.”

“Thank you, Grace.”

I pushed a few strands of his hair out of his face, and allowed my fingertips to skim his cheeks.  My thumb found his lower lip and then slid down, resting in the small crease of his chin.

“That’s not your lips,” Ryan mumbled, his eyes half-closed.

“My mistake,” I whispered back to him.

I lowered my lips to his, taking my time.  After a few light kisses, he opened his mouth slightly, begging for more.  I pushed into him, offering my tongue to his.  At their contact, I felt a tingle deep within me.  If I kept this up, I wouldn’t be able to stop.  His hand put pressure on the back of my neck, pulling me closer to him.

“Ryan.” I pulled away.

“No, more.”  He seemed delirious from the pain.

“I need to let you rest.”

“You need me to make love to you.”

“Well, yes, that too,” I teased, “but first you need to rest.”

I felt his hand glide over my spine and land on my backside.  He gave me a quick wink and squeezed.

“What do you think you’re doing?”  I laughed.

“Getting you to do what I want.”

He really was adorable.  He was attempting to be sexy, but with his beaten body and in his feverish state, he seemed more like a sad, sick child begging to go outside and play.  I wanted to let him play.  My entire body longed for him to play, but I knew that without rest, he wouldn’t be playing for quite some time. 

“You know what?”  I moved my mouth to his ear so that I could whisper my promise to him.  “When this is all over…” I tickled his body with my fingertips as I made my way down to his swelling pants.  “We’re going to reenact this little scenario.”  I grabbed him over his jeans, rubbing the heel of my hand against my prize.  “I’m going to tie you up, so you can’t move.  Then, I’m going to have my way with you.  I’ll start with my fingers, then my mouth…” He was growing under the weight of my hand.  I knew it was mean of me to tease him in such a way, but the distraction was worth it, for both of us.  “And then I’m going to ride you.  I’ll start out slowly, slipping you in and out.  You’re going to pull at your restraints, imploring me to allow you to touch, but I’ll be in control.  You’ll stay tied to the bed; you’ll stay and be my conquest.

“Now,” he murmured, sliding his hand up my thigh and curling his fingertips into my skin.

“Not yet.  You have to get better first.”

“But what if…” He was slipping in and out.

“Shhh.” I put my finger to his lips.  “No ‘what if’s. 
When
you’re better and
when
this is over, I’ll be all yours and you’ll be all mine.

His eyes opened fully and his hand found mine.  Our fingers intertwined as we locked our eyes.  He looked as if he wanted to tell me something.

“Ryan, what’s wrong?”

He slowly shook his head.  “Nothing at all.”

He began to flutter his eyes.  “Why don’t I let you try to sleep a little longer?  I’ll wake you up when your friend gets here.”

“Grace?”

“Yes?” I stopped.

“Let’s paint our door red.”

I smiled, not knowing what he was talking about.  “What do you mean?”

“In our home, the one we share, can we have a red door?”

“Of course, Ryan.”  He must have been exhausted.

“And a dog.”

“Ryan…”

“And for our wedding, I want you to wear your hair down.”

Our wedding?  His blinks were becoming longer.

“Ryan, I’m going to let you sleep, okay?”

“Don’t you want to know about our kids?”

I couldn’t help but smile.  Of course I wanted to know about our kids.  Of course I had thought about our wedding and our dream house and a couple little munchkins running around calling us ‘mom’ and ‘dad’.  I kissed his forehead.  “I really do.  You can tell me after you wake up, okay?”

“I will do that.”

I slid off the bed and made my way to the door.  “Rocky said he’s bringing his doctor kit?”

“He said to tell you he’s bringing the whole kit and kaboodle.”

The calming energy of the room suddenly changed, and Ryan’s eyes shot open.  “What?”

“He’s bringing his kit, yes.”

“No, Grace, did he actually say the words ‘kit and kaboodle’?”

He was really beginning to confuse me.  Was this part of the delirium?  “Yes?”

Ryan looked up to the ceiling and deeply sighed.  

“That means the Blood of Cupids are coming.”