Текст книги "CHAINED"

Автор книги: Jaimie Roberts

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Текущая страница: 21 (всего у книги 24 страниц)

Chapter 23

I wasn’t sure how many hours had gone by, but by the time the burning subsided and Zac had finally left me alone, I was more exhausted and broken than I had ever been in my life.

As Zac was buttoning himself up again, I curled into a little ball and stared vacantly at the walls, wishing and hoping they would swallow me up.

“I think I’ve made my point.” He sneered in Kit’s direction.

“The only point you’ve made is to prove to me how much of a sick, twisted fuck you really are. Look what you’ve done to her. Look what you’ve reduced her to. You told me you loved her. That’s not fucking love. You raped her.”

Zac ran to the window, banging his fist on it. “I didn’t rape her. She begged me to take her. She is always begging me to take her.”

“Only because you make her!” Kit’s voice was so filled with anger, I gripped the sheets with my fists.

“She might hate me now but, in time, she’ll grow to love me again. We have a child growing inside her now. My child. She will always be a part of me because she has a part of me inside her womb. There will never be any escaping from that.”

I could feel his eyes boring a hole into me as I let the tears fall down my cheeks. I had forgotten about becoming pregnant. This was what he was after all along and now he got his wish.

The final nail was in my coffin.

“I’m going to fucking kill you, Zachary. I promise you that. I don’t care how long it takes, but I will get to you and I will cut your fucking eyes out.”

Zac’s evil laugh had my whole body tensing. “I’m not going to worry about that too much, Chainey, and do you know why? Because, after tomorrow, you’ll be dead and I’ll take Livy as my bride. I’ll let you have a moment together to say goodbye. I will give you that.”

He walked out of the room, leaving us in silence. All that could be heard were my quiet sobs as my world came crashing down around me.

“Olivia,” he whispered, making my sobs louder. “Olivia, I’m going to promise you something. I will kill him. With every breath I have left, I will gut him until he bleeds to death. I will never let him hurt you again.”

Closing my eyes, I allowed the last remaining tears to fall and got myself lost in his words. I wished it were true. I wished my white knight would ride in on his horse, draw that sword, and rescue me.

It was never going to happen. As long as Zac was alive, I was his and always would be. There was no way Kit could fight his army alone. In the morning, Kit would be dead, and I would become numb. I was determined to live my life like that because it was better than feeling anything else. I would let Zac take control of me, drug me, hypnotise me, anything so I didn’t have to feel what it was like to live in the real world.

By tomorrow morning, I would welcome it. I would welcome it all.

*****

I wasn’t sure how long I had been left alone with only mine and Kit’s quiet sobs filling the air, but when the door finally clicked open, I was already in my dark pit. I was still lying in the exact same position as when he left me, and he smiled. It was a tender smile reserved for me and one I knew I was never escaping. I could see it now. I could see why he saved me from myself all those months ago. He was letting me know I couldn’t live without him. He was slowly crawling his way into my soul before finally ripping it away from me. That was why he let me find my vengeance. That was why he wanted me to find the man I always thought attempted to kill my parents. He was trying to show me he was on my side. He was trying to let me know that he was my white knight, my saviour, and that he would do everything in his power to give me what I needed. Because, in the end, I would need him. After all that was done, I would lean on him like he was my lifeline. Never was I to want or need again, apart from what Zac could give me. He had been planning this for years and now he finally had me.

I was his.

Sitting on the edge of the bed, Zac tenderly pushed a strand of hair away from my eyes. “You look tired, baby. I’ll take you to bed now so you can rest. You don’t have to worry about a thing.”

When he bent down to pick me up, I heard Kit crying my name. Everything came crashing down on me again when a panic like I’ve never known before consumed me.

“Wait!” I pulled my hand up to stop Zac from taking me. “Please, wait. I need to say something.” I swallowed hard, my head becoming clearer. I had to attempt to save Kit. I had gotten him into this mess. Now I had to try and get him out of it.

Zac grabbed my hand and sat next to me on the bed. “What is it, Livy?”

I had to put on the best performance of my life to save the man I loved. I couldn’t live with myself knowing I had placed the gun in Zac’s hand and let him pull the trigger. I had to do something, anything to prevent Kit from dying.

Putting on the best smile I could, I reached up to caress Zac’s cheek. He smiled, closing his eyes at my touch. I heard Kit groaning and, for a moment, I almost faltered.

“I am yours now, Zac. I always have been. I will go with you willingly because my heart belongs with you. I want you to grant me just one wish, then I am completely yours. I promise. If you do this for me, I will love you unconditionally.”

Zac opened his eyes and stared at me for a moment. I could see the hope in his eyes, but my hope was gone.

“What, Livy? Anything. I will give you anything if you completely give yourself to me. One wish. What is it?”

I turned my head towards Kit and stared into his soulful eyes one last time. I had to take the memory of those eyes with me. The ones that promised hope, happiness, and a life filled with great possibilities. I could see his pain, see the light lost within those eyes, but there was still that flicker of hope. There was still that flicker of promises to come.

“I want you to spare him.”

Zac gripped my hand in anger. “But you have feelings for him. I could see it in you. I can’t let anyone get in our way. He tried killing you all, for fuck’s sake, Livy. I thought you wanted justice?”

I nodded. “I do… I did. The only thing I want now is you. Please, don’t let Kit get in our way.”

“Olivia, what are you saying? Don’t listen to him. Don’t let him poison you.”

Zac shot up from the bed. “Shut the fuck up, Chainey.”

I yanked at his arm to stop him from doing something stupid. “Zac, you have me. You won. Please, let it go. Let Kit go and I will be yours forever. I promise.”

I heard Kit yanking at his chains again. “No, Olivia. Don’t do this. Don’t.”

I took a deep breath, trying to keep myself from falling apart. I had to let Zac see that Kit’s words didn’t affect me.

“Tell him.” Zac was pointing towards Kit. “Get up, look into his eyes, and tell him. I want to hear you say the words to him, Livy.”

I got up from the bed, wobbling a little as I went. The drug was wearing off and exhaustion was setting in. I reached the window and stared into those eyes again, losing myself within them one more time.

Just one more time.

“Kit, I never wanted you like that. You were always just a game to me. I was trying to find you and I did. I won. You lost.” I saw the shock and horror in his eyes as I fought to carry on. I knew Zac was watching me now, scrutinising everything I said and did.

“When Zac lets you go, I want you gone from my life forever. I never want to see you again. I will spare your life, because that’s the kind of person I am, but don’t ever confuse what we had with love. I already told you. Painting is the only thing I ever loved, remember? I told you that a little while back. Painting is the only thing I ever loved.”

His eyes widened, and I hoped he got the message loud and clear. The message I gave him all that time ago in my bed after Kit declared his love for me.

“You know, I always loved painting, but whenever I think of painting from now on, it will remind me of just how much I love you.”

Once I was done, I captured that look of his one last time. The one that filled my heart with joy and my belly with butterflies.

I took in a deep breath, knowing I couldn’t do this anymore. I had to get out of there before I screamed.

Finally, I turned to Zac. “See, that wasn’t so hard, was it?” I tried to sound indifferent, but I was falling apart inside.

Zac studied me a moment, then looked at Kit. He smiled, then turned his attention back to me.

“As you wish, baby. I will spare him, and you’ll be mine forever.” I nodded and let him take me by the hand. He placed the dressing gown back on me, tenderly brushing his lips against my cheek. I let him lead me out of the room and I daren’t look back. I could hear him, though. Hear his cries as I was being ripped away, never to see him again. He had to know that I wasn’t a bad person. I made something good out of something terrible. At least now he could live with the knowledge that I always loved him. I just hoped he would accept the path I chose and move on. I would never be happy again, but Kit could still find his. That was what I hoped for him anyway.

As the door closed behind me, so did my future. My life, filled with endless love and devotion, had closed its doors and I was on my own once again.

Emptiness was my life now.

Chapter 24

I was taken upstairs to my room where I saw it was after four in the morning. No wonder I was exhausted. It had been fourteen hours since Craig had come to get me.

Zac was taking care of me now. Every touch and every caress was done with such devotion, you would never believe what he had just done to me in his basement.

What he did to us.

He ran me a bath and bathed me as I sat there, silently staring. Again, I was numb. Again, I let the feeling wash over me so I didn’t have to feel at all. To feel was shit. Never would I feel again.

When Zac was satisfied, he pulled me out of the bath, dried me, and dressed me in a silk nightie as I sat there…just like the perfect little doll I was.

“You look so tired. Are you tired, baby? Or is the burn still there? I can make you feel good again.”

I shook my head, not wanting him anywhere near me. The pull for him was still there, but it had been numbed after what had just taken place. It was almost as if what happened was becoming a distant dream. It would be nice to wake up from it all and find that all the evil had disappeared. That the nightmare had ended.

It hadn’t ended, though.

It had only just begun.

Zac brushed his lips against mine and pulled my legs up onto the bed. He made sure my feet were under the covers before he slid in next to me. He pulled me to him so he was spooning me. He was hard…again. I didn’t think my body could take much more.

“God, Livy. I just can’t get enough of you. I will leave you alone because you have to get some rest, but always know that I constantly want you. You will never have to worry about that. There will never be a person I desire more than you.” He kissed my head and snuggled into me. I let him have this now because I promised him I would. I’d promised him the world and he was celebrating his victory. He had battled for his prize and won…

And I was lost.

*****

I dream of hearing shots. Lots and lots of shots. I could hear shouting, too. It was ringing through my ears and playing with my head. Then I heard a loud explosion, ripping me from my sleep. The whole house shook as the dust from the plaster on the ceiling fell down like sand.

“Livy, get in the bathroom and lock yourself in. Now!”

Zac was off the bed in an instant, grabbing a gun from the bedside table. He raced to the door and placed his ear to it before looking back at my shocked face. “Move!”

Scrambling out of bed, I raced towards the bathroom just as another loud explosion was heard downstairs. I could hear men screaming and guns firing as I locked myself in.

I couldn’t understand what was happening. Ian had warned me about the dangers, and I was wondering if there were men out there—worse men than Zac—looking to kill him. It made the fear creep up inside. I knew Zac was bad, but he was the devil I knew. Out there, I didn’t know what the hell greeted me.

A part of me celebrated in the fact that there was someone out there racing to get to my master, racing to take him out. The other part of me feared what would happen if they did. Who would I belong to then? Would these men take me, use me like Zac did…or worse?

My mind scrambled and, for the first time since yesterday, I felt that flicker of hope. My own survival was at the forefront. I didn’t want to die like I did yesterday.

I wanted to live.

Racing to the window, I opened it to find men running everywhere. There were some lying dead on the ground, and bits of debris were all over the patio. I looked around to see if I could find something to crawl out on, but there was nothing.

“Olivia!”

I looked towards the voice and saw Ian standing there with all his combats on. He also had guns and grenades strapped to his belt. He smiled up at me and winked. “I’m coming to get you!”

I almost cheered. I almost jumped up and down, clapping like a maniac. Ian was not hurt, or dead, or missing. He was very much alive, and he was coming to rescue me.

My heart danced in the knowledge that there was someone out there who cared for me. Someone who was willing to risk his own life to save me.

As I smiled back, I couldn’t help but wonder what had happened to Kit. I nearly asked, but I knew Zac was probably still right outside the door.

No matter where Kit was, I hoped he was safe. I hoped he was healing. I hoped he could carry on without me.

He couldn’t be with me now. I knew that much. By begging for Zac’s help, he had sealed our fate. I realised why he did it, but it still wouldn’t take away the fact that he did.

As my heart raced, I heard a shot and Ian ducked down low to take position. He fired a couple of rounds, then raced forward. There was no doubt he was an expert at this. All his moves were done with military precision.

He fired a couple more times, then moved out of sight and into the house. I moved away from the window and started pacing. My heart was drumming at the anxiety of what could possibly happen next. I knew Ian couldn’t be working alone. Not when it involved this much ammunition and explosions. He had to have some others helping him. Whoever was out there, I welcomed them now. I welcomed them because I knew Ian was behind it all.

I kept on pacing for what felt like hours instead of mere minutes. More explosions sounded, more screams could be heard and then…

Nothing.

Complete silence filled the room and it made my heart beat faster. What do I do now? I couldn’t think. I didn’t know what greeted me behind the door.

As I slowly moved toward it, I lifted my hand to grasp the handle.

And then I heard it.

Bang!

Bang, bang!

For a moment, it was deathly silent. Then I heard a roar coming from the bedroom. There was a crash and I heard a voice…a voice that stopped me. A voice that I thought I would only ever hear in my dreams again.

“Where is she?!” he screamed.

I heard a punch and that was when it hit me. I had locked myself in there, not the other way around.

I quickly scrambled with the lock, my hands shaking violently. “Kit!” I screamed. Not hearing anything back made me more desperate to get out.

I was somehow able to unlock it. I opened the door, a big smile on my face, but what I saw wiped it away.

Kit was standing there, blood on his hands and face. His eyes were wide, making the fear shoot through me.

Behind him, holding a gun to his head, was Zac. His face was bruised and his nose was bloody, but his eyes left no room for error.

Evil… Just pure evil.

“I tried to be fucking nice about this.” He jerked at Kit and it made me flinch. “I let him live because I love you, and this is how you repay me? You promised me, Livy. You fucking promised.”

I put my hands out in a calming gesture. Zac looked two seconds away from pulling that trigger. “I know, and I still promise.”

He motioned towards me. “So what the fuck was that, ha? You should have been shouting my name, not his. Not the man who tried to kill you when you were a child.”

“Don’t listen to him.” Kit’s voice made me jump. “Olivia, why do you think he wanted to take you to the park that day?” My eyes widened when I realised what he was trying to say. “Why do you think he wanted you out of that hotel room?”

Zac jerked him. “Shut the fuck up. You were the one in that room planting the bomb, not me.”

Kit ignored him. “Olivia, listen to me. Your father was making some dangerous business deals with the Middle East. Ones that would earn him millions, but would cripple the country.”

My head shook, confused. “What?”

“Don’t listen to him, baby. Your father died because he was forever running away from him.” He jerked at Kit again. “He made me Godfather so I could look after you if anything happened. I was always there to protect you, Livy. I always loved you.”

The tears started brimming in my eyes as I looked back at Kit. “Your father was helping the Middle East come up with a new currency for oil. One they could set up by themselves. One where they could set up their own rates. The US and the UK got wind of this and acted. Hussein and Gaddafi weren’t brought down because of the uprising in their country. They were brought down because of this new deal in oil. One that would make them millions. One that would damage the super powers such as the UK and the US. The agency could never let that happen.

“I was sent to plant that bomb because I thought it was about the deal. Now I know I was wrong.”

I frowned. “What do you mean?”

“Don’t fucking say it. I swear, I’ll put a bullet through your head.” Zac’s face was red with fury.

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you.” Ian appeared in the doorway, pointing a gun at Zac’s head.

Zac’s eyes snapped in Ian’s direction and he scowled. “What the fuck are you doing here? I thought you were dead.”

Ian laughed. “Your little trick of firing me so you could have me killed later didn’t work. I was ready, and I got the man when he came for me.” He looked over at me. “Sorry I took so long.”

I wanted to speak, but I was in shock.

He turned back to Zac. “Now, I suggest you put down your weapon before someone gets hurt.”

Zac’s eyes filled with absolute hatred. You could tell he was trying to figure out what to do next.

“Even if you kill me, there are others downstairs just waiting to get a shot at you.” Ian smiled, winking in my direction.

Finally seeing sense, Zac dropped the gun and Kit ran to me. He enveloped me in his arms and I immediately inhaled him, letting the happiness of having him so close surround me.

But Zac, seeing all this, turned and scrambled to get the gun from Ian. I ran towards the gun on the floor, picked it up, and shot at the ceiling.

“Stop!”

Zac threw his hands up and turned to me with a smile. “Baby, what are you doing?”

Then it hit me. All of it just exploded in my mind and made perfect sense. “The bomb wasn’t planted because of what my father was doing at all, was it? You planted it because you wanted my parents out of the way. It wasn’t about business deals. It was about me. It was always about me.”

When Kit didn’t tell me otherwise, I knew I was right. Zac just offered me a tender, calming smile.

“Livy, baby, I would never have harmed your parents. I was the one who took care of them after. I was the one who protected you all.”

Kit growled. “Only because you knew you would be caught if you didn’t. You couldn’t risk letting your Goddaughter slip through your fingers, could you?”

Zac’s nostrils flared. “The way they treated her was no different than a dog. I had to get them out of the way so I could look after her properly.”

I laughed. I don’t know why, but it just sounded funny coming from him. “And you treated me so much better? You even left me there so I would rot so much, it would look like you came to rescue me. You wanted me to get to my lowest point, didn’t you, Zac? You wanted me to almost drink myself to death so you could come in on your white horse and be my saviour.”

He pointed at me. “I was there for you when no one else was. I got you out of your personal hell and offered you the world. Remember that Manderville pervert? Remember what he did? Who was the one who kept the wolves at bay, ha?”

My head fogged with visions of the wolves chasing me. How did Zac know? How did he manage to get into my head so much?

Zac saw me hesitate and gave me a calming smile. “Livy, baby…” Closing my eyes a moment, I shivered, which made Zac extremely happy. He stepped a little closer. “I love you, Livy. I have always loved you. Ever since you were little, I loved you. It was in a different way back then, but now... Now I would give anything to have you as my princess. It was always you, baby. Never anyone else. I was only ever interested in making you happy.”

I faltered a little, but Kit placed a gentle hand on my shoulder. When I looked briefly into his eyes, all thoughts about Zac disappeared and my head cleared.

I gripped the gun tighter and looked at Zac. “Happy? You think this…” I gestured around the room, “makes me happy? You honestly think that by treating me as your slave, I could learn to love you for it? That isn’t love, Zac. None of what you did for me in the past was out of love. It was out of control. You just wanted to control me. And it worked for a while.” I laughed sarcastically. “Last night, you made sure it fucking worked. You made sure to show the one person who has ever truly loved me for me that you were in control. That you were the one who had me. No one else. You.”

“You are mine!” he growled.

I smiled and aimed the gun between his eyes. “Not anymore.” I pulled the trigger.

I watched as Zac hit the floor, the shock still in his eyes. He was dead, and I could finally be free.

Just like that, I was. Just like that, a switch flicked and the pull he had on me vanished. He was gone, out of my life for good.

I could finally live.

And that was my last thought before my world turned black.