“You became his whore?! Let’s go!” I struggled in his tight grip, and by the pain running through me, I knew his touch would leave bruises.
“No, I won’t go with you. Father, let go.” He placed his gun against my stomach, stopping all my movements.
Baby. My baby.
“I won’t hesitate to shoot you, Sapphire. Move and fucking smile so no one knows what’s going on.” Instinct to protect overcame any other emotion, and I followed him numbly, wondering what went wrong. If it had been about my safety only, I would have fought until my last breath. But at that moment, Dad was an unpredictable monster, and I couldn't risk it.
We rode in the elevator and he hugged me close, his gun still pointed at my stomach under his coat as he escorted me out to his car and sat me inside.
He started the engine and sped the car through the streets. Father made sure to lock the doors, so getting out at a traffic light wasn't an option either.
“Where are you taking me?”
Without answering my question, he handed his cell phone to me. “Call him.”
“No.”
He narrowed his eyes, his hands gripping the steering wheel until his knuckles went white. “Call him, or I’ll fucking kill you right now. He already knows you’re here.” Suddenly, Dad’s phone rang. “Looks like he found the way himself.” He slid his thumb on the screen to answer. “Hudson River Palisades, whore. You better be there, or Sapphire dies.” He hung up the phone and dread filled me.
Hudson River Palisades was almost a two-hour drive from here, and probably the only area close to New York with dangerous cliffs and a river.
Just what did my dad have planned for us?
Damian
He was taking her to the Palisades to kill us both.
No.
I would sacrifice my own life, rather than let him hurt my Sapphire and the baby she carried.
Sapphire
As magnificent as the Hudson River was, in that moment, I couldn't admire anything about it. Fear was driving me crazy, and the only thought calming me was the knowledge Damian would be here to save us. Water and cliffs scared me, especially in such secluded places with not a soul in sight.
The car stopped abruptly, and relief washed over me, thinking Dad finally saw reason, until I followed his eyes to the road.
Damian.
He was standing in the middle of the road, surrounded by cliffs, and he had a gun pointed at my dad. I tugged on my hand, which my dad held in a tight grip, but he wouldn't budge.
“Father, let me go. I want to go to him.” He shook his head, opened the glove compartment, and grabbed his own gun, and my heart stopped.
No!
He pulled me painfully, making me crawl over the driver’s seat, constantly pointing his gun at my forehead. Once we were outside, he placed my back to his front as the cold weapon touched my temple.
“See her, little whore?” He painfully tugged on my hair. “Put the fucking gun down, or she dies.” Damian stood motionless as my ears buzzed from fear and my heart raced. His eyes on my father, he slowly lowered the gun to the concrete and pushed it toward us with his foot.
Dad smirked and spat, “Should have killed you back then at the cell, useless whore. Just like your brother. Move your fucking way to the cliff.” He pointed to the high cliff, which opened to a view of the ocean, with nothing but water and rocks below.
No.
“Damian, don’t!” I screamed, but Dad just hit me in the head with the gun and pushed me forward, knocking me unconscious.
Damian
Deep rage consumed me as John hurt Sapphire, my Sapphire, but I couldn't move from my spot. He was an unpredictable bastard, and by the way he handled her, he would shoot her just to harm me. She needed to be protected at all costs. Talking with him would buy her the necessary time to wake up and run. He wouldn't kill her once I was dead. Studying him all these years allowed me to understand that, in a way, he did love his daughter, but not when she interfered with his plans. Once the threat—me—was eliminated, he would once again forget about me and keep her alive.
With my hand behind my back, I found the button on the phone and pressed it. Connor, one of the best FBI agents in the field, would be here soon, and Sapphire would be safe.
My ultimate goal was to destroy S. But choosing between my vengeance and the woman I loved? There was no choice. My life hadn’t meant shit to me for a long time. If sacrificing my life kept Sapphire safe, then it would be a death worth accepting.
John turned his head to me, chuckling.
“Have to give it to you, whore. You must have some good dick, making her loyal to you. Sure as fuck never gave the same loyalty to her old man when she ran with those papers to Ken.” My brow lifted as I watched every move he made.