Sociopath's Revenge (8 page)

"Michael, you don't question me about business."

He slammed his fist on the table. "Fuck this. We're talking about kids, man! No kid deserves to be on the receiving end of their fucked-up desires! With all the money Bratva has, you can just kill those pieces of shit and move on to something else." He traced the lid of his cup with his finger as he exhaled harshly. "No one deserves to be someone else's whore if he or she didn't ask for it," he whispered, as a single tear ran down the bridge of his nose.

Fuck.

When I found him on the streets all those years ago, I never asked about his past. I pretty much could predict it the way he begged for money and stole things. However, I never considered he had rape and abuse in his past just like me. Michael was family to me, but I couldn't comfort the kid at the moment. The plan was in motion, and as much as I trusted him with my life, I couldn't risk that his emotional nature might get the better of him. He could also blab something he shouldn't.

"Michael, let's just focus on finding the girl first." Connor already had the information about Benjamin and their plans but until he gave me the green light, my hands were tied. I didn't share about Rosa, mostly because I didn't want to wait for his fucking permission. And as much as I understood his actions considering his workplace, his constant "safe" approach started to really piss me off.

I wouldn't ask for what was mine.

"She's most likely dead," he said grimly. "Sheltered in her real life, almost raped, beaten up, along with scars, she wouldn't know the first thing about surviving in this brutal world or—" He swallowed loudly and looked away.

"Or what?" I asked as he shook his head, but we both knew what he wanted to say.

Or she was selling herself to get by. You either begged or sold yourself out on the streets; otherwise, you'd starve to death.

Before we could continue our conversation, Vitya entered the basement and quickly sat near Michael, glaring at him. "When I wake up, I prefer to see your face, beautiful one."

Michael's cheeks heated, he became all red, and then laughed nervously. He and Vitya had dated for the last three years, ever since the scarred man joined our ranks when he moved back to Russia from Europe. Tall, dark, and broody, Vitya instantly protected Michael, which fascinated me, considering no one paid him much attention.

Unfortunately, I got a live show of them screwing each other's brains out in this very room, confirming my suspicions. A shudder ran through me at the memory. I had nothing against gays, but I didn't need live shows of my friends having sex. They never touched or kissed in my presence or acknowledged their couple status, but I suspected everyone knew about them. You couldn't be openly gay here. "What's up, boss man?" He grabbed the cup nearby and almost choked on the drink. "
Blyat
, too sweet. Beautiful?" he asked, and without saying anything, Michael stood up to get him a cup from the kitchen.

He glanced back and pointed a finger at me. "The conversation is not over, man!" And slamming the door, he left the room.

All traces of humor left Vitya's face, and I instantly knew everything was fine with the coffee. "Tell me what's really going on, my friend. We have no secrets." He was the closest thing I had to a friend here, and Vitya could actually handle the truth.

With a heavy sigh, I explained the plan to him.

Life in the cabin sucked big time, but at least every time I opened my eyes the piercing pain from every corner of my body didn't assault me. I started to eat better. I got used to all of Rosalinda's bandages and routines. She shared her name with me a few days ago. I still couldn't move my arm or leg without pain, but at least I had a clear head.

I still asked for Sapphire in my sleep. She stayed with me wherever I went. Always.
But my constant ramblings stopped. I couldn't afford to waste what little voice I had. To save and protect her, I needed to heal.

"So imagine this. She came to me and actually said, 'We don't take chubby girls. Get lost.'" Rosa's voice imitated some high-pitched girl. Probably one of the schoolgirls she kept yapping about for the last thirty minutes, and then she switched back to her normal voice. "Who does that? I swear it turned me off cheerleading for good. Plus, Dad wasn't happy about my hobby, so it was a waste of time anyway." She took a big bite of the Italian risotto steaming on her plate—she'd cooked it a few minutes ago—and continued to talk with her mouth full. "To think about it now, Daddy didn't really like anything I did if he couldn't control the process." She exhaled a heavy breath. "I still miss him, though." Her head turned toward the window, and she sniffed.

Did I say all the pain had gone? Yeah, the permanent headache from her constantly running her mouth started to reappear. After that first conversation she shared with me, the girl wouldn't shut up. The minute my eyes snapped open, she started telling me stories about her previous life or would describe every detail of her cooking as if it mattered to me. With my background, food was just the means to get my strength or survive. Never had favorites and never would.

However, I never once acted disinterested or asked her to calm down. I recognized her behavior for what it was. Loneliness. I could relate; loneliness was a fucking bitch in solitude.

Although, all those years back in the cell, I always had Dominic with me. A different kind of burn ached in my chest; no matter how much time had passed, the pain and regret of losing my twin didn't go away. No one could understand the connection between twins unless you were one. Sometimes I wondered if my path would've been different had he been alive. Maybe revenge wouldn't have been on my radar.

Maybe life would've been normal.

Maybe I would've met Sapphire under different circumstances, and right now, she'd be walking down the aisle toward me.

It was pointless to think about what ifs.

Dominic was dead, and he was never coming back, no matter how much I dreamed about a day where he made it out with all of us.

But the love of my life, Sapphire, was alive, and I would do anything in my power to get her back. Rosalinda rose and sat next to me on the bed. She lifted a cup of water to my mouth, and just a sip soothed my sore throat. I nodded in gratitude, and she suddenly said, "She must be special if you love her so much." Her eyes were looking down, and then her soft whisper was barely audible. "No one will ever love me like that." She rubbed her fingers over the scars on her cheeks, probably unaware she was doing it.

And just like that, I knew Rosa would be one more person in my life I had to take care of. She had no one, but she had saved my life.

So she would get Damian Scott and everything that came with him.

Sapphire

"The Millers will be there," Kristina chanted as we walked toward Annie's house. She wore a pink rosette tulle dress, and her two pigtails swayed rhythmically as she walked. Lucky ran around us happily, his tongue hanging out the side of his muzzle, and he licked our toes every few minutes.

Annie's barbecue included several new families and some old ones, but mostly it consisted of the same company: Amanda and Cormack Millers, Mika and Jeb Smith, Mary Wilson who was a single mom of two, Cormack's unmarried brother, Peter, and some random people they invited from work. At least I didn't have to worry about spending the day with strangers who made me uneasy.

"Yes, sweetie, they will." Jason was my girl's first crush. Seriously, Amanda's boy wore glasses and went nuts for Superman comics, claiming someday he'd be a superhero. No one had the heart to tell the boy that those superheroes didn't exist in real life, so he kept on dreaming.

One day, Kristina came to my study and asked me about Lois Lane. She wanted to be like her since she was Superman's love interest. Needless to say, it cemented my belief and my worry about her little crush. Although the glares she kept on giving him and Ruby, Mary's little girl, when they played together were hilarious.

Kristina smiled and winked at me, and then she started bouncing on the way, clearly eager to reach our destination faster. Finally, we made it. Everyone had arrived already, and the air was filled with laughter, delicious smells of freshly grilled meat, and kids screaming. Kristina ran immediately toward Jason, who frowned at her and turned back to explain something to Mika's son, Alan. Ruby and Regina kept bouncing on the trampoline and screamed at my girl.

"Kristina, come here!" She shook her head and kept listening to the boys. I seriously hoped she'd grow out of this crush because only hanging around Jason didn't seem healthy in my opinion. Especially when he didn't seem that eager to be in her company to begin with.

Amanda laughed as she came closer and hugged me briefly, giving me a kiss on the cheek. She was a petite woman with long brown hair, and green eyes filled with compassion for everyone. "I think your girl has a crush on my boy."

I rolled my eyes and chuckled. "You think? She's practically glued to him," I mused. "It worries me a little bit, to be honest."

Amanda waved her hand dismissively
.
"They're just kids, hun. Her obsession will move to something else."

However, I didn't feel her confidence. She had obsessive and possessive tendencies from her father, and the last thing I needed was for my daughter to take some young boy hostage.

No joke.

"Amanda, I need your help. Hey, Kate!" Cormack called from the barbecue, flipping steaks on the grill while pouring water on them, creating lots of steam and delicious smells. I waved at him as he winked. Cormack was slightly on the short side with a little belly, but had such a sense of humor that you always wanted to have him around.

"Coming!" Amanda yelled back, then apologetically said, "Sorry, the man can't do anything without me." We both laughed as she left to tend to her husband. Sometimes I wished I had someone who could share my burdens with me and create a normal family. No matter how much Damian and I loved each other, our relationship would always be a hectic one with danger lurking around every corner. It was no way to live. At least, not until he fixed the evils that destroyed both of our lives.

I was about to join the rest of the women on the porch discussing the latest neighborhood rumors when a hand on my arm stopped me. I glanced over my shoulder to see Peter giving me a huge smile, his eyes lighting in pleasure.

"Glad to see you here, gorgeous," he drawled in his rugged, sexy voice as his hand gently removed the lock of hair from my eyes, hesitating a bit before letting it go. Uneasiness swept over me, but I tried to control it because Peter was a great guy. He was handsome, six feet tall, with James Dean short blond hair, blue eyes, and a lean but muscled body. He had an easygoing smile that instantly made you like him and the kindest eyes I'd ever seen on a person. He worked as a construction manager in Cormack's company and owned a house nearby. According to the small town, he was quite the catch and all the single ladies dreamed of snatching him up.

All but me. Unfortunately since day one, he paid me more attention than everyone else and constantly asked me out on dates. "Hi, Peter. How are you?"

He chuckled. "Good, actually. What single man who has no clue how to cook feels bad at a barbecue, huh?" he joked, and it eased my mood. Maybe he wasn't here to ask me out again. Refusing him became an uncomfortable situation for me. He cleared his throat, straightened his spine, and asked, "Do you want to go out on Friday and check out the new restaurant on the coast? They have your favorite seafood."

I hoped the disgust on my face didn't show at his words because loving seafood was part of my WPP story. I couldn't stand anything that had to do with the sea, not since the time I was ten and got food poisoning at one of the most expensive restaurants in New York.

"I don't think so, Peter. Kristina is at home and—"

He didn't let me finish. "We can take her with us." Surprise got the better of me. Blinking a few times, I clarified, "To the restaurant?"

He nodded. "Sure, why not? She already knows me, and I don't mind." What man didn't mind inviting his date's daughter on their first night out? I had to give it to the guy, he was persistent and didn't give up easily, but if he wasn't an option before, then after Damian's appearance, he didn't have any chance at all.