Page 81 of Captured

Until she’d been taken away.

“Then don’t make me your prisoner. Allow me to be your friend.”

“What if I want more?”

In truth, and even though I knew it was a crazy thought, so did I.

I hated his father as much as he did and was glad the bastard was dead. Maybe that would sound irrational to anyone I admitted it to, but my thoughts were the truth. What did that make me?

Just like him… The man you fell for weeks before.

I half laughed to myself. Maybe that was the worst truth of all.

“So you killed your father because of what happened to your family.”

“No, my sweet. I wish it was something so honorable and easy for you to understand but acts of revenge often take years of planning before coming to fruition, which is what I expect happened and why my wife and son were murdered. Unfortunately, I may never know. My father’s death occurred when all three sons were still under his thumb, being used in a vicious game. Hunt and be hunted. You see, Daddy dearest was the truest form of a sadistic psychotic. He enjoyed inflicting as much pain as possible, chaining us to cement walls, forcing us to run in the woods like animals. Although he preferred watching us as we hunted down enemies he’d captured and brought to the facility where they’re all buried. We were required to dig the graves. Imagine the joy as a child.”

I sucked in my breath, horrified at what I was hearing.

“You were just children.”

“I assure you some of the most heinous activities were when we’d reached eighteen but others…”

He’d gone to college after, turning into a successful doctor? I was floored but knew what he’d told me was the truth. “I’m so sorry. I don’t know what to say. Just remember there is good inside all of us, maybe with only a few exceptions.”

“And to counterpoint, there is such a thing as evil.”

“That’s not you. You’re not that man. You’re a healer. Remember it.”

“There’s no need to worry, my sweet Emily. No need at all. I have no intentions of starting a war. Now, I can fully understand what you overheard was horrible, more so than probably anything else you’ve heard me say or even the deeds I’ve done. However, you are not allowed to disrespect me in front of even one of my men. Rico is a trusted individual who’s been with me for years. However, as with any decent relationship, it involves respect. He doesn’t need to know what we fight about or what troubles you. And he certainly doesn’t feel like he can act the same way, treating me with less than absolute respect. Do you understand? That would upset the balance that I’ve created.”

Oddly enough, I did understand. “I wasn’t thinking.” I wasn’t doing any better at this moment either, still caught up in the disbelief that he and his brothers had taken another brand of justice into their hands. I could no more imagine what they’d suffered now than I had before. It was doubtful I wanted to hear the full story. What they’d endured was the thing of nightmares, but I sensed there was even more.

“That’s okay. It happens. However, I’m going to need to punish you, so you’ll keep the rules in mind, especially while I’m gone. But I will return.”

“Where are you going?” Did it matter to me? I could try to get away from him.

But did I really want that? The answer wasn’t as easy as I thought it to be.

“I have business to take care of in Boston. I will be gone a couple of days.”

He allowed me to turn around and face him. “Why? Because of what happened?”

“Partially, yes. But I do have business to take care of.”

Of course he wasn’t going to tell me the full truth. Why should he? “You’re killing my father. Aren’t you?”

“Not necessarily.”

“I can’t come with you?”

There was something about his laugh that wasn’t annoying in any way, but instead gave me a feeling of comradery, as if we’d crossed some bridge together. I wasn’t ready to believe that could be true but the fact he’d saved my life wasn’t lost on me either.

“Not this time.”

“So I’m a prisoner here just like I suspected.”

“For now. When I determine it’s safe, we will travel the world, my little sparrow.”

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