Page 31 of Be My Salvation

“What the fuck, are we doing declarations of love right now?” Abe questions as he manages to slip behind the partition next to us, with Sammy closely behind him. “In that case, I love you more, Atasi. Every part of you, but especially that sweet pussy of yours!”Jesus fucking hell.I feel my face and neck turning bright red, and flushing with heat. Leave it up to my reckless berserker to say something scandalous. I turn and stare at Sammy, with expectation across my features, and he groans. “You know I love you, Nightstar. I loved you first, and I will be the last to love you, forever and always. Your heart ismine.“ Oh my, a girl could get used to this. However, another wide shot, that takes a chunk of the fabric at my shoulder and grazes my skin, reminds me that I don’t have time for romance right now. Maybe when all of this is over, I’ll make all three of them repeat their words.

“There’s a closed door to the left. Do you think that’s where Noah is hiding?” Sammy inquires, and I focus on where he’s pointing. It would make sense that the fucker is hiding nice and safe, while the other dumbasses here lose their lives; he has always been an opportunist, and a coward. “Cover me!” I don’t wait for the others, allowing them to keep the Brotherhood men occupied, while I go after Noah. “DINAH, FUCKING WAIT!” Sammy shouts, but I don’t even hesitate to keep going. I reach the door, sliding my body along the wall, forcing it open, and plastering myself against the opposite wall, awaiting gunfire. Nothing happens, however, and when I dare to take a glance, I realize that it’s stairs that must lead up to the roof.

With a glance back at my men, I see Zeke is pilfering weapons from the dead, while the others have the Brotherhood distracted. I reload my gun, ensure I have lots of ammo, and turn away from them, steeling my spine for what happens next. Noah Rothesay is up there somewhere waiting for me. It’s now, or never. One of us has to die, and I just pray that it isn’t me.

Chapter forty-five

The Sinner

Dinah

Irace up the stairs, my heart pounding in my ears, and cautiously push through the metal door at the top. It creaks, causing my heart rate to plummet, and a shot instantly rings out that has me dropping flat on the ground, and attempting to determine what direction it came from.Fuck, how many are up here with him?I search the bright morning sky and the roof line. Most of it is made up of the stained glass we see from below, but there are a few sections on either side that have firm walkways with small rocks as their base, and a short, dark, russet brick wall around the perimeter, that meets a large gunmetal gray mechanical system. The vast area around the building is clearly visible, with dense trees on the horizon, and I know I have to be at least fifty feet in the air, which makes me a little queasy at the thought. I take a deep inhale of clean, fresh air, the scent helping to enliven my senses, and remove that dirty staleness from inside my nose. I see and hear gunshots from below, through the shattered sections of the glass ceiling, reassuring me that my men are still alive, at least for now. The quicker I find Noah Rothesay, and send him to meet his maker, the devil, the better.

“Little Dinah Camrose, you have caused me a lot of trouble, dear girl.” The obnoxious voice rings out, from behind one of the mechanical machines in the farthest corner of this portion of the roof. I point my gun in that direction as I get to my knees slowly, but I don’t get a glimpse of him. I keep my guard up, searching the area around me for anyone catching me distracted by Noah,and attempting to sneak up behind me. “Come out, coward, and I’ll end your life quickly.”

I’m rewarded with a hearty laugh, as if he finds me and my threat amusing. I’ll show him amusing when I cut him open, and allow his entrails to slip from his body, then I’ll hang him with them and throw him right off this fucking building, as a message to the other two who are evading me. “Oh, I don’t think you will, you play at being so tough and mean, dear girl, but really you’re just the frightened little girl who watched me fuck her mother, like the whore she really was. It’s a pity I never got a taste of you, Dinah. I wonder if the daughter was sweeter than the mother?” His words not only repulse me, but they fill me with uncontrollable rage. How fucking dare this sicko speak about my mother?That’s what he wants; he’s trying to push you to lose control, so that you make a reckless mistake.

A squeak sounds in the air, and at first, I’m not sure if he has an animal trapped up here with us, or what is going on. Then I see her, a little dark-haired girl of about ten in a green dress, barefoot, with blood pouring down the front of her bare shins. More and more of her is revealed, with Noah holding her tightly against his body by the neck. Her frightened brown eyes beg me to help her, as tears slide down her angelic face, and she bites so hard on her bottom lip that she draws blood. This psychotic fucker has a child hostage, that he believes he can use against me. By the looks of her, she’s someone’s sacred daughter. “Dinah, I would like you to meet Magdalena. She’s from one of the lesser Brotherhood families in this area.” He leans his malignant face closer to her sobbing profile, pressing his chin against her cheek. “Magdalena, Dinah used to be a sacred daughter just like you, except she betrayed our God and the Brotherhood, which keeps its order. She is an evil sinner, unlike you, precious child. You’ll surely get to heaven, while she’ll be damned to hell for all eternity.”

I never remove my eyes from where Noah has a gun pressed viciously right against the side of her head, despite the little cries that are tearing at my heart. “You’re a monster! Release the child now, Noah. Die with some fucking dignity!” A sinister laugh leaves his lips, as he licks the side of her crying face. “There is no dignity in death, Dinah, only an ending, and I don’t plan to experience mine so soon.”

I raise the gun and point it at him, urging my hands to stop shaking. Fuck, what do I do here? My mind is telling me to shoot him, regardless of the child. If she dies, too bad, our priority must be to eradicate Noah from the earth. My heart, however, is pleading with me to save her, that she is an innocent that Noah is using as a distraction. “I will not allow you to escape here, and if the child dies, I will pray she is reunited in the afterlife with her loved ones, but you can still go to your death with one less innocent on your soul by releasing her, Noah. This is not about her. This is between you and me.”

Even as I utter the words, I know there is no chance he will release her. I need to make a decision quickly. Am I willing to taint my soul further, with the death of this child, for my vengeance? My mother wouldn’t want that, fuck, I don’t want that. “You’ll never leave here alive, Noah. Even if you manage to kill me, Zeke, Abe, and Sammy, will ensure that you don’t take one step outside this warehouse. There is no escaping your fate, you’re just delaying the inevitable. Death is your punishment for your sins.”

Angry malice crosses his face as he tightens his grip on Magdalena, and she whimpers. “My fate was to rule the whole fucking world! You ruined that for me, playing the Unholy Ghost. You speak of fate, but what is yours, huh, Dinah? Do you think the rebels will continue to allow you to live, once you have served their purposes? You think that conniving fool, David, won’t see you dead for what you did to the Holy Father?”

He doesn’t know that the Holy Father was actually my father, and who I murdered was an imposter. I want desperately to see this manipulative clown’s face, when he realizes that the best friend he betrayed is still alive, and has been playing his supreme leader for years. “You don’t know, do you? For all your wealth and network of spies, you never did figure it out, did you, Noah? You were too stupid and power-hungry to see what was right in front of you.”

He takes a brutal step forward, filled with rage, and pulls Magdalena right off her little feet, until the only thing keeping her standing is his hold on her neck, and the gun pressed firmly into her little temple. “WHAT ARE YOU LYING ABOUT, WHORE?!”

An evil cackle spills from me, and I allow him to see the insanity that lives just under the surface of my skin, begging to be unleashed on him. “The Holy Father is none other than Francis Camrose.”Boom!Another explosion sounds from below me, causing us both to stumble. Fuck, what the hell is happening down there? “The man I killed was just an imposter playing the role of my father. It was staged, and he was watching from the sidelines.” I stand and take a step closer, and then another one, as he looks confused at my words, and is distracted by the sounds of screams coming from the shattered ceiling. “He’s dead. I watched him die! Lying whore! You can’t trick me!”

“He’s not. He’s very much alive, because David saved him. They were lovers all along. He saved him, and replaced the real Holy Father, my uncle, with him, to keep him safe from the Brotherhood.” I take another step, my hand no longer shaking. “He was right under your nose all along, playing the role of the most powerful man in the Order. Making sure you looked up at him, while he had you bowing down at his feet. How does it feel to know you were duped, Noah? That you were never going to win?” He stares intensely at me, and whatever he sees onmy features must convince him that I’m telling him the truth. I notice he’s loosened his hold on Magdalena without realizing it, and she’s managed to get her feet back on the ground. Her little eyes implore me to save her from him. She’s so terrified that her whole body is shaking.

The door behind me slams open, and just by the flicker of unease on Noah’s face, it has to be one of my men, and not his. “What the fuck is this, Noah? Whose child is that?”Abe. Fuck.He’s probably the least reasonable of them, and he might shoot him regardless of Magdalena. More footsteps crunch on over the rocks that cover the surface of the roof, and I realize that the rest of them must have followed Abe up. I can’t turn around to confirm it. I refuse to take my eyes off Noah and the child, even for a second. “Who the fuck is that? Jesus, you really are insane, and the devil, aren’t you? How fucking disappointing that you’re my fucking father!” Zeke growls as he moves up next to me. I feel him vibrating with wrath, his body wired tightly and ready to explode, just like those bombs they detonated. “Ezekiel, you speak of disappointment, as you stand there with a wife that is a whore that you share with lesser men. How pathetic you turned out to be, son. I should have listened to your mother years ago, and drowned you in our pool. It would have saved me a lot of headaches.”

Sammy shifts to the right, silent as a specter, and I don’t know if Noah just hasn’t noticed him yet, or if he’s too focused on Zeke, me, and Abe. Regardless, Sammy is about to slip behind the mechanical unit in just a few steps, and he’ll be able to come up behind Noah. I’m trying not to direct any attention in his direction, but I’m also really worried. Sammy’s very pale, his dark blue eyes large, as if he’s replaying nightmares in his head, and his body is practically shuddering.Shit, is he having one of his episodes right now?Noah, being in front of him, has to be triggering him. Can he keep it together long enough to helpme save this child? I think Abe must realize what’s happening, because he picks up a rock from the ground and throws it close to Noah, forcing him to stumble back with the girl. “I’ll kill her, I swear it! Don’t take any steps closer!”

“Please! Please help me!” Magdalena cries, and with pity, I watch as she loses control of her little bladder, and pee runs down her legs in terror. “I don’t really care if you kill the girl, Noah. Either way, you’re gonna fucking die right here,” Abe growls and throws another rock, this time hitting Noah’s shoulder.What the fuck is he doing? He’s going to get this poor kid killed.“Abe!” I shout, but he completely ignores me. “Naw, let him kill her, Atasi. She doesn’t matter, none of this matters, except ripping his heart out of his chest, for what he did to all of you.” Abe turns his body towards Zeke, as if he doesn’t even acknowledge the threat Noah poses, and I’m worried my berserker has lost his damn mind. “Zeke, tell your dad how you slit your mother’s throat. Describe to him how she died knowing you hated her, just like you do him.” Holy fuck, Abe has really lost it. He’s trying to trigger Noah into either shooting the girl or him, and my guess is on him, the reckless jackass.

“She died screaming like a little bitch. I cut her throat open and watched her bleed out, just like I’m going to do to you, old man! You’re going to pay me in blood for forcing me to stab my wife. If I have my way, you’ll even pay in the afterlife, for everything you did to Sammy and me. I will end you with my bare fucking hands.” Noah removes the gun from Magdalena’s temple and points it at Zeke, as he foams at the mouth with rage. “I’ll kill you first, you ungrateful bastard!” Just then, Magdalena turns her little head and bites down on his forearm, and he drops her like a sack of potatoes. At the same time, I lunge forward, pushing her out of the way, and Sammy yanks Noah backward towards him, and a shot fires.

“NO!” I scream as terror chokes me. There’s a tangle of limbs, as Sammy tries to fight Noah for his gun. I’ve now lost mine in the process of moving Magdalena out of the way, and I hope she’s safe somewhere behind me, but I can’t tear my eyes away from Sammy and Noah. Fists are hitting skin, but there is still a gun clenched in Noah’s hand. I see when he manages to turn it, so it’s pointed at Sammy’s chest, and I release a terrified scream. “No!” I can’t lose him, not again, not to this monster once more. Noah is straddling Sammy’s chest as he pants heaving breaths. “You scum, you’ll finally get your wish, Samuel. I am going to end you.” I don’t think about what I’m doing. I don’t even think my feet ever touch the ground as I race forward, and throw my body at Noah. All I can think about is losing Sammy again, how scared he looks right now, and how he’s stopped fighting back.

My body hits Noah’s hard, and we both stumble forward to the ledge. He starts to go over and grabs onto my hair, taking me with him. One moment, I’m hitting the ground hard, and the next, I am airborne, and both of us are no longer on solid ground. “DINAH!” “ATASI!” Zeke and Abe’s terrified voices scream for me, as both Noah and I fall off the side of the building. Nothing but blue skies greet my sight, and the sensation of being weightless envelops my body. Pieces of my life flash before my eyes, and at the last second, I see my mother’s face, a welcoming smile across her lips.

It’s time I go home.

Chapter forty-six

The Protector

Sammy

My heart is in my throat as I burst through the door, and get a glimpse of Dinah standing defiantly facing Noah Rothesay. The demon from my nightmare is right there, not more than a few feet from the woman I love with all my heart. Terror races up my spine, and claws sharply at my insides, as I get a glimpse of a small, frightened child held in his tight clutches. Her little face stares at Dinah with panic, as she tries to get away from Noah, who has a gun pressed violently against her head. I can hear Abraham and Ezekiel engaging with Noah, but it all sounds like heavy buzzing, while my mind is attempting to bring up images of my past torture at the hands of this madman.“You deserve this, Samuel. You are nothing. She abandoned you because you are worthless. You can take a little more pain to repay your sins.”Noah’s evil voice slithers through my mind, dark, unhinged, and taunting me to lose my sanity. I have to stay strong. I can’t let him push me back to that very edge, where I no longer care whether I live or die. Dinah is my anchor; she’s my heart and soul, my everything. I can’t give up and let him win.

I force myself to take a few silent steps to the side, seeing an opportunity, while he’s distracted, to slip behind the large HVAC system. I don’t really have a plan. I just know I have to do something to try to save that girl, and my love. My fingernails dig into the flesh of my palm, as I endeavor to ground myself in the here and now, and not allow my mind to slip into the past where I will be trapped. Dinah spies what I am doing from thecorner of her eye, and I see her almost imperceptible nod. The next thing I know, Abe is picking up rocks and throwing them at Noah, who is filled with a murderous rage. I slip behind the large mechanical unit and brace my hands on my knees, attempting to catch my faltering breath. Dizziness and darkness begin to dim around my vision, causing me to stumble, and my knees to feel like they are made out of jelly. I slam my fisted hand into the side of my head, hoping the pain will force some of the panic away.Breathe, fucker, breathe.It works, and instantly pushes back the ominous shadows that are trying to roll me, so I do it again. The wind whips around the roof line, helping me to clear the rest of the fog, and force much-needed oxygen back inside of my lungs.One foot in front of the other, we can do this, just keep going.

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