Page 9 of Be My Salvation

The Protector

Sammy

“Ithink the cunt will run at the first opportunity,” Gorilla number one complains, in the back of the dark van that’s transporting us, while giving me a suspicious, side-eyed look. He knows that, even though I’m shackled and restrained, if he gets too close to me, I’ll do all I can to beat his ass. Experience has taught him to be wary of me, and the bruise on his jaw from my latest headbutt is his reminder. Pain no longer means anything to me. I want to leave this world, having inflicted as much misery as I can on everyone who hurt me. “I don’t know, I think he’s finally realized that whore abandoned him for those pretty, rich Princes of the Order, and he wants somepayback.“ Gorilla number two grins odiously towards me, winking his ugly eye in my direction. “Don’t you, fucker?”

I ignore both of them, as I stare down at my confined feet. They want to get a rise out of me so they can beat on me, and I don’t feel like ascending to their bait. The heavy chains around my hands and feet are oppressive, a reminder that, despite leaving Noah’s hideout, I am still a captive. It’s been weeks since I was taken, and no attempt to rescue me was ever made. I kept holding out hope that she would come, that something had momentarily held her up, or that there was a misunderstanding, and she didn’t know I was still alive, but all of that was false. I, even in my weakest moments, hoped it was because she was dead, and not that she had left me to die alone without her. Not more than a week ago, I watched a video of her making a bargainto kill the Holy Father, in order to save Abe and Zeke’s lives. She was willing to risk everything to protect them, but not me. That’s when I finally understood that my Nightstar was utterly false in her love for me. She left me to die, without a second thought to what I could be suffering at the hands of her enemy, and suffer I have.

It’s amusing to me that Noah has men inside of the Holy Father’s entourage without him knowing. My guess is that the same can be said about the Holy Father having men inside of Noah’s, and the rebel factions. All of these assholes are playing games of espionage and war, and using the rest of us as their toy soldiers on a board, regardless of the cost of our lives being the price paid. Collateral, that’s what everyone without power is to the Brotherhood, and their need for control of the world’s populace. The thing is, I now have my own agenda, and I won’t be used for Noah’s ill gain. I have nothing left to lose; I’m already dead in the eyes of the world.

“We are approaching the outer limits of the city. You should give him the shot now, so that it takes effect before we arrive.” The driver yells back over his shoulder, and I grit my teeth, knowing what is to come. Gorilla number two pulls a large syringe from a bag next to him on the seat and prepares it, so that he can inject me with the poison they are pumping through my veins. The one that burns me from the inside, confuses my mind, and makes me see things that I am not sure are there, like my Nightstar in front of me, professing her false love.

“I don’t need that shit. I’ll do what I agreed to without it,” I try my best to implore them, but I know it’s nothing but a wasted effort. They have orders from Noah to ensure that I complete my task, and for that, they need me pliable, but also insane with rage. Whatever concoction is in that syringe will guarantee their result. “Sorry, fucker, but you heard the boss. It’s the syringe,or we shoot you in the head, and we murder your pretty whore ourselves.”

Instead of bothering to waste my precious energy trying to fight them all off, I force myself to stay still and angle my neck, so that he can inject me and get it over with, without more violence and bloodshed. What does it matter what is flowing through my veins? Once I kill Dinah, I don’t want to live a second longer than I have to. My only hope is that someone murders me the minute she takes her last breath, so that I can’t be used any longer as a pawn for Noah. The needle pierces my skin, and I bite down on the inside of my cheek to prevent making any noise that would bring satisfaction to these assholes. The drug burns as it makes its way through my veins, heating my body up, and within mere moments, I’m feeling like a zombie, without control of my rational thinking, and fierce, angry rage flowing through my body, causing all of my limbs to tighten and spasm. “Look here, psycho. This is a picture taken earlier today of your precious whore, walking arm and arm with her husband, Ezekiel, as they left the Holy Father’s compound. Look at how much she’s in love with him. It looks like she’s enjoying her new life without you.”

My dilated eyes try to focus on the details of the picture they are showing me on a screen. It’s taken from a distance, but even with the blurry details and my foggy mind, I can see that Dinah is wearing an elaborate, dark blue gown embroidered with various gems. Her dark hair is secured high on her head, with large curls framing her beautiful face, and her lips are painted an enticing red, as she smiles up at the man next to her. There isn’t a hint of all the tattoos I proudly inked upon her skin. Somehow, that bothers me more than seeing her dressed as a Sacred Wife, and playing the role she was born and bred for. The role she always claimed to detest.Liar. Manipulator. Betrayer.

Her arm is threaded through the crook of Ezekiel’s arm, and he’s in full Brotherhood regalia, looking every inch the entitled Prince of the Brotherhood. Abraham stands a few paces behind them, dressed in the same robe, looking away from the couple, and into the distance. I try to force my eyes to focus; something seems odd about the picture. Is that bruises all over Abraham’s face, and is he using a crutch? Ezekiel’s face also looks bruised up, but it’s more subtle, as if someone took care not to hurt his handsome face, or has tried to cover it up. The image is snatched away from my sight with a gruff, before I can second guess my thoughts, and my mind whirls at the possible implications. Perhaps I am wishing to see things that are not there. My mind attempts to conjure possible reasons why they all abandoned me, when the truth is plain to see. They had no further use for me. My service to Dinah was at an end, and they wanted me gone. I was a thorn in their sides, a reminder of her past transgressions. What better way to achieve my removal, than to leave me at Noah’s despicable mercy.

“Do what you’re told, and death will be quick for you,boy. Fail Noah, and you’ll suffer until your heart finally gives out. Either way, that bitch’s time is up.“ He shoves me back against the side of the van, and my head smacks against the surface, but the pain feels like nothing more than butterfly wings touching my scalp. The drugs are already doing their work, making me numb to everything except fury.

In my overwhelmed mind, I picture approaching my Nightstar and her falling to her knees, tears sliding down her face with gratitude that I am still alive. She begs me, with those false lips of hers, to forgive her trespasses against me, and asks for my mercy and forgiveness. My hands fist her thick, dark hair, forcing her to look up at me with those intense grayish-blue eyes, as further crystal tears stain her face. In their depths, I witness genuine remorse for hurting me and leaving me for dead, butit’s far too late for any of that. Our forbidden love is at an end, and now that I consider everything that has happened, I should have never allowed it to commence. I reached too high and plummeted from the sky, only to land on jagged rocks that destroyed everything I knew about myself to be true. I am not a good man, and I was not in love with a good woman. We are both tarnished, and ravished, by this world that seeks to ruin every person the minute they take their first breath. I’m pulled from my daydream by a kick from one of the gorillas, and force myself back to this reality, instead of the one where I wrap my hands around Dinah’s neck, and squeeze the life out of her.

“Who are your loyalties to, Samuel?” The deep, rich, aristocratic voice comes from the front seat, and my head sways on my neck, as I try to get a glance at the malignant fucker that is making all of this happen. Noah Rothesay stays hidden in the shadows provided by the darkness that surrounds us. His voice slithers along my nerve endings, causing goosebumps to rise, and bile to race up the back of my throat. I attempt to fight off the drugs, but it doesn’t help to clear my mind. There’s a sound buzzing in my head, some sort of frequency that the fucker uses, in combination with the drug that forces my compliance against my will. It reminds me of when I was in the Holy Father’s presence, at Dinah and Zeke’s wedding, but much more potent. “You,the Brotherhood,“ I snarl out like an enraged beast. I wouldn’t be surprised if I was foaming at the mouth at this point.

“Good.” Noah turns in his seat, and I finally get a glimpse at him. His deranged green eyes stare back at me and remind me of his son, who also made false promises to save me from his father. Yet, here I am, and he’s currently enjoying the company of my Nightstar, without worrying that I might have held her attention and heart. “You will find Dinah Camrose, and shoot her dead in front of the congregation, and proclaim her the Unholy Ghost. Allow her to end the Holy Father’s life first, so shecan accomplish that dirty work for us. I will be seen as a hero for finally putting an end to her reign of terror.”

There is a maniacal, unhinged light behind his eyes, and his expression is frightening. Even in my blitzed state, I realize that he is filled with madness. “Rothesay, you called her... Camrose, but she... no longer is. You’re... killing your own... daughter now,“ I slur the words, my lips numb, and as emotionless as my mental state. Nothing but coldness wraps itself around me in a tight hold, preventing me from grasping too long onto any emotion other than fury. “She is nothing to me but a means to an end. A dirty whore like her mother before her that needs to die.” Noah’s unhinged eyes tear away from mine, and stare over my shoulder. “Give him the other shot now, to ensure he does our bidding, without being able to think for himself.” He turns away and disregards the tight grip the two gorillas have on me, as they force me to take yet another drug that will incapacitate my mind, and make me nothing but a killing machine for them.

A memory tries to rise of the last time they gave me this combination of drugs. My memory is fuzzy, as if trapped in quicksand, but I can hear the screams of people I don’t remember. Flashes of people running, blood splattered over walls and the ground. I hear the sound of a child calling out for their mother, but I don’t see them. All of it causes my body to shake, and sweat to pour down my back, with a feeling of evil. The sense of being suffocated, with my chest refusing to take in air overtakes me, and I clutch at my throat. All of the sounds and images are straight out of a nightmare, one I have conjured up with all the torture, and the drugs they keep giving me. In some of the flashes, a monster covered in blood wears my face, and grins back at me. Have Noah and his men made me a monster, more beast than man? Will I now kill indiscriminately at their command? A part of me wants to scoff at the very thought, but I know that it’s more than possible. After all, you need a monsterto kill another monster. Have I become what I spent my life scorning, a predator of the innocent? No, Dinah isn’t innocent, and she’s the only one I want to hunt and kill.

“We are here,” the driver announces, and the van comes to a sudden stop, pitching both gorillas back against their seats. One slams his shoulder into my face as he tries to regain his balance, and the rich taste of copper floods my mouth. The drug flares within me, demanding more of that taste, and the feel of warm blood coating the surface of my skin. No, not any blood will do. I need the blood of the whore that betrayed me, the woman who ripped out my heart, and stomped on it with both feet. I will have my revenge on Dinah Camrose Rothesay, and it will be glorious.

“Give him the gun, and unleash him on them. He’s ready,” Noah commands, and I am released from my confinement. I move my shoulders back and forth, allowing blood to flow back into my numb limbs, and come hastily to my feet as I exit the van’s back doors. With one menacing look at the two fuckers that have spent weeks beating and terrorizing me. I allow them to see their imminent deaths in the depths of my eyes, before ripping the gun from one of their hands, slamming the door to the van shut, and allowing myself my first free look at the dark night sky in weeks. I take a deep breath of fresh air, and clear the remainder of my muddled thoughts, until only one remains.

I’m coming for you, Nightstar, and I hope you’re ready to meet your maker. It won’t be long now, baby. I will pay you back in blood for everything I have suffered since I met you.

Chapter thirteen

The Forsaker

Zeke

Something doesn’t feel right.What the fuck am I saying? Nothing feels right, and it hasn’t felt that way for weeks. There are too many greedy, powerful men with their hands in the same pot. All of them attempting to control a world that doesn’t belong to them. All of them desperately seeking to use my Snow for their nefarious deeds.

I keep my glance firmly on her, from the distance these assholes insist on. The guard to my left holds a gun firmly pressed into my back, in warning not to attempt to move, or cause a scene. Dinah stands there, mere feet away from me, but it might as well be miles, dressed in her finery, looking every inch like a princess of the Brotherhood, and a high-ranking wife.My wife.The one I have failed to protect, every single day that we have been married, despite my promises to do otherwise. I’m a fucking failure, and I know it. “Abe, does she look nervous to you?” I question the silent and stoic statue at my side, who refuses to acknowledge the woman we both love. The one who is trying to play it off, and failing miserably, that he doesn’t burn for her too. My frustration with him, and the way he’s behaving with Dinah is rising, and what little restraint and patience I have left is quickly evaporating. I get it; he’s furious that we walked into a trap. He’s upset that she was stubborn, and wouldn’t listen to reason when he voiced his objections, and both of us were tortured, and almost died as a result. So fucking what!

David and his cronies did that, not Dinah, not my beautiful Snow. Doesn’t he understand how horrible she feels right now, how she’s blaming herself every minute of the day for the situation we are currently facing? She hasn’t once attempted to thwart the responsibility of leading us into an ambush. Instead, she has tried to repeatedly apologize to the fucker, but he refuses to hear her out. He’s also declining to tell me what happened when I was unconscious. I know something was done to him, some heinous act, that has caused him to retreat into his own mind. I have my suspicions about what it is, but I want him to be the one to confess it to me, so I can wrap him in my arms and comfort him. Will the overbearing, stubborn oaf do that, however?Not a chance.I guess I shouldn’t bother to hold my fucking breath, knowing him.

Fuck, I love them both so much, that it feels like a substantial weight is bearing down on my chest, suffocating me one precious breath at a time. I don’t know how to mend what has fractured amongst them, and I’m terrified that one, or both of them, will ask me to make an impossible choice between them. There is no way that I can ever make that decision; it would be like ripping out my heart and soul, and asking me to continue to live.Impossible.“Don’t give a shit if she is. I don’t even know why they bothered to bring us here. They should have left us in our cage,” Abe replies with a groan, as he struggles with the crutch that is holding him up. He pretends he doesn’t care, but I see the glances he keeps directing Snow’s way from below lowered lashes, when he thinks no one is watching. He’s angry and hurt, but those emotions are wrapped up tightly in his love for her. As much as he wishes he could close off his heart to Dinah, it just doesn’t work that way, and in my opinion, he’s a fool for trying.

My eyes trail over the space’s stone walls, glowing tapered cream candles, gothic lancet windows, deep-embroidered tapestries hanging from the walls depicting works of saintsI don’t believe existed, and the crest of the Brotherhood. Everywhere you look is a lavish sign of wealth and power. No expense is spared, so that all these assholes can feel like gods, playing with the lives of mere mortals. I was and am still one of them, despite my allegiance having shifted to my Snow. Perhaps we should all be wiped from the face of the earth, so it can heal and begin again.

“Let’s go, cunts, the procession is about to commence, and David wants you both out of sight and tucked away,” the asshole with the gun shoves me forward, and I almost lose my balance, my focus having ultimately returned to Dinah, and the blade David just handed her before walking away. I saw that look that crossed her beautiful features. For a moment there as she held the blade, I would guarantee that she thought about stabbing David with it. He noticed it too, and whatever threat he must have uttered to her had her staying her hand, but if her tight grip on the knife, and her fierce expression, is anything to go by, it won’t be long before she unleashes violence on someone. My money is on a few of the Brotherhood men taking their last breaths here before we depart, and I am not just talking about the phony Holy Father either. Dinah made sure we understood what was being demanded of her before we came here today, and although I disagree with her going through with it, there’s not much I can do with guns pointed at mine and Abe’s spines.

“You touch me again, and I’ll make you eat that fucking hand, bastard,” Abe grunts as he’s pushed forward by the guard behind him. They’re herding us out of the back area, and into the darkened alcoves on the side balconies, where we’ll be too far from Dinah to be of any assistance if anything goes wrong. My eyes trail over a man in a dark robe standing to the side in the shadows, intently focused on Dinah. I can’t get a good look at him, since the hood of his robe is too low, and I’m pretty sure his mask is in place. Something about him not only seems familiarbut heinous. He’s giving off a vibe that I don’t like. Glancing at Abe, it seems he’s picked up on it too, based on the menacing look he’s directing at him. “Do we know who that is? Could it be a rebel?” I lean closer to Abe and question quietly, to avoid the guards overhearing our conversation.

“No idea, but he looks shifty as fuck,” Abe grunts but doesn’t remove his gaze from the man. “Do you think he’s here to hurt Snow?” Warning bells are ringing in my head, as further trepidation fills me. There are so many enemies just waiting for an opportunity to hurt my wife. How the fuck am I going to keep her safe? How am I going to protect all of us, and also get Sammy back? That is, if he’s even still alive, after all the weeks as a guest of my father’s. I have my doubts that he’s still breathing, despite what that asshole David professes.

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