My heart broke at the sight of Katy with her messy hair and terrified eyes. Her mouth was taped, and she was struggling to cage in her pained whimpers. Her pale pink dress was torn in places, and her rounded cheeks were marked with red slashes. I felt the rise of uncontrollable fury at the sight of the innocent girl being dragged into a mafia war. Women and children weresupposed to be off limits. Looks like the bastards didn’t get the memo.
Cutting off the ties that held her hands, I undid the tape, causing her to fall onto me in relief and exhaustion. Gently pulling her out of the dingy cupboard, I sent a text to Gio before helping her reclaim her balance.
“Hey, sweetheart, are you okay?” I brushed the hair that fell over her eyes away, eyeing Katy with tenderness, an acute ache piercing my heart. She barely nodded before her eyes rounded in fear, immediately alerting me to the presence of someone else in the room.
Turning around, I was furious to see the Viking heir and two more boys, who seemed to be in their early twenties like this fucker.
“Well, well, who do we have here? A savior?”
Instinctively, I held Katy close to me, enraged at his mocking tone. Clearly, the dickhead had no brain cells. He took out his gun, pointing it at Katy, while one of his friends simultaneously reached for a knife. I was tempted to roll my eyes; only the thought of upsetting Katy with all the drama stopped me. Right now, her safety was my only priority.
“Give her back, and you can get out alive. You know, you could always tell her brothers the story of how we’d defile little Miss Fat Virgin here.” He laughed, the bastard. My hands tightened around Katy, making her whimper. Immediately, I threw her a reassuring glance before glaring at the Viking asshole.
“Fat or not, she captured my interest.” He eyed her lewdly, making my skin crawl. I remembered Ryker’s comment about his folder with Katy’s photos.
“Do you want to watch? Or how about we give him a turn after all of us are done?” The other friend gloated, making me grind my teeth.
“Drop the weapons before I kill you fuckwits with my bare hands.” I threatened, my voice icy and devoid of any emotion.
“What did you say?” The Viking idiot’s nostrils flared and his pupils were already dilated, making me realise he was high. Shit! This meant he could act irrationally. Making a swift move, I kicked that fucker’s stomach, making him stumble back, dropping the gun in the process.
Katy whimpered again, and I tightened my hold on her. Before the guy with the knife could stab me, he slid to the floor. That’s when I noticed Gio behind him, his gun making a clean shot at the two friends, one by one. The two fuckers slid to the ground, their eyes devoid of life.
Instinctively, I shielded Katy from the sight, blocking her vision with my body and protecting her within my arms. For those brief moments, I felt her clutch for her dear life, holding on to me with a tightness that made my heart ache. “Turn around, sweetheart.” I murmured before nodding at Gio.
“He is mine.” I grunted at the Viking now trying to reach for the gun in desperation. Just as the bastard’s hand touched the metal, a bullet from my gun passed through his skull, scattering his brain with precision.
The familiar stench of blood and urine permeated the room, making me aware I had to get Katy out of this mess and soon. Gesturing at Gio to take care of the cleanup, I carried her effortlessly, holding her face away from the bloodshed.
As I moved toward the entrance, Noah walked in, the bloodstains on his shirt confirming the death of any men left in the warehouse.
“Katy?” He tucked the weapon behind his waistband, the color leeching from his face at the sight of his baby sister’s torn clothes and bruised body.
I watched her turn to look at Noah, her face white as a ghost.
“Sweetie, don’t be scared. Darling, I’m here. You’re safe now.” His words were tripping over one another even as he reached out to his sister.
Katy took one look at his bloody hands and clutched at me with a whimper. She turned away from him, snuggling deeper into my chest. Noah faltered, belatedly realizing how he looked.
“Fuck,” he muttered, raising miserable eyes at me.
“I’ll wait with her in the jet. Clean up and meet us there with Gio.” I murmured, not wanting to upset her further.
Noah nodded without a word, his eyes full of dark emotions. I barely held on to my control as is, wondering how low these bastards could stoop. The rage I felt didn’t dissipate even after killing that lowlife. I wish I had the chance to sabotage him in the cruelest ways possible until he begged for sweet relief in the form of death. Luckily for him, his soul left his body within seconds.
#1
Katy
Present Day
The ding of the notification on my phone woke me up from my sleep. Excitement spread through my veins when I heard the special notification sound that signaled he’d replied to my text. Smiling, I rolled over in the enormous bed, eagerly opening the chat window. My smile widened when I saw his message.
Good morning, Princess. Best wishes for your graduation. Proud of you, kiddo.
Kiddo!? I frowned at that nickname. Ugh! How I hated that. It had been four years since that fateful day, and here I was, ready to graduate. Majoring in psychology, with additional certifications in women and child safety. Yet I was a child? Perhaps it was because we didn’t get to meet each other for four years.
Shuddering at the reminder of that fateful day, I instinctively clutched the blanket around me, almost mimicking Barun’s strong hold around me.
