24. Chapter Twenty-four

24

Chapter Twenty-four

Clara

C oming back to consciousness after being knocked out is one of the worst feelings, but not the worst. No, the worst is coming to and realizing that the man who you ran from to save yourself and your son is currently on top of you ripping your clothes off.

This cannot be happening, struggling in my restraints Preston leans down and licks my ear, "Oh Clara, don't be like that. You know your struggling turns me on even more."

He presses his hips into mine to prove his point. He rips my panties off so I'm completely naked for him. Turning my head to try to disassociate from what I know is coming, my eyes bulge out of my head at what I'm seeing. No, he can't be a part of this. How? Why? But sure enough there he stands, evil grin in place, phone in hand .

"Hello, Clara."

Preston laughs maniacally as I'm trying to process what I'm seeing. "Oh yes, I almost forgot my favorite part. Clara, please let me introduce you to my half-brother, Kellum. I didn't know about his existence until about a year and a half ago. We connected and would meet up to get to know each other when I went out to Jersey for business or when he had to come here. Imagine my surprise when he called me six months ago and told me that he thought he had something I was looking for. You my stupid little slut, he found you. Your fake name came across his desk and when he called you in for an interview he recognized you immediately. All this time you thought you'd gotten away with it, but I knew where you were every step of the way."

He pulls his fist back and jams it into my side. Holy shit, I think he just cracked my rib. Struggling to breathe through it without vomiting, my eyes shut. Preston throws a few more punches at my face and torso before Kellum cuts in.

"Dear brother, you can't forget the best part of it all. Clara, how do you think I knew where you were at? How to catch Killian off guard and drug him so seamlessly?"

No, no he's bluffing. Rowan, I'm sure can fake a lot of things, but what we have? What we did the other night? No, he would never be so cruel. There would be no point, just for Preston to take me? It doesn't make sense, but of course they don't know all of the facts. So to buy myself more time I'll play along.

"No, no you don't know what you're talking about."

Kellum lets out a dark and sinister laugh, "Oh, don't I? He's been my best friend since Kindergarten. His family has always accepted me as one of their own. When I went to them after you landed in my office we set up this plan. There's nothing they wouldn't do for me."

He sounds so convincing that I have to keep reminding myself that he's lying. Rowan would never. Honestly, even if Rowan could, his brothers could never. I can never be convinced that the love those men feed into my son and myself is fake and a whole elaborate plan to get me back in Preston's clutches. We're their family. I have to believe that Preston and Kellum are lying and Rowan and the boys are coming for me. Preston's over this mind game. He always did prefer the hands on approach first and the mental warfare second.

"Enough! That was the only time we'll ever speak of them." He says ‘them' with such disdain he doesn't even realize that even if I did believe Kellum, he just gave them away. If they were working together he wouldn't be so disgusted by them.

"I'm going to break you until you're nothing but a doll for me to use however I please. You'll give me sons as heirs, and aside from when you will be brought to their nursery to breastfeed them, you will remain locked in here like the no good, useless whore you are."

Preston's done talking. He's instilled the blinding fear into me that he wanted. I'm frozen as his hands roam all over my naked body. Couple that with my former boss videoing my ex fiance who's about to rape me, and I'm more nauseous than I've ever been in my life. Shutting my eyes tight and praying for a way out along with my baby being found alive and unharmed. I tune out everything else. I can feel Preston pressing at my entrance when my head turns to the side and I start to dry heave.

He stops and jumps off me, "I swear to god, if you throw up on me I'll torture you until you're begging to die." Before I can respond a loud bang echoes through the room as smoke fills it. Peeling my eyes open I realize I must be hallucinating. Because there's no way I'm seeing what I think I am. Declan has Kellum up against a wall by his neck, a gun pressed to his temple. Turning I see Kieran with a knife pressed to Preston's neck.

"Clara!" Yeah, I'm definitely hallucinating because that was Rowan's voice. He runs through the door and bends down over me trying his best to hold me close. Next thing I see is Mac throwing his jacket over my body. I look back to Rowan and see the tears falling off his cheeks and chin onto my cheek. "Oh, baby. I'm never letting you out of my sight again. Me, you and Rhett are going away, I'll never let this life touch you again." Mac goes to work and what seems like mere seconds later the weights from the chains on my wrists and ankles disappear. Quickly, I'm lifted into Roe's strong safe arms and cradled into his chest.

Needing to ask, but dreading the answer I croak out, "Rhett?"

He holds me tighter, "He's with Flynn at the hotel. He's safe, baby, a little banged up, but he's safe."

All the emotions come rushing forward and I lose my composure. In front of Rowan, in front of his brothers, in front of my evil ex and Rowan's traitorous best friend, I sob uncontrollably in his arms while he holds me. Rowan speaks over my sobs and it takes me a few seconds to register what he says.

"Kieran take care of this worthless motherfucker. Don't kill him though, I want him in the warehouse. He touched my wife, and son. So I'll be the one to send him to hell where he belongs."

Preston roars out, "She is NOT your wife, she's my fiance!"

Rowan lets out a dark chuckle, "Well according to the state of New Jersey, she's been my wife for about six days. Kieran, do your thing. Dec, you know how we handle traitors. Mac's searching the house for where they've put Kill. I'm taking my wife to the hotel." His brothers look at us like we have five heads a piece, but they school their expressions quickly.

He spits at Kellum's feet, who at least has the decency to look ashamed. "You don't understand Rowan."

Rowan's body is physically vibrating with barely contained rage as he responds, "What exactly don't I understand, Kellum? How my best friend of over twenty years helped kidnap my wife? How he held a camera and was going to record her being… being… violated?" He roars.

"I'm sorry man, I couldn't not do it. He's my half brother. I'd do anything for him, just like you with your brothers."

"That's where you're wrong. I'd do anything, stop anyone, and protect them until my last breath if I had to. Unless that involves hurting a child or a woman. Not to mention that woman being someone I've known my entire life's wife!"

Kellum flinches back at the venom in his words, "I didn't know you married her, I swear it."

Rowan gives him a look of pure disgust, "It doesn't matter."

He turns to Declan, "Make it painful, drag it out. He's just as guilty as the other one."

As he turns to carry me out of that prison I hear Kieran's menacing voice, "Now you get to find out what happens when someone touches my family."

Declan follows up immediately, "Especially when who you touched is all of our favorites. I'll have you begging for death for touching my sister and nephew."

Rowan has me pulled tight into his chest. Mac's jacket, still thrown over my otherwise naked body. As he walks us out he's murmuring, "It's okay, Pretty Girl. We'll get Rhett and once we've talked about everything, we're leaving."

I snuggle into his chest, "We're safe with you Rowan, I have no doubts about that. Take us wherever you want."

He kisses the top of my head and says into my hair, "Safe, promise."

In that moment I know without a shadow of a doubt that he's telling the truth. He'll keep us safe, and he'll love us until his last breath. In return, I'll cherish him in all his roles in life. I'll be his biggest support, and I'll be somewhere safe for him to shed the big bad persona he has to wear when he works.

He may keep us safe, but I'll keep him safe too, promise.