Breaking The Silence (Fatally Flawed Book 3) (17 page)

Chapter 42

K.J.

              All the muscles in my body are sore, from the time spent strapped to a table, after being made to feel like I was drowning. There were a couple of times, after doubt had crept in, I had thought I wasn’t going to survive. Then they would stop long enough for me to fill my lungs with oxygen, before starting the process over again. I tried to keep myself from moving, hoping to piss them off, keeping my hands clinched at my sides.

              “I must admit, even for you, this is impressive.” Lorenzo says, crossing his arms over his chest. “Most men would have broken by now.

              Santiago stands to his right, closest to the door, while Anthony is to his left. “Everyone seems to think I am merely wasting my time, torturing you, when I could be questioning the person that helped you steal from me.” He states with a smirk on his face. “Bring him in, boys.” Anthony shouts out, while Lorenzo keeps his eyes locked on mine waiting to see my reaction.

              The same four guards, I’ve seen since arriving, squeeze inside the tiny cell carrying an unconscious man. At first I can’t see anything but their bloody clothing, but then he is dropped to the floor and I clearly see Sticks. I take a deep breath, look back at Lorenzo, making sure to let him see the fire burning in my eyes.

              “You thought I wouldn’t find out about him.” He smugly states, a cruel smile splayed across his lips. “Once I figured out who he was, I thought it would be poetic for you two to be together again. He’ll be staying in his old cell. You remember?” He asks, walking over to Sticks. “The one next to yours.” He finishes, kicking him in the ribs.

              “Now.” I shout out, waiting as Santiago and the four guards retrieve their guns. Pointing them at Lorenzo and Anthony. It takes a few seconds for clarity to show in their eyes, but there is no room for confusion when I remove my hands from the cuffs. Standing to my full height, I turn to my right. Now toe to toe with the piece of shit that has been after me for months. Looking into his eyes I see surprise turn to anger when he realizes what is happening. Nodding my head, at the taller guards, I indicate for him to take Anthony to the room Santiago has set up for me.

              “I’ll see you soon.” I state to the man trying to fight off Santiago’s men. He can kick and scream all he wants, there is no one brave enough to come to his rescue.

              Focusing my attention on, Lorenzo, the man that taught me everything I know. I do something I dreamt of every night as a kid. Using the last bit of strength, I have. I send my fist flying into the side of his face, watching as his neck snaps to the side from the force of the impact. He is knocked out cold before his body hits the floor.

              I walk over to Sticks, who is still unconscious, feeling for a pulse. There is a steady beat below my fingers, so I order two of the guards to take him to my apartment. That is where the doctor, I keep on call will meet us.

              “Take him to the same room as Anthony.” I command one of Santiago’s guards pointing at Lorenzo. Then turning to the man himself I reach out my hand, “keys.”

              “You sure you can drive in your condition?” He asks, handing over the keys to my bike.

              “Keep them hydrated while I’m gone. I don’t want them passing out before the real fun starts.” I order, leaving him alone in the room. Now that the difficult part of the plan is over, I can breathe a little easier knowing I have secured Izzy’s protection. She will forever be safe from the enemies I have acquired, but she still has to answer to her disappearing act. Too bad there will be no one to protect her from me.

              The doctor arrives shortly after Santiago’s guard drops off Sticks, who is now awake. From the injuries Dr. Z has pointed out, it looks like he will live to hack another day. Although, it may be hard to type with eight broken fingers. He gives Sticks a shot for the pain, but there is nothing else he can do for him here. I look to the guard that dropped him off, “you are going to bring him to Dr. Z ‘s office.”

              “Can we discuss this first?” The doctor asks.

              “You want your money don’t you?” I state, not holding back the irritation in my voice. He knows the deal between us. When I need medical attention, he gets paid very well to provide that.

              He ignores my question, obviously smart enough to realize I am in no mood to bargain with anyone tonight. Not that I would ever renegotiate anyway. “What about you?” He questions. “Are you going to let me stitch some of the cuts that reopened?”

              “I have some where to be.” I declare, walking to my front door, holding it open. The guard knows exactly what to do, picking up Sticks, he walks out of the door. Dr. Z is more hesitant to leave, a look of shock on his face, “you know what. I’m not getting paid to care.” He says. Taking a bottle of pills from his bag, he shoves them toward me. “Take them as directed until the bottle is gone. Those wounds are infected.”

              I take the medicine, giving him the envelope of cash I had in my back pocket. With a stiff nod of his head, he starts barking orders to the guard as I shut the door. I have no doubt he will make sure Sticks has a full recovery, considering he has been warned what would happen if he ever fucked me over. Now it’s time to jump in the shower and scrub away the smell of mold and dirt. The hot water should help with getting some of my strength back. Then I will go get the only woman brave enough to run away from me. The one that was put here to drive me crazy.   

Chapter 43

Izzy

              Entering Jasper’s house after leaving my mom’s, completely drained, I want nothing more than to go to bed. There is only one problem, K.J. is still missing. Candice seems just as bothered as me, but Jasper is adamant if I get a few hours of sleep we can start searching for him in the morning. Looking across the kitchen table, I’m sitting at with Candice, I see the oven on the other side of the room. The clock displaying a glowing four followed by two ones.

              I don’t bother telling them about the photos I saw in Gunner’s office. I’m sure K.J. would not want anyone to know, and I’m certainly not going to tell a story that isn’t mine to tell. That is, however, the reason I know K.J. is just locked in a room somewhere being held against his will. I can’t begin to imagine the things they would do to a grown man after seeing what they did to a child. I know he is stronger than most, but no one is invincible.

              “I can’t.” I begin, standing up from the table. “I refuse to wait around, twiddling my thumbs, while someone I love is out there in the hands of a maniac. Come on, Jasper.” I start pleading. “He saved your life, now it’s your turn to save his.”

              Candice is staring at me with concern in her eyes, obviously thinking about what I just said. She surprises me by standing up, looking at Jasper, “I agree with Izzy. K.J. has always been there for us. Now it’s our turn be there for him.”

              Jasper looks from Candice to me, shaking his head. Unlike Candice, I am not one to take no as an answer. Turning on my heel, I charge toward the kitchen door, no longer waiting for K.J.’s brother to help me. He can go get all the sleep he wants; I will find him on my own.

              Storming out of the kitchen, I head for the guest bedroom Jasper brought my bag to. My mind is on the verge of exploding, having received its limit of bullshit today. Arriving at my parents, earlier, they were relieved to see me for all of three seconds. As soon as my mother saw that I was unharmed she began to lecture me about nearly costing Kiersten her life. She felt I needed to apologize. I honestly went there with good intentions, wanting to check on my sister, but that quickly changed along with my attitude. Standing in my childhood living room, staring at the woman that raised me, I finally pulled up my big girl panties. I almost wish I had a camera, so I could have captured Kiersten’s reaction when I told our mom that Kiersten was the one to blame for K.J. being gone. Had she went back to New York she never would have been abducted, and K.J. wouldn’t have given himself back to Lorenzo. As soon as the words were spoken, the room grew silent, everyone staring at me. That’s when I turned to the door and walked out. There was no Hollywood moment, I was not stopped by anyone, and the relief that came along with that was proof enough I had done the right thing.

              I flick the switch on the wall, bathing the room in light, stopping in my tracks when I see K.J. sitting on the bed. My heart rate speeds up as we both freeze, our gazes locked. There is a yellow shading around his left eye and across his cheek bone. A cut going across his left eyebrow that looks to be a day old. Releasing the breath, I’ve been holding, while breaking the stare down we’re having, I let my eyes roam his body. There isn’t much to see, injury wise, he is covered in his usual black jeans and leather jacket. So I’m not able to see much, but my eyes do catch burn marks on both his hands and across his neck. They are all the same size, two dots about an inch apart, almost like a vampire bite. Standing frozen in the doorway, my mind screams at me to run into his arms, but there is a very real chance that K.J. may not be the same man I fell in love with. Having seen what Lorenzo was capable of, I’m aware that not many people would come out of this the same person.

              Sensing my apprehension, he easily gets to his feet, “come here, Elizabeth.” He states in his familiar domineering voice. My feet start moving forward, wasting no time to clear the space that was once between us. Now standing just a foot from him. K.J. places his hand on my hip, pulling me flush against his body. I wrap my arms around him, letting the tears of relief I have been holding back fall. The feel of his muscles and the smell of leather mixed with motor oil have me squeezing harder and breathing deeper.

              “I thought I would never see you again.” I start saying, my voice clogged with emotion. Wrapped in his arms, knowing he will never let me fall, I finally have my break down. “I’m so sorry I broke my promise. I’m a shitty person for leaving.” I say in between sobs. “But I’m so happy you came back to me.”

              With both hands on my hips, he pushes me back, creating some space between us. With tears still streaming down my cheeks, I lift my chin, taken back by the emotion I see in his dark gaze. “You, Elizabeth Waters, are the only thing in this world worth coming back to. They would have to kill me to keep us apart, and even then I would scale the gates of hell to be with you.”  He states with such confidence in his voice.

              “I love you, K.J.” I cry out, letting him know my feelings have not changed. “I will never run again. You are who I want, you are who I need.” I say, hesitantly reaching my hand toward his face. “Can I touch you?” I ask.

              Grabbing my hand, he places it on his cheek, looking at me with more admiration than I’ve ever seen in his eyes before. “You never have to ask again.” He declares, taking my lips with his. This kiss is unlike the many before it. It is slow, not rushed. Soft and controlled. Not harsh and demanding. In this kiss he is telling me what he could never say out loud. K.J. loves me, that is something I will never doubt again.

Chapter 44

K.J.

              Walking into the room, Anthony and Lorenzo are in, I make enough noise to get both of their attention. They are both chained to the wall, stripped naked, dirty and sitting in their own piss. The smell is almost unbearable, but there are certain things you cannot change when it comes to this job, and human shit is one of them. Santiago insured me he had been giving them plenty of food and water, per my request. I wanted to make sure their bodies could handle everything I have planned. Lorenzo is the first to look up, not trying to hide the fear behind his eyes.

              “Kade, you don’t need to do this.” Lorenzo states with an urgency to his voice I have never heard before. Now that the roles have reversed he’s going to take the chicken shit way out, and beg for his life.

              “Lesson one, Lorenzo. Never beg, not even for death.” I declare, repeating the words that were spoken to me several times growing up. “Die with pride.” I finish my declaration, getting into his personal space, and putting all six inches of my blade into his knee. A scream rips from his throat before he can stop it.

              “I always knew you were a pussy.” Anthony spits out, deciding to join the conversation. “I can’t believe you lasted as long as you did in this business.”

              Lorenzo hangs his head in shame, having heard what Anthony said. I remove the knife, slowly and painfully, before stabbing him in the opposite knee. Throwing his head back, he lets out another roar of pain, blood pooling from both wounds.

              Now that I’ve had some fun with him, I turn to Anthony, excited to show him my knife skills. Knowing he is most likely not going to cry out, I move to the back of his knees, making quick work of slicing both his iliotibial bands. Leaving him without any use of his legs. I remove my jacket, gently placing it on the table to my right, grabbing two of the twenty syringes displayed before me.

              Lorenzo tries to move toward the wall, seeing me walk toward him, fear shinning in his eyes. “After everything I’ve done for you.” He exclaims. “You would be dead if it weren’t for me.”

              Looking toward, Anthony that has not said much, I hold the syringe out. His eyes stay glued to my hand, obviously curious as to what may be in the tiny tube I am holding up.

              “You want to know, how I know I’m evil?” I ask, stabbing the needle underneath his left thumb nail. His body jerks from the pain, but determination keeps him from screaming out. “I don’t just kill and torture people. I take pride in their pain. You will die tonight. Knowing I’m the one that broke you.”

              Applying pressure to the plunger of the syringe, I watch as the Sulfuric Acid starts to eat his nail away. His back arches, shaking the chains attached to his wrist, before he lets out a roar of anguish. One by one, I stab every finger on his hand. Watching his flesh start to melt onto the dirty floor.

              Lorenzo, having watched what I just did, has turned deathly white. Dropping the, empty, syringe to the ground. I stroll over to him. Remembering all the screams that could be heard up and down these halls. Thinking of all the beatings and sick fucks he hired that liked to rape helpless children. I stab the needle into his testicles. Filling them up with the acid. Seconds later he is screaming, until his voice goes raw, tears freely falling from his eyes.

              Lorenzo is passed out, the pain from his injuries to much, so I have some time to play before he wakes up again. Taking my knife out, I move back to Anthony, and proceed to show him why I am the most feared man in this state. Every cut of my blade, and every flick of my wrist he is reminded of the biggest mistake of his useless life. Coming after me and my family. I promised Jasper and Dalton I would make him suffer. This is just the start of the beginning to his end.

              Santiago walks into the room, after I am done, while putting my leather jacket back on. I shove my hands in the pockets before casually walking over to him. He stands frozen, staring at the unrecognizable bodies of Lorenzo and Anthony, a look of disgust on his face. “I’ve seen some gruesome stuff in my day, but this takes the cake.” He states.

              Nodding my head, I agree with him. Anthony and Lorenzo are both missing their eyes, having been burned out with the acid, and there is melted skin hanging from their various, detached, body parts. “This is what happens when you fuck with my family.” I declare.

              “I guess this means our business here is done. As agreed upon, I’ll take over the organization and you are a free man.” Santiago states, turning toward me.

              Taking my hand out of my jacket, I put the barrel of my nine millimeter to his head. This asshole actually believes I would let him walk free after everything he did to the boys that were brought here. He never once laid a hand on me, but he did take a liking to some of the others, and this sick fuck thinks he’s somehow better than Lorenzo.

              “What in the hell are you doing, K.J.?” He asks.

              “Doing something that should have been done a long time ago.” I answer before pulling the trigger and watching as his brains decorate the wall behind him. I’m sure there will be someone that takes over the organization, but I’m not worried. I have proven my point. If you value your life, you will stay away from me and my family. Dropping the gun onto Santiago’s chest, I step over his body, and walk out of the room. A sense of peace comes over me knowing I will never again have to walk these halls. It’s time I learn to live normally with the people I care about. It’s time I break the silence and tell Izzy everything she’s always wanted to know.