I love you.
-Melanie
Six
Three Versus One
I returned to the camp.
I walked through the clearing and felt Alix stare at me, his head turning to watch me as I passed. My week in Paris obviously hadn’t subdued his anger. Even armed with a weapon, he couldn’t overpower me. He might be bulkier, but I was quicker, and the stronger fighter didn’t necessarily win.
If he tried again, I’d kill him this time.
Fender had dropped his palpable hostility given the progress I’d made, so I had his favor again. If I killed one of the guards, there would be no repercussions. The other guards would hate me more, so I’d rather not, but I wouldn’t put up with Alix’s bullshit much longer.
I stared at him as I passed, so he would know I was aware of his stare, that he could try again if he wanted.
But I’d knock him on his ass again.
I checked the packaged coke on the table and ignored the other stare that landed on my back. Her blue eyes pierced into me, silently asking me to turn around and meet her gaze. She pleaded, her energy traveling through the air and absorbing into my skin then bloodstream. But I ignored it.
The note was in my pocket.
But I wouldn’t give it to her.
It was late in the evening.
I sat at my desk against the wall, my TV on. My laptop was open, and I worked on the spreadsheets that I had to catch up on after my week-long absence because Fender didn’t trust anyone to do the numbers right other than me. They could falsify numbers, take a cut for themselves, and we’d look like idiots.
My thoughts started to trail away as my gaze turned unfocused on the screen.
It was almost midnight, and I was tired.
But my hand reached into my pocket and pulled out the note that had been opened and crumpled many times. I studied the feminine handwriting, listened to the sound of Melanie’s voice in my head, the way she quietly pleaded. Her tears shone brilliantly under the light of the chandelier. She’d returned herself to a monster to save her sister. Back and forth, they made sacrifices for each other.
I crumpled the note again and threw it in the wastebasket next to my desk.
I would tell Fender the truth the next time I saw him.
He’d keep Melanie anyway, but at least he would know that her affection was false. She was manipulating him…the way Raven had manipulated me.
I closed my laptop, turned off the TV, and then got into bed.
It was a clear night, the moon so bright through the window that I had to turn over and look the other way.
My eyes went to the wastebasket, highlighted by the moonlight. The paper was the only thing inside, sitting at the bottom, crumpled and forgotten.
When I closed my eyes, I still saw the image in my head.
I still saw it sitting there.
I opened my eyes and looked again, thinking about the way Melanie had pleaded with me, the way she cared for her sister…the woman who sacrificed everything to keep her safe. Raven wasn’t even supposed to be here, but she’d come voluntarily because she’d follow Melanie anywhere.
I sighed and sat up, sitting at the edge of the bed in just my boxers, staring at the wastebasket in fury.
I didn’t owe that bitch anything.
I’d already rescued Melanie from Fender once.
I’d already gotten Raven out of this camp.
I did my part and had nothing to feel guilty about.
But after a few seconds, I rose to my feet, got dressed, and put the note back in my pocket.
Then I left my cabin.
It was quiet out because we didn’t post guards on patrol. The cabins housing the women were bolted shut now, so no one would be able to break their way out. The high fence was around the perimeter, so there was no escape, even if they could get out of their cabins. So, I was alone.
No one would know what I’d done.
I approached her cabin, unlocked it, and then opened the door. My hand flicked on the light, and I turned to look at the bed, assuming she would be asleep. But she wasn’t there. I stilled at the sight before me.
A noose was around her neck, tied to the beam across the ceiling. Her wrists were bound behind her back, and she balanced on a flimsy box on the ground, which was uneven and shaky. One wrong movement, and she’d lose her balance…and hang herself.
She couldn’t speak because the rope was too tight. All she did was stare at me, her eyes pleading for help. She lost her balance for just a second, as if she recognized me even though my hood was up.
I knew the guards were giving her a rough time, but I’d never imagined this.
I shouldn’t care.
She was here because she chose to come back.
But I couldn’t just turn around and leave her there.
I pulled out my knife, cut the rope around her wrists, and then removed the noose around her neck.
She quickly hopped off the box and moved to the other wall, breathing hard as she ran her fingers through her hair, processing the trauma in silence.
I pushed my hood down and returned my knife to my pocket.
She slid down to the floor, her arms wrapping around her knees. She rested the back of her head against the wall and looked at me, her face still bruised from the beatings she received on a daily basis. There was no way she didn’t regret her decision now. She must have realized how pointless it all was. Most of the girls had gotten away, but new ones had quickly replaced them. “They’ll know you helped me.”
“I don’t care.” They already hated me anyway.
When her breathing returned to normal, she gave me that same emotional look she wore in the clearing, like she would do anything to get a minute of my time. “I’m so sorry—”
“You will never earn my forgiveness—stop asking for it.” It was difficult to be around her because just looking at her made me angry. Her blue eyes shone the same way they did when we were in bed together, that emotional connection still there. I regretted sleeping with her. I regretted giving so much of myself to her…sacrificing so much. Her brown hair, full lips, and slender neckline had no effect on me anymore. “The only reason I’m here is to give you this.” I pulled the note from my pocket and threw it at her because I didn’t want to be anywhere near her. If I were in arm’s reach, I might choke her harder than that noose would.
She picked it up off the floor and slowly unfolded it. Then her eyes shifted left and right as she read the short message. “Oh my god…Melanie.” Her eyes immediately watered before she clutched the note into her tight fist. “No…” A small breakdown took place, a loud sniff echoing in the small cabin, tears shaking on her eyelashes before they fell down her cheeks. “You saw her?” She turned back to me. “How did she look?”
She was dressed in the finest things money could buy. Designer clothing, priceless jewels, under the protection of the biggest kingpin in all of France. And he was a handsome guy, always getting the attention of beautiful women without having to pay for it. “A lot better than you do.” I moved to the door to leave.
“Magnus, wait.” She got to her feet. “Please—”
I closed the door and bolted it shut.
Her voice sounded through the door. “It was real…”
I stilled at her words, flashbacks coming into my mind, images from the two passionate nights we’d shared. I could still hear the raindrops hit her bedroom window. I could still taste the sweat in the valley between her tits. I could still feel her nails in my back, the pressure nearly breaking my skin. But I also remembered the nights when we just stared at each other, the conversations that unfolded even in the direst circumstances. Beautiful women came and went in my life, but moments like those…never did.