Betrayal of Cupids (7 page)

Ryan

It was impressive how Danny was able to stay on my tail the entire trip to Alexandria.  I didn’t once look back for him, he wasn’t my concern, but I heard him.  Even in my fear, it was comforting to know he was so close. 

By the time we rolled into the small Central Pennsylvania town, it was well into the middle of the night.  We were the only people on the streets.  I cut away from the town center, knowing exactly where to find the home of the late Patrick “Bowie” Brennan.  From the moment I found out who Grace truly was, I made sure to know where her father lived.  I slowed my bike, not wanting to make my presence known as I came up on the old farmhouse.  Danny sped in front of me, cutting me off before I could turn down the driveway.

“Fuck man, do you have a death wish?”

“Get out of my way, Danny.”
“No.  Have you even thought about this?”

“About ripping Sean’s head off?  Yes, I spent the last two hundred and fifteen miles thinking about it.”

“About storming a rival club member’s home?”

“Bowie is dead.  He’s not coming after me.”

“No, but we’re talking about the Brennan home.  They fucking run the mother chapter of the Shadows.  You have no fucking idea how many one-percenters could be in there right now.”

I pulled off my brain bucket and ran my fingers through my hair.  He was right.  I could be stepping into something dangerous completely unprepared.  I’d be no good to Grace or to the Cupids if this jealous rage ended with me in the ground next to Pops.     

“Fine, stay with my bike.  I’m going in on foot.”

“You don’t have to do this.”

“I heard him.  He’s fucking here.  God knows what he’s done to her.”

“You heard a man’s voice, Ryan.  You assumed it was Sean.”

“I know it was him!”  I was losing control.  Sure, there was no way of being totally certain that it was Sean’s voice that had chilled my body from the other end of Grace’s phone, but I couldn’t take the chance of her being hurt on my account.

“You want it to be Sean.  Admit it.  You want him to be here so that you can have your revenge.”

“No.”  I might have said ‘no’, but I knew he was right.  It would be so easy if he were in there.  I would put a hole in his head, grab Grace, and get the hell out of there.

“Let me go,” He offered calmly.

“What?”

“You are not going to listen to me no matter what I say.  So let me go.  They don’t know me.  I’ll just make up some stupid story about how I know Grace from school.”

“Absolutely not.  You don’t get to kill him.”

“If, I’m saying
if,
Sean is in that house, I swear to you I will step aside and let you take care of him.”

I felt the muscles in my face ease.  Okay.  Okay, maybe this would work.  And he was right.  They did all know me.  Danny could get away with talking to a
Shadow
without being immediately pulled down and tortured. 

“Okay, Danny.  Play up the whole school thing.  Say that you were worried about her when she didn’t show up for a study group, or some bullshit answer like that.”

“Yeah, I can pull off a student.”

He could easily pull off a student.  Although he was twenty-seven years old, Danny had a baby face.  No one would see him as threatening.  That is, unless they saw him throw a right hook.  Yes, he was a good guy to have in my corner.  At least there was something working in my favor.

“Get your ass to the front door before I beat you there.”

Danny winked at me, hopped off his bike, and ran down the driveway.  I had given him a change of clothes: a pull over sweatshirt and a pair of jeans.  I had hoped that maybe Grace would recognize the shirt and know that I was close.  That is, if she was still alive.  I shuddered.

The thought almost made me chase after Danny, but his point was still valid.  I needed to let him begin this battle, but I would be the one to finish it.  I slowly snuck down the side of the old red barn, scoping out the surroundings.  There weren’t any bikes in the driveway.  Maybe this was all an overreaction.

Danny climbed the porch in two swift steps and turned quickly around, his eyes finding me in the shadows.  I gave him a nod, allowing him to continue his task.  His knuckles rapped on the door, and my heart jumped as I waited in anticipation.  There was a beat of silence.  Why was no one answering?  Why wasn’t Grace coming to the door?  But then, just as I was about to give up hope, I saw the door swing open.   

The moonlight bounced off her red hair.  It was Grace.  She was okay.  My Grace was still alive.  I could feel the strength returning to my worried muscles.  Because she was safe, there was still a reason for me to fight.

But what about Sean?  I was sure it was his voice on the phone that had chilled my bones only a few hours earlier.  Was Danny right?  Had I only heard what I wanted to hear?  It seemed impossible. 

I watched her shake her head.  I watched him nod.  She nodded and he shook.  They both spoke.  Damn, why couldn’t I read their lips?  Grace looked upset, angry even.  Or maybe she was scared.  What was he saying to her?

It seemed like an eternity before he reached out his hand and touched her face, signaling his goodbye.  I felt a fire burn inside me at the sight of his hand on her, but I forced myself to breath.  I needed to trust him.  I kept reminding myself that he was on my side.  He had done nothing to convince me otherwise.  Danny had done exactly what I had asked of him.

The light disappeared as Grace closed the door.  Danny motioned for me to meet him behind the barn.

“Is she okay?  What did she say?”  I was frantic, begging for answers.

“She’s fine.”

“Thank God.”

“Did she mention where or when we could meet?”

“Yeah, about that…”

His face changed, and I could see him piece his thoughts together before he uttered his next phrase.  “She doesn’t want to see you, man.”

I stopped suddenly, unable to comprehend what he was trying to tell me.  “What do you mean?”

“She doesn’t want to see you.  I’m sorry, but she told me to tell you she made a mistake coming out to you today and her life is here, among her club.  She still loves you, but she wants you to leave and not come back.”

That couldn’t have been Grace talking.  She promised she would come back to me, no matter what she said.  Her number was etched into my palm.  There was no way things could have changed so quickly.  It must have been a signal.

“Something had to have been wrong.”

“Nothing was wrong.  She was alone.  I don’t know, Ryan, but it sounds like you should forget about her.  You’re better off anyway.  Now you can get back to the club and you don’t have to waste your time worrying about if you can trust her or not. Obviously you can’t.”

My hand instinctively went to his throat, but I stopped it short.  I dropped my arm to my side.  “It’s not about trust with Grace.  I know I can trust her.  There’s something she wasn’t telling you.”

“She made her intentions pretty clear.”

My attention was drawn to the farmhouse as I saw a second floor light flicker.  Grace came to the window, looked out into the darkness for a brief second, and then drew the curtains closed.  Could she really have turned on me so quickly?  No.  It was impossible.  My Grace wouldn’t do that.  Something had to have been happening that Danny didn’t see.

“I need to see her myself.”

“Not a good idea, man.”

“I don’t need you to tell me what to do,” I snapped at him.

“You obviously do.” He grabbed my shoulder, turning me toward him.  “That sweet butt has completely messed you up.”

My hand was at his throat, but I didn’t stop it this time.  “You don’t dare call her that.”

“Do you not see the crazed lunatic you’re becoming?”  He tried to pull himself from my grip, but my anger held my fingers in place.

I didn’t care if he was right.  This was my battle. 

“I need to know for myself.”  I growled.  I released my hold on him and stole away, toward the waiting house.  Danny didn’t know Grace.  He wouldn’t know if something was wrong.

Although Danny swore she was alone, the situation seemed sketchy to me.  I decided the front door would be off limits.  I looked up at the window where the light had been turned on and the shades drawn only moments before.  Grace had told me she had snuck away from her escort earlier that day by climbing out of her window and down the old tree with the tire swing.  It seemed like backtracking her steps would be the best way to sneak into the house as well. 

I looked up at the majestic branches.  The gusts of the cool night air pushed the swing back and forth, offering a sort of music to my journey.  I stepped up and took my place at the base of the trunk.  This was my only way to make sure Grace was truly okay.  Unfortunately, having grown up in a city, it would also be my first time climbing a tree.

Grace

My eyes wouldn’t close.  I was in a trance.  I had just promised to secure a future in my family for the man who murdered my mother and my father, and who I was beginning to understand would one day take me from this world as well.  Sean had my still tied-up Aunt Kathryn contact Mr. Muscles and tell him I still hadn’t come home, so he should continue looking for me.  She was then forcibly escorted upstairs and out of my sight as I was left sitting on the floor, trying to hold back tears.  Sean made sure to warn me that if I were to try and run, my aunt would not make it through the night.  He didn’t need to warn me; I had assumed as much.

I turned my hands over; watching new bruises form on my wrists.  How much of a beating could I take from this man before my body would give up?  I could only assume I was about to hit my breaking point.

There was a knock on the door.  I didn’t know if I should answer it.  Could it be Ryan?  I kept my nerves tightly wound and found my way to my feet.

“I’m just going to answer the door,” I yelled up the stairs.

Nothing.  My mind raced with the worst possible thoughts.  What was he doing to her?

I slowly turned the knob but then yanked the door wide open, expecting the worst.  Standing in front of me was a familiar yet distant face.  I quickly scanned him, looking for a weapon, but stopped instead at the insignia on the sweatshirt.  I knew that shirt.

“You know Ryan.  Is he here?”

He didn’t answer my question.  “So you know who I am?”

I shook my head.  “No.”

“Yes you do, Grace.  Look at me.  Do you know who I am?”

He was deeply intense, and his face was becoming redder with every breath.  I tried to make the connection.  How did I know this man?  When had I last seen him?  Then it clicked.  “It’s Danny, right?”

“Yes.”

“From the match.  You fought Ryan.”

“Yes.  Now I need you to listen to me.”

“Okay?”  What was Ryan planning?  Had he made the connection that Sean was here?  “Where’s Ryan?”

“Forget about Ryan.”

I stopped.  “What?”  What did he mean?  Wasn’t he here at Ryan’s request?  Hadn’t he come to help me?

“I’m serious.  I need you to forget about Ryan.  If Ryan tries to make contact with you, you tell him you want nothing to do with him.”

“But… why?”

“Fuck, Grace.  They told me you were smarter than this.”

They?  Who told him…? “Oh God.”  My head began to spin, but I knew what was happening.  I didn’t want to believe it.  “You’re with Sean,” I whispered the words; afraid if they were too loud it would prove their truth.

“There you go.  Not just a pretty face, are you?”

“And Ryan doesn’t know?”

“He’s a little cloudy right now, with everything going on, but if I find out that you told him, he’s a dead man.  You got that?”

How could I fight this threat too?  I nodded.  Sean was more prepared than I had thought.  All the pieces he had chosen were falling into place.  And now, if I requested any help from Ryan, it could mean his death, but I didn’t know how to fight this battle on my own.  I would need to figure it out, and fast.

Danny reached his hand out, caressing my face.  “Mmm you have the softest skin.”  He leaned in closer.  “I hope Sean lets me have a taste before he’s done with you.”

“Stop it.”  Why were they all the same?  “If you so much as lay another finger on me…”

“Don’t talk to me like that, Gracie,” he interrupted.  “You have way too much at stake to make demands.  Now close the door and remember what we talked about.”

It was as if Sean had written a playbook and Danny was copying his every move.  How was I supposed to now deal with two of them?

I turned around to see Sean standing at the top of the stairs.

“Going somewhere, Gracie?”

“No.”

“Who was that?”  He smiled his menacing grin.

I wanted to hurt him so badly.  “Your minion.”

“Oh, so you met Danny.  Charmer, isn’t he?”

“How could you do this to Ryan?”

His face changed as he stormed downstairs, straight at me.  “Ryan?  Ryan?  You mean how could Ryan do this to
me
?  Because of your little tryst I have no club, no family.”  He slammed me up against the door, forcing my head to swing back against the wood.  His lips were inches from mine.  “Don’t question my motives, my little princess.  Just do as you’re told.”  I felt a rush of nausea hit me as he swung me over his shoulder and carried me up to my room.

I could’ve fought back, but I knew this battle was much longer, and I needed to save my energy.  He threw me onto my bed and quickly turned around, flashing his signature smile once more before slamming the door shut.

I heard the familiar sound of the sliding lock that had been placed on the outside of my door a few years back when my father was afraid I was sneaking out at night.  It had found a new purpose.  How many nights would he try to lock me in here? 

I rolled off the bed and ran to the window, quickly peering into the darkness.  I was begging for a simple glimpse of my love, but the blackness of the night had taken over.  I was alone.

I turned off the light and climbed under the blankets.  I lay there for a while, staring into space and listening as the old tree branches scratched hard against my window, distracting me for a moment from the fight I was about to face.  But it was just for a moment.  Then my mind wandered back to my impossible task.  How the hell was I supposed to get everyone to agree to patch over Sean Cassidy?  There were rules.  This was the mother chapter.  There would be a vote and a ruling, and I had no say in any of that.  I wasn’t a member.  I was only the former president’s daughter.  No one would take me seriously, especially after my outburst at the funeral home.  But if I failed, he would kill Aunt Kathryn and then Ryan.  I couldn’t let that happen.  I needed a plan.

The old tree scratched at my window again.  The shadows had always frightened me, but today I laughed at my childish fear.  There was too much else going on to be frightened by a silly tree.  Still, out of instinct, I squeezed my eyes shut as the wind picked up.  A few strong winter gusts seemed to shake the entire room of the old farmhouse, and had I not known better, I would’ve sworn the window had opened.  But I couldn’t look.  I wanted to forget.  It appeared only fitting that the hauntingly eerie noises would be the conclusion to such a day of pain.  I tossed my body to the other side of my bed, begging for sleep to take over so I could finally forget about this day forever. 

I inhaled deeply, and slowly released.  I felt my breath blown back on my face.  It was cool, comforting… but impossible.  Wait.  What breath did I just feel on my face?  I shot open my eyes and searched the darkness.  Green emeralds found my adjusting pupils and a hand over my mouth was all that stopped me from screaming.  My window was open.  Someone was in my room.

“Grace, it’s me.  It’s just me,” he spoke frantically, “are you okay?”

I sprang up, flipping on the side table light. 

“Fuck Ryan, what is your deal with sneaking up on—“

I didn’t finish my sentence.  I didn’t care to.  Instead, I threw my arms around him, begging for his warmth to be the truth.  Once I was certain I was not imagining his embrace, I pulled away.  “You need to leave now.  Please, just—“

I couldn’t finish my argument, because before the completion of my rant his lips met mine.  He tasted so good.  Why hadn’t I kissed him earlier?  Why was all this happening now?  I pushed against his shoulders, reminding myself that his uncle was in the same house, and he had threatened against this very act.

“Ryan, you need to leave.”

“I can’t do that.  Grace, I heard him.  What happened?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

His face dropped.  He knew I was lying, but I couldn’t turn back now.

“That’s impossible.  I called you.  I heard Sean’s voice.”

I wanted him to see through my lies.  “You must have been hearing things.  Sean hasn’t been here, believe me.”

“But…”

“No, Ryan.”  I slowly thumbed his cheeks.  “Please drop it.  Sean isn’t here.”

He settled with this new knowledge, contemplating how he might have jumped to conclusions.  I saw his thoughts leave the room.

“What aren’t you telling me, then?” he finally whispered.

“Not now.”

“Grace…” he pulled away, clearly becoming frustrated.

“Hey, look at me.”  I brought his face to mine and softly smiled.  “I’m okay.  I promise.”

I took his lips, offering small kisses. 

“Grace,” he breathed between our bites, “I thought the worst, I really did.”

“You shouldn’t have… come all the way… here.  Everything is okay.”

“You promise me that?”

“I do.”  I hated lying to him, but if I was protecting him, was it really a terrible thing?  Still, if we made it out alive, I wasn’t sure he’d ever trust me again.  I guess that was the price I was willing to pay in order to keep him breathing.

I could see the doubt in his face, but for some reason he accepted my plea.  His hand lifted, and he cautiously placed it on my shoulder.  I pressed into his open hand, allowing my body to feel his heat.

“You didn’t flinch.”

I shook my head.  The truth was, Ryan taught me something by telling me to take off his clothes earlier.  Taking power back was exactly what I needed.  Sean had just violated me, but instead of harping on the past, I needed to take control of my future.  I needed to make myself forget that he was the last person to touch me.  I wanted Ryan to help me forget.

He followed with his other hand, and then pulled his body closer to mine.  The energy between us was exhilarating.  As I closed my eyes, his lips came crashing to mine, pushing me down.  His weight was now completely smothering me, but my reservations had vanished.  I felt safe.  Sean couldn’t hurt me.

Our kisses grew longer, more powerful and my body took over, grabbing onto his mouth with mine.  As the heat between us grew stronger, I reminded myself that it might very well be the last kiss we would ever share.  How could I end our last kiss?  But if I didn’t, Sean could walk in at any second and end it for us.  I pressed my lips together, cutting off the taste.  I tried to speak, but his reaction stopped my breath.

I watched his eyes fill with fire.  It wasn’t over.  “No.  Come back to me.”  He whispered as he grabbed the back of my head, forcing me further into his kiss.  We pushed closer, our bodies begging to become one.  I felt his hands move to my waist, caressing the curves of my hips.  He slid his fingers under my tee, pushing the cotton up over my bare breasts.  My body fought with my brain.  With Sean in the next room, I couldn’t be with him, not the way he wanted, not in the way I wanted, but the hesitation I felt earlier in the day had completely disappeared.  Ryan was allowing me to grow.  He was allowing me to move past his uncle’s torture.  And right then, that was what I needed.  I needed to be reminded that I wasn’t alone, that I wasn’t facing this monster for no reason.  Maybe it was selfish, but before telling Ryan he would need to leave and not come back to his face, I wanted to be with him once more.  I wanted to feel him inside of me, filling my body and my spirit.  I wanted to feel love one last time.

If Sean weren’t patched over as one of The Walking Shadows, I would never know love again.    

I threw away my hesitation and grasped for his hoodie.  I slipped it up his rippled lats, over his wide shoulders and off his strong arms.  My eager fingers moved to his chest, craving to touch as much of him as I could.  My fingertips ran over his bandages, the bandages hiding the incisions made by my father, but this time they meant something completely different.  Instead of being reminded of our failure, his pain proved to me that we had survived that fight.  We had come out alive, and for that, we’d have this night together.  Because we survived that fight, there was a possibility we could survive one more.

Ryan tossed my naked body down, flat on the bed.  He brought pure ecstasy as he kissed my neck, my shoulders, my chest, and my belly.  His hands tickled my ribs in such a way that didn’t highlight the pain of my bruises, and my attention was brought to his peaceful face as he stared at me.  His lips met my shoulder.

“You are so beautiful.”  He paused, struggling to find his thoughts.  A few more kisses pleased my body before he pulled away.  Ryan shook his head before he spoke.  “But Grace, I can’t do this now.”

I did not want to hear those words.  “Why?”

He lowered back down, his face landing just a breath’s from mine.  He whispered, “Because I know you’re hiding something from me.”

His words were honest, and they hurt.  My face scrunched as I felt the tears attempt to sting my eyes.  I looked away, trying to hide the pain, but a single droplet slid down my face, begging to be noticed.

“No, no, Grace.  Why are you crying?”

I shook my head.  I didn’t want to give him another reason to pull away.  I didn’t want to be the girl who cried.  If I had it my way, I would never cry again.

“Be with me, Ryan.”  I whispered.

He slowly shook his head.  “I can’t.  Can you understand that?”