Ruthless Heir: Chapter 19

“Fuck, that was quick.”

Ducking behind the second story window of this red brick mansion, Rozalia checks the clip on Krol’s confiscated gun. Then, she quickly moves to reload her own pistol.

“What was quick?” I dare to ask, even if I already know the answer.

We’re not alone.

But Rozalia isn’t ready to face that reality yet. Not without preparing me first.

“Have you ever shot a gun before?” she asks, ignoring my question.

“No,” I sheepishly admit.

Riding up beside the elegant French window, I peak behind the Tyrian purple drapes and peer down onto the courtyard below.

Behind the grey pines and stone statues, I spot movement. A lot of movement.

Fuck.

A stone drops in my gut and my weak fingers curl around the base of my new switchblade. It’s still unsullied by blood. But it doesn’t look like that’s going to last much longer. Not if I want to survive.

“Pistol or Glock?” Rozalia asks me.

She lifts her two weapons up in the air, twirling them like dolls so I can get a good look at their full figures.

“I… I don’t know how to use either.”

“All you do is point and shoot,” she says, gesturing the motion. “Easy.”

“It’s not the shooting part I’m worried about,” I mumble. “It’s the killing part.”

“It’s kill or be killed, princess. Actually, it’s worse than that. If you don’t kill these fuckers, they’re going to drag you back to the dragon’s lair. Who knows what he’ll do to you there…”

Her warning only adds more weight to my worries.

“What do you mean, who knows? Aren’t you supposed to know these people?”

“I was supposed to,” Rozalia replies, her sharp gaze trailing off. “But now, I’m not sure what we’re dealing with. Gabriel’s told you the plan, right? The whole idea was to wife you up, put a baby in that flat belly of yours, and then go from there. But if Drago is trying to take you from Gabriel, then it’s anyone’s guess as to why. You’re not that much good to him alone. Just another hostage. And we’ve dealt with those before. It usually doesn’t work out too well. Someone innocent often dies.”

The implication is instantly clear—as is the revelation.

“Like Congressmen Olsen’s daughter…”

“She was just supposed to be practice,” Rozalia quietly confesses. “But she wouldn’t play ball. Neither would her father. I can’t imagine shit would go any smoother with you and your family.”

“So then what would this Dragon want with me?”

Rozalia shrugs, snapping herself back to the moment. “Maybe he’ll try to marry you off to his lapdog. That fucker Kuba Krol. God, I’m so glad I got to shoot him. Did you know he changed his last name so it would mean king in Polish? Idiot. I don’t know who he’s trying to fool. The priests would never fall for that shit. So, I guess you’d essentially just be his personal slave? I don’t fucking know.”

My gut twists into knots as I watch half a dozen black figures wash into the courtyard below. Their guns are twice the size of ours. Their faces are covered. It looks like we’re being overrun by demons.

“What happens to you if they catch us alive?” I gulp.

“Probably some torture, then a long, drawn-out death.”

“That sounds unpleasant.”

“You’re telling me.”

Taking a deep, shaky breath, I slip my switchblade beneath the tight beltline of my leggings. Then, I reach out my hand.

“I’ll take the pistol,” I say, every word a struggle.

“You don’t sound too confident.”

“I don’t have a choice. We’re not dying here.”

A wicked smirk lifts Rozalia’s sharp cheekbones.

“Thatta girl. Gabriel would be proud. Now, take this and get ready to use it. If all else fails, you still have the knife.”

“It will be just like stabbing walls, right?”

The cold metal of Rozalia’s pistol pricks my skin and I almost drop it before clamping both hands tightly around the grip.

“If only taking a life were that simple.”

There’s no time to ponder the depth of Rozalia’s statement.

A loud boom cracks from somewhere downstairs and we both flinch.

Someone’s at the door. And they aren’t waiting for us to answer it.

The sound of heavy wood splintering makes my skin crawl, but I put on a brave face and look over to Rozalia.

“Good luck,” I whisper.

“Try not to mess up this place too badly,” she smiles back up at me. “Gabriel is pretty fond of it.”

“I’m sure he’s fonder of you.”

“And you.”

With that, Rozalia lunges ahead, Glock drawn and ready to kill.

For a moment, I can’t bring myself to follow after her. My heart flutters as I allow myself to gaze around the dark, gothic library we’ve holed ourselves up in.

In another life, this may have been where a rich, handsome gentleman brought me for a nightcap after a classy dinner date at some fancy restaurant.

Instead, it’s the mansion of a man who ruthlessly kidnapped me; who savagely stole my virginity; who cruelly made me like him.

This gothic castle in the Californian foothills will either be my tomb or the place I’m forced to become what Gabriel has always desired.

A dark queen.

I still have no idea which future awaits me when I hear the first shot come from downstairs.

It’s a single flashbang. One that’s followed by an eerie silence.

Rozalia has her first kill.

But she can’t do this alone.

Gabriel isn’t the only one who wanted you to become a killer, I remind myself. It’s always been your dream too. He’s just the first to take you seriously.

Crouching down, I slip out of the musky library. The hard wooden floors creek under the tips of my toes as I keep to the shadows, barrel lifted in front of my face.

Another shot comes from downstairs. It’s followed by the thud of a body hitting the floor. Fuck. I flinch so badly that I nearly drop my gun.

This time, a shout follows the execution.

“Uwazaj na dziewcyne!”

Whatever language that is, it’s not one I’m familiar with. But it is quickly responded to in a language I understand much better.

Two quick gunshots pop off in succession. Two more thuds rattle the wooden floors.

“Utworzyc kopie zapasowa! Potrzebujemy wspacia!”

Ahead, I see the top of the main bifurcated staircase Rozalia and I climbed up earlier. It’s steps are illuminated by two huge uncovered open windows that frame the center of the second-floor hallway. Three rows of smaller windows dot the wall beside them.

I’m already at one of the smaller windows when I first hear footsteps. They bound up the staircase, racing towards me.

They sound too heavy to belong to Rozalia.

My whole body tenses. My pounding heart slows to a snail’s pace. My vision starts to tunnel—but before it can get too dark, I spot something out of the corner of my eye. Something so terrifying it rips the killer focus right out of me.

Saddled up beside the small window, I can see outside again. The half dozen men I spotted earlier have been swallowed. Joined by a veritable army.

My stomach drops.

There’s got to be at least fifty killers in the courtyard below.

There’s no escaping this.

“Znalazlem ksiezniczke!”

The yell comes from so close that it practically throws me against the wall. Ripping my gaze from the window, I quickly find the source.

A dark shadow looms atop the staircase. His giant rifle is pointed directly at me.

“Stay very still, little girl,” the man hisses, his broken English full of warning.

“No,” I hear myself breathlessly gasp.

I can’t go out like this. Not so quickly. Not before I can put up some kind of fight. But I’m frozen in place, like a deer in the headlights. Not a single inch of me dares move.

“Give it to me?” the man demands, gesturing at the pistol dangling from my suddenly limp fingers.

“No,” I quietly repeat.

This isn’t courage, I quickly realize. My brain is shattering.

“Don’t make me hurt—”

Suddenly, the window above my head explodes..

Glass shards rain down on me as the man ahead is flung backwards. The gun drops from my fingers. I cover my head with my hands.

Outside, a storm of deafening gunfire has erupted. Inside, deep grunts and cruses cut through my ears.

What the fuck is going on?

My body won’t let me figure it out. Fear grips me like a straightjacket. I can’t move. Not even to roll away from the shards of glass settling at my feet.

But then I feel a strong hand on my wrist, and I’m ripped from my cowardly little cocoon.

“Bianca!”

That’s when I see those fractured hazel eyes. Their green flecks shimmer in the light that seeps through the shattered window above.

“Gabriel…”

“You’re coming with me, myszko.”

Myszko.

Somehow, the little pet name doesn’t sound so bad anymore.

Hell, it’s almost comforting.

But before I can get too lost in that deceptive comfort, the sinful smirk is wiped from Gabriel’s thick red lips.

In the blink of an eye, he’s on the ground. Behind him, I see the man who just had me at gunpoint. He’s wrapped himself around Gabriel’s ankle.

My right hand instantly lifts… but my gun is gone. There’s little I can do to help as Gabriel lets out an earth-shaking roar.

But he hardly needs my help. Twisting around, he grabs the intruder by the hair and smashes his head into the glass covered floor, over and over again. Soon enough, the shards are stained in blood, and the intruder isn’t moving anymore.

But he didn’t come here alone.

Even through the shouting and the shooting outside, I can hear more footsteps racing up the staircase behind us.

Pushing himself to his feet, Gabriel takes me by the wrist again and pulls me up alongside of him.

“Are you hurt?” he asks, those blazing eyes studying me from top to bottom.

“No… I… I’m fine. Where did you come from?”

“The darkness,” Gabriel smirks. “Where else?”

He may be having fun with me, but the dark wolf doesn’t allow himself to get caught up in the moment.

Whipping around, he draws his gun and opens fire at the men ascending the staircase.

When their cries are hushed, I grab onto his strong shoulder and tug.

“Gabriel, there’s an army outside. How are we going to get out of here?”

Reaching into his pocket, he pulls out a fresh clip and swiftly reloads his smoking weapon.

“Looks like we’re going to have to sneak out.”

Shoving me aside, he lunges forward, firing down the staircase at an unseen enemy.

I stumble back down the hallway.

“But how are we going to sneak out?” I ask, remembering what I just saw waiting for us outside. This place must be surrounded.

“There’s a secret tunnel down in the basement,” Gabriel says between gun shots. His thick forearm flexes to take the recoil of the powerful weapon. “But the main floor is flooded with these fucking Reca assholes. We’re going to have to find another way down. Luckily, I know just the path.”

Firing another dozen shots down the stairs, Gabriel curls back around the wall for protection. Then, those hazel-green eyes fall back onto me.

I feel my heart shiver against his intense gaze.

“Tell me what to do.”

“Go to the library. On the second shelf of the middle bookcase, there’s a thick, dark green spine. Pull it. That should open up the hidden doorway. I’ll join you in a second.”

Puckering his lips, Gabriel blows at the light cloud of smoke billowing up from his steaming barrel. I swear it drifts towards me, shaped ever so faintly like a heart.

“Please don’t be too long,” I hear myself quietly plead.

I’ve already turned my back on him when I hear that deep, chest-tugging voice call after me one last time.

“Bianca.”

Immediately, I’m spun back around.

“Yes?”

“I like your new style. That black outfit will look perfect on my floor when I rip it off your body.”

Those hazel-green eyes dig deep into my soul, filling me with a new confidence. Then, they’re gone, ripped back towards the stairwell to kill those who threaten us.

A confusing mess of emotions swirl around inside of me, and I have to shake my head clear before I start to stumble back towards the library.

By the time I reach the bookcase, and find the thick, dark green spine I’m looking for, my cheeks are red-hot.

Through all of this frenzied chaos , one thing has become disturbingly clear.

I missed that man.

The book spine collapses against my tug, and a deep click unlocks the lines of a hidden doorway. Slipping my fingers in the cracks, I begin to pull.

But it’s heavier than I thought, and I have to grit my teeth and flex as hard as I can just to move it an inch.

Still, there’s no way I’m going to give up.

Blood rushes into my ears, and the harsh noise outside fades a little. I put everything I have into this one task.

Slowly but surely, the hidden doorway is pried open. The darkness inside spills out in a frigid gust, stale wind swirling around me.

The air is dry and harsh, and my lungs fill with hidden dust. But I don’t care. I did it.

I’m about to turn around and look for Gabriel when something stops me.

A burning hand.

It wraps around my mouth like a wretched gag, pulling me so tightly that my neck snaps back.

My heart drops. Because I immediately know it’s not my dark wolf.

“Stay quiet now, little girl,” the deep voice hisses into my ear. “I would not want to hurt you… too much.”

The broken English is just like that of the man who had me cornered in the hallway. But it’s so much closer that I can’t help but convulse against the cruelty that coats his every word.

“Let me go!” I try to shout, but my voice is caught against the man’s greasy palm.

My convulsions become more desperate.

If this man was able to sneak up behind me, does that mean he got past Gabriel?

There’s only one way anyone was ever going to get past Gabriel.

No.

“Thank you for showing me the way out,” the man says, pushing me forward, towards the black door I just opened up. “Maybe now, you and I can spend some alone time before I hand you over to—”

The moment his fingers slip down over my lips, I know what I have to do. Despite all the dread weighing me down, I let his cold, slippery skin slide into my mouth—and then I bite into him with all my might.

That’s enough to get him off of me.

“Ty suko!” he growls, flailing his hand out as he reaches down with the other. “You’re going to pay for that.”

When I see the gun in his belt, my mind goes blank.

There isn’t any thought put into what I do next. My body just reacts. Reaching down under the beltline of my leggings, I find the bulge of my new knife.

The blade shimmers as it springs out from the ornamental handle. My arm swings wildly. Viciously. With an unconscious bloodlust.

I catch the man in the throat. His blood splashes against my face. He stumbles forward. But before he can touch me again, I plunge the bloody blade directly into his left eye.

The sickening squelch snaps me out of my savage daze. Dark red blood gushes from his socket as he collapses forward. My blade slips from his socket. My hand falls, fingers still gripped tightly around the ornamental handle.

Somehow, I find the strength to step aside, and he falls to the floor, face first.

The man’s entire body twitches and jerks in uncontrollable spasms as his nose breaks and crunches against the hard wooden floorboards, over and over again.

A deep crimson pool leaks from his shattering face, running around the soles of my feet.

I’m frozen by the dreadful morbidity of it all.

Slowly, the adrenaline rushes away from my ears. The heaviness of the chaos rumbling outside seeps back into my world. Still, it hardly compares to the thumps of the human fish flopping before me.

I can’t tell if he’s screaming, or if his bloody gargles are just how it sounds to listen to someone die. Either way, I’m gripped by the icy reality of what I just did.

And then I hear the heavy set of footsteps of someone approaching from down the hall.

This isn’t over.

All I want to do is drop the dripping knife from my hand; fall to my knees; wake up from this gruesome nightmare.

But my fingers won’t let go of the knife. In fact, they only tighten.

That’s when the true reality of what’s happening hits me; when I finally understand what my body has already figured out.

There’s only one way out of this endless nightmare. Only one way to escape the grim fate that Rozalia warned me about.

And it’s not by fighting my way out—especially not if Gabriel is already dead.

No. I can’t just go out there and kill anyone who stands in my way. I’m not made for that. My nerves have already been stretched thin. My insides scooped out. My heart hollowed.

I may never see my family again. Hell, I might never even see the light of day again. But before I’m allowed to die, I’m sure I’ll be used to weaken those I love. Maybe even destroy them.

But I can still end this before it gets to that.

Lifting my bloody blade, I press it against my throat and close my eyes.