“Let me get this straight?” Atticus basically yells in my face. “You’re not going to take advantage of her? Send her back in to get the information we need?”
“No.” I don’t say more. I know he’s pissed that I’ve changed my mind, and there’s no explanation I can give to make him understand. Her uncle nearly had him killed; I’d be pissed, too. I am pissed. But she’s innocent, off limits.
“Are you fucking kidding me with this shit?” he snaps, standing and storming up to me in King’s office.
“Enough!” King finally booms out.
Not that I need him to fight my battles.
“If we use her, she’s as good as dead. If she goes back, her life is worth less than those they sell.” King tries explaining my point of view to Atticus. He wants our friend to understand where I’m coming from.
“She’s the only chance we’ve got,” Atticus bites back again. Resentment is written all over his face.
“I’ll go back,” is quietly said from behind us all.
I don’t need to turn to tell her, “I don’t fucking think so.”
“Luther.” Her soft voice begs me to look at her.
“You’ll die,” I respond, turning to face her.
Stepping forward, she puts her delicate hands on my chest and looks up at me. “I’d rather die saving lives than doing nothing.” I attempt to say something when she puts a finger over my mouth. “I’d rather die forgiven than hated.” Her gaze strays to Atticus, the meaning clear.
“You would die for him, but you won’t live for me?” I ask stunned. I told her exactly what I wanted. Her, and not a fucking thing more.
“I would die for what’s right.”
I can’t fucking believe Ariel. When I came across her—Was it really only hours ago?—I knew she would be mine. I saved her from herself. She is fucking mine.
“I’ll find another way.” I try to bite back the growl in my voice, but I know it doesn’t work.
“Luther.” King puts a hand on my shoulder.
“No,” I bark at him, too.
“Think of Lilith when we found her.” We all love that girl; fuck do we ever. Each of us would die for her. But Ariel won’t. “This isn’t a suggestion, Luther. She will go back, willingly or not. I want the McCray’s extinguished.” His voice is hard with the command.
“You have been my brother for years, King. I know everything you’ve done and not done. This pushes those limits. If you do this, it will be without me.” I walk out. I have to, or I’m likely to beat someone to a pulp.
“Luther,” Ariel calls my name, and it takes everything I have to ignore her.
She’s made her bed. I won’t help her lie in it.
“I’m going to help Cas!” I call, knowing full well he’s on his way back to Louisiana.
I refuse to watch her destruction.
I have to keep reminding myself that she isn’t mine, and I can’t force her to do anything. If I do, I will be just as bad as her family.
It doesn’t matter that I promised her I wouldn’t let her go back when she’s looking for forgiveness and not for what I can give her.
Her life.
Ariel
Watching Luther leave, dismiss me, hurts much more than it should. I can’t blame him. He made a claim on me, and I practically tossed it back in his face.
“I bet he wishes he’d have let me jump now,” I murmur, not expecting a response.
“Jump?” King demands.
Without thinking, I answer, “He found me just as I was about to jump off a cliff.”
“You’re fucking crazy.” I turn to look at him at his response.
“No,” I say simply. “I’m ready for peace.” Hopefully, death will bring me that.
“Fuck,” I hear Atticus growl from his quiet position in the corner. “Can’t very well expect the girl to pay for their sins now, can I?” He sounds angry about it.
“It’s alright,” I say. “I can get the hard drives onto a USB drive for you with accounts, locations, names of buyers and sellers faster than they’ll be able to figure out what I’m doing.”
“They’ll kill you before we can get in there, though,” King replies, sounding like he’s trying to talk me out of it now.
“I have a set of Russian nesting dolls on the vanity in my room. I’ll remove the smallest one and put the drive in there.”
“Fuck,” Atticus groans again. “You don’t have to do this, Ariel.”
“I appreciate that, but I do. I’ve been complacent far too long,” I explain, turning to the window when I hear the smooth sound of Luther’s car speed away. “Once I have the information in place, I’ll hang a pink scarf on the window. My room is in the north wing of the house, second floor.”
I can feel their remorse for my imminent death, as well as their eagerness to stop my father and uncle.
“You’ll kill them, won’t you?”
“Yes,” King vows.
“There’s something else.” I turn to look at them.
“What?”
“My father has been obsessed with Luther for years. Something happened when I was ten, and ever since, he’s wanted revenge. Last week, I overheard him saying that he had paid for a hitman. I don’t know if that was for Luther or someone else. You’ll protect him, right?”
Concern flickers in King’s gaze as he answers, “We will.”
“Good. So, who’s taking me back?”
“That’d be me.” The man that had given me the information about Timothy not being my father speaks up from behind me. “Whenever you’re ready.” He nods to Atticus and King.
My stomach knots as I realize how hard this is going to be.
Meeting King’s hard look, I murmur, “Remember, you promised,” as I follow Daniel from the room.
Timothy
“Where is she!” I yell at my men. My daughter, Ariel, disappeared early this morning before anyone had been up, and now, the sun has set, and she still isn’t back.
Two thoughts run through my mind: She’s runaway, or she’s been captured.
Only one answer will satisfy me, and it will not end in a way she will enjoy.
She’s been weirder than usual lately. Reluctant to do her fucking job when I tell her. When offered her new responsibilities, I recognized the disgust in her eyes, even though she masked it quickly.
“We found her car near the ridge,” one of her guard’s supplies.
“Did she jump?” I panic at the thought. She has been able to soothe most of our clients when some of their packages are delivered with a bruise or two.
“There was more than her set of tire tracks at the scene,” he explains.
So, she’s been taken.
Which means she may have talked.