Joseph Fallen

  Emory turned to carry out Joseph’s order and Joseph added, “Tell the men that follow them not to approach. Connor’s nothing if not lethal, they won’t stand a chance against him alone.” A sick smile stretching across his face he added, “Plus, I want our reunion to be a surprise.”

  Chapter Eighteen

  The fallen branches breaking beneath their feet were the only sound they could hear as they moved through the forest. Connor wanted to move faster, but Arianna was unable to keep up, the babe in her arms heavy after carrying it while attempting to navigate the top roots and low lying plants that blocked their path.

  It was a moonless night and Arianna struggled to keep her eyes focused against the consuming darkness that surrounded them. She wasn’t sure how Connor knew where to go when their sight was impeded by the thickness of night.

  When the lights of the front wall came into view, Arianna’s heart raced faster. She knew that they would have to approach the gates, knew that there were men who stood guard at the entrance. Connor knelt down when the lights came into view, pulling Arianna down to his side as he looked out over the lawn to the wall on the far side. Leaning over so that he could whisper in her ear, his lips tickled along the lobe when he said, “We’re going to have to move quickly across the field. Once we approach the wall, there is a good three feet of shadow from the way the lights are situated on top. Stick to that area, Arianna. Even when we reach the guards he has stationed along the walls, don’t move out from the shadows. If I have to fight, stay put until I’ve taken him down. Do you understand?”

  She nodded, fear apparent in her eyes as she looked up into his. His features softened, his face falling down so he could brush his lips softly across hers. “We’ll be fine, I promise you. I love you Arianna, there’s nothing I wouldn’t do for you.”

  It was a punch to the chest, to hear those words spoken to her by the man she’d grown attached to over the time that she’d known him. Love. Such a simple word that carried more meaning that any other she knew. Her heart skipped at the thought that he’d become her guardian, her savior in a world where there’d been no hope.

  “I love you too.” Her voice choked on the emotion ravaging her body, the elation mixed with dread, anticipation thickened with fear.

  He smiled allowing the dimples to appear on his cheeks adding the boyish look to his face that she’d enjoyed in the rare moments they’d been happy.

  Gripping her around her elbow, Connor guided her from beneath the trees out to the yard that stretched out before them. Keeping low to the ground, they reached the shadowed area within seconds, catching their breath before proceeding along the perimeter of the wall.

  All appeared quiet, but when they heard the slight crush of grass against feet, Arianna looked over Connor’s shoulder and winced to see three men standing at attention along the wall. Arianna stopped suddenly and watched helplessly as Connor turned to her and indicated for her to be quiet before he moved to sneak up behind the men. She noticed that Aaron stirred in her arms and she softly swayed him back and forth, in an attempt to goad him back into a deep sleep.

  Connor moved quickly, a shadow himself as he sped towards the men. She watched as he pulled the knife from the sheath at his back, reaching up and running it along the neck of the first man he approached. The man he’d grabbed dropped lifelessly to the ground, his head almost completely severed from his shoulders. The other two men turned instantly in Connor’s direction, and were quickly silenced when he pulled a second blade, sinking one into the temple of one and into the top of the head of the other. Her eyes held wide, she continued to watch as he allowed their bodies to fall to the ground, placing his foot onto the shoulder of one in order to free his blade from the man’s skull.

  Dizziness from what she’d seen weakened her knees and she fell back along the stone surface of the wall, closing her eyes to the gore that littered their path. She could hear Connor moving about and when she finally felt a hand on her shoulder, she jumped, but opened her eyes to find his perfect emerald gaze staring back at her.

  Whispering, he asked, “Are you okay?”

  She swallowed the lump that was stuck in her throat, and nodded her head ‘yes’ to his inquiry. He looked her over for another second, before gripping her elbow to lead her farther along the wall.

  They ran into two more teams of men, each one quickly dispatched and dragged away by Connor. When she finally spied the front of the mansion and when her eyes were met with the large iron gates, relief started tickling along her spine. A man stepped out of the shadow in the distance and Connor stopped suddenly, reaching back to push her lower to the ground as he knelt down. Their combined breathing was heavy, her heart beating so frantically she feared she would pass out from the rush of blood it induced.

  The surrounding area was deathly quiet except for the hushed voices of three men that stood guard at the gate. Connor turned to Arianna, a smile peaking out from his lips. “This should be simple enough. Once we are past those gates, we’ll only have to travel a little while longer before we will be picked up and transported to another home.”

  She smiled back, the small bit of hope she’d allowed, now blossoming in its depth.

  “Stay here. Let me go deal with our friends up ahead and I’ll come back to grab you when they’ve been removed. We’re going to make it, try not to worry.”

  Quickly, she pushed up to kiss him once more before he disappeared into the darkness to kill the final guards that stood in their path. A few minutes passed and she grew worried. Sitting against the wall, she clutched Aaron to her chest, her mind repeating a prayer that Connor return unharmed. A hand fell on her shoulder and she jumped from surprise, but smiled again to be met with Connor’s face. “It’s done. We’re leaving here finally.”

  Grabbing her by the elbow, he helped her stand with Aaron still clutched tightly to her chest. They moved silently through the shadow, her heartbeat the only thing she could hear besides the pound of Connor’s boots. Reaching the large iron gate, he pushed the button to open it and turned to smile at her as the creak of the hinges announced their escape from the hell they’d been living for years.

  Arianna smiled brightly, fear still alive in her heart but quickly smothered by the feeling of happiness that came with their success. She couldn’t believe how easy it had been and she felt stupid for not having attempted it before now. Shaking herself of those thoughts, she bundled Aaron in one arm and reached out to take Connor’s hand. He pulled her into his side, the warmth of his body chasing away the chill of the night air on hers and when the gate parted enough to let them pass, he kissed her on the forehead before saying, “It’s time, beautiful.”

  Striding out quickly, they moved past the gates and once outside the walls, Arianna looked away from Connor’s face and found the sickening smile across Emory’s.

  Arianna gasped and faltered in her step, moving back away from the two men when Connor jumped to attack Emory. Connor moved to stab Emory in the temple and quickly kill him as he did the others, but when Emory moved suddenly, Connor’s knife caught the side of his face and dragged along the skin, opening his cheek to the point where muscle was split and bone was exposed. Her stomach twisting from the sight, she continued stepping away until she felt her back press up against a warm body and arms reaching around to grab not only her, but also Aaron.

  She pulled away instantly; not knowing who had grabbed her and when she heard Joseph’s wicked chuckle sound behind her, her heart fell and her knees weakened to realize escape had not been as easily gained as they’d believed.

  Her eyes still locked to Connor and Emory while they fought, they widened to see additional men stepping out from the shadows beyond the wall. At least twenty men appeared and moved in to assist Emory. Connor noticed the additional men immediately, spinning quickly to fight, his blades finding their way across the throats of those who moved too close. He fought valiantly, his strength and speed obvious in the movements of his body, but with the number of men who att
acked, it became bleakly apparent that he’d been outnumbered.

  When the men had finally contained him and had stripped him of his weapons, they forced him to his knees facing Arianna. He looked up, one eye red and swelling from where he’d been hit, his bottom lip stained from where it had been split.

  Tears falling from her face, she felt Joseph lean down and his lips brush across her ear. His breath rolled along her skin and every muscle tensed at its contact. Pain, absolute and unadulterated tore at her chest, her sobs breaking free of her body when realization of what was to come touched her thoughts.

  “Do you think it’s so easy to escape me? To run off like a whore into the night with a guard? I thought you were better than that, my love.” The last words were laced with venom, his hatred for her apparent in the lethal edge to his voice.

  She didn’t dare look at him, couldn’t bring herself to look away from Connor who kept his emerald gaze locked to her in sorrow and defeat. Emory stepped out from around the men, blood pouring out from his cheek where Connor had torn it open. Emory indicated for the men to lift Connor and when he was back on his feet, Emory punched him in the gut, causing Connor to bend over in pain. Bringing his fist up, Emory caught Connor in the chin and blood spewed from his mouth from the force of the hit.

  Arianna cried harder. She knew they would kill him, would beat him to death before her eyes. Her body shook violently with fear and bitterness, waking Aaron from his slumber until he cried out. The small sound broke her heart even more when she feared what would happen to her child now that they’d been caught.

  “Stop!” Joseph’s voice boomed out into the silent night sky and Emory stepped away from Connor. His face was deformed from where Emory had broken bones and his body hung helplessly, only remaining standing because of the guards that held him.

  Joseph removed one arm from Arianna and motioned one of the men over to where they stood. “Take my son. I have a lesson that needs to be taught to these traitors.”

  Her body tensed impossibly tighter and she attempted to fight against the man who reached for the screaming child, but her efforts were made useless when Joseph grabbed her arms and forced her to let go. Her eyes only left Connors when they moved to follow the man who held her child, not knowing if it would be the last time she ever saw her son.

  With Aaron screaming in the background, Joseph pushed Arianna towards Connor, letting them stand within a few short feet of each other when he finally spoke again.

  “I’m disappointed, Connor, I could have sworn you knew better than this.” Joseph’s hands moved up to Arianna’s shirt, his fingers finding the first button of her blouse, undoing it slowly while keeping his eyes trained on Connor. Anger poured into Connor’s stare and Arianna attempted to pull away from her husband. Joseph grabbed her, his fingers digging so far into her skin, it caused her to cry out in pain. Losing his sense of delicacy, Joseph reached around with the other hand, ripping open her shirt, exposing her breasts to the men that stood before them. “Is this what you wanted? The flesh of another man’s wife?”

  Joseph’s hand rubbed up her torso, eventually cupping the weight of her breast before tightly pinching the peak between his fingers. She cried out from the pain, tears breaking free of her eyes as her husband reached down again to remove her pants. His eyes still locked to Connor, Joseph continued ripping her clothes away until she stood naked and exposed to the group of men who held her guard.

  Connor struggled against the men who held him, but was met with the fist of another who stood nearby. More blood burst from his mouth, before that same man grabbed his hair and forced his eyes up to watch Joseph and Arianna.

  Quiet laughter sounded behind her, and Joseph released her breast to run his hand down along her stomach eventually settling his touch between her legs, rubbing his finger along the sensitive bundle of nerves. One finger pushing down through the flesh, he tsked. “She’s become wet for my touch but, I’ll allow you to watch this time, to see what you could have had if you’d been a better man.”

  Forcing Arianna to her knees, Joseph pushed her head forward against the ground. She could hear Connor struggle again, only to be met with the sickening crunch of another fist against his body. When Joseph had removed his pants, he rubbed the hard length of his cock along the folds of her skin, forcing himself painfully inside her. She screamed, the flesh ripping from the intrusion, burning as he held her hips still with one hand and her face to the ground with the other. The white noise of rushing blood pulsed through her head, her eyes locked to Connor’s as Joseph pumped himself in and out forcefully. The men quieted and Arianna shrank at the sounds of Joseph pleasuring himself with her body, embarrassing her while grunting above her. She could see the seething anger in Connor’s gaze; only one eye left open, and the other swollen painfully shut.

  Joseph roared out his release, his fingers digging into the flesh of her hips and tearing hair away from her scalp. Her mouth opened on a silent scream, bits of dirt and grass caught on her lips from where her face had been shoved to the ground. When he finished, Joseph kicked out with his foot, the sole making contact with her ass as she was shoved to the ground once more. She lay still, not wanting to move; too afraid to do anything that could cause Joseph to lose control.

  When the night had grown quiet except for Aaron’s wail, Joseph moved in front of Connor. One face to another, Joseph spit at Connor before bringing his fist to Connor’s gut and his knee to Connor’s face. The crack of bone echoed out across the walls of the compound accompanied by the sickening chuckle of the men in response.

  “Take him back to the mansion. I’ll deal with my wife.”

  The men moved to comply with Joseph’s instruction and Joseph turned to kneel down where Arianna still lay on the ground.

  “And you…” He shook his head, tsking again in mockery of her shame and pain. “Apparently you still haven’t learned what happens when you betray me.” His hand reached down, his fingers tangling painfully into her hair and her body moved across the ground, dragged by a hand that threatened to tear the skin from her skull as he pulled her along the grass behind him.

  Chapter Nineteen

  Arianna rested on the large king sized bed in her room. Her body hurt from the bruises and cuts along her arms, torso and legs. Three days had passed since she’d been caught at the gates with Connor, three days where Joseph had attacked her every day and every night, leaving her broken and spent, but not so crushed that she couldn’t tend to Aaron.

  Joseph was not a stupid man. He understood the need of an infant to have a mother close by, and Joseph did not trust Aaron in anyone’s hands besides Arianna. He knew that she’d care for the child, that she loved him and would protect him even if her heart was filled with hate for his father.

  Chained to her bed, Arianna was only released on the occasion where she needed to go to the bathroom or shower. She was given enough length to easily reach her son and food and water were brought to her three times daily. What little freedom she had before her attempted escape had been stripped from her, replaced with the reality that she served one purpose alone – to care for the son of a monster. Having lost Connor as a guard, Joseph quickly replaced him with four other men, strict orders given to each that they were not to approach or speak to Arianna unless another man was present.

  Even though she fought to keep her mind from thoughts of Connor’s fate, she couldn’t help but wonder what they’d done to him. She knew Joseph was cruel, that he’d probably ordered the death of the man she loved and she feared that the method of death had been unforgiving and brutal. Tears fell from her swollen eyes for the loss of the only man who’d helped her in the nightmare in which she lived.

  Having fallen asleep, she was awoken by the click of her door as it opened, the scream of the hinges against the stillness of her room. Her eyes peeked open, and she watched Joseph step inside. He crossed the room to look in on Aaron, a smile touching the sides of his lips to see his child sleeping peacefully within the crib. That s
mile faded, however, when he turned and allowed his eyes to travel along the length of Arianna’s body. She flinched when he approached and she tried to scoot away from him on the mattress when he sat down.

  “I have an event you must attend tonight. I don’t like leaving Aaron in another person’s care, but it can’t be avoided given the circumstances. It should only take an hour or so, and there’s no need for you to dress appropriately for what’s to come.”

  Her heart pounded into her throat, her stomach threatening to relieve itself of the dinner she’d eaten a few hours before. Not moving an inch, she opened her mouth, attempting to speak clearly between lips that were busted and raw from where Joseph had struck her across the face. Her throat burned and her tongue felt swollen when she asked, “Where are you taking me?”

  She wasn’t sure she wanted an answer to her question, couldn’t fathom what Joseph had staged for her to see.

  Joseph smiled sweetly, bits of the man he’d been years ago peeking out from behind the cold, dead stare of his eyes. His hand reached out to brush her hair from her face and she instinctively recoiled from his touch.

  “Now, Arianna, there’s no need to fear me. I’ve done nothing wrong. You’ve asked for everything that’s happened to you. I’ve been nothing but a good husband; keeping a roof over your head, food in your stomach and clothes on your back. I even gave you a guard to protect you, and what do you do? Try and sneak off with him – to take my son from me?” His words were dreadfully calm, almost happy and satisfied in their tone. “But after tonight, I won’t have to worry about that anymore. You’ll love me again, without the confusion of another man’s interest.”

  Her heart felt like it would explode, and she became sick when realization dawned as to what he was telling her. Finding the strength to speak again, she pushed herself up from the bed, crawling closer to her husband, begging, “Please, Joseph, whatever you have planned, I don’t want to be a part of it. Please. I’ll do anything, just don’t…”