Joseph Fallen

  Falling back, Arianna screamed. The knife fell from her hand and she reached up, pulling at her hair in absolute misery at what Joseph had forced her to do. She watched the color drain from Connor’s face, his eyes rolling beneath his eyelids while he struggled to breath. She placed her hand on his chest, felt the strength of his heart dissipate and fade, until, finally, it no longer beat beneath her hand. She didn’t care if Joseph saw her touch him, she wanted to let him know she was there until the last minute, until the last bit of life was drained from his body.

  Strong hands gripped around her biceps. She was lifted from the ground and held in a standing position over Connor. Warm breath trailed down her skin when Joseph leaned over to whisper in her ear. “I’m impressed, beautiful. To be honest, I never thought you’d actually do it.”

  She didn’t respond, couldn’t force her lips to move so she could tell him just how much she despised him. Every part of her body had gone numb, her mind reeling from having been forced to extinguish the flame of her lover’s life.

  Joseph pulled her back away from the body, but held her still when they’d retaken their previous position within the circle. Leaning down to her again, he laughed before saying, “You didn’t think I’d let my men miss out on the show, did you?”

  His hand raised in the air. His fingers snapped.

  Her jaw dropped open when she saw the cars lurch forward and Connor’s body was torn apart in midair.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Three years. Three years that she’d been alone, trapped in a prison where she was beaten nightly; raped and molested when the beast that was her husband fancied her touch. She was allowed to remain in her suite in the right wing. Security was heightened; she was monitored by both cameras and the living eyes of Joseph’s men. There was nowhere she could go where she wasn’t watched, there was no escape from the life Joseph had built for her.

  But there was a small light, a single flame that not even Joseph would extinguish, and that little boy was everything to her. Aaron grew fast, his small body becoming strong when he learned to crawl, to walk…to run. His hair remained the color of pitch black night and his skin was a natural golden tan. He had a laugh that could light up any room, and he was fearless when it came to trying new things. But his eyes; over time they’d started to change, becoming a brilliant sapphire blue by the time he was two. Joseph had noticed, but had quickly brushed it off that the child had inherited Arianna’s eyes. However, when veins of green started to show from beneath the azure surface, Arianna quickly questioned everything she thought she knew.

  It was a gradual change; one she hoped would stop. In her heart she was desperate to learn that they’d been wrong, that Aaron had been Connor’s child and not Joseph’s, but she feared what Joseph would do to Aaron if he found out. She lived in fear, each day waking to a child, looking deep in his eyes, scared senseless that she’d wake to the emerald green of Connor’s eyes.

  The midwife had told her that his eyes could change. She’d said it was common for children to be born with grey or blue eyes, and for those eyes to eventually turn to a lighter or darker shade as they grew older.

  Sitting in her bedroom, she stared out at the red walls, not wanting to move, much less walk into a living room she knew was occupied by several of Joseph’s guards. He no longer kept her chained; and he had no reason to continue locking her up. She had no spirit left in her. He’d broken her that night on the field. He’d taken something of beauty, of redemption and light and he’d made her destroy it, made her commit an act so vile, she could never forgive herself for having done it. Never again would she attempt to leave, and for the sake of Aaron, never again would she fight against the will of her husband.

  She felt empty – completely lost to the insanity that permeated the walls of the house, only able to keep herself sane by caring for her son.

  Joseph’s depravities had worsened and death was a common occurrence each time he held a meeting within the network. He ruled his organization with an iron fist, never allowing one man to go without punishment for the smallest infraction. He enjoyed delivering his sentences, each time surprising his audience with just how sick and twisted he could become. She loathed him, loathed the network of men that worked for him, but she stood dutifully when she was called to attend the meetings, sat beside him imitating the committed wife. It kept Aaron alive. That was her only concern.

  Sitting on the side of her bed, she pulled black stockings over her legs before standing up to slip a one sleeved black dress over her body. He wanted her to dress up, to have a picture made with him before he started the night’s meeting. His network, his family, his money – those were the accomplishments he flaunted to his men, to anyone and everyone who met him. If you didn’t know him, you’d think he was perfect. It was frightening how charismatic he could be when there was nothing beneath his skin but a dead heart and the soul of a demon.

  She sat at her vanity, brushing her long, blonde hair, waiting for him to arrive. When she heard the click of the door handle, she turned, pushing up on to her feet so that she didn’t keep him waiting. She’d learned not to anger him, to submit to every dark desire he had in order to avoid his violence, if only for a night or two. Even though he slept with her often and never used protection, she didn’t become pregnant again. She was thankful for that fact, but it made her wonder even more about who had fathered her son.

  “Arianna. You look beautiful. Once again, the men will envy the beauty of the woman at my side.” His voice purred, anticipation heightening his spirits for the meeting that was to come.

  She smiled in response, always playing the perfect wife. “Thank you, Joseph. You look handsome as usual.” Her eyes looked over the charcoal colored suit, the purple silk tie that shone beautifully beneath the light of the room. The jacket of his suit fit perfectly over his broad shoulders, and his pants hung seductively off his waist. He truly was a beautiful man, but inside him was nothing more than poison, death, hatred and rage.

  “We should hurry, I want to get this picture out of the way, so we won’t be late to the ballroom.” Reaching for her hand, he grasped her fingers between his, squeezing them before leading her out of the bedroom and down the corridor to the living room. Her eyes glanced at the men dispersed throughout the room, not being given much time to look at each one when Joseph dragged her quickly through the room.

  Entering the office that hadn’t been used by Joseph since they moved in, Arianna saw a man standing to the side, camera equipment set up in order to capture their image.

  The photographer pointed to an area he had set up before they’d arrived. “Joseph, if you would take a seat in the chair and Arianna, you should stand behind him. I’ll make this quick so that you can move on to more exciting events for the evening.”

  Joseph chuckled at the photographer’s words, and then took a seat where the photographer had asked. Taking her place, she blinked against the bright lights that beamed down on them. A few flashes of a fake smile, and the picture was done. She hated it. They hung in the halls of her wing, a reminder of the false perfection of her life. Every year he had one made, except for when it came to Aaron. Ever since the child had been born, Joseph insisted on monthly photographs, his pride in his son evident in the way he bragged. She heard him describe Aaron as his greatest accomplishment, a thing that would make him immortal, would help him cheat even death.

  Having finished the sitting, Arianna followed behind Joseph out of the suite and down the long corridor to the ballroom. The two guards moved instantly to open the doors, welcoming Joseph to a throne room of sorts. A hush fell over the waiting audience, dark souls that reveled in the lifestyle that Joseph had created for them. Climbing the stairs, Arianna allowed a numbness to fall over her mind and her body. It was the only way she could witness the horrors that Joseph would command – it was the only thing keeping her sane after taking part in the execution of the men who dared cross her husband.

  After taking their seats, Joseph called
the meeting to order and requested Emory to escort the accused inside from wherever it was they were kept. Arianna looked over to the doors of the west wing, not surprised when they walked a man in, but suddenly becoming horrified to see that a woman carrying a baby, and a small boy were walked in behind him.

  She bit her tongue to keep from crying out, her eyes tracking the family as they were being led to the center of the ballroom. The mother was crying, her short brunette hair hanging lifelessly around her face while she looked at the child in her arms. The silence in the room was agonizing; she didn’t know what to think or what her husband had planned to do to the people standing before them.

  “Gregory Shipp. You’ve been caught stealing money from my network, from all of the men in this room, from my wife who sits beside me.”

  Arianna fidgeted in her chair, not appreciating that he’d attached her in any way to what he was about to do.

  Standing, Joseph walked towards the front of the stage, the click of his heel a death march as he approached the scared man. “You’ve been a member of my network for quite some time, Mr. Shipp, and as I’m sure you are aware, there have been three other occasions where some ignorant fool has attempted the same thing.” Joseph paused before pacing the front of the stage and asking, “Do you recall what happened to those men?”

  The scared man looked up, his mouse brown hair falling back, revealing areas where his hair was thinned and balding. “Yes, Joseph. The men were executed, they were shot.”

  Joseph nodded and folded his hands behind his back. Stopping before the man, he remained quiet for a moment, a faint cough sounding from one of the men sitting at the tables throughout the room.

  “They were. So I assumed, as someone who’s seen that, you would have known better than to attempt the same thing. However, since I am obviously wrong for having assumed that, I realize that I need to step up the punishment. Shooting a man isn’t enough, is it? You still thought you could steal from The Estate. So, Mr. Shipp, I’ll be stepping up the punishment tonight, hopefully deterring the next ambitious soul who thinks he can cheat the network.”

  The creak of the hinges of the doors to the right wing interrupted Joseph, and he turned, annoyed with the intrusion. One of his nameless men walked in and quickly climbed the stairs of the stage to whisper to Joseph. Her husband stilled, a bored expression on his face when he motioned for her to follow the man out of the room. She gladly complied, crossing the stage, only to feel Joseph’s hand grip her arm before she could descend the stairs.

  Leaning down to whisper in her ear, he instructed, “Deal with our son and return immediately to the ballroom when you are done.” He released her and returned to his position on the stage.

  Arianna climbed down quickly, letting her eyes glance at the small boy with wild brown hair and wide blue eyes that glittered from the light in the room. He appeared to be the same age as Aaron and the thought shocked her system more than she’d liked. He looked terrified and her heart broke for the young soul and whatever fate he would face.

  She traveled through the corridor as fast as she could. The guard told her they were unable to silence Aaron, and that he’d woken from a nightmare and was tearing apart his room crying out for his mother. For as sweet as he was, Aaron had a vicious temper and she noticed that on some days she was only able to lull him back to sleep or help him keep calm by playing the song she’d written for him and had played for him since he’d been born.

  Finally reaching her young son’s room, she found him laid across his mattress, screaming into the blankets, his little arms and legs pumping furiously while he cried.

  Sitting down beside him, she pulled his small body up from the mattress to cradle him against her. He calmed almost immediately, his small arms reaching up around her neck as he settled his head against her chest. She cooed to him, swaying him back and forth in an attempt to chase away whatever nightmare had scared him. Finally, when he had settled and his breathing grew deep and regular from sleep, she laid him back down on the bed, covering him with blankets before smoothing her hand over his head and kissing him on the cheek.

  As soon as she stepped foot out of his room, the guard who had led her back from the ballroom returned her to the meeting, her shoulders were weighted with dread when they walked back, not knowing what she would find when they entered the large room. The creak of the large double doors announced her entrance and she almost fell to the ground when her eyes caught sight of what had transpired in her absence.

  The father of the young family lay on the ground in a pool of his blood, his body positioned in a way that wasn’t natural or possible without having bones broken and ripped out of joint. The screams of his wife hurt Arianna’s ears as she watched the woman being dragged to a wooden table, crudely fashioned with four iron shackles drilled into the table. Arianna’s eyes immediately sought out the two young children and an odd sense of relief blossomed in her chest when she saw the young boy sitting on the ground holding his sister in his arms. When Arianna noticed what they intended to do with the mother, her breath caught and she raced to the boy’s side and looked up to the stage to find Joseph standing above at the center front, a bored expression on his face while watching the men strip the woman of her clothes before fastening her to the table, each intimate part of her exposed to the crowd of men. Slowly, Joseph’s head swiveled and when the molten grey of his eyes met hers, he yelled, “Stop!”

  The men obeyed and stepped away from the table that now had a crying woman strapped to the rough wood surface.

  “Arianna, so good of you to rejoin us. I need you to do me a favor.” Gesturing down to the boy, he continued. “Xander here is going to be staying with us for a while, I thought he could be a good friend to our son considering they are around the same age.”

  The young mother began to wail, her small form obviously shaking from the emotions ravaging her body; fear, desolation, despair – it was a venomous cocktail that Arianna knew well.

  Joseph rolled his eyes. Turning to his men, he asked, “Can someone please shut that woman up? I can’t think with her screaming and crying like that.”

  The men complied immediately by placing a gag around her mouth and securing it at the back of her head.

  Smiling once that had been accomplished, Joseph turned back to his wife. “As I was saying, please take the child back to your suite. He’ll be staying with us indefinitely.”

  Arianna’s head swam with disbelief, but she knew better than to argue with her husband. Kneeling down beside the child, his big blue eyes burned into hers. Red rimmed the skin of his eyes where he’d been crying and streaks of tears were clearly visible on his cheeks. She reached over, wondering why Joseph only referenced the boy when, clearly, there were two children. “May I take your sister from you, Xander, I promise I won’t hurt her.”

  He nodded yes, his body quaking with fear as he reached up to hand her the small baby bundled in a blanket. Arianna breathed out as she accepted the baby, pulling the child to her chest and noticing that the child did not move or squirm in her hold. When she pulled the blanket back from the baby’s face, she was met with a pair of lifeless eyes. Her heart fractured and her stomach threatened to expel its contents. Placing the baby down on the floor, she turned to the live child, saw the pain in his stare, and quickly took his hand to lead him from the room. “Xander, your sister is going to be okay, my husband just wants you to meet our son, Aaron. You’ll like him, I can tell already that you two will have a lot in common, don’t be scared, okay?”

  He nodded, his fear paralyzing him to a point where he wouldn’t speak. His tiny hand in hers, Arianna led him quickly from the room, shutting the doors behind them only to hear the echoed screams of his mother while the men continued whatever torture Joseph had ordered against the woman. Xander’s body tensed and he tried to turn back for the doors. Arianna quickly picked him up and held him to her body, running down the hallways to escape the nightmare taking place on the other side of the doors that led into the m
outh of Hell itself.

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Her eyes burned with the threat of tears. Sitting on the floor by the toilet in her bathroom, Arianna sat back against the cool tile, incredulity filling her thoughts at the cruel irony that played constantly with her life. She could hear her stomach churn in the quiet room and she looked at the time on the clock that hung on the bathroom wall. She would have to get up soon, would have to force her body to move despite the sickness that crippled her so that she could tend to Aaron and Xander.

  She’d suspected her condition for the past week, each day waking and looking to the calendar that hung on her bedroom wall. She was tired, she’d been drained of every bit of hope over the years she lived in the mansion, and now, she was late. Her ever-present tears resurfaced when she realized that she was pregnant once again, but this time there was only one man who could have fathered the child, and that man was the most depraved and vile bastard that existed.

  Each day was a routine she kept with the children, the only sense of normalcy that could be found within a waking nightmare. She had no other companions besides the two children who every day stole her heart and gave her a reason to continue forward despite the hopelessness of her life.

  Three more years had passed and the boys were now six years old. Over time, Arianna had watched as Aaron’s eyes turned from a light blue, the same shade as hers, to an emerald green that was a startling reminder of a man Arianna had been forced to kill when Aaron was a baby. It broke her heart to look into his eyes every morning and be reminded of a gentle soul, one who’d been victim to the same violent lifestyle that haunted her daily life, and one who’d lost his life attempting to free her of her fate - to take her from the darkness into the possibility of light.

  Joseph had to have noticed. When Aaron’s eyes finally took on the jade hue, Joseph began to treat him differently, became more violent towards Arianna as a result. She was in constant fear for her life and the child’s. She knew that Joseph’s jealousy and rage could explode at any minute because of the clear and absolute reminder that Arianna had allowed another man to touch her in ways only Joseph had been allowed.