Chained

  I grabbed his hand. “So Zac would have killed you anyway?” Kit nodded. “Son of a bitch!” I was so angry, I felt I could kill Zac all over again. But then something else hit me. “You know I didn’t mean what I said, don’t you?”

  Kit smiled. “Of course. I can never forget the day you told me that every time you thought of painting, it would remind you of how much you love me. I got your message loud and clear. At that moment, I knew I had to fight. When Ian turned up, he told the guys that Zac had requested he kill me. He managed to smuggle me out of the house and took me to a derelict farmhouse about five miles away. There, I met Craig and a couple others. We hatched a plan to come and rescue you at dawn. There was no way I was going to let you go.”

  He snuggled his face into my hair, making me sigh. “Thank you,” I whispered as I intertwined my fingers with his.

  Kit kissed my head. I felt happy at that moment and I let myself feel that little glow of euphoria because I knew it wouldn’t last long.

  For now, we were on the road to the unknown, soon to be on the seas to the unknown. A part of me wanted this and couldn’t wait, whilst the other part of me wanted to hide in the corner like a frightened lamb. I was scared shitless of the unknown. With Zac, I knew my path. He chose my destiny for me. How ironic was that?

  We got to Southampton about an hour later. As soon as we parked, we grabbed our things and went straight to the harbour. Kit and Ian followed me because they obviously had no clue where to go next.

  I walked down towards James’ shipyard shop, happy to see him at the counter. I opened the door, the bell alerting him. When he saw me, he smiled, then it fell.

  “Olivia, it’s nice to see you. I was hoping I never would, though. No offense.”

  I laughed. “None taken.” I saw him look towards Kit and Ian with a frown. “Oh, sorry. This is Kit and this is Ian. Kit, Ian, this is James.”

  They all shook hands, then James turned his attention back to me. “I’m guessing you’re here to set sail.” I nodded. “So I guess you’ll be wanting your things?” I nodded again. “It’s locked out back.” He pointed towards the back, then disappeared.

  “Who is that?” Ian whispered.

  “He’s my uncle. My proper uncle on my mum’s side. The only truly nice one on any side of my family.” And the only one I knew I could trust to keep my things safe for me. It wasn’t hard since he was practically disowned by my mother after she accused him of using them for money and status. The only problem James had was he was too nice...and my mother didn’t do nice.

  James soon returned with my big black bag and set it on the counter. “It’s all there, just as you left it.”

  I nodded. “Thank you for looking after everything for me.”

  James smiled. “No sweat.” He looked at Kit and Ian before turning his attention back to me. He looked so much like my mother and, unfortunately, so did I. We both had the signature blonde hair and blue eyes. Well, I did until I died it auburn.

  “So where will you go now?”

  I shrugged. “I don’t know. Maybe Cyprus, Croatia, Cape Verde, Cote d’Ivore... Somewhere beginning with a C.” I looked over at Kit. Going somewhere starting with the letter of his full name sounded great right now. He was, after all, my saviour.

  James laughed and came around the counter for a hug. “Well, wherever you go, take good care now, you hear me?”

  I nodded into his shoulder and felt my tears well up. “I’ll be in touch.”

  He pulled away and wiped my tears. “Stay safe.” He smiled sweetly, looking up at Kit and Ian. “Please, take care of her for me.”

  “Oh, I will,” they both said in unison. The slight annoyance in Kit’s face didn’t go unnoticed.

  James cleared his throat. “Well, Olivia... Be good.” He looked at Kit and Ian, as if trying to convey a certain message. He couldn’t be any more wrong.

  I nodded, kissed his cheek, and picked up my bag. Kit took it from me, smiling, as he placed his arm around me. “Are you okay?”

  I shook my head. “No, but I will be.” I looked at Kit for a moment and felt the guilt rise at what I put him through. “Are you okay?” I think he could tell what I was referring to as he winced.

  “I’ll be fine, Olivia. With you now with me, I’ll be more than fine.” He smiled down at me adoringly, but I couldn’t help feeling like shit for what I did. If it wasn’t for my pursuit of revenge, Kit would never have been violated by that fucking witch of a woman. I might as well have chained him up myself and shouted, “He’s all yours!”

  We headed out to the pier and down towards my boat, but before I could make it there, I saw someone familiar. I gasped and threw my hand over my mouth. “Marcus, what are you doing here?”

  Kit nudged me. “He wanted to see you.”

  I looked at Kit in shock, then turned my attention back to Marcus. His smile was wide as he came in for a hug.

  “Olivia, how are you? I hear you’ve been through a lot these last few days. I’m sorry about that. I wished I had known earlier. Thomas tried to call your phone, but Ian answered.”

  I looked over at Ian and frowned. He gave me a small smile. “Zac wanted your incoming calls monitored. He also wanted to find out who was at your house. That’s how I eventually found Kit. That’s how all of us grouped together to hash out a plan to save you.” He looked at his cousin with a glare. “Unfortunately, Kit got impatient trying to find out what was wrong with you that day at the clinic and that’s how he got caught.”

  I winced, but nodded and turned my attention back to Marcus. He smiled and placed a gentle hand on my arm. “I always knew there was something about you, but I never put two and two together until you disappeared and I tracked down Kit.”

  I looked up at Kit in surprise. “I don’t understand.”

  Marcus grabbed my hand. “You were drugged with Xanai.” My eyes pooled with tears and he winced. “I’m sorry, Olivia. I didn’t realise. That drug I was telling you about, the one my wife took, was Xanai. I knew about it and knew it was wrong, but never did anything about it. I told you I was working for monsters, and now you realise I was one, too.” He looked down for a moment before meeting my eyes again. “I wanted to see you before you left. I needed to explain something to you. Your father was being manipulated, just like you. I knew about Zac Bartholomew because I used to do dealings with his middleman. Because I was a lawyer, I found things out. I was trusted with things because they knew how much I wanted a partnership in my firm. They knew I would do anything to get it.”

  He sighed a little before continuing, “There was another experimental drug. One that would cause fear and paranoia. It was called the ‘suicide drug’ as, ultimately, it would lead the person to suicide. I believe this is what killed your father.”

  I blinked rapidly, unable to take in everything. For years, I had been wondering how my father died. Now I had my answer.

  I gasped, remembering that time just before he died when my mother said that the tablets were making him worse. It had to have been them.

  “So Zac really killed my father?”

  Marcus nodded. “He probably killed your mother, too.”

  I frowned. “But she had cancer.”

  Marcus shook his head with a sarcastic laugh. “You’d be amazed at the amount of drugs that are out there. There are certain things you don’t know that would make your head spin, Olivia.”

  When he saw my frown, he stepped closer and stroked my arm. “I’m sorry you had to hear this, but you can see how important it was for me to tell you.”

  A tear fell down my face as I nodded with a smile. “Of course. I’m so glad you told me. I’m so glad you came all the way down here to tell me.” I frowned. “How did you get down here?”

  Marcus laughed. “When everything happened and I spoke to Kit, I made sure we could keep in touch. I also went to see my sister for the first time in years. We hadn’t spoken since Beth’s death. It took a lot to walk up to her doorstep and knock on the door. I did it, thoug
h, and I’m so glad I did. I apologised to her for the first time in my life and she just accepted me with open arms. I’ve been staying with her ever since. Well, me and Thomas.” He smiled and motioned towards a post. Thomas appeared out of nowhere.

  I gasped again. “Thomas, you’ve been hiding all this time?”

  He laughed. “I like the element of surprise.”

  I chuckled. “Well, you’ve certainly surprised me.”

  He came in and gave me a big hug. Once we pulled apart, Marcus sighed. “Well, I guess you three want to head out?”

  I sniffled a little, feeling the tears threaten. Thomas winced. “Don’t you dare cry, Olivia. I can’t stand to see a woman cry.”

  I laughed through my tears. “I’m sorry, Thomas.”

  He saw my expression and tears started in his eyes, too. “Oh, come here.” He motioned to me and I ran in for another hug. “You take care of yourself, Olivia.” I nodded through my tears and pulled away so I could give Marcus a hug.

  “You need to think about you now, Olivia. Your time has come.” I nodded at Marcus and smiled.

  Thomas nudged Marcus. “We’d better go.” He looked at me. “His sister does a mean cheesecake.” He winked. “Although they’re not as good as your Danish pastries.” He licked his lips, making me laugh.

  “Take care of yourselves, won’t you? Maybe you can set up that detective agency we were talking about.”

  Marcus laughed. “Well, you never know. I might even do the other thing you suggested and help people who need legal aid, but can’t afford it. You’ve inspired me. I’ve done too much bad in my life. It’s time I did something good.”

  I nodded. “Well, you take care. I’ll miss you.”

  They both nodded and said, “We’ll miss you, too.”

  We all laughed, but the time for laughter was short. It was time for us to go.

  With a wave, they left. I was standing there, completely bewildered and flustered.

  I finally had some answers. It still filled my head with questions, but at least I knew the kind of evil Zac surrounded himself with. It seemed he had held the strings of not just me, but my parents, too.

  Kit pulled me to him. “Are you okay?”

  I nodded. “Yes.” I looked across and saw my boat. “Let’s go.”

  We walked towards my boat and when Ian saw it, he whistled. “Wow, you really were in the money, Olivia.”

  I shrugged. “It was never something I liked to brag about.”

  We climbed aboard the Sunseeker forty metre yacht, walking straight into the living room area. It was just how I remembered. Brand new. It had hardly been used at all. It just sat there. I was glad it was finally being put to good use.

  Ian went to work, taking off his shirt. It was then I noticed his tattoo. It was the same as Kit’s, but with the number eighty-three on it. “Do all you guys have these tattoos?” I pointed to Ian’s.

  Kit nodded. “Yes. It was a sign that we belonged to the agency. We didn’t have names. We were only known as a number.”

  I nodded and looked over at Ian. He looked so at ease on this boat. When he caught me staring, he looked at me. “What?” he asked, feigning ignorance. “My dad had a boat when I was a kid. We used to go fishing all the time. Being on one of these is like home.” He looked around. “Well, it wasn’t as big as one of these, but I can certainly get us where we need to go.” He smiled brightly.

  “And where are we going?” Kit asked.

  We all looked at each other and smiled. “Somewhere beginning with a C,” we all said, laughing. I knew the happiness wouldn’t last long, though. At some point, the enormity would catch up with me. I didn’t know when, but I knew it would come. At the moment, I was still in shock. Still carrying on as normal. That was a bad sign for me.

  Ian went off to do his thing, making me happy. If he wanted to take control, I would let him. I didn’t know a thing about boats. I suppose I would have to learn.

  “What do you have in the bag?”

  I placed it down on the table and turned to Kit. “I always liked to plan, just in case. I kind of dreamt that, one day, I would escape from it all. I didn’t know whether it would be like this, but I suppose it’s as good an excuse as any.” I sighed. “Anyway, I packed a few essentials in here like clothes, toiletries, and...” I unzipped the bag and out popped a load of money. Five hundred thousand, to be exact.

  “There’s more where that came from, but this is enough to get us through a couple years or so. On the ship itself, James has always maintained a healthy stock. If anything was about to run out, he would use it himself, then replace it at a later date. I think we’ll be good for a few days.”

  Kit looked at the money, then at me. I could tell he was struggling with what to say. What do you say to the girl you watch having sex over and over again with another man? It was a conversation I didn’t want to have right now.

  Kit hesitated, but came forward. “Olivia, I–”

  “I’m going to check on the stock before we head out. Go ahead and make yourself at home.” I walked off quickly. I couldn’t take that conversation right now. I felt sick every time I thought about what happened. No matter the circumstances, it still didn’t take away the fact that I had betrayed him in the worst way. I knew he would probably feel sick touching me. I knew I would if it the situation were reversed.

  I went into one of the bedrooms that we used for storage. There were three others, so there was plenty of room for all of us.

  I took a look around and saw that everything was there. I went through the list of items and how long everything would last. As I pushed a box out of the way, something fell and I bent down the pick it up.

  It was a paintbrush.

  As I stood there, tears suddenly pricked my eyes and fell down my cheeks. The memories of Kit and me in my studio came racing to my mind.

  I felt a delicate touch on my shoulder and turned around to see Kit staring at me. He was a man of few words, but his eyes said it all. He was worried.

  When the sobs started, Kit pulled me into his arms and held me there. I heard the engine starting and the boat pulling away, but all it did was muffle my cries. Kit bent down to carry me into one of the bedrooms, lying me on the bed. He engulfed me in his arms and let me cry for hours. I cried so long and so hard that once I couldn’t cry anymore, my eyes felt droopy and I fell into a deep sleep.

  Chapter 26

  It was about five weeks before we docked in Anguilla. We had sailed to Cannes, but I decided not to go for the C’s and concentrate on the A’s first. I also wanted to be as far away from my homeland as possible. Anguilla seemed like a good start. It also helped that I had money on this island.

  We had just eaten dinner on our first night and were chilling out. Despite my breakdown with Kit, I still remained aloof with him. It wasn’t because I didn’t want to be close. Quite the opposite. I hated turning him away and I hated that I was probably hurting him. I just couldn’t help it.

  Ian had been my rock. We were joking with each other and mucking around. I loved having him here. At times, my silent beast would sit in the corner and brood. He would never say anything. Never let me know how he was feeling. He would just let me be me and, at times, I loved him for that. Other times, it frustrated me that he wouldn’t speak up.

  “How long do you want to stay here, little princess?” That was Ian’s new nickname for me now.

  Laughing, I looked away from Ian and took in our surroundings. It was a beautiful evening with the lights shining. We could hear the faint sounds of laughter as people danced and frolicked on the beach.

  “I don’t know. Maybe a little while. I like it here.”

  Ian raised his eyebrow. “So no more boat lessons for a while?”

  I laughed again, remembering a couple of days ago when I almost tipped the boat over. I think I gave Ian a heart attack. All he shouted was, “My god, woman. How hard is it to steer a fucking boat?!”

  “No, not for a little while.”

&n
bsp; Ian let out a contented sigh. “Thank fuck for that.”

  I whacked him across the arm. “Hey!”

  The scraping of a chair alerted me to Kit’s swift escape up the stairs. Right then, I didn’t want to joke anymore.

  Ian looked over to where he went, then looked back at me. “I think you two need to talk.”

  I grimaced. “I know. It’s just... It’s so hard after everything that’s happened.”

  Ian nodded, reaching over to take my hand. “I know. I realise you’re hurting, but so is he. Please, go to him and put him out of his misery. I know he loves you. I can see it written all over his face.”

  I sighed and closed my eyes. “I know.”

  Ian got out of his chair. “I’m going to see what all the fuss is about on the beach. I’ll probably have a couple drinks. You never know. I might just meet the girl of my dreams on this island.” He winked at me and leaned close. “Go talk to him. I’ll be back by morning. I think you two need some alone time.”

  He patted my hand and walked from the boat to the dock. I sat there for a while, but couldn’t think of what to say. I knew we had to talk, but the pain was sometimes unbearable. What could I possibly say?

  Taking a deep breath, I walked up to where Kit sat at on the sofa chair, staring off into the darkness.

  “Hey,” I said, sitting down. He looked at me, smiled, then turned the other way. “Kit, what’s wrong? Talk to me.”

  I saw his nostrils flare, then the tears pricked his eyes. “You seem so happy with him. I wish I could make you smile like that. Every time you look at me, all I see is pain.”

  I took his hand and almost choked when I saw a tear run down his face. “That’s because you see the real me.”

  He shook his head. “No, it’s not that. It’s almost as if you’re pushing me away.”

  In my panic, I started mumbling, “I don’t understand what you’re trying to say.”

  Kit grit his teeth as another tear ran down his face. I hated seeing him crumbling. I hated seeing his pain.

  “You won’t let me near you. When we’re in bed, I’m afraid to touch you. You’re as far away from me as possible, yet we’re together twenty-four/seven.”