Page 60 of Guarding Salvation

His phone ringing in his pocket made him turn to the window as she answered his sister’s call.

His blood ran cold at the first tear-filled words out of her mouth.

“Bram, oh God. I’m so sorry. We couldn’t stop him.”

Chapter 24

Ten long years he’d been waiting for his revenge and now it was within his grasp. It should’ve been harder but with a face so familiar around the village that it blended in; it had been easy to gain access to the castle. Now all he needed to do was carry out his plan and history would be avenged.

He’d watched them all these weeks, planning and plotting, altering his appearance so nobody would recognise him and now it was time to act. He’d seen them leave under cover of darkness thinking they were clever, that the people they loved were safe, but fate had been on his side.

Now not only would he get revenge on the whore who’d caused this but also the man who’d ruined his family and taken his brother’s life and gotten away with it. They all thought he was free and clear, that justice wasn’t meant for them, but he was there to deliver it.

Cutting through the back stairs used by the servants, he turned the corner his usual disguise gone, and stopped dead at the site of Mrs Murrel. The old bat was there earlier than planned.

“Boyd, what are you doing here?”

She stepped back, knowing he had no reason to be in the castle and the family history between him and the McCullums was anything but sweetness and light.

He moved toward her, and she turned to run, her big fat trap open ready to give the game away, but he couldn’t allow her to ruin his plans, not when everything was finally going his way and his ticket out of this God-forsaken shit hole was within reach.

Grabbing a vase from the side table, he swung and the old bat fell forward, her scream dying in her throat as she hit the ground, the vase by some miracle still intact in his hands. Even fate was on his side today it seemed. Bending, he saw blood pooling on the ground and wondered if she was dead. He didn’t care. What was one more death in this war? Either way, she was silent now and his plan was in play.

He left her slumped where she was and rushed up the stairs. He had no time to drag her into the pantry, he needed to move and someone finding her was a risk he had to take. Taking the stairs two at a time now, he avoided the creaky floorboards which he’d taken painstaking weeks learning as he hoovered this goddamn dust trap. Keeping his head down like a good little soldier and doing the work, and now it was time for the pay-off. Arriving on the landing of the second floor unheard was his reward for bowing and scraping to these assholes.

Rory, the fake lord of the manor, had left to work in his office on the ground floor after Bram and his weird friends left but Boyd wasn’t stupid. No, he’d looped the camera feed so it showed what he wanted him to see which was nothing but divine peace. He knew it was only a matter of time though before the house started to wake, especially with the brats getting ready for school.

Putting his ear to the door where he knew the woman slept, Boyd listened, his hands sweating, his pulse racing with excitement and adrenaline. Opening the door, he winced at the creak he couldn’t avoid and stepped inside. Seeing her asleep in the huge bed, assured by her murdering boyfriend that she was safe when safety was an illusion, made him smile with excitement. Closing the heavy door behind him he tiptoed to the bed.

She looked like an angel, and he could see why so many men wanted to get their hands on her. She was perfect, her pouty lips inviting even in sleep, her body made for the seduction and destruction of men. Skin so pale it gave her fragility that seemed to call to the beast in him.

Leaning closer, he could smell the scent of her body, intoxicating and sweet, mixed with sex and desire. He felt his own body tighten with the flood of lust but looked away, tamping it down. Weeks of watching her had gotten to him, but this wasn’t his mission. He wouldn’t allow a beautiful face to destroy his mission. He needed to remember why he was there and not allow this witch to sway his mind.

Slamming his hand over her mouth, he watched with a feeling of immense power as her eyes snapped open and blind fear almost choked her. She began to struggle, and he held the gun in his free hand up so she could see it. Her eyes moved over it, tears filling her green eyes, making them seem luminous and bright like a jewel.

“Silence or everyone in this castle dies. Do you understand me?”

Aoife nodded. She was a clever one, catching on quick to who had the true power here.

“Good, now get up slowly and don’t make a sound or those little brats are going to die a horrible death.”

Aoife moved slowly, swinging her legs out of the bed, her body covered by tartan pyjamas. As soon as she was standing, he turned her, looping her arms together and tying them with rope. He gagged her mouth so she couldn’t scream and bent, his gun still on her and slipped her feet into slippers. He wasn’t an animal after all, and she was a means to an end and not the real enemy.

“Now, we’re going to go out the secret tunnel in here and nobody gets hurt.”

He moved to the window where he knew the entrance to the tunnel was hidden, just as the door swung open and the smile on Lana’s face died at the sight of him.

“Get in here and don’t make a fucking sound or this bitch dies.”

“W… why are you doing this?” Her skin was pale as she moved to close the door, her eyes seeking out Aoife and an escape as she did.

“Isn’t it obvious, Lana? You and Bram took something from me and now I’m going to take something from you. You should be glad it isn’t one of those brats in here instead of her. Luckily for you, this does the job, and I get a huge payday from her loving father.” The hand he had on Aoife felt the tension radiate through her at the mention of her father.

“You mean Ray?”

“Yes, of course I mean Ray. That animal murdered my brother in cold blood and never got punished, so now I’m here to remedy that.”

“Ray raped me, Boyd. He raped me and laughed about it.”