Chapter 15
1180 Words
Depths in the Heart
"You're right," he responded following a lengthy silence. "You are entitled to know everything. Marcus and I used to cooperate. He guided me in starting the business, but I never knew how far he was ready to go to succeed. I severed relations with him when I learned, but not before he had enough dirt to keep me under his control.
"And now he's using me to control you," I murmured, the insight striking like a blow to the belly.
Nolan nodded, a dark look on him. True. And I loathe myself for placing you in this role.
What to say was unknown to me. Part of me wanted to yell at him, to accuse him of dragging me into his clutter. But another side of me, the one that still recalled the man I had fallen in love with, wanted to believe he was speaking the truth.
With trembling voice, I stated at last, "I can't keep doing this." "I find myself second-guessing everything you say and wondering if you are hiding something."
Nolan leaned out, his hand hovering over mine, then he drew back. "Sophie, I am not asking for your forgiveness. Ask you to let me correct this.
"How?" I murmured, my voice almost above a whisper. "How would you correct anything like that?”
"By stopping Marcus," he said with great conviction, once and always.
We both stopped before I could reply, as glass broke in the adjacent room.
"What was that??" Whispers, heart thumping, came from me.
Nolan gestured for me to follow after him toward the entrance. He replied softly, "Stay here."
"Like hell I will," I said, reaching for a makeshift weapon, a weighty book from the table.
He glanced at me but did not dispute it; his attention turned to the increasing disturbance outside.
Nolan peered into the hall as the door creaked open. "Stay close," he said, his voice devoid of space for debate.
We entered the poorly lighted hall, the shadows dancing on my already frayed nerves. The far end produced a tiny rustling sound, and I tightened my hold on the book, sweat on my hands wet.
Then from the shadows a man appeared, his face hidden under a hood. The stranger asked, his voice low and sinister, "Well, isn't this cozy?"
My breath stopped as the man approached; his hand showed a little silver knife glinting in the low light.
Marcus offered his respects, they added, their eyes darting between Nolan and me.
Nolan came to cover me with a defensive posture. "You will have to go through me if you want her," he snipped.
The stranger grinned while gripping the knife more tightly. "That is something one can arrange."
And they shot forward with that.
Stop Nolan, please. I cried and grabbed his arm just before he pushed ahead. His entire body was stiff, his eyes ablaze with a mix of dread and wrath as he pointed at the invader.
He yelled, "Sophie, stay back," but his voice broke, betraying his care.
"I am not leaving you to meet this alone!" I backed off, walking next to him. My pulse was loud in my ears, my heart hammered. The air between us seemed electrified, both with danger and something unsaid, primal.
The hooded man chuckled, his voice chilly and contemptuous. "A lover's argument during a conflict in the thick of a battle? How beautiful.
"Shut up," Nolan snarled, his hands closing. "This finishes right now. Marcus is paying you nothing that would be worth your life.
The man slanted his head, his knife shining menacingly in the low light. "You assume I'm here mostly for money? Marcus pays me more than simply what is due. He is mine. And right now, I am your owner.
Even as anxiety coiled firmly in my chest, I felt Nolan's arm brush across mine, stabilizing me. “You’re not taking anything from us,” I responded, stunning even myself with the ferocity in my voice.
The stranger grinned, his eyes narrowing on me. "Beautiful words." See whether you still support him once the truth surfaces.
The room seemed smaller, the walls pushing in as the threat loomed bigger. Though I couldn't let myself show fear, not when Nolan needed me to be strong, my breath came in short gasps.
His stare at me seemed weighty, loaded with feelings he was unable to express. Feelings of guilt; love; regret;
He had lied to me before, wounded me in ways I wasn't sure I could forgive, but at this moment I saw the man I had once trusted with my whole heart, the man who would do anything to guard me.
Could I, however, shield him?
The invaders moved deliberately and precisely as they sized us. "Time's up," they said, approaching closely.
Nolan pushed me gently with a low voice. You run if something goes wrong. Are you in line with me?
"I'm not running," I said sharply. You are in this with us.
The invader sneered and moved another step closer. "Touching," But just now love will not save you.
“Neither will that knife,” Nolan shouted, his voice firm but his fists twitching, ready to attack.
The smile of the figure got bigger. For someone poised to lose everything, you speak loudly.
“What’s your endgame?” I demanded, hoping to buy us time. “Why work for a man like Marcus? What’s he offering you that’s worth this?”
The sneer of the invader wavered, just momentarily. “It’s not about what he offers. It’s about what he takes away if I fail.”
Nolan's mouth tightened. You are not compelled to do this. Marcus seldom gives you any thought. He will trash you the instant you become useless.
Their voices lower now, almost regretful, they said, "maybe." At least I will be living to see it.
Live? I laughed, my fury overwhelming my caution. You consider this to be life? Hurting others, doing his dirty work is not living. It is still alive.
The person stopped, their knife dropping slightly. I momentarily believed we had reached them. But then their eyes hardened again.
They responded, "I lack the luxury of choice."
A brief touch of Nolan's hand shocked me. In spite of everything, including the risk and the falsehoods between us, I sensed a draw toward him that I could not suppress.
“This is my fault,” he mumbled, so gently I nearly didn’t hear him.
"No," I responded with a strong turn to face him. "It isn't." Not you, but Marcus is the one tugging the threads.
But I put you in his way, his voice breaking. I cannot undo it either.
You don't have to, I said, startling myself with the clarity of my words. "What counts right now is that we confront this together."
He stared at me then, something in his gaze causing my chest pain. "I have nothing to deserve you, Sophie."
"And yet, here I am," I said, my voice quivering with equal parts desire and resentment.
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