Chapter 4
1514 Words
The engine purred and it was a symphony of power I never thought I'd experience. I gripped the steering wheel and drove out.
I carved out all the thoughts of Dean. It was a time to be freed from the script in my head.
It was a dream, a fantasy come true. I have always wanted a car, but I never imagined it so soon or this type of car.
However, the reality sank in. I was playing a dangerous game. My gaze swept over the winding roads that led me out of Dean’s secluded territory.
Once I was out, a police car pulled me over. It was as though it was waiting for me. My heart hammered against my ribs. I didn't know if it was Dean's men, but a cold dread seeped through my veins.
Before I could even react, two men burst out of the car. They yanked me out of the driver's seat and my head spun as I was pushed into a waiting car.
They blindfolded me and the car rumbled into motion. Immediately, the siren faded.
Time blurred into a void. I had no idea where I was going, only a growing sense of panic. Then, after some hours of driving, the car lurched to a halt.
I felt myself dragged out and tossed towards a space.
"Boss, she’s here,” a gruff voice said.
"She's bleeding," a deeper voice responded.
My heart lurched. I hadn't noticed the searing pain in my arm until now. I’d been injured when they dragged me out.
Right after that, two gunshots pierced the silence. My body trembled, but it wasn't fear. It was a raw, visceral shock. I wasn't expecting it.
"Remove the blindfold," the deep voice commanded.
The darkness receded, revealing two bodies lying sprawled on the ground. The men who’d played the police officers were lifeless.
And then I saw him.
Ethan Knight.
He stood right in front of me. He retained the look of five years ago but with a harshness I hadn't seen since high school.
He sported a goatee now and his ears were pierced with silver hoops. Rings adorned his every finger and his gaze was like a predator's, cold and calculating.
How? How did he know I was in town? The question hung in the air, unanswered.
"Where’s the baby?” he demanded.
I stared at him, stunned. Did he know about the baby? How? "What baby?” I managed to ask, my voice barely a whisper.
Ethan’s lips curled into a sneer. "Don't play dumb, Fiona. I knew were pregnant back then. I know about the baby."
He was right. I was pregnant. And I'd given birth. But I wasn't ready to drag him into this. This was a script I designed for Dean alone.
“You knew and yet you didn't bother. So why now? Have you been declared impotent? Or have you suffered some medical illness?” I asked, knowing there was surely a reason. They could just make another baby. What made mine special?
“Watch what you say to me,” Ethan yelled with widened eyes, showing the fire in them.
“Or what?” Now I stood to my feet and looked into his eyes. "Kill me if you want. You won't get anything from me,” I said, my voice gaining strength.
Ethan paced across the room, his anger palpable. "Tell me, Fiona, did you give birth to that baby from what we had that night?"
The memory of that night flooded back, a mixture of fear and shame. He’d taken advantage of me. Thinking I was Dean's girlfriend.
"Yes," I said, my voice catching. "I gave birth."
Ethan paused, a flicker of something I couldn’t decipher passing across his face. "I don't know what Dean thinks, what you think. But we f****d that night..."
"You raped me," I cut in, my voice sharp.
He flinched, a sudden realization dawning on his face. "Oh...yeah. And so... I have a chance of being..."
"I have the right to decide," I cut him off again.
"This isn't a game, Fiona,” he said, his voice hardening. "Like I said, I don't care what you think. Or what Dean thinks. The baby is mine, and I am taking it onward.”
"A baby you didn't see grow. You want to take the baby and leave me out of it. Right?" I asked, my voice laced with bitterness.
Silence hung heavy in the air.
“Maybe you should start telling me what you want, Fiona. You'll stay here, with me, until you bring the baby. And it’s mine," Ethan said, his voice rising. “I will give you anything,” he repeated.
Just like that, I was trapped again.
"You can walk freely in the mansion. I've told my men, they won’t stop you. But you’re not allowed to leave," Ethan said as he stood before.
I stared into his eyes. It was like everything was coming back. Ethan had been a bully too, just like Dean. But the drama between us three made me a name as other students thought I was engaged in a relationship with the two of them.
It was on again; I was between them, and this time around, I wasn't the pawn. They were.
My plan had gone off the rails. I'd intended to get a hefty sum of money from Dean, maybe even give him the baby if he promised to keep me around. But now, here was Ethan, claiming the baby as his own.
The silence was shattered by a deafening crash followed by the sound of gunfire. “Stay down, Ethan shouted as he rushed out.
I peeked out the window and saw a van riddled with bullet holes but the bullets won't penetrate. Not even the glass was broken. It was bulletproofed.
"Get me an RPG!" Ethan roared.
A moment later, one of his men handed him the weapon. Ethan leveled it at the van, his finger poised on the trigger.
“I wouldn't do that if I were you.”
Through a speaker, the fellow inside the van said.
“I had a sniper mark you,” he added.
Ethan lowered the RPG with a sigh. The van door opened, and a man stepped out.
It was Dean Moore.
This was about to get interesting and I stepped out too.
Outside, the two men stood face to face with each other, their eyes locked in a deadly duel. I stood some yards away and watched what was about to happen.
After some minutes of staring, Dean spoke. "Do you want to talk, in front of your thugs?" Dean asked.
"Get inside, y'all,” Ethan barked at his men.
"Boss? No! Let's take him out right here!" one of them yelled.
Ethan glared at him and his men retreated inside, leaving us three beside the pool.
It was clear to me that just as Dean didn't want his men to hear his plans, Ethan didn’t want his men to know either. It was news that could taint their names.
"I'm here for Fiona. Let her go," Dean said.
"She’s staying here tonight," Ethan replied, his voice cold.
The two mafia dons stood and breathed heavily. I felt their power and ruthlessness radiating from them, engaged in a verbal war.
"The baby was mine, you raped her!" Dean accused Ethan.
"And you were drunk. What if you didn't even do anything? I had a piece of her too. The baby might be mine," Ethan countered.
“I will kill you,” Dean threatened.
“I will peel your skin and have you watch me wear it,” Ethan cursed back.
"Enough! Both of you!" I shouted and tears streamed down my face. This wasn't what I'd planned for. I had been like that since inception, between them two, bullied and used. But now, they were fighting over my baby, not me.
"I won't stay with either of you," I declared. "I can’t leave my child. And I see that is what both of you want. Whoever wants my baby, wants me. I guess I'll stay alone and see who wants me more. You can’t have my baby if you don’t want me," I said and began to walk towards the gate.
The two men followed.
"Fiona, I’ve given you a house and a car, I will give you more. Just ask," Dean said.
“Fiona, my love, I'll buy you a house and a car too. Tonight. You should sleep there," Ethan added.
Finally, I was at the center of it all, the queen of a twisted game. The two most powerful men in this city were vying for my attention, all for one reason: my baby. I still didn’t know who the father was.
My plan had taken an unexpected turn, but the game was on. The stakes were higher than ever, and I had to play my cards carefully. This wasn't about love or redemption; it was about forgiveness, survival, and making them suffer. And I was determined to win.
- Writer
