Shiver of Deception (Soul of the Sinner- Book 5) Read online

  “What are we going to do, son?” My father ripped out the words impatiently.

  I didn’t have an answer. I didn’t know what the hell I was going to do with any of this shit.

  “I have to go before Columbo starts to get suspicious.” I turned on my heel and strode to the door without looking back.

  Once I got to the mansion, I stopped and inhaled a deep breath before walking inside. I’d never been this nervous before, ever. The guards all gave me a nod as I walked up to his office. As always, the door was closed, but this time, I knocked before I pushed it open.

  “Oliver…” His brows drew together in an angry frown.

  “She’s dead. I have kept up my end of the bargain, and it’s time for you to do the same.”

  His jaw clenched, his eyes slightly narrowed. “You haven’t kept up the bargain. The Delucas are still alive and well. I don’t have anything set up in Chicago.”

  “The agreement was that I get Bryn, and I would at that time help you take over Chicago.” For a moment, I studied him intently. He was trying to change the terms of our agreement, but there was no way in hell I’d let him do it at this point.

  He let out a long, audible breath. “Your father is in Boston, yes? Why is that, Oliver? What little plans have you two made? Perhaps you never had plans to keep your end of the bargain?”

  We sat silently for a long time. It felt like a fucking eternity that we sat and stared at each other, each one of us waiting for the other to say anything.

  “You can leave now, Oliver.”

  I stood to leave but turned back to look at him. He ignored me as he picked up the phone. I could feel in my gut that something wasn’t right.

  Before I got to the front door, something hit me from behind and everything went black.

  Bryn

  I don’t know how long I laid there crying and thinking about Oliver. It felt as if my heart had been ripped out of my chest and tossed back at me. The strange thing is I thought I felt pain when my father told me about the deal he had made with Columbo. It was a different level of pain that I felt after finding out that Steven was the criminal he promised me he would never be. This pain was different. This was a pain that I didn’t think I would ever recover from.

  Keys jingled on the other side of the door. I hugged my knees to me as I waited. Somehow, I managed to face him, the devil himself. He walked slowly, inching closer and closer to me. His dead cold eyes never left mine.

  “What should I do with you, Bryn?” He quirked his eyebrow questioningly.

  I didn’t answer. I was to the point that I didn’t care. Finally, I stuttered, “Can you do something for me?”

  His jaw clenched, and his eyes slightly narrowed. “What exactly would that be, Bryn?”

  “My mother… once I am dead, leave her alone,” I whispered.

  He drew his lips in thoughtfully. “I have no interest in your mother. Your father… now, he is a different story. I think I’ll bury the two of you myself so I can see your eyes before you die.”

  “We haven’t heard from my father. Good luck finding him.”

  Then a grin overtook his features. “I know exactly where he is, Bryn.”

  A satanic smile spread across his thin lips as I looked at him in shock. Was he telling the truth? “Leave him alone. He did nothing to you. His debt was cleared,” I shouted, hoping he hadn’t got into bed with the Mafia again.

  “The debt will never be cleared as long as Steven is dead,” he whispered before walking away.

  A few minutes later, he left and locked the door, and I thought about everything he had just said.

  I felt weak, angry, and disgusted. I didn’t know who I was angrier with. Columbo, Steven, my father, or Oliver? I was in this situation because of the men that I let into my life, except for my father, who I thought should have protected me from all of this. Instead, he was the reason I was now going to die.

  I couldn’t tell if it was night or day. There was no clock or window to look out of. All I knew was it felt like it had been hours since Columbo had been in to threaten me. He promised he would kill me, and I was just sitting there waiting for him to come back to keep the promise. My stomach growled and I realized I couldn’t even remember the last time I had eaten. A lady had brought me food once, but that felt like days ago. I was so weak and tired. My eyes felt heavy. I didn’t know how much longer I could keep them open. I just needed to close them for a few seconds, and I’d feel better.

  I placed my head against the cold tile and closed my eyes for just a second.

  Oliver

  The pain was unbearable. I could feel the blood rushing down my face as my arms were held above me. My feet weren’t touching the ground. I was hanging from something, but I couldn’t see what it was. It was dark and I couldn’t open my eyes.

  I was whipped around, and something hard hit me in the stomach. Again and again, I was hit. My head fell forward and something hit me across my face, which made my head whip back. I tried to open my eyes, but only one of them opened and I saw two of Columbo’s men standing in front of me laughing. There was a third one clutching his bloody wrist as if hitting me caused him pain.

  He grabbed my chin to look me in the eyes.

  “You thought you could fuck us over? We own this fucking town,” he whispered as he struck me across the face. I felt the brass knuckles split my skin and I spat out blood.

  “You’re not going to let us have a little fun with him, Morris?” They all laughed as they joked about who would get me next.

  He grabbed me by the neck and chuckled. “I’ll tell you what, I’ll let you each have a turn, but Bryn… I won’t be sharing her,” he taunted. “I am going to take my time and enjoy that pussy before we finish her off.”

  “If you touch her…” I ground out before he punched me in the ribcage.

  “You’ll be dead unless we keep you around to watch. That might be fun,” he joked.

  “I am going to kill you.” I choked out the words as I was kicked and beaten.

  I don’t know how long it went on, but I blacked out and regained consciousness and they continued with the beating.

  What I didn’t expect was to see her in here… watching me. She had a smile and she was beautiful. She looked like a fucking angel. It was Bryn. I knew I was hallucinating, but I could see her. She needed me, and I wouldn’t let her down. I was going to survive this and find her. They weren’t going to kill me because I had something worth fighting for.

  I heard their grunts with each hit they delivered, but I could no longer feel them. I was being fueled by hate toward them and the love I had for Bryn.

  Morris walked over and grabbed my chin, and I met him eye to eye. He tilted his head and narrowed his eyes.

  “You will be the first one to die,” I said in a deep tone.

  His brows lifted in surprise. “Your father will be the first one I kill, Oliver,” he announced and delivered one final blow before he walked away.

  I drew a deep breath and forbade myself to tremble. Bryn needs me. Bryn needs me. I kept chanting to myself. He threatened to kill my father, too, but he had the Delucas. They would protect him. There was no way they’d get to him. Not to mention, my father was a tough old man. His bite was still a hell of a lot worse than his bark. I needed to find a way to get out of there. I yanked the chain but wasn’t strong enough to break it. I swung around looking for anything that I could get my hands on. I was in the middle of the room, and there was nothing close enough.

  I don’t know how much time passed, but It must have been a few hours later when Morris returned.

  “Hmm… I thought I would say goodbye.” He smirked.

  Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Gunshots rang out in the other room, and Morris rushed behind me, grabbing me, pulling out his gun.

  He used me as a shield as we both looked toward the door.

  “Who the fuck is out there?” he yelled, and I breathed a sigh of relieve when Thomas entered the room with Maurice, both holding guns
. I was surprised to see Maurice holding one. If I wasn’t so fucked up, I’d have been impressed.

  “Take him down!” Thomas yelled.

  Morris pulled a key from his pocket, and I fell to the ground. He yanked me up, wrapping his forearm around my neck and pointing the gun at my temple.

  “You’re going to let me walk out of here or he’s dead,” he warned.

  Thomas and Maurice glanced between each other, then Thomas pointed his gun and shot Morris in the forehead.

  “Fuck! It’s a good thing you’re a good aim!” I grunted as I unwrapped his arms from around my neck and pushed off him to get off the ground.

  “You look like hell,” Maurice teased as he pulled me in for a hug. As relieved as I was to see him, I hugged him back.

  “Pop?”

  “He is fine. He is at the house with Alex,” Thomas replied.

  “I have to find Bryn.”

  “Columbo has her at the house. Maya told us.”

  “I need your keys.”

  “No, you’re coming back to the house with us. You’re fucked up now, Oliver. We’ll go for her tonight.”

  The car ride to Maurice’s was quiet. When we walked inside the house, it looked like a Deluca meeting. Frank, Alex, and Pop were all gathered together as if they were sharing a big secret. The only thing that didn’t fit was Maya and the baby she was holding.

  Bryn

  “Bryn… Bryn… wake up,” I heard my father whisper as I forced my tired eyes to open. This must be a dream. He can’t be here.

  “Dad?” I whispered as I reached over to touch his arm.

  “It’s me, Bryn. I promise I’ll get you out of here,” he promised as he pulled me to his chest.

  The steel door opened and Columbo walked in shaking his head. “Is this a Kodak moment? Isn’t it nice that Daddy came knocking on the front door, Bryn?” Columbo teased, and I narrowed my eyes at my father. Why was he here?

  “Why don’t you share with Bryn what you told me, Bryan?” Columbo advised, and I could see the tears starting to form in his eyes.

  “I did it, Bryn. I killed Steven. I had no idea they blamed you for it. I could not live with the guilt of you being married to a criminal because of my debt. I should have paid the price, not you.”

  I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. I had been on the run all this time for a murder my father committed. He had done nothing but fuck up my life. He reached over to hold my hand, and I pulled away from him.

  Columbo laughed so hard he started to choke. “I don’t believe any of this. I think you would say anything to protect your daughter. It’s too little too late for that. Now, if you two are smart, you’ll say your final goodbyes before my boys get back.”

  He tried to explain everything to me once Columbo left. I had no interest in hearing it. He apologized and pled with me to forgive him. I stared at him and realized that I had no other choice. I needed to accept his apology. By the end of the night, we’d both be dead. This was no time to hold a grudge.

  The door was shoved open, and Columbo rushed in, breathing hard and sweating. He yanked out a gun and pointed it toward my father. “Get your ass up and come with me!” he yelled.

  My father looked at me and hesitated before Columbo yelled at him again. “Either get your ass up or she dies first!”

  “I love you, Bryn!” he yelled before Columbo twisted his arm behind his back and pushed him out the door as it slammed shut behind them.

  What the hell was going on? Why did Columbo look like that? Why was he so panicked?

  I walked over to the door and tried to pull it open, but it was no use. I didn’t think it would be open, but there was still a small part of me that hoped he’d forgotten. I started banging on the door, screaming for him not to touch my father. My throat eventually became raw so I started to pace. I walked to the other side of the small room and slid down the wall to the floor. There was only one way this was going to end, and I wanted it to be on my terms. I stared at the blanket that was lying on the floor and glanced around the room for anything that might support my weight or help me. My eyes immediately looked toward metal pipe running along the ceiling.

  I felt shaky as I climbed on top of the table with the blanket wrapped around my neck. I hoped it was tight enough, and more importantly, I hoped it worked. I never once considered suicide, but I was at the point where I didn’t have any other choice. I couldn’t live with the fact that my father was dead because of Columbo, and I couldn’t live with the fact that I was about to die by Columbo’s hands. I tied the blanket into a knot around the pipe and stood at the edge of the table. I let myself fall.

  There was darkness as I struggled to breathe. I gasped for air, and my first impulse was to fight it. The sad part is I had nothing to fight for. Steven was dead, along with the love I had for him. My mother was better off without me. My father would soon be dead, and Oliver was just a figment of my imagination. What we had was never real, just like it was never real with Steven. It would soon be over. I’d be in a better place.

  I struggled for air as my breathing became shallower. I could feel the life being drained out of me. Now, there was complete darkness and beautiful silence.

  Warm, gentle, tender hands were caressing my face and rubbing my neck. It felt good and made me feel secure. “Bryn, baby, please fight,” he said as I stared into the most beautiful light I had ever seen. “Bryn, please, don’t leave me.” Warm air whooshed into my lungs.

  When my eyes opened and the light was gone, I glanced into familiar dark eyes. I heard his quick intake of breath. The tenderness in his expression amazed me. This was the same man that betrayed me to Columbo. I trusted him when he should have never been.

  He stared at me, baffled. His gentle hands swept the hair away from my face. I was confused by my unexpected response to his touch as I turned toward him.

  “It’s going to be okay, baby. We’ll get out of here.”

  A war of emotions raged within me as I pushed his hand away.

  “Bryn…” He regarded me quizzically for a moment.

  “I know,” I croaked out, my throat feeling like it was on fire. I forced myself to sit up and crawled away from him as he watched.

  “You know what, baby?” he replied sharply.

  “I know you work for Columbo. I know you’re the reason Maya and my father are both dead.” I was breathless with rage.

  His eyes were black and dazzling with fury. “Are you serious? I left my family to come here. I fucking climbed in bed with the fucking devil himself and let him ass fuck me just to find you. I took orders like his bitch, while he made plans to kill MY brothers, and you want to accuse me of what? Betraying you?” He stood there, tall and angry. “Maya is not dead! You’ll see her and your father when we get out of here.” His cold eyes snipped at me.

  “Okay, then let’s get out of here,” I whispered without meeting his eyes. I glanced at the closed steel door and back at Oliver. “Please, tell me you have the key.” I swallowed the despair in my throat.

  Oliver stared at the door just as I noticed a foggy gas flowing in through the air vents at the ceiling.

  Oliver

  It didn’t take much effort to slip out of the house or get my hands on Maurice’s car keys. No one asked any questions when I announced I was going to take a shower. I didn’t have time to find out what was happening; I just knew I had to get back to Columbo’s.

  Maurice was distracted when he got out of the car and left his cell in the drink holder. It took seconds to call Columbo and let him know it was over.

  “Who the hell is this?” he barked.

  “I’m coming for you,” I answered and hung up.

  When I got to the house, he was gone. The house was quiet, but he’d left the door wide open. I was hesitant to walk in, but I had to go inside and search for Bryn. I knew she was inside. I only hoped I hadn’t fucked up by tipping him off. What was I thinking?

  I went to his office and looked for the spare key then walked to the ro
om I figured he would be keeping her in. It was his little safe room. The room that was hidden from the world, but not the man he thought he could trust. I slid the key in, praying that she was inside and alive. I could feel her and knew she was there.

  When I pushed open the door, my heart stopped. Bryn had given up. She’d stopped fighting. She didn’t think I was coming for her. She was pale as I untied the blanket and softly laid her on the floor. She barely had a pulse as I did CPR and pounded into her chest. I begged her to fight for us and not to leave me.

  When she finally looked into my eyes, hers were cold. I didn’t think she recognized me. I was ready to take her in my arms and carry her out; I could remind her later. Instead, she pushed me away, and it hurt more than the pain I’d endured from Morris.

  She accused me of working with Columbo. She was partially right because I had. The problem was, she thought I had been working with him from day one and that I’d betrayed her. She accused me of being the reason her father and Maya were dead. I had no idea what the hell she was talking about since they were both with the Delucas.

  Anger overtook me as I tried to explain the hell I had gone through to find her. I told her that she’d see Maya and her father when we got the hell out of the house. Her dark, tortured eyes looked at me as she asked me if I had the key to get us out of there.

  But I didn’t have the key. I must have dropped it when I rushed in to save Bryn, and the door closed behind me. We needed the fucking key to get out. The room was built for Columbo’s protection. He would’ve locked himself in here if he was attacked. He would have had the key on him, and that’s the only way to get out. I dropped the damn key when I saw Bryn lying lifeless on the damn floor. As if that wasn’t enough of a problem, gas began seeping in through the vents. Columbo considered everything when he created this safe room.

  Panic like I had never known before welled in my throat. I was tired. I had been beaten for hours, and had finally found my woman, but we were truly fucked. I didn’t know what Columbo was pumping into the room, other than that the shit would kill us if we didn’t get out soon. The anxious look on Bryn’s face told me that she knew the same.