and I
screamed. I had truly assumed he left us alone. I thought the
racket I was causing was in vain. But just as my knuckles started
bleeding from the repeated beating, I heard the first latch slide open.
He was there, on the other side of the door. He would
have to let us out.
I prepared myself for the door to swing open. My now
bloody fists were guarding my face, and I was perfectly positioned for a clean
roundhouse kick. If Sean tried anything, I would take him down.
“Ryan, step away from the door.”
It was a familiar voice, but not Sean’s. No, it was
the voice of someone else who had betrayed me.
“Danny?”
“Just step back, or I’m not going to open the door.”
“I’m back. I’m back.” I quickly called.
Anger was building inside of me. I wanted to knock him out as soon as he
stepped foot inside our jail cell, but I knew that would not ensure Grace’s
safety. The only thing I could focus on was Grace. She was all that
mattered.
Danny pushed the door open, holding a Glock at eye
level. “Don’t move.”
“I’m not.” My hands instinctually shot up, offering up
my own surrender.
“I wasn’t supposed to open the door under any
circumstances.”
“I know that, but Grace… she’s… she’s barely
breathing.” I pleaded with him.
“And what do you expect me to do about it?”
“Can we just get her to the hospital?”
“Absolutely not. He’ll kill me if I let you guys out.”
I put my hands down and took a step in his direction.
He steadied his hand on his pistol, but didn’t move it from the aim at my head.
I took a deep breath, trying to remain calm. “I’m sure
Sean told you of his little plan to start his own club.”
“Of course.” He snapped, making sure I knew of his
place among Sean’s minions.
“And I’m sure he mentioned that he has a job for me.”
“He has.” He was a little guarded about that
statement, but it was still obvious he knew, even if he was jealous.
“Well, if Grace dies, then the deal is off. How do you
think Sean will feel if you let that happen?”
Danny looked away, weighing his options. I tried not
to seem too eager, but Grace’s life was more at risk every second she was in
this cold. “Okay, listen, Sean wanted me to make a decision. I’ll
make it. I’ll leave Grace. Just let me take her to the hospital
first.”
“I’ll take her to the hospital. You’ll wait here for
Sean.”
“I need to know she’s okay, Danny, please.”
“Which I understand, but I need to make sure you don’t try
anything funny. If I let you get the slip on me, that’ll be the end.”
I knew what he was saying. He had already disappointed
Sean once by allowing Grace to fool him into thinking she was about to throw
up. She then stabbed him in the leg before cracking a few of his
ribs. There was little doubt that Sean would forgive him a second time
for something so extreme. If we escaped, he’d be dead.
“Fine. You can take her. But Danny,” I inched
forward, placing my palm on his shoulder, “if you ever cared about our
friendship, you’ll make sure she gets there in one piece.”
He nodded. It was real, honest. This time, and
I’m not sure why, I trusted him.
I ran over to Grace, bundling her up in the clothes I had
worn, as hers were nowhere to be seen. I then lifted her to my chest and
whispered into her ear.
“Baby, if you can hear me, know that I love you. Know
that everything I am doing is for you. Know that there will never be a
minute that goes by when I will not be thinking of you. And above all,
know this: I would not take back any of it. For the mere two days that
you were my wife, it was all worth it.”
With that, I slid my ring off my finger, tried to wipe off
some of the blood from my knuckles, read the inscription one final time, and
placed it into the pocket of my jeans: the jeans
screamed. I had truly assumed he left us alone. I thought the
racket I was causing was in vain. But just as my knuckles started
bleeding from the repeated beating, I heard the first latch slide open.
He was there, on the other side of the door. He would
have to let us out.
I prepared myself for the door to swing open. My now
bloody fists were guarding my face, and I was perfectly positioned for a clean
roundhouse kick. If Sean tried anything, I would take him down.
“Ryan, step away from the door.”
It was a familiar voice, but not Sean’s. No, it was
the voice of someone else who had betrayed me.
“Danny?”
“Just step back, or I’m not going to open the door.”
“I’m back. I’m back.” I quickly called.
Anger was building inside of me. I wanted to knock him out as soon as he
stepped foot inside our jail cell, but I knew that would not ensure Grace’s
safety. The only thing I could focus on was Grace. She was all that
mattered.
Danny pushed the door open, holding a Glock at eye
level. “Don’t move.”
“I’m not.” My hands instinctually shot up, offering up
my own surrender.
“I wasn’t supposed to open the door under any
circumstances.”
“I know that, but Grace… she’s… she’s barely
breathing.” I pleaded with him.
“And what do you expect me to do about it?”
“Can we just get her to the hospital?”
“Absolutely not. He’ll kill me if I let you guys out.”
I put my hands down and took a step in his direction.
He steadied his hand on his pistol, but didn’t move it from the aim at my head.
I took a deep breath, trying to remain calm. “I’m sure
Sean told you of his little plan to start his own club.”
“Of course.” He snapped, making sure I knew of his
place among Sean’s minions.
“And I’m sure he mentioned that he has a job for me.”
“He has.” He was a little guarded about that
statement, but it was still obvious he knew, even if he was jealous.
“Well, if Grace dies, then the deal is off. How do you
think Sean will feel if you let that happen?”
Danny looked away, weighing his options. I tried not
to seem too eager, but Grace’s life was more at risk every second she was in
this cold. “Okay, listen, Sean wanted me to make a decision. I’ll
make it. I’ll leave Grace. Just let me take her to the hospital
first.”
“I’ll take her to the hospital. You’ll wait here for
Sean.”
“I need to know she’s okay, Danny, please.”
“Which I understand, but I need to make sure you don’t try
anything funny. If I let you get the slip on me, that’ll be the end.”
I knew what he was saying. He had already disappointed
Sean once by allowing Grace to fool him into thinking she was about to throw
up. She then stabbed him in the leg before cracking a few of his
ribs. There was little doubt that Sean would forgive him a second time
for something so extreme. If we escaped, he’d be dead.
“Fine. You can take her. But Danny,” I inched
forward, placing my palm on his shoulder, “if you ever cared about our
friendship, you’ll make sure she gets there in one piece.”
He nodded. It was real, honest. This time, and
I’m not sure why, I trusted him.
I ran over to Grace, bundling her up in the clothes I had
worn, as hers were nowhere to be seen. I then lifted her to my chest and
whispered into her ear.
“Baby, if you can hear me, know that I love you. Know
that everything I am doing is for you. Know that there will never be a
minute that goes by when I will not be thinking of you. And above all,
know this: I would not take back any of it. For the mere two days that
you were my wife, it was all worth it.”
With that, I slid my ring off my finger, tried to wipe off
some of the blood from my knuckles, read the inscription one final time, and
placed it into the pocket of my jeans: the jeans
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