Ruthless

73

The door broke with a deafening and thunderous crash, the force rattling the entire room and my body. Two towering figures filled the doorway, their large bodies swathed in black coats.

I barely managed to step away from the window, my heart pounding in my chest. I didn't want them to see me standing by the window.

With two infants in her arms, Faith wouldn't make it far. My silent prayer was that she could find help, someone to protect them.

Each step they took, their boots thumping heavily against the wooden floor. Then, a smaller figure slipped in. The figure was slender, almost fragile next to the bulk of the two men. But then the voice cut through the silence, sharp and unmistakably female.

"Brother," she rasped, her gaze locked on the man I had knocked to the floor.

His body sprawled lifelessly. He hadn't moved since I struck him, and a chill ran down my spine at the realization he might be dead.

My stomach twisted at the thought. Had I gone too far? Guilt tugging at the corners of my mind

But then I remembered why I did it...to stop him from hurting my babies. I would do it again in a heartbeat and with zero hesitation if it meant keeping them safe.

She rushed to his side, dropping to her knees. Her hands, trembling uncontrollably, reached out to shake him. "Aaron," she murmured, her voice quivering with fear. When he didn't respond, she shook him harder, her fingers gripping at his shoulders.

"Aaron! Wake up!" Her voice broke, filled with raw agony .

Normally, seeing someone in such anguish would have torn my heart apart. Tears would have stung my eyes, and I would have drowned in sorrow with them.

But not now. Not for them. Not for people who have caused so much suffering, who have destroyed lives for their own gain. They deserved this. They needed to know what it felt like to lose, to be powerless, to feel the same unbearable pain they had inflicted on countless others.

The taller one crouched beside her, his hand settling on her shoulder in a comforting gesture. However, his face showed no visible emotion, but his voice was low and steady. "Alee..."

Alee's tear-filled eyes, wide with panic, darted up to meet his. Her lips quivered as the tears spilled freely down her cheeks. "He's not waking up," she whispered.

The man didn't respond immediately, his eyes falling on Aaron's still form.

Alee's eyes flicked toward me, and I saw something change in her. Alee's eyes darkened, her expression twisting into something feral, something dangerous.

"YOU! I'LL KILL YOU!" she screamed, ready to get up and pounce on me.

The man beside Alee's grabbed her wrist, holding her back with force before she could stand on her feet and attack me.

"Don't," he said firmly, his voice low and authoritative. "Aaron's just unconscious. I can still feel his pulse."

She blinked rapidly, a little calmly, but the fire in her eyes didn't die out even knowing her brother wasn't dead.

"Take her downstairs," the man ordered, his tone flat before things could escalate out of control.

The second hulking man with red hair, who had been silent until now, strode toward me. His grip was rough, his hand clamping down on my arm like a vice. I didn't resist and let him yank me toward the door, dragging me out of the room.

********

As soon as we stepped into the grand hall, my breath caught in my throat. The sight before me nearly caused my heart to seize. Bodies...some stacked, others splayed...lay scattered across the floor like discarded toys.