Page 13 of Save Us
“Mayfield? But why?”
“His affair had been with a Mayfield woman. Roman told me my father was never going to be allowed to live after he had ‘soiled’ a Mayfield wife.”
“I’m so sorry, Kai,” I whisper as I watch a few tears escape him. When I put my hand to his cheek, he leans into it as though he’s trying to take every bit of comfort he can get.
“Roman invited me into his fold, asked me to help him fight against Mayfield. Said I deserved the chance, given all I had been put through at their hands – my father, you. I was more than willing to, Beth. And I did, fully.”
“You’ve done some bad things, Kai,” I state rather than ask.
“Terrible things, Beth,” he replies, “but all of them deserved.”
“And if Angela Lawrence had not been your best friend in disguise?” I ask him with a serious expression, one that won’t allow him to lie. “A woman who you knew would not have been married through choice, who would have been leading a miserable and abused life? Would you still have killed her, Kai?”
He doesn’t answer me straight immediately, instead, he looks away with an indecipherable expression. I don’t push him for I want his honest answer; to know if he is still my Kai. Or is he now K, the president of Acid Brothers?
“I can’t say I wouldn’t have,” he replies sadly. “They took away my father, my best friend, and my lover. I am only president because Roman isn’t here anymore, Beth, and I loved him so-”
He doesn’t manage to finish his declaration before he descends into floods of heartbroken tears. I push away everything he’s just admitted to and take him inside of my arms where I hold him as tightly as I can. I need it just as much as he does right now, so this is how we stay. Without any more words, we remain rooted in our embrace, until eventually, we succumb to our physical and emotional exhaustion.
Kai wakes me at dawn when the sun is only just touching the horizon, and it takes a lot not to cry over the intrusion. I haven’t had a night like last night in five long years; it was beautiful. Kai’s mother had cooked us a meal that was more delicious than anything I’ve ever had in the fancy restaurants that Oliver takes me to. It tasted of warmth, of family, and safety, bringing with it a nostalgic feeling of being sat around my own family table once upon a lifetime ago. It was the type of meal I would give anything to be sharing with Xander and Rosalie, to share conversation and tell them how much I love them, how much they mean to me.
Before Kai had told me about his own tragic love story, we had talked about the short time we had had together before he left for New York. We then moved on to discussions about my escape to the cabin with Xander, about the deal Oliver had offered me before he stole my daughter away from my very arms. When his mum finally gave in and announced she was going to bed, she took hold of my arms and lent me one of her mum hugs. The ones you usually only gift to your own children because they are that precious, and you only want them to have that special piece of you to share.
“Such a brave girl,” she had whispered inside of my ear, “you gave your child everything and that makes you the best of mothers, Beth Taylor.”
But now it is time for me to go back to what is now my sad reality. The moment Kai and I set foot inside of the small but well-stocked kitchen, I’m surprised to find Serena and their mother up and waiting to bid me farewell. It would have been easier for them not to be here; to have let me disappear into the night without a verbal goodbye, but I still appreciate it. I hug each of them with a love that I haven’t shared with anyone in a very long time, not even with Leo because it’s too dangerous.
As we walk more toward familiar territory, I notice the streets already getting busy for the day ahead, with traffic slowly building and offices lighting up before us. The people look far too preoccupied to take any special note of us heading over to a line of taxis. As soon as we get there, Kai shoves a few notes into my hand before pulling me tightly into his warm chest. It is where we both shed a few tears and a shared reluctance to let go of one another. We stand like this for so long, I end up giggling.
“Hey, Mr Gangster,” I whisper inside of his ear, making his lips curve into a grin against my cheek. “I could hold you forever, but I have to go before someone sees us.”
“I know,” he replies but squeezes me even tighter. “You remember what I said to you before we left this morning, don’t you?”
His words cause me to pull away and look at him with some severity. However, he simply looks back at me just as sternly, as if challenging me to argue with him.
“I will get him, Beth,” he says resolutely, “trust me. Then, you will finally be free!”
“Goodbye, my beautiful friend,” I whisper and push up to kiss his cheek.
“Goodbye, Rose,” he returns and closes his eyes so tightly, he ends up releasing a few stray tears that would no doubt tarnish his fearsome reputation. A reputation that is a world away from the boy I once knew. With his eyes still closed to the world around us, I take the opportunity to slip away and avoid the pain of having to say goodbye to anyone else I love.
The taxi drops me around the corner from the street in which I am kept prisoner. I take a little longer than necessary to brave it and walk down the tree-lined sidewalk. The familiar houses make my feet feel that little bit heavier, my heart, a little less full, and my eyes, a little wetter.
Before I even get to the front door, Leo bursts out and scoops me up inside of his giant arms, with his head bandaged and tears gushing down his guilt-ridden face.
“I’m fine,” I whisper before shoving him away, for both our safeties.
Still looking a little hurt, even though he knows I have to keep this distance from him, he steps back to examine the fresh bruises across my face. He peers at my split lip and clenches his teeth together. Poor Will had to run off after I had forced him to attack me last night. Even Kai had needed a few moments to get over it, and he hadn’t even touched me. I shake my head silently at Leo, telling him it’s ok and not to lose his shit.
Thank God I did because seconds later, Oliver thunders through the front door to join us on the step outside. I force out a few tears to run down my face, an easy feat when I consider the fact that I’m now back here. Hopefully, it’s a good enough act to convince him that this show of emotion is due to our reunion and not the disappointment of having to return to this living hell. He studies me with suspicion for a moment or two before pulling me against his suited chest. He begins to stroke my hair but is so angry, he ends up pulling on it, causing me to clench my teeth in pain.
“Where the fuck have you been, Beth?” he growls into the crook of my neck so only I can hear him. “I’ve been out of my mind with worry. Who the hell took you and how the hell did you get away?” His question sounds more like an accusation than one of concern.
“A local gang wannabe, I think,” I reply with a soft sigh, just as he draws back to study my injuries, turning my face this way and that with a frown of disapproval. They’re not nearly as deep as his usual handiwork is. “When I woke this morning, they were all out of it. There was some white powder and bong pipes, so I guess they had got high and passed out. I managed to creep out and hail a cab. The driver took pity on me and gave me a lift without payment.”
“Did they touch you…sexually?”
His voice is laced with threat, and I can tell it’s taking every ounce of willpower not to lose his temper in the middle of the street for all the neighbors to see. When I shake my head, he literally shrinks in size and blows out a relieved breath. Only then does he begin touching each of my bruises with the first look of genuine concern since laying eyes on me. I literally have to bite my lips together to stop myself emitting an incredulous laugh. What I made Will do to me last night is nothing compared to the lengths Oliver will go to, to punish me.