Dis: I don't own BDS

Sorry it took me so long to update. Going out of town, camping, and a personal scare threw me off my writing roll for awhile. Hopefully this new chappie will be up to par.

Chapter 14: Knights in Shining Armour (and no that isn't a typo ;))

As she lay against the wall, blood oozed around her. One eye was swollen shut, her lip split, and blood dripping from somewhere on her head into her other eye. Every breath sent shards of lightning through her. Every second throbbed across her entire being. To say Aiden had been beaten was an understatement. Killian had left no area free of abuse. He was beyond angry with one of his prized assassins, and Aiden knew that there was more to come.

Sure enough, the stinging pain of a whip carving into her back started again, and she closed her one good eye in pain. Nerves shot to pieces, Aiden could no longer tell where one pain began and another started. Unfortunately, Killian was too good at what he did. He'd bring her close to the sweet black of unconscious, but he'd stop before she could succumb. This had a profound psychological effect on her, leaving the tortured woman on the verge of crying. In the distance, somewhere outside of the giant steel door, Aiden could hear a scuffle and gunfire. The group hadn't changed at all since she left. Remembering all of the horrors even she had inflicted on people, the tears finally came.

"Hold…" The ripping ache ended, only to be replaced with the throbbing of torn flesh. A shadow fell across her as Killian stepped up to her. "It seems as if we've finally broken her." Bending down, his icy fingers pulled her gaze towards his own. "Admit you did wrong. Tell me you want to come back." Aiden spat in his face with a glare, tears still dripping down her face.

"May the devil take you!" Rage filled Killian's face, and his palm made a loud crack against the side of her face.

"You little whore!" Flicking the offending spit off his face, Killian snatched a pistol from one of the men surrounding him and pointed it at Aiden's head. "You'll pay for that!" Rage made the gun quiver and waver from its target. "If you won't fight for us, then you're better off dead." Sighing to herself, Aiden couldn't help the relief that flooded through her. "At last, I'll be free from this…" As Killian got a better grip on his anger, he gave Aiden enough time to turn to face him fully. As the gun steadied in the man's hand, the door behind him burst open. Gunfire flooded the room, dropping men to the cement floor in seconds. As Killian turned, his jaw was ripped halfway off by one bullet and his chest blossomed with multiple red flowers of blood. He sank to the floor, pistol skidding toward Aiden.

Snatching the gun, Aiden knew she would probably not live long enough to use it, but she would take down any of Killian's men left if they didn't get to her first. The grey-haired man that stepped into the room glanced around before leveling his gun and gaze on Aiden. It was like staring into molten chocolate. She froze, wondering what he'd do. The man nodded to her in greeting, keeping his gun trained on her head as he neared her.

"I am Noah MacManus. Ye know these men, and ye know the evil they have committed themselves to. Ye yerself were involved with them. Do ye deny this?"

"No." Aiden knew better than to lie to this man. His name niggled at the back of her mind, but she ignored it to place on her blank face.

"Do ye deny committing unspeakable acts?"

"No."

"Have ye even once felt remorse for what ye did?" This question, asked in such a flat voice, brought more pain to Aiden than if he had just shot her.

"Every day of my life. I never wanted to be a part of this group." Throwing the pistol down angrily, Aiden threw up her arms in surrender. "If killing me will erase what I've done, then do it. If my blood will finally clear away all that I've done, then let it coat the earth. I have nothing to live for, no one who'd care."

As the words left her mouth, the two twins charged into the room. Connor ran to stand in front of the gun Noah was holding while Murphy slid to a crouch before Aiden. Sensing her pain, Murphy hesitated to touch her.

"Da no! Ye can't kill her!" Brushing his son aside with a harsh glare, Noah stepped closer to Aiden, pressing the cold metal against her forehead.

"Shhh boys…Daddy's working." Aiden didn't even flinch, but rather sighed and closed her eyes.

"At last…" The whisper nearly broke Murphy's heart as he realized exactly how tired of this life Aiden was. The bruises and blood covering her made him ache to not have been there sooner. Connor stifled another shout of horror as his da cocked back the gun. With watery eyes, Murphy turned to look up at his father while simultaneously shielding Aiden's body with his own. Looking down at him, Noah MacManus wavered.

"Boy…"

"Please da…don't do it. I…" Murphy froze, realizing how much he cared for Aiden. He wasn't sure how to say it, but without her, he didn't think he'd ever be the same.

"This is Aiden's decision, not yers…" Opening her eyes, Aiden took in the terrified look on both of the twins' faces and the cool stare of their father, and she sighed deeply.

"Nothing I do will ever amount to the lives I've taken. I…I just want to stop." Lowering her head, the emotions finally broke free with a sob. Tears cleared the blood and grit from her face in small rivulets. Arms carefully wrapped around her as the gun pulled away.

"Ye can start by taking care of me boys…It seems they're rather fond of ye." As she looked up, Noah MacManus smiled softly and turned to leave. Connor gripped the shoulder of the man's jacket, preventing him from reaching the door.

"We thought ye was dead…Why didn't ye come home?" Patting the blonde's hand, Noah let his smile fade.

"I had things to do that ye two didn't need to be involved with. Now, let's go clean up the mess." Turning his head to look at Murphy, Noah nodded towards Aiden.

"See if ye can help the lass to the car. She needs ta be looked over."

"Aye." Murphy lifted Aiden into his arms and slowly made his way out of the warehouse. Leaning her head on his shoulder, Aiden finally felt safe again.

"Thank ye…"

"For what?"

"For getting me out of there. I never want to go back…" Murphy smiled softly, resisting the urge to kiss the top of Aiden's red head.

"That can be arranged."

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