The Prince's Bodyguard
Disclaimer: I own nothing
A/N:
Chapter 52 (The Demon Inside)
Jade followed June closely, her heart racing within her chest as she remained crouched behind her cousin. She knew the one June had found; it was her own father. Max Westfield, last seen by June's contacts as hiding out in Italy. "I've always wanted to visit Italy." She exhaled and June paused, glancing over her shoulder. "Too bad we don't have time to look around…"
"I've seen Italy numerous times." Jade frowned as her cousin grunted and continued onwards towards the large house. "It doesn't surprise me that my father would hide out here, I spent a great many years of my life here." Jade frowned and shrugged, remaining silent until June stopped once more. "Maybe when we're done here, I'll show you around." She smiled, grateful June was considering this at least.
She wanted to spend more time with her cousin and hoped maybe she could alleviate some of that hardened exterior that Juniper seemed to have. "I should have known." June crossed her arms, standing tall and with an intense glare focusing on the large home. "Just like my dad to hide in plain sight. Being spotted here...why? Why is the bastard here?" June raised a hand, tucking back a strand of hair behind her ear. "If anything, our old family cottage in the Alps would make more sense to hide out in. Out of the way, not as many people likely to spot or recognize…"
It was curious as it was unsettling. The home resembled something out of a storybook and looked like a Victorian era mansion. It was nestled atop a hill in Italy's countryside. "Maybe it brings back memories for him?" June's glare turned sideways and her glare deepened, causing Jade to tense and bow her head shamefully.
"Of course my father would find joy and pleasure in this hell-house." June took a breath, and Jade detected a shakiness to it. It was faint, but not hard to catch. Concerned, she started to reach out, but lowered her hand in second guessing herself. Catching her expression, June softened a bit and lowered her arms to her sides. "Meet my childhood home, Jade. Filled with years of pain, blood, torture…"
"Oh. I-" She rubbed her arm and looked away. "I didn't know."
"Right." June pointed at the front door where steps led up to a finely carved door. There were strange stains on the steps. "Right there on that porch is where, as a eight year old child, my parents tried to force me to kill this little puppy I found on the streets." June's expression turned to sorrow and her eyelids fell partially. "I had been taking care of it in our shed in the backyard for a few weeks, knowing full well mom and dad were never going to let me keep it."
Jade held her breath. Her eyes grew wide in horror and fear as she listened to the tale. "Of course they found out and ordered me to kill it and carve out it's heart. I vehemently refused…" June took a small step forward and Jade could see the woman's back muscles beginning to tense. "So instead, they carved a hole in my back and forced me to watch as my brother murdered the defenseless animal." Jade gripped her throat, clutching tight as if it could stop the nausea from rushing up. "To this day, I can still hear its whimpering. It's crying. I can still see the way Ripples looked at me with those big sad eyes…"
"Oh my god."
"Those monsters. That's all my family amount to being." June clenched her fists and Jade followed the woman towards the house. "We have to be careful. I'm sure there's a reason my dad's hiding out here. Maybe he thinks I'll come looking, or it may be just large enough to hide a number of traps inside…"
"You think he's got the place booby-trapped?"
"Knowing him? Yeah. I do. So be careful."
"I will." Jade looked at the front door, studying the stains and wondering if the family never cleaned up the blood. From what they sounded like, she wouldn't put it past them to leave it all there as a reminder. Now it served a reminder to her, to be grateful that she didn't grow up in that life. It didn't belittle Juniper's experience or make her feel any less mournful that she did, but she counted herself lucky. "Ripples?"
"Best little dog ever." June cracked a smile, much to Jade's shock, and looked back to her. "A cocker spaniel. I named her Ripples because of her ears. They looked like those ripples in the water caused by wind or movement." June gasped softly, raising her eyebrows. "It was a large shed, so I was able to hide food and water in there for her. We'd roll around and play together, the one thing that brought me any happiness back then."
Jade put a hand to her shoulder and looked into her cousin's eyes, seeing tears for the first time. "I'm sorry about your puppy." June nodded briefly and cleared her throat.
"If my parents weren't, my brother was always excessive. He took more pleasure in torture and killing than anyone in my family. What Joshua did Trina? I'm surprised it was so light for him, but then, Jason did stop him and apparently he had to act on Catherine's orders."
"I see." Jade looked back the house, contemplating her presence there. "Is this why you have me along? You don't think you can do this alone?"
"I always think I can handle something." June furrowed her brow and stared down at her trembling hand. "But maybe I might need help going up against my father."
"Yeah, I'm here."
"Everyone in the Black Star has some kind of specialty. Some utilize it, others don't. Chad specialized in hidden weaponry, Cat specializes in poisons and crafting. My father has always been into traps. I remember he would make traps and practice with them by catching rabbits and other tiny animals…those were death traps." June shook her head and started to crack her knuckles. "I remember exploring the area one morning, and I heard this strange squeaking sound…"
Jade began to pale. "God." She didn't have to guess where this was headed.
"I found this fox trapped in a large metal cage my father had created. Each bar had these thin spikes protruding from them like thorns." June swept her hand through the air, motioning off in the distance. "Those spikes were stabbing through every point in that creature's body."
She could visualize the distress in the poor animal, and was horrified to tears when she thought of its large eyes pleading Juniper for help. "I was ten years old at the time, and I knew my father's traps…I knew he would let that fox bleed to death, and there was no way to remove those spikes from it. It was in so much pain."
"What did you do?"
"The only thing I could." June took a trembling breath and looked down at the gun on her hip. "I was eleven years old at the time, and I had a small pistol." June removed her gun and aimed it in the air. "I pointed it at the creature, closed my eyes, and hard as it was…I took the shot."
"It was an act of mercy."
"It was, but I didn't feel like it at the time. My father wasn't too happy about it when he found out."
"Why?"
"He wanted to see how long it would take for the fox to bleed out." June holstered her gun and looked down the side of the home. "Okay Jade, here's the thing. We're not taking the obvious route through the front door."
"Too obvious?"
"Much." June tapped her chin gently and followed the home with her eyes. "He may have traps at the back entrance too. Fortunately, I know something he doesn't."
"What's that?"
"There's a way in and out of that house. I discovered it when I was a child. In my closet, there was squeaky floorboard. When I moved it, I found a small hole that dropped into a tunnel."
"Wow. I wonder what that could have been used for."
"Who knows? The house itself is old as hell, so I suspect a dozen of things." June began walking, moving away from the house though looking as though she knew exactly where to go. Jade followed after without questioning her. "Maybe transportation. Maybe storage or smuggling goods. Regardless, when I explored that tunnel…" She pointed into the distance, narrowing her eyes. "It comes out at a small cavern about half a mile that way."
"How did no one discover it?"
"Not sure. If it was used for getting people in and out of somewhere, it was long forgotten. There wasn't even much blocking the hole aside from a few plants. Before I left, I pushed a boulder in place."
"I guess we're taking that route in, then?"
"Definitely. I'm not forgetting that you need to be kept safe, so when we get in there, you let me handle things."
"I'll try." She wanted more than anything to help, but wasn't going to push her cousin more than needed. "Let's hope your father isn't at the other end of that tunnel."
"No." June stopped before a small cave, standing still and letting the wind blow her hair past her face. "Let's hope he is. That way I can kill him. I know Jason wants most of these assholes arrested while Trina's uncle wants them all dead, but my father never showed anyone an ounce of mercy. I won't be showing him any today."
"Your mom, brother, father, you'll be the last one left…"
"Joshua still lives." June huffed, stepping forward and holding her hair against the wind. "He should be executed, because so long as he's arrested, he'll find a way out of that prison.t of that prison. That's why we can't keep showing the Black Star mercy…not every assassin is going to consider arrest a failure and take their life for it-and not every assassin is going to be killed for being arrested."
"Really?"
"Especially not now. Now that they're being hunted and culled…their numbers are low, they can't afford to kill each other off." Jade followed her inside the cave and her body jerked at the touch of cold air. Her gaze travelled to a large boulder against a hole and she watched as June sidled up against it. "Help me with this."
Jade nodded, pressing her hands against the rock. With a grunt, they pushed it forward and out of the way of a small hole. She pushed her head inside the hole and was surprised to see a finely crafted tunnel resembling a mine shaft. It was breathtaking.
"My god, this place really was probably used for something."
"You know. The likeliest thing…" June stepped inside and Jade followed, analyzing the wooden walls and beams keeping the dirt in place. As they continued down the path, Jade noted the small wooden walkway, consisting of two large planks going forward. "I heard about these slavery transport ships that would stop at the docks near here almost a century ago. There were several in the city against slavery, they would take the slaves and hide them."
"You think whoever owned the house before your family was one of those that transported slaves to their freedom?"
"Yeah." A sobering thought, if true. A house once used for good, where so many in chains and shackles met their freedom, now used for evil. "And then there was you…"
"This tunnel still guided me to freedom every night for many years until we moved to another location."
The tunnel broke off into multiple directions, but June moved with utmost precision and confidence until they emerged from the opening in the home. June had to catch her breath when they moved into her former bedroom. "It still looks the same. I haven't seen it since I was thirteen."
The shelves were layered with a thick coating of dust, the bed had piles of clothes and toys littered among it, and the window was coated by a black curtain. "Okay," June whispered, "You stay in this room."
"But-"
"Stay and don't come out. If something goes wrong…take that tunnel back." She did a double take, watching June move for the bedroom door. Her jaw dropped and the woman glanced over her shoulder. "I can't take the chance that something could happen to you."
"I'm not leaving you behind, June."
"Listen to me, you have a child on the way. You can't afford to lose your life or that child."
It wasn't like June's father would suspect two of them, so it may be for the best. Even still, she wasn't going anywhere. If her cousin needed her, then she was going to fight.
"Fine." Jade crossed her arms and sat on the corner of the bed as June slipped out the door. After a few seconds, she opened the bedroom door a bit and poked her head out. June made her way down a hallway, stopping at one spot. The woman stepped on a tile and several strange nozzles on the wall fired out a number of bullets.
She felt her heart drop and started praying for her cousin's safety. As she continued to watch, she saw June climbing a stairwell in the most obscure way-from the railing and not the stairs themselves. Once at the top, June flipped over the railing and struck something on the top step.
This made another set of guns hidden in the walls fire off, and caused a small section of the floor to open up.
Jade's blood ran cold as Juniper vanished around the wall. "Stay put?" Jade looked around the bedroom walls and narrowed her eyes. "No way in hell am I staying put when she needs me."
She had to find a weapon, or else she would be defenseless. Searching the room, she eventually found a rusted fire poker hidden beneath the bed. It was coated in dried and caked blood, likely June's.
"This must be what she was talking about before." Jade lifted the poker carefully, her eyebrows twitching as she studied it. There were brief mentions of a poker being used as a tool of torture for her, wielded mostly by her father. "June must have hidden it from him a long time ago…"
If this was the man's favored tool, then Jade would be certain to use it against the man himself to avenge her cousin for the pains he inflicted. "I'm coming June. Hang in there."
Jade followed June's path closely, thankful that the woman set off all the traps already. She noticed the opening in the floor and cringed at what looked like a sea of poison beneath.
In the distance, she could hear shouting and cries of pain that filled her with dread. "You were a fool to come here," shouted a deep and masculine voice, "You've amounted to nothing even now."
"Damn you." June's voice was weak and strained, and she coughed between each word she said. "Your days are numbered, Dad. You should accept that."
"You thought you could fight me?" The man laughed and Jade heard a thudding noise that caused a slight kick of pain in her side. June started to groan and Jade hurried for her cousin's voice at the end of the hall. A slicing noise chilled her bones and stopped her dead in her tracks.
June fell silent and Jade's heart filled with grief and horror. "No…" Slowly she approached a doorway and peered into it. She saw a tall, muscular man standing with his back to the door. His entire body rose and fell with each breath he took. He had a flush of grey hair sweeping down towards his shoulders. In his right hand was a machete, dripping with blood, and in his left was a long bat.
June was laying prone on the ground, motionless. Jade could see blood trickling from the woman and tensed her grip on the poker handle.
Never hesitate.
Her cousin's words resonated in her head and she looked down to the poker, thinking only of protecting the girl and stopping this monster. She thought of the tales June told her, and he confidence anger was bolstered.
She stepped forward, sneering as the man raised his machete. "Good girl, coming home. Perhaps foolish, but perhaps you wished to die in your childhood home." Jade scanned the area, curious why June hadn't used her gun.
The weapon was on the ground nearby, next to an activated trap that came from a wall. The trap likely was set off without June realizing, or perhaps the woman froze up and had her weapon knocked away.
Then again, this man was relatively large and intimidating. He had to be crafty and smart as well, smart enough to take June by surprise. "You leave her alone…" Jade's voice trembled and her words were quiet, full of fear.
She repeated herself a second time, this time bolder and stronger. The man froze and turned his head to the side. "What the-Who in the bloody hell?" Jade wasted no time, didn't bother to give an explanation, and swung the poker stick at the arm holding the machete.
The curved prong dug into the man's wrist, tearing through it. He reeled back, screaming out in anguish. "That's for June!" She yanked the poker back and spun around in time to avoid being hit by his swinging of the bat.
Thinking fast, she swung her poker in an overhead arc, stabbing the curved prong into his left shoulder. The man screamed out in pain and threw his hand over the fresh wound. "Who the fuck are you?" He narrowed his eyes and started running for the gun on the floor.
Jade's glare narrowed and she rushed forward, sweeping her foot across the ground and striking his ankle. This caused the man to topple to the ground. He rolled onto his back, striking the nearby fireplace. Sensing a moment, she plunged the fire poker into the fire, holding it in while stepping onto the man's chest and glaring into his widening eyes.
"Is this how you tortured her when she was a kid?" She pulled the poker out and plunged the hot iron into the man's waist. His body jerked and he grabbed the pole, clutching it tight and gritting his teeth until smoke started to come from his hands.
"I will kill you, then I will finish her off." He started to turn, forcing her to fall towards the floor. She let out a gasp and began a mad scramble for the gun just as he started to rise up.
Her eyes focused on his shadow on the wall and she listened and watched as he pulled the poker from his body with a painful shout. "No. No, no, no." Jade grabbed the gun and flipped over, sitting upright and swinging the gun towards him. "No!" She pulled the trigger without a second hesitation and watched as the man fell back against the brick fireplace and dropped the poker to the floor.
His hand rose to a fresh wound where his right ribcage was. He started to cough, with blood pulsing from his mouth each time. Jade could hear him gasping for air and looking at her with a gaze that seemed to beg her for mercy.
"You never gave anyone an ounce of mercy in your life." Jade grabbed the poker handle firmly and made her approach, watching as his chest kept twitching. "That poor little puppy, those wild animals. Your own daughter." She raised the poker, flaring her nostrils and glaring into his eyes. "How often did she beg for mercy? Mercy you never gave; and yet you have the fucking nerve to look at me like you want mercy?"
Jade lowered the poker, shaking her head slowly and thinking better of her intentions. "If I kill you now, I guess I'd be no different than you." His eyebrows curled up in the center and his eyes flickered in and out of her own. "My brother once told me that killing comes natural, that aggression is in my blood. My nature. That I shouldn't care, I should be emotionless…"
She crouched, holding his gaze. "For the longest time, I've done some fucked up shit. Yeah, I've broken into a hospital, fucked with medical supplies and could have caused someone's death. Yeah, I've bullied people and caused a lot of grief. I've lied, ruined the best relationship I ever had by cheating, cheating solely to hurt someone else. I've done a lot of bad things."
The man coughed up more blood and his eyes began to sink. "But you know what I'm not? I'm not evil. I'm not a monster." She recalled the tale of the fox, and how much pain it was in. With a heavy heart, Jade dropped the poker and picked up June's gun once more.
"You tortured her with that poker; and you should be killed by it." She raised the gun, aiming for the man's forehead. "June told me of a fox trapped by you long time ago. Whimpering in pain, destroyed and left to its fate by you, who wanted to let it bleed to death…you were angry with her because she showed mercy on it. She ended its pain, putting it out of its misery."
The man's body twitched again and by now his entire shirt and front side was soaked in blood. "You don't deserve the same, but I will give it to you." With that, she closed her eyes and took the shot.
June woke up hours later in the hospital, patched up from her wounds. "Where am I?" She asked with a groggy voice. Jade stood beside her, grinning from ear to ear as she watched a small brown puppy crawling up alongside the woman. June blinked twice and stared down at the dog. "What…"
"You won't believe it," Jade whispered, "I almost don't believe it myself." June dropped her hand in front of the puppy, letting it sniff and lick her fingers. This was a brown cocker spaniel with rippling ears and bright brown eyes. "I found this little sweetheart abandoned and alone. I immediately thought about you."
"My god. She looks just like…"
"Ripples?"
June's trembling hand rose and came to rest on the puppy's head. Her thumb swept across the top of the head, and the dog let out a content whine. "I'll name her Angel." With that, June's lips turned up into a smile and her eyes rose towards Jade. "Thank you…"
"You know." Jade's grin spread and she folded her arms as her cousin's eyebrows rose up. "I still want to see more of Italy. So once your strength is up and you get out of here…" June rolled her eyes and let out a quick breath of air.
"Of course. What happened…with my father?"
"He's dead." June closed her eyes and breathed in slow and deep. "I know you told me to stay put, and you can yell at me later if you like."
"Nah, I had a feeling you weren't going to listen to me."
"I have your back, and I don't want anything to happen to you because…" Jade looked down and her eyes went misty. "You're the only family I have left. Maybe even my only friend right now."
"That's not true. You have Andre."
"Well, maybe so, but I don't know where that friendship's going right now. I still need time to figure things out."
"We all do." June sat up, wincing as she did. "Once all this is over, I'm sure we'll have all the time in the world." The woman closed her eyes and started to sigh. "I wasn't sure coming out of hiding was a good idea, but now I'm glad I did."
"Me too." Jade sat in a chair and pulled her phone from her pocket. "I'll call Jason and let him know what's going on so he can tell Trina's uncle."
"Maybe you should tell them to have my brother executed before he escapes…"
"I don't think Jason would go for that. I mean, he's angry about what happened to Trina-that's a given."
"I would be pissed too if it were my husband laying where Trina is."
"Yeah…" Jade looked down at her phone, frowning as Beck came to mind. "But still, it's Trina's Uncle that's calling for the death of all the assassins, not Jason. He's pretty content with having Joshua in custody."
"Alright, I won't press that subject, but I'm warning you…Josh is worse than my father."
"Duly noted. I'll let Jason know to be on the lookout. Rocky too."
Well, it should be obvious to readers who know about the Sviederbach three-part series that nothing bad is going to happen to Rocky (I mean the second book is eighteen years into the future, staring Princess Aveline), but don't let that keep you. So this chapter, a rough one for sure in which we came close to losing June. At least Jade had the element of surprise on her side, and she grew closer to her cousin. Hell, Juniper actually smiled. What are your thoughts on this chapter? Do tell. Tell all.
