Chapter Forty
Entering Hell
"It might be a ridiculous question but have we come up with any sort of plan?"
Both Erik and Anthony turned to look at Raoul, who had remained quiet the entire ride but for that moment. Neither man said anything because in truth they did not have a plan. Erik knew it had been foolish to simply slip away without any sort of plan already in mind. Raoul looked at both men incredulously.
"Are you both saying that we are going to this place-where we can easily end up dead-and we have no way to stop that from happening?" he demanded. Once more the other two men said nothing.
"Great, just great," Raoul muttered. Erik ignored him and looked out of the carriage window. Under ten minutes and they would reach their destination. He had not thought about anything but Christine since the moment they had begun their ride and even at that moment he could not get her out of his head. They were going to have a baby...a son or a daughter who would love him unconditionally despite what he looked like beneath the mask. He would finish what he had to do and then he would return to her, he would not think of any other possible outcomes. For far to long he had waisted his life simply wishing for the things he did not have. Well now he had what he wanted and he would hold onto it with everything he could.The carriage slowly came to a stop and all three men sat very still for several long moments...this was it.
"We're here..." Anthony murmured.
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Leroy turned the page of the book he was reading and settled himself a little more contentedly before the fire. It had been a rather cold evening and he had decided to sit in front of the fire and read. It had been far to long since he had had the time to relax and enjoy himself. He felt like it had been ages since he and his father had started to ruin Erik's life. Now with Natasha gone he did not have much to fill his spare time. Although there was a certain Italian lady that had caught his attention recently. When they had kidnapped young Sienna De Luca he had been captivated by her beauty, a beauty that could very well outshine Natasha. She was quiet and they hardly heard any word from her, as if she had given up hope of being rescued. Perhaps later that evening he would go and give her a little visit that he was sure she would never forget.
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Sienna wrapped the small quilt tightly about herself and stared into the flames of the fire that had been lit in her 'room'. Though it had not been very long since she had been brought here she felt like it had been ages. All she wanted was Anthony's arms wrapped tightly around her, kissing her and telling her that everything was going to be alright. When he had kissed her that night she knew she would have gladly allowed him to take it further but he had been the one who had pulled away, telling her that it was not the right time yet. He was different then any other man she had ever come across. He was handsome but he did not use that to get what he wanted. He was a gentleman of the best kind and Sienna had fallen in love with him. How could she not? He was everything a man should be and more. She had been alone for so long now, no one to care for her or love her. Anthony made her feel as if there might be love for her somewhere. She prayed that somewhere was in his arms. But if she did not get out of this place soon she might never get to see him again...the thought caused tears to form in her pretty eyes. He would come for her. She was sure of it. Perhaps he would get Lord Erik to help him. The idea of the masked man helping Anthony made her feel slightly better. She knew that Erik could help greatly and she prayed Christine had allowed him to come and help...all she could do now was wait and see.
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Christine gently put her hand to her stomach, a small smile coming to her lips as she thought about the life that was growing inside of her. She knew now that this baby and she was the reason Erik was willing to risk his own life and go to the Delauney manor. He needed to protect them. If he did not she knew he would forever blame himself. But this baby was also the reason she was in a carriage that was bringing her towards danger. Erik was her other half, and as such she, too, was willing to do anything to make sure that he was alright. She could not raise this baby alone, nor did she want to. That was why she yelled at the driver of the carriage to drive faster, she needed to get there on time.
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"If it is really that easy to get into a manor like this I seriously need to have more guards around my own," Raoul muttered as Erik led them effortlessly into the Delauney manor. Erik glanced back at the young man.
"Try and take something that is not yours again and you will need the guards," he murmured. Raoul knew he meant Christine and he nodded rather quickly at the other man. He had learned his lesson about that, enough said. Anthony remained silent, looking up and down the dark halls, praying they would find Sienna alive and well. If not then both Leroy and Michael would wish they had not touched her.
"We must split up, if one of us is found then the two who are left can help," Erik said. Both of the younger men nodded. Before Raoul could point and say where each one should go Erik had disappeared, seemingly melting into the shadows. Anthony, too, and quickly left down another dark hall and Raoul sighed before going in his own direction.
Erik would not admit it to Anthony but he was not here for Sienna. He would try and help her if he could. But he was here to get rid of two men that should have died long ago. If he succeeded then he would get Sienna and the men and they would leave. He had to think about Christine and the baby first, nothing else mattered to him. When they were safe then he would allow himself to think about everything and everyone else. He had not been able to tell Anthony that because he could see very easily how much he loved the young Italian woman. He heard movement up ahead and he melted into the shadows against the wall, waiting to see who it was. He was ready to kill if it happened to be Leroy or Michael and his fists clenched in anticipation. He sighed in agitation when it turned out to be a maid, finishing her chores. He continued to walk down the hall until a sound filled his ears that he was sure he should not hear...the sound of crying.
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Christine put a hand to her frantically beating heart. Twice she had almost been seen by guards and twice she had just narrowly avoided detection. And she had barely arrived! But she had made it into the house and now needed to figure out where in the world she should start. It had sounded very heroic, going to help the man she loved, but now that she was here she had no idea what she was going to do to help. Obviously she could do nothing to jeopardize herself or the baby. Perhaps she could look for Sienna...that did not sound that dangerous. She knew Erik was going to kill her for coming but she had to help.
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"Erik? Erik!"
Erik was surprised when he opened the door he had heard the crying in and suddenly had his hands full with a sobbing woman. He wrapped his arms around her to keep Sienna from collapsing. He was both glad and surprised that she was still alive. He would have thought that the Delauney's would have killed her simply to spite them all. But then again he had thought they would kill Christine when they had her and they had not. He knew this would be a welcome relief to Anthony's worries, he just prayed that the young man would not try and take revenge from the two men who had kidnapped her. That would interfere with his plans.
"Shush, Sienna! I need you to control yourself," Erik said firmly. They would get nothing done if she could not stop crying. Sienna immediately did as he asked, still frightened of Christine's husband. She still did not know that much about him and the mask still frightened her.
"Are you alright?" he demanded. She nodded. She was fine. She just desperately wanted to leave, and as quickly as possible.
"Is Anthony here?" she whispered, pulling away from him. He nodded and could see the relief and joy wash over the young woman's face all at time. He needed to see that look on Christine's face when he returned to her and the sooner he finished what he had to do the sooner that would be.
"I need you to stay here, I will find Anthony and tell him where to find you," Erik instructed. Sienna looked ready to argue but Erik had left before she could utter a word.
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Christine contained her gasp when she saw Leroy walking down the hall towards her. She managed to hide herself as he approached and to her utter relief he did not see her. It felt like hours since she had entered the Delauney home and she had yet to see any of the men or Sienna. She was beginning to get worried and doubting whether or not it had been a good idea to come here after all. However it was to late to turn back now and she was determined to do some good. Leroy had to know where Sienna was and perhaps if she followed him he would lead her to where the young girl was being held against her will. She just prayed that he would not hear her behind him. Her life depended on it.
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Sienna was unable to hide her smile when the door slowly opened. She was about to utter Anthony's name when her breath was knocked out of her at the sight of Leroy. What was he doing here? Where was Anthony? Had Erik been unable to find him? Sienna did not like the look on this man's face and she backed away, praying he did not intend to hurt her. He shut the door behind him and removed his evening coat, dropping it carelessly on a nearby chair. Sienna remembered that she was only wearing her sleeping chemise and she rushed to the bed, frantically grabbing her robe to cover herself.
"Do not bother, my dear. It would be a shame to cover up such beauty," he murmured. Sienna swallowed, not liking the tone of his voice.
"Monsieur, please leave," she whispered. He smiled, if it could be called that. It was more like a fiendish smirk. He began unbuttoning his shirt and Sienna took several steps back. This only caused his grin to grow.
"You would make the perfect wife...obedient and innocent. You would live quite well," he said, as if thinking out loud. Sienna had to keep from gagging.
"I would rather rot."
"That, too, can easily be arranged. Oh, well, it was just a thought," he said. Sienna could not tell if he was talking to her or to himself, because he seemed rather odd to her. He might have been drunk, but she had no way of being sure. She was not a complete innocent. She knew he wanted to touch her, to possess her, and the thought sickened her. She wanted no ones hands on her body other than Anthony's, no lips to kiss her but his. Her thoughts were interrupted when Leroy's hands roughly grabbed her and tossed her onto the bed. She cried out but his hand was covering her mouth and his body was pressing hers into the mattress before she had time to think. She struggled; it was a natural reaction, but also a useless one. That was until a scream that did not come from Sienna echoed throughout the room, crystal clear and full of intensity. Both turned to look to see Christine standing in the doorway, a look of horror on her face as she watched Leroy try and rape her good friend.
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Erik heard the scream echo throughout the silent hallways. He knew that sound, he knew that perfect voice...his Christine. But it could not be her! She was home, safe in bed, waiting for him to return to her and their child. She would not risk...but the more he thought about it the more he realized his Christine would do anything to make sure the ones she loved were not hurt. He should have realized that long ago. And because he had not, she might be in danger.
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