Chapter 30

“What’s the matter, love? Why are you crying? I’m right here, aren’t I? Come to me, love. Come to me, and I’ll forget everything that happened in the past. I’ll forgive you for everything you’ve ever done,” Arthur spoke to Sia in a tone so loving that it almost made her gag.
She hadn’t realized that she had been crying until Arthur said so. She had been kneeling down beside Julian’s unconscious form on the ground while taking a protective stance over him. She was watching helplessly as his life’s blood drained out through a gash on the back of his head. She wanted to stop the blood flow—to help him in any way she could—but she was afraid that if she much as moved an inch, the man behind her would try to harm Julian again. Which was why Arthur’s words didn’t register in her mind at first, but when it did, she felt her blood boil.
“Forgive me? Forgive me! How dare you!” she spat at him. The old Sia would have been scared shitless to even look Arthur in the eye, but eleven years have passed and she was done being scared of a sorry excuse for a man. And besides, this Sia had Julian by her side now. She stood up and took a step toward Arthur. “I didn’t do anything, Arthur. Nothing! And that is the reason why I have to pay for it now? You pathetic excuse for a living being! If only I knew just how big of a coward you truly were! You need to hit a woman to remind yourself that you have control. You have to rape a woman just to prove how manly you are! You—”
“Shut up! Shut up! Shut up!” Arthur roared in outrage. “How dare you, you little bitch! I loved you and this is how you repay me? If I hit you or raped you, it’s because you deserved it!”
“Love? Love!” Sia yelled back, just as furious. “You don’t even know what love is! How can you say you loved me after everything you’ve done to me? And now you hold your own son captive and threaten to kill him! Yet you claim to love me? You’re nothing but a hideous monster who deserves to rot in hell!”
By now Sia was panting with rage, her hands clenched by her side. Sia had had enough. She won’t back down anymore nor will she break. The Sia he knew was dead. She had been pushed into a corner until she had nowhere to go and nothing to lose. She had broken free of the shackles that bound her and she was now able to stand in front of her worst nightmare, facing her fears head on, all because of Julian.
“And what do you know about love, little girl!?”Arthur retorted.
“I know more about love than you ever will in your entire life, Arthur Stone! And you want to know why? It’s because I’m in love with Juli—”
She stopped herself. She couldn’t believe she had actually said that out loud, and to Arthur for that matter. Any chances that she might have had to protect Julian were gone now. Arthur would now definitely take out his anger on Julian, and she would be helpless to stop him. She had been so deep in thought for a few seconds, just standing there numbly, that she didn’t realize what was happening until it was too late.
Her head snapped to the side as Arthur’s fist connected with her cheek. She lost her footing from the impact and fell on the hard, pebbled ground. But Arthur was far from done. He lifted his leg and slammed it into her side while all the breath rushed out of her. Sia knew that it would bruise badly after. She could also feel blood dripping from the cut on her lips. This was just the beginning, and Sia was no match for his strength. She struggled to get free from Arthur, but despite his age, he overpowered her ten times over.
Arthur yanked her up by her hair, causing her to yelp in pain, and looked behind her at the man standing with the bat in his hand. “Take that piece of shit to the garage and burn him alive with the rest of them.” Arthur’s voice held so much venom that it scared Sia. She tried to push past him, to loosen his grip on her hair, but he had her in a viselike grip with no signs of letting go.
“Let’s go, love. You and I have unfinished business to take care of.” With that, Arthur dragged Sia inside the house by her hair.

* * *

“I know more about love than you ever will in your entire life, Arthur Stone! And you want to know why? It’s because I’m in love with Juli—”
No! Julian wanted to scream. What had she done? Telling Arthur she loved Julian was the most dangerous thing to do. Julian wasn’t worried about what would happen to him, but he’ll be damned if something happened to Sia. He knew Arthur would retaliate and he did just that when he slapped Sia, sending her tumbling to the ground.
He wanted so badly to stop pretending to be unconscious and run to save her, especially when he heard that scum hit her. But he couldn’t. He had to save Leo and the others first. He had to keep acting for everyone’s sake.
I’m so sorry, Sia, he thought to himself. Just hold on a little longer.
It wasn’t long before Arthur ordered him to be taken to the garage and be burned alive with the others. Just the chance he was waiting for. Julian had already guessed that Arthur was keeping the others in the garage when he’d seen it. The garage was the best place to hide people since it was separated from Sia’s main house and it was soundproof.
So, when one of the thugs tried to pick him up, he purposefully dragged his weight down so that another one had to come and help him. Julian had also figured that Arthur wouldn’t be alone. He’d been in prison for more than eleven years. He was bound to have made friends with the other criminals, earning favors from them. Julian had made a call to Selene just before he’d left with Sia, and was informed of the names of all the prisoners Arthur had affiliated himself with. One of them was a mob boss with several contacts. He didn’t have a single doubt in his mind that Arthur was using those contacts to aid his evil plans.
Both the guards grunted as they dragged him through the pebbles, scraping his skin occasionally, but he did his best to suppress wincing so as not to give them any hint that he was really awake. Soon enough, he heard the garage doors being opened and him being thrown to the ground. Someone whimpered from the back as soon as he landed. He immediately recognized that it was Leo. Thank God, he thought, the kid was all right.
The two men had bumped him right next to their feet as they proceeded to open fuel bottles and pour them on the walls of the garage in preparation of burning them alive. It was then that Julian seized the opportunity.
As soon as one of the thugs went near him, Julian grabbed his leg and tripped him onto the floor. He landed with a loud thud and the other came running to his rescue, but Julian was faster. He kicked the other one in the shin, sending him sprawling on the floor, while he threw his fist at the first one, still lying on the ground next to him. The fist landed on the guy’s nose and Julian heard the satisfying crunch of his nose being broken before he threw another punch—this time to the head—effectively knocking him out.
No sooner was he finished with the first one when the second one attacked Julian from behind, wrapping their arms around his neck, trying to choke him.
Julian jabbed his elbow into his guts and threw him off. The man flew back and hit his head hard on a nearby car, knocking out instantly. Julian was thankful that the car alarm didn’t go off or there would be big trouble for all of them. He had yet to know how many people were working for Arthur, and he wasn’t taking chances on anyone’s life.
Julian finally had a chance to look around the garage and saw that Leo and Martha were unharmed with only a gag in their mouths and their hands and legs tied with thick black ropes. However, he felt both relieved and distressed to see the state Abhay was in. His best friend might be alive but he was also hurt very badly. His hands were tied behind his back, but Julian could see his best friend had suffered a good beating and his left shoulder was drenched in blood where he had obviously been shot.
Julian rushed towards his friend and searched for a pulse. He felt the light flutter on Abhay’s wrist and immediately but carefully untied his best friend and laid him straight on the ground. Then he took out his handkerchief and tied it around Abhay’s shoulder to prevent him from bleeding out. Thankfully, the blood he saw on Abhay’s clothes and on the ground was thick and already drying, which meant that the bullet was still lodged inside his shoulder. The absence of an exit wound was a good sign at this point so he won’t lose more blood.
He quickly moved on to Leo and Martha and untied them, setting them free. Leo immediately jumped into Julian’s arms. Julian noticed that he didn’t hesitate even once before his arms came around the boy. Leo was trembling in his arms, and Julian rubbed his hands gently down the boy’s back to soothe him. “It’s all right, Leo. I’m here now, you’re safe.”
“Oh, thank God! Julian! Where’s Sia?”Martha asked instantly as she rose to her feet. It was only then that Julian noticed the slight cut in her left cheek that still had dried blood on it.
“I’ll get her out, I promise. But you have to do me a favour,” he said. Martha nodded her head vigorously at Julian’s words. “Good. Get in the car parked in the front of the house and take Abhay to a hospital, fast. Leo, go with her.”
Leo agreed instantly, but he didn’t let go of Julian. He understood the boy’s fear, knew that he needed his support, but time was running out and Julian couldn’t even fathom what Arthur was doing to Sia at the moment.
“I know you’re scared, Leo, but you have to be strong right now,” Julian told him soothingly. “Be strong for your mom. My friend needs to get to the hospital fast, he’s bleeding out and you all need to get out of here. You’ll help him, won’t you?”
Leo nodded and raised his head and Julian saw the tears streaking down his face. His heart went out for the child. He could only imagine how the kid had felt to have his own father point a gun at him. Humans were irrational creatures. They loved unconditionally and parents, no matter how big of a jerk they were, were always the center of that unconditional love. Leo must have had some hope that his father didn’t hate him as much as he thought he did, but to have that hope shattered so brutally wasn’t something a boy of thirteen should have to deal with.
“Come on,” Julian told the duo. “Let’s get you all to safety.”