The Salvation of Daniel (The Blue Butterfly Book 2) (19 page)

His feet slipped in the wet mud but he kept going, his vigour and strength the only thing keeping me from death. “I’m going to fix you, that I will promise. I’m going to fix this.” He lifted his hand to my face, his power and my frailty allowing him to carry me with one arm whilst he continued to move fluidly through the house. “I love you,” he stated matter-of-factly. “I love you, Connie. We’ll get through this. I promise.”

I stared at him. Using what little energy I had left, I lifted my own hand slowly to his handsome face. I didn’t have the ability to voice my own declaration but as I pressed my hand into his wet cheek, I managed a faint smile.

He sucked on his lips, his despair showing a side to him I had never seen. The death of our child not only gutted him, but gave him the strength to voice his emotions. Isaac didn’t ever allow his feelings to control him, yet in that moment, he understood as did I that any hope I had ever had of having children had been snatched from me. And I would never be the same girl again.

Hardness overtook my heart. Detachment overruled my spirit. And grief tortured my soul.

I gasped for breath as I bolted upright. My heart was banging in my chest, sweat poured down my face, tears stung my eyes and my soul wept. Closing my eyes, I attempted to steady myself and claim back a regular rhythm in my pulse as I tried to stem the flow of tears. What the fuck?

Daniel murmured from his bed by the far wall. My head spun, my eyes narrowing to study him in the darkness. He was still sleeping. I wasn’t sure if I was grateful or sad.

Loneliness slithered through me until I shivered. “What the hell?” I whispered into the emptiness, hoping the sound of my own voice would block the grief pouring through me.

A strangled sob wrenched its way up my throat but I swallowed it back. I wouldn’t
allow it.
Couldn’t
allow it. Its torrent would finish me.

Manoeuvring myself out of bed, I grabbed my phone from the table and shut myself in the bathroom.

“PIC Financial services,” her tart voice greeted me.

“Four-three-two-nine. I require a call back from the management.”

It was over five minutes before my phone buzzed in my hand and I swiped the connect icon immediately.

“Connie? Are you okay?” I swallowed at the overwhelming sense of homesickness that attacked me. “Connie?”

“I…”

A silent moment passed. “Talk to me. What’s happened? Are you hurt?”

“No,” I answered immediately to calm him. “No, I… I had the dream again.” I squeezed my eyes closed, fighting the need to cry.

I sensed his frown, his confusion. “Again? Why, it’s been years?”

“I don’t know,” I whispered. “I don’t know why, Isaac.”

He sighed. “My love, listen to me. I won’t tolerate this again. I have never once regretted killing my father for you, for our child. He was a sick and evil dictator who deserved to die a thousand times over for what he did to you…. To us.” His voice was stern knowing it was what I needed right then. “What’s brought it on?”

“I don’t know. I’m just feeling… a little lost,” I admitted, cringing at the need in my voice. I hated that I was putting this on him.

“Do you need me to come to you? Or would you rather come home and I’ll arrange for a replacement to finish this contract?”

My eyes widened at his offer. It was never an option to decline or back out of a job, and for Isaac to be giving me that choice made me realise I was being weak and stupid.

“No,” I replied with more sincerity than I felt. “I’m okay. I just needed to hear your voice.”

He paused then tutted. “Are you missing my amazing cock? Is that what this is about?”

I couldn’t hold in the chuckle as a smile lifted my lips and my spirit. “You have me all worked out.”

“My love, I know you only married me for my sexual abilities, so it comes as no great shock to me.”

“Well.” I chuckled. “It isn’t your finger I enjoy putting a ring on.”

He laughed loudly and I grinned into the darkness. “Talking of toys, I have something special awaiting your return, so you need to get this job over with and then I can fill my face with your delicious pussy. My hunger is refusing to be sated with these flimsy things that insist on sharing my bed, I need a fight. Plus they’re nowhere near as cuddly as you.”

My jaw dropped. “Are you calling me fat?”

“My love, I would be the happiest man on the planet if you would gain a few pounds, you know that. You’re too thin. My meat appreciates meat.”

I giggled. “I’d rephrase that before Hunter thinks you’re finally accepting what he’s wanted to give you for so long.”

“Pfft, the only thing that is granted access to my arse is your little finger, and that’s pushing my limits.”

Smiling, I closed my eyes. “I love you. Thank you.”

I could feel his soft smile, the one that only I had access to. “And I love you. You shadow my heart,” he whispered referring to the reason he’d given me the tag ‘Shadow’. “Be safe and use your head.”

“I will.”

I slid back into bed and curled up. I couldn’t help placing my hand over my stomach, my barren womb, and sighing. I’d lost so much in life but nothing hurt more than knowing I would never grow a life inside me again. Isaac had accepted me even with my inability to provide him with an heir to the family. But I never could. Although I loved Isaac and he grounded me, I could never let the hatred towards my father go.

His selfishness and greed had been the very reason both mine and Mae’s lives had taken the route they had. His selfish need to take another man’s wife, his greed for money, had been the very things that not only ended his life, but also his children’s.

“WE WENT TO the zoo, Daddy.”

Connie narrowed her eyes at her laptop screen as Annie jabbered in my ear.

“Oh, wow. What did you see? Did the lions eat Auntie Helen?”

Her giggle lifted my aching heart. I missed my baby so much the physical pain was becoming unbearable. She was my spirit and my soul. She was also the reason I had put my old self in the cupboard and locked the door on it, yet now she was so far away, I could feel the Master creeping back in, his sadistic and cruel ways delighted in the freedom the gap between my daughter and me brought.

“No, silly. But a camel spat at her.”

I squeezed my eyes closed like that would hold back the laugh that raged up my throat. “Oh dear, that’s terrible.”

She was quiet for a moment before she gushed, “I miss you, Daddy. Can’t you come and get me yet?”

I closed my eyes for a different reason this time and swallowed the lump that formed in my throat with the sound of her desperation. “Oh baby, I miss you too but I can’t, not yet. Soon though, I promise.” I hated lying to her but what the hell was I supposed to say, ‘Daddy’s not going to be alive long enough to do that, baby’? The pain that tore through me was immense and I had to sit down, blowing out a long breath to calm the frantic beat of my heart. She didn’t deserve this, but then again, I didn’t deserve her. I never had and I’d thanked God daily for her, yet that had never been enough. It was time to pay for my past, my sins. I understood that, but it didn’t stop the debilitating pain that locked down my soul every time I thought about leaving her alone. Connie said she had arranged for her to be well cared for – a new family. That was good for Annie, but she should have been with me. She was going to lose both parents and no child should ever go through that. One was bad enough – I should know.

“But…” Annie choked out.

“Hey, aren’t you enjoying it with Auntie Helen?” Her silence caused the hair on the back of my neck to stand on end. “Baby?”

“She’s… okay.”

Connie glanced at me, her brow furrowed when she caught my anguish. “Annie?”

“Yep,” she said suddenly. A voice mumbled in the background. I pressed the phone to my ear to catch Helen’s words but they were too quiet. “I have to go Daddy, Auntie Helen says I need my bath.” Her little voice tightened the restriction in my chest.

“I love you to the moon, baby.” Pressing two fingers to my lips, I kissed them and placed them on the phone, squeezing my eyes closed as though the force of my need would carry them over to her.

“I love you to the sun,” she whispered. “And the stars and the world, and Mars, Daddy… and Mars… and…..”

“Oh baby…” I blinked as my phone beeped, notifying me to the terminated call.

Something wasn’t right. I could feel it, in my bones, in my God damn heart.

Connie was watching me, her eyes inquisitive when I turned to her. “What is it?” Her own voice was almost as tight as mine. She knew as well as I did.

I shook my head, “I don’t know but…”

A bang at the door caused me to jolt.

“Bathroom!” Connie barked as she pulled a gun from her bag and clicked off the safety. “Bathroom, Daniel!”

“For Christ’s sake, Connie. I’m going to die anyway, what difference does it make who does it?” I was so fucking angry. With her for thinking I would hide out in the bathroom and let a woman deal with whoever was at the door. At me for putting my daughter in a place she hated. For Helen for taking her anger at me out on Annie. For the fucking Gods for taking her mother from her… from me.

Her body brushed past me as her words hissed out. “Because I am to be the one who will watch the blood drain from you, Daniel. No one else is entitled to that. That’s why.”

If a repeat knock hadn’t reminded me someone was at the door, I would have ripped the fucking smirk off her damn face.

“Be careful, Connie,” I hissed back as she approached the door. “I’m only abiding to whatever you’re doing here because of Annie, but there is only so much I will tolerate before I break your fucking neck and hang you out of the window by your own hair!”

She chuckled. Fucking bitch. “Well that was creative.”

I took an enraged step towards her but she ignored me. “Who is it?” she shouted through the door.

“It’s the laundry man.”

I frowned when a choked gasp erupted from her. She flung open the locks and stared at the man on the other side. He was tall, a little taller than me. His dirty blonde hair was mussed. His chin was covered in light blonde hair and his eyes were the most vibrant green I had ever seen.

His thin lips curled until each corner was nearly touching his ears. “Hello, my love.”

A sob formed from Connie before she launched herself at him, her legs wrapping around his toned body as she buried her face in his.

My brow quirked when he slammed her against the wall and kissed her back just as roughly.
Okay.
His hand came up to her breast, squeezing her forcefully as his hips thrust against hers.
Okay.
His mouth moved slowly down her neck, his teeth nipping and marking her immediately. “Fuck, I missed you, Shadow. My cock is crying out for his perfect partner.”
Okay.
Her fingers curled into his hair, pulling his face back to hers. They devoured each other. And I stood there and watched.

“What are you doing here?” she finally asked when they prised their lips off each other.

His brow creased before he sighed and lowered her back to the floor. “Unfortunately, I haven’t just come to screw my beautiful wife into next week.”
Ahh, okay.
“We need to talk.”

She frowned at him, her head tilting slightly to the side. I sensed her apprehension, the hairs on my own body matched the ones stood to attention on her arms. “Isaac?”

His dark eyes found hers before they swung to me. He roamed them over me for a moment before turning back to Connie. “I think you better sit down.”

“Isaac, just tell me.” He quirked a brow at her stern tone but she rolled her eyes. “Please tell me what is wrong, my darling,” she rectified with a sweet manner.

“Much better.” He winked before his face dropped again and he sighed. “I need to know where you placed Annie.”

Connie’s back slammed straight. “Why?”

His fingers enveloped her jaw, pulling her face towards his. I shivered at the memory of my fingers holding her sister’s in exactly the same pose. “Tell me, Connie.”

“Isaac, this isn’t in the rules. You give me the contract, I complete it. No questions are asked, no details are given.”