The Salvation of Daniel (The Blue Butterfly Book 2) (27 page)

I knew I had told Daniel I would be the one granting him death, but I also knew that I could never do that to Annie. Yet, fate had decided that my choice wasn’t acceptable and had secured what was to be taken from the beginning. But where did the end take me now? Would there ever be an end?

I felt that roll of the dice as distinctly as Daniel. The odd number three should have been my end, but Daniel had chosen it to be my beginning.

“I want the white picket fence, Isaac.”

He turned to me, my sudden odd words creasing his brow. His head tilted to one side, his eyes regarding me, scrutinising me. Blood dripped from his fingers, the scalpel he held twisting between his fingers as he twirled it round. His bare torso was lined in blood, his contoured abs supplying valleys for the red fluid to ride along.

“I want a puppy,” I continued as I gazed at him, sadness overwhelming me. “I want to celebrate Christmas with Annie. I want to be able to answer a knock at the front door without having to shove a knife into the back of my jeans first.”

He continued to watch me, listening to every word as his expression softened and his breathing regulated.

“I want to take Annie around the world, show her things that only the most privileged witness. I want to play fight in the summer, with hose pipes and buckets. I want to sledge in the snow, laugh under the stars. I want to roll down grassy hills and hear Annie’s laugh every day. But more than that.”

He watched me walk towards him, my slow steps echoing loudly in the silent concrete room. “I want to be married, like a
normal
husband and wife. I want to wear your ring. I want to be… I want to be
just
a woman. I’m so tired, so tired of this fight. Tired of hurting, both others and myself. I’m tired of struggling to breathe under the suffocation of our lives.”

He cupped my face when I reached him. I didn’t care that he smeared me with blood. I didn’t care that Franco was witnessing what was happening between husband and wife. “I want to be happy, Isaac.”

He stared at me, his pure green eyes worshipping me. The hand holding my face slid upwards and sank into my hair, before he twisted it and pulled my face to his. He didn’t speak, he just crashed his mouth over mine. His soft lips were brutal, hard and punishing. His growl into my mouth was loud and demanding as he pulled me harder into him.

I pulled away and blinked at him. “Say something.”

“I want to watch the sun set with my wife, whilst Annie chases the puppy. I want to watch your face as you laugh. I want to see the light in your eyes when I finally make you mine and only mine. I want to give you all of me, Con. I want all of you. No more sharing, no more jobs, no more Phantoms. I want to close the white picket gate at night, and lay beside you until the sun comes up. I want it all, my love. But most of all, I just want you. I will follow you into hell, but until then, I will follow any direction your life goes because I’m right beside you, whatever you want.”

I couldn’t help but smile at him. “You mean that. You’d give it all up?”

He stared at me, his eyebrows lifting in astonishment. “Of course I would. I know you’re ready, Connie. You’ve been ready for a long time. But it was only ever you who could put Shadow in the shadows. Your heart is the only thing that can reinvent the Phantom inside you. All I’ve ever wanted is for you to be happy, I thought you knew that, understood me.”

“I do,” I whispered. “But the Phantoms are your life.”

“You. You, my love, are my life. You and now Annie. I won’t even blink at making you happy. All I ever want is to witness that beautiful fucking smile of yours every morning and every evening. That’s all. That’s it. That’s me.” He kissed the tip of my nose. “I’m quite simple really.”

I chuckled and nodded. “You are the simplicity in complexity, darling.”

He shrugged and nodded. “That too. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have work to do.” He winked and blew me a kiss before I turned and ventured back over to the chair in the corner of the room.

“Now, Franco. I’m bored.” Isaac sighed. “Let’s liven this up.”

She actually opened the front door to us when Isaac and I pulled up the thin gravel driveway. Isaac quirked an eyebrow at me before pulling the car up to a stop in front of the door.

“Well, she looks full of the joys of spring,” he mocked when Helen stared at us with a bored expression.

“Mmm,” I agreed, sighing heavily.

“She looks delightful.” His lip curled when his gaze roved down over her body then back up to her stern face. “How would you like to do this, my love, quick or slow?”

Stifling a yawn, I rolled my head round my shoulders. “Fast and easy. I just want a hot bubble bath, a foot rub and your tongue in my pussy.”

Isaac snatched up his gun and grabbed the door handle. I laughed, holding his arm and pushing the gun back on to his lap. “Whoa, Stud. Slow down, we have to think of Annie.”

“Well hurry. I need you. I’ve been on rations.”

I gawped at him, my mouth wide with shock. “What?”

He shrugged, almost embarrassed as his eyes lowered to his lap. “They’re not you, Connie. They never have been. And to be honest, they bore me. My wife, well, she excites me. She makes me laugh in the bedroom, she even breaks wind when I tickle her.” He nodded slowly as though proud of my ability to fart. “She makes my cock feel absolutely fucking fantastic but more than that, she loves me, she adores me. And I’ve realised after all this time, that’s what makes it what it is with you. Your love, and my love for you. And there is no greater climax than coming deep inside of you as your eyes give me all your thoughts, your soul and your heart. That’s what makes me yours, and that’s what makes us fucking awesome in bed.”

He ran his fingertip across my cheekbone, collecting the tears that fell. “Are you ready?”

“I need to do this on my own.”

He smiled, nodding. “I’ll come in and get the munchkin, then she’s all yours.”

“Are you sure you want to do this?” I asked as I looked in his eyes. He shook his head in confusion. “Annie. Bringing Annie into our family.”

“My love, Annie is already in our family. She has been ever since she was born. She’s part of you, and that makes her part of us. I want her to have that puppy, and days on the beach, and water fights. I want to make her laugh, I want to tickle her until she can’t breathe. And I want to watch her pick up her first ever baby and sing to her. I want to be the one who walks her down the aisle when she falls in love, I want to shoot at the prick that breaks her heart and I want her to grant me a grandbaby. Because she’s part of
you
, Connie.”

“You know,” I whispered, unable to lift my voice higher with the emotion coursing through me. “An hour ago, I was regretting what life had given me. But I’d do it all again, three thousand times over, because it gave me you. I look at Mae’s life, and yes, although it was my choices that gave her hers, she had to wait until death to find what I’ve had since I was thirteen. And that in itself, gives me cause to be grateful. I have never known a man love a woman as much as you love me. You went against the rules and took the most severe punishment for me. You killed your father for me. But above all that, you love me. Me, the ordinary girl who had to make a choice on a dark winter’s night. A choice that would change everything. But take me back there right now and I will pick that same choice.”

“Will you stop,” he whined. “I’m seriously thinking about making love to you now.” His brows furrowed. “You know, like… slowly and softly.” He stared at me in shock with himself.

“We could try,” I whispered.

His pursed his lips in thought. “You mean, no spanking, no belt, no yanking your hair? Just….”

“Just us.”

He leaned into me, his warm breath whispering over me as he slid his fingers around the side of my neck. “I’d love to.”

I beamed at him before flicking my eyes to an even more bored Helen. Her arms were crossed across her chest whilst she waited for us. I blew out a breath and opened the door.

“Let’s do this. Let’s go fetch our little person and finish it.”

“I’m right behind you, my love. For the very last time, Shadow.” He nodded seriously, giving me the courage I needed to do this.

Closing my eyes briefly, I pulled in a fortifying breath. “Time to reach the end square.”

Eighteen years later

I GRIT MY teeth, pacing back and forth. I was going to kill him. Where the hell was he?

Bullet rolled her eyes at me. “Where is he? Annie’s up soon.”

Checking my watch again like that would stop time and put things on hold until Isaac arrived, I saw it was five minutes since I’d looked five minutes ago.

I raised my hands in the air and took a breath when I saw Isaac racing across the university car park towards us. “Where have you been?” I grumbled as I automatically went to fix his tie.

“Sorry,” he panted, trying to catch his breath. “Annie couldn’t find her speech.”

I narrowed my eyes. “Annie’s been here for over an hour.”

“Yes,” he said slowly, removing my hands from his tie and redoing it. “And she sent me back for her speech.”

“Fine.” I pulled him up the stairs and into the main building. “But hurry, she’s on any minute.”

He held out a piece of paper, obviously Annie’s speech. “Well she needs this.”

I smiled at the sweat dripping from him, his hands shaking, his pale face tight, his flapping hands and his teeth gnawing on his bottom lip. Annie had been the making of Isaac. They doted on each other. Ever since we took her home that night eighteen years ago, she had him wrapped around her little finger. They were inseparable.

“Isaac, darling.” I reached out and took his hand in mine. “She will be fine. I promise.”

He nodded stiffly, swallowing heavily. “I know. I’m more nervous than she is,” he laughed.

We took the seats reserved for us near the front. The principal was rambling about this year’s graduates, how well they had developed over the four years they had attended university.

My eyes wandered, landing on Annie by the side of the stage area. My brow quirked at the man with her. He was tall, dark-haired and gorgeous. Annie had grown into a stunning twenty two year old woman. She had mine and Mae’s eyes, our black hair and Mae’s curves. She had Daniel’s full lips and height, but her temperament was very much her father’s, as was her strength and courage. Her heart was all Mae but her head, her intelligence, was Daniel’s. She was the epitome of them. They had each given her the very best parts of them, and they lived in her.

The guy had his hand on Annie’s arm, talking to her. She was shaking her head, her face stern as she refused to look at him. It was obvious they were arguing.

“Please tell me you brought at least one gun, my love,” Isaac whispered in my ear as he watched the same scene unfolding.

I nudged him with my elbow, trying to stifle my laughter when Annie was introduced onto the stage. She snatched her arm from the dickhead and strolled up to the podium, her elegant grace holding the attention of every man in the audience.

She smiled out to everyone. Isaac lifted the paper and flapped it at her. She reached out then shook her head and smiled at him before addressing the audience again.