Chapter 3 Blood for Her Freedom

Susie finally stopped struggling and stayed on her knees, her head lowered in silence.

Damien burst out laughing and patted my head. "That's what I like about you, Cruz. You always did know your place."

He smirked. "Then again, I trained you myself, didn't I?"

My smile stiffened, but I didn't dare look up.

He stretched and stood. "Bring her to me in three days, and make sure you deliver her yourself."

"Yes, sir," I replied, keeping my head down.

Then, she followed me off the yacht without a word.

…

We walked in silence until I finally stopped and asked a staff member to bring me a first-aid kit.

I found her a place to sit and began tending to her injuries. As I carefully bandaged the cut on her leg, a warm tear landed on the back of my hand.

"Thank you," she whispered.

I stared at her, and something inside me snapped.

"Thank you? Have you lost your goddamn mind?" I glared at her. "I just handed you over to Damien Vale! Do you even understand what that means?"

My voice grew louder as I ranted, "That bastard could kill you at a whim, and you're sitting here thanking me? What the hell is wrong with you?"

She didn't argue.

She just sat there quietly, looking at me with those same trusting eyes. Somehow, that only made me angrier.

I pulled out my phone and opened the airline booking app. "That's it. I'm buying you a ticket home. Go back to wherever you came from, get the hell out of Averon, and stay out of my life!"

However, Susie snatched my phone from me before I could finish searching for a flight. She managed a faint smile, though her lips were still trembling. "I'm not leaving."

I held out my hand. "Give me my phone back."

She shook her head. "If I leave, Damien will kill you."

For once, I had nothing to say.

I'd spent years convincing myself that caring about people was a waste of time, that getting attached only made life harder. After all, I'd learned that lesson the hard way.

As my eyes fell on her, I finally understood why I was so furious. The realization scared the hell out of me—I was falling for her.

And in my world, feelings like that could get a man killed.

I didn't argue with her anymore. Instead, I scooped her up into my arms and took her home.

I paced around my living room that night, smoking one cigarette after another. There were dozens of cigarette butts littered across the floor come morning, but I'd finally come up with a plan.

It wasn't a good one, but it was the only thing I got.

"Damien has this sick obsession with purity," I told her. "He only goes after women who've never been with anyone."

Susie sat quietly on the couch, listening attentively.

"There's a chance he might lose interest in you if he finds out you're not what he thinks you are…" I hesitated, knowing how awful my next suggestion would sound. "Maybe you could find someone else first, someone willing to pay you enough to start a new life."

I forced myself to meet her eyes. "And if you manage to get away from Damien, take the money and leave Averon. Go somewhere far away and never look back."

I'd barely finished speaking when Susie got up and walked toward me. Before I could ask what she was doing, she leaned in and kissed me.

I froze.

Tears streamed down her cheeks, and she was so nervous she barely knew what to do. Yet, her awkward kiss only made it harder for me to hold back. I kissed her back desperately, pulling her close until we ended up on the bed.

I drew back just enough to look into her eyes and asked, "Are you sure?"

She gently touched my cheek instead of answering right away. "In three days, I might be dead."

My chest tightened.

"And if that happens, there's something I want you to know." She gave me a sad little smile. "You're the only man who's ever made me feel like my life actually mattered."

I didn't know what to say. All I knew was that I couldn't keep pretending I didn't have feelings for her.

We fell into bed together that very night.

…

The next morning, I woke to find her sleeping beside me, her cheeks still marked with dried tears. As I watched her, I knew I couldn't hand her over to Damien. I had to get her out of Averon no matter what.

I quietly got myself dressed and went straight to see Vincent Vale, Damien's father. He controlled half of Averon's underground businesses and held my life in his hands.

Vincent was sitting in his private study when I arrived, calmly sipping coffee.

I walked up to him, dropped to my knees, and begged him to let Susie go.

His hand paused halfway to his cup before he slowly set it down.

"Cruz." His voice was calm, almost too calm. "Are you seriously asking me to take a woman away from my own son? Do you have any idea what we call that?"

I kept my head down and said nothing.

"Betrayal."

He leaned back in his chair and studied me for a long moment. To my shock, he nodded. "Fine, but you know the rules."

My stomach sank.

"You have to pay in blood."

He turned to the bodyguard standing beside him.

"If you survive this, I'll let the girl go. I'll even arrange to have her leave the country. But if you die… Well, that's the end of it."

The room fell silent.

I glanced at the knife in the bodyguard's hand. My heart was pounding, but I knew there was no turning back.

I gritted my teeth. "Do it."

The bodyguard stepped forward, and a sharp pain ripped through me before I could brace myself.

Then came another, and another.

I tried to keep count, but the pain soon made it impossible for me to think straight. All I could do was clench my jaw and endure it, refusing to make a sound.

I could barely stay on my knees by the time it was all over.

My legs finally gave out, and I collapsed onto the floor. Every breath I dragged inside my lungs hurt, and the room spun whenever I tried to move.

I could feel myself growing weaker, but I couldn't pass out just yet.

I still needed to hear his answer, so I used what little strength I had left and dragged myself across the floor toward him.

"Sir..." My voice came out barely louder than a whisper. "Please..."

I struggled to lift my head. "Let her... go."

Vincent looked down at me, his face bereft of the tinge of amusement he had when I first entered his office.

My vision blurred, and I could barely keep my eyes open. Yet, I still fought to stay conscious, waiting for him to speak.

Finally, he broke the silence.

"Cruz, you've got more guts than I gave you credit for." He paused before nodding slightly. "Fine. You have my word. The girl goes free."

Relief washed over me.

That was all I needed to hear.

I felt all my strength drain out of my body. As my eyes slowly fell shut, one last thought crossed my mind. 'Good. At least this time... I managed to save her.'