Novel ✪ Memory Corruption (R-18) (Book 1 and 2 Finished) (Book 3 on release now)

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to everyone

 

Merry (Very Late) Christmas and an Awesomely Happy New Year, dear readers!
I know I’m late, I’ll be posting tonight =. Me and my husband had a renovation in our study and it took a bit longer than expected (it doesn’t justify my delay, cause my computer was up this weekend already, but I’m a procrastinator, I’ll beg for your forgiveness =/)

Hope you’re all doing great and that you had memorable festivities. Also hope you’re all safe (with those fires and conflicts I’m always worried one of you might be going through trouble).

 

Haha.. You make me check every day after the 4th. Today im very happy to see some good news. Take care and happy holiday.

I hope everyone here also all safe

 

Chapter 29

-Stop. Don’t come near me! -Belle finally brought her gaze up, briefly looking into his eyes for the first time since he had stepped into that room. He saw confusion, shock and disbelief etched on her face as she slowly put the gun down. -Ryan?

As soon as he was no longer in her line of aim, Desmond lunged on her, dropping to his knees and using his good hand to seize and push both her wrists to one side, keeping the tip of the gun away from them both.

Now he was sure he had indeed broken at least two fingers while punching Daniel’s skull, and this was making the process of forcing her fingers open and prying the Glock from her grasp both painful and difficult. To his surprise, Belle pulled the trigger out of reflex, firing a burst of three shots.

Thankfully, the bullets hit the bed leg behind her instead of one of them, or Daniel, who was still lying on his back over the drenched carpet.

Belle stared at him, wide-eyed, seeming as surprised as he was about the shooting. That gave Desmond the chance to yank the gun from her grip and put it aside, out of her reach. He didn’t believe she was aware of their situation, as she wouldn’t say anything, so he decided to talk first.

-Belle, it’s me, Ryan. You remember me, don’t you? -She just stared, her face red and her eyes mossy. -Baby… We need to get out of here, ok? It will be fine, but right now we need to go, ok?

Belle still didn’t answer. Ryan let go of her wrists and tried to hold her hand, but she was keeping her hands pressed firmly together, as if praying or holding something between her palms, making it impossible to intertwine their fingers, the way he knew she’d do to seek comfort. He didn’t insist. There were more urgent matters to deal with now, he could calm her down later.

Desmond reluctantly looked down, examining her thin legs and scratched knees. The sight made him feel stricken and heartbroken. Isabelle wouldn’t be able to run. In fact, he doubted whether she would even be able to walk.

With his hand broken, there was no way he could carry both Daniel and her downstairs in one trip. He’d have to drag the former. With that in mind, he looked around, trying to find a rope or anything he could use to tie Daniel down.

The duvet was too thick. The sheets ought to be a better option. Desmond jumped to his feet and threw the duvet to the side, reaching for the sheets beneath it. A metal tray slid to the floor, pushed from the bedside table by the duvet, startling Belle. Ryan didn’t give it much attention, as he heard things rolling under the bed.

When he leaned forward, though, the damaged bedpost gave in, and he lost his balance, instinctively sustaining his weight on his already injured hand.

-Argh! -He groaned through the sharp flares of pain, stumbling back as he instinctively stole a glance toward Belle.

Her eyes were fixed on Daniel. Ryan felt his blood freeze as he followed her gaze, expecting the asshole to be getting up or doing anything other than lying still, but he still seemed to be trying to regain consciousness.

Ryan brought his attention back to the bed, then let out a sequence of curses. The sheets were made of silk, which meant they would work to immobilize Daniel as much as a sieve would to carry water.

Closing his eyes briefly, he tried to push through the pain in his hand and focus on the outer room, searching his memory for anything he could use to restrain Daniel. The image came to him, vivid and clear. When he had passed through the living room, a movement by the window had caught his attention briefly. The curtains, blowing slightly with the wind, hung from a golden pole and were held in place by a golden cord.

He heard Belle whining low behind him and checked on Daniel again. He was still unconscious, but his eyes were twitching a bit. Desmond reached for Belle, holding her face between his hands, and kissed her forehead. To his disappointment, she tried to push him and turned her face to avoid him.

-Belle… We have to go to the other room, real quick, ok? -Ryan wrapped one arm behind her back and she flinched, trying to back away. She looked at Daniel again and whined, shaking her head. -Love, I’ll take you with me, it’s fine. Let me carry you, please.

But she shook her head repeatedly and pushed him, first lightly, then really roughly, with both hands. One of her hands was closed in a fist, so it felt like she was trying to punch his chest.

Desmond sighed. They were taking too long. He needed to get out of here, with her. With or without Daniel, they needed to leave now.

He glanced at Daniel once more and made the decision. It had taken almost three fucking years. Now he had that bastard, and he was not letting him have another opportunity to escape. Besides, if he left him behind, there was always a chance of him getting help from his minions and coming after Belle.

He nodded to himself, kissed Belle’s forehead once again then ran for the door, retrieving the gun on his way out, just to be safe. He quickly pulled the slide back, just enough to check that there was a round left in the chamber. Once in the wide living room, he headed straight to the window.

Desmond had already managed to yank the pole off the wall, and was almost done collecting the cord, when Belle’s visceral screams made him jump. He ran back to the room, carrying the pole with his good hand. If Daniel had moved one inch in her direction, he would split his skull in two with that damned pole and wouldn’t give a fuck about justice or law anymore.

But when he got into the room, he found something ten thousand times worse than Daniel.

Belle was leaning against the wall, screaming and kicking, her thin gown quickly burning from her legs toward her upper body. The carpet was burning like a bonfire, as did the mattress. How the hell had this fire even started and how had it spread this fast?

Desmond immediately let go of the pole and leapt across the burning carpet to reach Belle, grabbing the front of her gown and tearing it off her body, with one swift, desperate motion. He tossed the thing aside, feeling the heat sear up his arm, then held Belle to his chest with his broken hand and hoisted her onto his shoulder with the other.

To his horror, just when he was circling the carpet from the other side, his eyes caught a glimpse of a gallon tipped over in front of the bedside table. Realization hit him: the pungent smell he had assumed was paint or thinner, was actually gasoline, or diesel. It seemed pretty obvious now, with all those candles scattered around the room… It was bound to happen, he just hadn’t given it a thought.

His eyes darted across the room, searching for a clear path to the exit. Near the door, four more gallons were bunched together, practically where he had found the chair, making him wonder what took him so long to spot them.

The fire was spreading so quickly, he could feel his lungs starting to burn with the heat. Without sparing the gallons another glance, he bolted for the door, praying they would make it out in time.

He jumped over Daniel’s body to reach the door faster, then rushed down the narrow corridor. Only once they were in the middle of the living room did he put Belle down. She was still screaming at the top of her lungs.

-Belle, please stop! -He urged her. -Please, love… Stop. Hush, we’re fine, see? There’s no fire here…

She was bare chested, trembling, clutching at his jumpsuit with both hands, her nails trying to dig into his flesh under it.

-Baby, stop, please. Someone will hear you. -He whispered, making soothing sounds. He kissed her forehead and temples, then her dry, cracked lips. She kept sobbing and whining, but at least stopped screaming. -Good girl, shhh, it’s alright. Belle, listen…

He took her hands on his and finally felt her fingers spreading open, inviting him to intertwine his on them. Her palms were soaked with sweat and freezing.

Something inside the bedroom collapsed and he knew it was a matter of time before anything flammable in there turned to ashes. They needed to get out of that damned place before the smoke caught someone’s attention.

Desmond cursed inwardly. If he left Daniel inside that bedroom now, it would be the same as sentencing him to burn to death. Not that the bastard didn’t deserve it, but he had spent three years trying to bring him to justice, and letting him get away this easily was not in his plans.

-Belle, I need to go back for that son of a bitch. -He couldn’t believe his own words, but that was all he could think about now. -I’m sorry, I’ll leave you alone just for a moment, ok?

She shook her head and whined, but didn’t try to stop him when he let go of her hands and ran back to the room.

For some miracle the gallons were still there, intact, even though the flames were not more than two feet away from them. Desmond took just one stride to reach Daniel, grabbed a fist of his shirt and dragged him to the door at once. On his way out, he wrapped his arm around the cord and dragged the pole too. This motherfucker would come with them, one way or another.

He didn’t believe it would be enough to cut the oxygen in the room, considering there was a wide window and a balcony in there, but he closed the door behind him anyway, then dropped Daniel’s body right in front of it.

Desmond was exhausted. His head was throbbing, his energy was drained, his body was aching. He looked around the room and his eyes lingered on Belle. Aside from her sobs and whines, the room felt oppressively silent compared to the chaos he had just witnessed inside the bedroom.

Ryan dragged his feet and dropped beside her, then pulled her to his chest. She was unresponsive, similarly to when Williams had forced her to call Daniel. No, it was more like when she had believed he was dead, and kept wailing and sobbing his name.

It felt like a whole day had passed since Roberto had come to get him, but he could bet it hadn’t been more than ten minutes. They needed to get away, it really felt like they had stayed too long. His hand was aching terribly and he couldn’t help but regret refusing help before coming for Daniel.

As if summoned by some supernatural power, Roberto burst into the room, the door crashing against the wall as his gun swept the space. Desmond immediately had the Glock steady in his good hand and pointed at the doorway.

-Alejandro! Grazie a Dio! -Roberto halted a few steps away from the open door, panting and covered in sweat. Desmond furrowed his eyebrows as he realized the man was limping hard. He watched as Roberto huffed and put the gun away to lean against a counter, then put his own gun away too. -I thought I heard gunshots when I was running down, I had to come back and make sure you were ok…

His gaze finally landed on Belle, and Desmond moved to block his view of her exposed body. Roberto caught on the unspoken message, immediately looking away, turning his head to check on Daniel, instead.

-Do something, since you’re here. Tie down that motherfucker. -Desmond huffed, nodding toward the pole while unzipping his jumpsuit and taking off his shirt. -Make sure to do it right, so he won’t be able to escape.

Belle whined and sniffed as he forced the shirt down her shoulders. She seemed to be still dealing with the after effects of the reliving trauma. He didn’t really know what to do to soothe her, so he just held her to his chest again.

-Can you carry him? -Desmond sighed, holding up his right hand. -I can’t take them both. I think I broke something here.

Roberto grimaced and massaged his own shoulder, glancing at Daniel.

-I gotta go help Mariano. I can’t take long. -He shook his head. Then, seeing Desmond’s exasperated look, he added. -Look, I hurt my leg badly last month and it isn’t healed yet. I can’t carry that much weight! Alligator was already too much, it’s hurting like hell, I really can’t.

Desmond made a disgusted face, then shook his head and grunted his disappointment.

-I could take Belle… She’s light enough. -Roberto offered.

-Only over my dead body. -Desmond grunted. -Literally.

Roberto frowned, but didn’t argue. He took a peek at Belle and shivered, horrified by the signs of abuse on her arms, cheek and legs.

-Look, we should go, someone else must have heard the shots too. Also, I’ve pushed Alligator down the trash chute. It’s a matter of time before someone finds him. -Roberto started to talk nonstop, using both hands to emphasize his exasperation. -Just leave him here, per l’amor di dio!

Desmond stared at Belle. She needed him. He couldn’t bear the thought of leaving her alone once more, not even just to come up and get Daniel, not even for a moment.

Ignoring his limbs’ desperate pleas for rest, Desmond staggered to his feet, nearly toppling over as the adrenaline crash hit him, amplifying every ache and pain in his body tenfold.

He cursed, then pushed Roberto out of his way, checked if the knots were firm, then hoisted Daniel’s body up. He dragged the boy’s limp body to a chair and dropped him there, then used the pole to lock him in place, the arms of the chair serving as a support.

-Listen to me, you piece of shit. If you run away this time, I will hunt you down, I will find you one last time, I’ll rip your big green yes off that fucking ugly face of yours and I’ll watch you choke on them. I know you can hear me, answer me, asshole! -He raised his voice, just enough to prove a point. Daniel just let out a small whimpering sound and moved his head in a sloppy nod. His face was so swollen, Desmond could bet he couldn’t open his eyes, not even to peek. His jaw hung loose to one side, letting drool spill to his chin. -Good. Now stay here and wait. They won’t take long to come and get you.

Desmond bent down to take the curtains he had tossed on the floor a few minutes before and nodded to himself. The fabric was thick, but soft to the touch. Just as he was turning around, there was a loud explosion inside the bedroom, making all of them jump.

Thankfully, the heavy door didn’t give in to the pressure, although it did tremble. Roberto hastily reached for Belle, out of reflex.

-Back off! Now! -Desmond roared, and he immediately took several steps back. -Don’t you fucking dare touch her.

Desmond moved like a lion circling its prey, then kneeled beside Belle, his eyes still fixed on Roberto.

-I was just gonna… I… I’m sorry. -He murmured, visibly shocked by his friend’s demeanor. -We need to go.

Desmond blatantly ignored him. He gently placed the fabric over her shoulders, then improvised a hood, covering her hair. This seemed to be enough to soothe her just enough, and he gave her a warm smile as he watched her instinctively pull the curtain closer to her chest, covering half of her face with it.

-No one touches her but me. -Desmond glared at Roberto, taking her into his arms. Belle moved and hid her face on his collarbone. -Let’s go. Take us to a safe place and go help Vincenzo. I’ll take care of her.

-Va bene! We need to be quick. There’s no way they haven’t heard it, this time. -Roberto nodded, then sprinted to the door. It seemed like he was running from Desmond, not from whoever was about to come up. -Su, Andiamo, this way!

He guided Desmond deeper through the corridor, then opened a door locked by key and code to reveal a maintenance crew route. It didn’t surprise Desmond in the least, that Vincenzo’s men had built their own network and knew everything there was to know about this place. Corey could be resourceful and charismatic, but Vincenzo knew how to wield his own power, spreading his influence and connections like no one else, in every opportunity. He was glad it was Roberto helping him get out of this place, instead of that soft ginger.

They were just starting to go down a narrow spiral staircase when Belle seemed to wake up from her brief lethargic state and started to panic.

-Where…? No! Where is it? -She squirmed and tried to push him back, pulling both hands off the cocoon he had built with the curtain, then tattering over her chest and stomach. -No! Give it back!

She pushed away from him and screeched like a wounded animal. Roberto stopped a few steps down, silently urging his friend to shut her up.

Desmond sat down and held her face between his hands, making soothing sounds, but this time it seemed like she was in complete mental disarray.

-No, no, you’re not real! -He managed to understand between her sobs. -No, this isn’t… Please… It was all I had left…

Unintelligible noises came out of her mouth. Roberto made a couple of signs with his hands, exasperated, but Desmond didn’t pay any attention to him.

Truth was, he was overwhelmed from witnessing Belle in this state. Not even on the night of the crash she had acted this crazy. Not even that evening, when she had hallucinated about Chloe attacking her, while he was assisting her coming down his stairs, she hadn’t acted this deranged.

-Baby, it’s me… I’m real. Bob is here, he’s real. Look at me! I’m here, see it? -He tried to take her hand to his own face, trying to prove that she wasn’t hallucinating, but she flinched and backed away. -Belle, please, stop crying and look at me!

-We don’t have time for this, cazzo! -Roberto pinched the air with both hands, then grabbed his own head. -They’ll hear her, make her stop! They’ll find us here!

-What are you suggesting? That I gag her? That I knock her out? -Desmond didn’t take his eyes from Belle as he scoffed and shook his head, luckily missing Roberto’s slight nod. -Baby, we need you to calm down, ok? It’s gonna be alright, I’m here, this is real, you’re safe.

-Siamo tutto tranne che al sicuro, porca puttana! -Roberto groaned, smacking his own legs, then dragging both hands through his hair. Desmond glared at him. -Let’s go! Make her stop and let’s go! Alzati, madre di Dio!

Desmond sighed. Belle was still trying to push away from him, even though he was making a great effort to keep her held tightly against his chest. At least she wasn’t biting yet, but that also meant she had her mouth free to scream.

-Enough! -He took her chin firmly with his good hand while his other arm clenched tightly around her waist, smothering her briefly. She stopped screaming and stared at him wide eyed. -Enough, Isabelle. Please, stop.

-Ryan… -She whined, her eyes shutting tightly. -I’m so sorry…

Sorry for what? He thought to himself as he watched her cry and sob against his chest, but didn’t dare to ask. She was quieter and that was enough for now. He tried to get up with her body loose in his arm, but lost his balance and had to lean on his good hand to steady himself.

-That won’t work… -Roberto murmured, shaking his head. -We won’t make it.

-What are you fucking going on about, now? -Desmond rolled his eyes. -Weren’t you in a hurry just a second ago? Let’s go, lead the way!

-No, we won’t make it! È impossibile. Not with her doing that! -Roberto shook his head again and crossed his arms. -We’re lucky Daniel had the corridors shut all the way down on this tower, but when we get to ground level, we’ll have to be quiet as cockroaches. One peep and we’re done. We’ll be doomed.

-For fuck sake, Roberto, why don’t you give me a solution instead of a shitload of problems, for a change? -He hissed as he used his good hand to force Belle to lean her head on his shoulder. -Try and show some damned empathy... She’s been through a lot!

-I know! I know, ok? You have no idea! We wanted to take her from him weeks ago. We were all really worried about her! I still am! -Roberto hissed back, his voice cracking midway whispers. -I’m sorry, but my man needs me too, Principe Vincenzo needs me too, and I’m telling you, we’ll lose the three of them if we try to take her to the airport…

Desmond pressed his lips, feeling trapped. He couldn’t deny it, they were in a really tight spot. He couldn’t use his right hand, his best hand, to shoot. The Glock on his waist might as well be empty, save for the round in the chamber. Odds were the magazine was empty, and even if it weren’t, two bullets wouldn’t do him any good now.

-What do you suggest? -He felt his shoulders drop and Isabelle suddenly felt heavier, even though he knew she was lighter than ever. -Please, tell me there’s a way… I need to take her somewhere safe, at least until they come and rescue us…

-Sicuro. -Roberto nodded mostly to himself. Suddenly his eyes lit up. -Safe! You could wait in a safe!

-What the hell? -Desmond frowned. -What do you mean? What safe?

-Not literally, dai! -Bob gesticulated with both hands and started going back up. He passed by Desmond, stopping in front of the exit to the second floor and put his hand over the doorknob. -Come, quick!

Desmond hesitated as he held Belle more firmly and followed him back upstairs, then out the door. They checked the corridor on both sides, then Roberto hastily showed him the way to a sturdy iron door. He checked the corridor again before stopping in front of a keypad mounted on the wall.

-Ecco! It’s been under renovation for months, but they dropped it. Abbandonato. No one uses it, and only a few of us know it’s there… Fox, Lion, Jack, and me, I think... Alligator knows it too, but I doubt he’ll ever come back in here. -Roberto mused while pressing the buttons, making sure to let Desmond watch him do it, so he too would know the codes. He waited till the first door closed behind them, trapping them in a narrow space, then used a different code to open another door right in front of the first one. -Al sicuro come in cassaforte. I’d bet Daniel doesn’t even remember about it. If he does, he won’t know the codes.

-Holly fuck… -Desmond frowned when the smell of the room hit his nose. It wasn’t unbearable, just surprising and unpleasant. He paused by the door and sighed, adjusting Isabelle’s weight. -You sure?

-Sicuro, dai. -Roberto nodded, gesturing for Desmond to follow him. He stopped abruptly and Desmond took a step back to avoid bumping into him. Roberto took a moment to speak again. -Damn… Poor girls…

-What do you mean? -Desmond moved to check over the man’s shoulder and instinctively pulled the fabric closer to his chest, to make sure Isabelle wouldn’t be able to take a peak around. -What the fuck, man?

He had thought the stench, stale and metallic, mixed with the sour tang of mildew, would be the worst of it. But if the smell was gruesome, the vision was macabre. The place looked like a crime scene. What the hell happened here?

-It’s worse than we thought… Dios mio, if I ever get to settle scores with Alligator, that coward bastard... -Roberto muttered, his eyes narrowing as he scanned the space. Desmond did the same, but kept his face impassive. -Those poor girls… Goddamnit!

Desmond took in the details: the carpet was stained with brown and black smears, its pearl-like fibers saturated with blood, lots of it. The bed was worse. Matted chunks of thick black hair littered the mattress and pillows, the sheets crumpled in disarray on the floor, also stained in brown and yellow. A chair was toppled in the middle of the room. Along with the dark stains, with ropes stained in brown and black tossed over it.

His stomach churned, and he held Isabelle even more firmly.

-She can’t see this. I won’t keep her here. -Desmond muttered, his jaw tightening with frustration. -You gotta be kidding me if this is the safest place you could get…

-Ascoltami. This is the best we can do now. The walls are thick, believe me, even if she has another outburst, they won’t hear her. -Roberto assured him, then furrowed his brow with frustration. -We tried to hear the girls here, to know how much they would talk… We couldn’t. We did hear them scream a bit, but barely, almost like a mosquito, I swear. It’s disgusting, but it’s safe.

Desmond hesitated, then crossed the room, toward a closed door on the opposite wall. It was as far as possible from the entrance, and he hoped it was a closet or a storage room. When he opened it, the stench of mold and stale water made him flinch. It was a wide bathroom, apparently the part that had been under renovation. A wide bathtub had been removed and put to the side. He could see the cement where he assumed was its original place, along with the stones that presumably would replace the flooring, which had been removed up to the middle of the room.

-Fuck. -He swallowed hard, trying to get used to the smell. Reinforcements were on their way. They wouldn’t die from waiting one or two hours in this place. Isabelle was deep asleep, and the smell didn’t seem to bother her at all. -The fuck do you think you’re doing?

Roberto marched straight to the sink and simply turned the faucet, letting water run, then walked to the corner of the bathroom and dragged a sack of cement, dropping it over a large drain that would be otherwise fully open.

-It might help a bit with the smell. -He murmured, glancing around, as if he had just realized that the place was completely unsanitary. -Look, I…

-Don’t you have to go and rescue Vincenzo? -Desmond frowned as he looked around, considering his situation. There was no window in the bedroom and there was only a small one in the bathroom. This smell wouldn’t go away, no matter what they did. -Go, I’ll think about something, just go.

-Ok, ok! But, look… -He started to say as he walked to the door. -We’re close enough to Belle’s bedroom… We could go back up and get Daniel… Or we could finish him there. Do you want to try?

-There’s no fucking way I’m leaving her, ever again. -Desmond scoffed, but gave him a small smile. -Leave that vermin to justice. Go for Vincenzo and Mariano, now!

-I feel bad about leaving you two, Alejandro. Please, keep her safe, but don’t get caught, ok? Promise me you won’t go back for Daniel on your own. -Roberto looked down. -I still don’t know what I’ll tell Principe Vincenzo though… I think I’ll tell him you got hurt and couldn’t come, but that you and Belle are both safe… Yeah, that will work, I guess.

-Tell him whatever shit you want, but go, for fuck sake!-Desmond rolled his eyes, then looked around, searching for a place where he could sit with Belle without getting wet or too dirty with mold and dust. -Shit, I hope she’s breathing fine.

-There might be clean sheets on one of the drawers… This place used to be a guest room for VIPs not half a year ago. -Roberto muttered, looking at the door. -Do you want me…

-I want you to fucking go! -Desmond glared at him, his tone firm. -What the fuck do you think they’ll do if they catch you three here, uh? I have an excuse, I’m here for Belle. You're gonna screw me badly if you make me get out of my way to try and get you out of jail! Get the fuck out of this place before they get you.

There was an uncomfortable silence and Desmond realized he had raised his voice enough to fill the room with it. He took a deep breath and went on.

-Tell Vincenzo we’ll talk once she’s better, and that I’m telling him to leave, right away. Tell him that’s the first order he’s getting from me. - He paused, waiting for the message to sink in, then went on. - And tell him that if he can’t respond to my authority properly, our deal is off.

Roberto flinched, but nodded. For a moment Desmond thought he would insist on his plan of going back and getting Daniel, but he just sighed, shot him a small smile and closed the door behind him.

Desmond listened close, hearing as the second iron door closed with a distant thud, then glanced down at Isabelle’s pale face. Her breathing was shallow, but steady. His grip on her tightened, protective. This place was bad, but it could be worse. At least there were no blood stains or chunks of hair. There was no evidence of the horrors that had happened in the room just next to this, so there was nothing that could trigger her already disturbed mind.

-It’s me and you now, Belle. Just a bit more and this will all be over, I promise you. -He whispered as he kissed her temple and rested his forehead in hers. He couldn’t help but smile when she squirmed a bit, opening her eyes very slowly and staring straight into his. -I love you, so, so much…

Her lashes flickered and her breath became oddly noisy, then he felt her body melting into his arms as she collapsed into a deep slumber once more.

 

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