I would never make a case for Ramon’s defense, but his wife and daughter were a different story. “Your mother wouldn’t want this…”
“But she’s not here,” he said bitterly. “It doesn’t matter what she would want.”
“It does matter. You can’t let him get away with this.”
Both of his hands balled into fists, like he was losing his temper. “The only way I can stop this from happening is by killing my father. I hate the son of a bitch with a passion, but I don’t want to pop a couple of bullets into his skull. So, do you have a better idea?”
I sat there with dread in my heart, knowing I couldn’t come up with a plan that would fix the problem. I’d seen Caspian with my own eyes and understood how distorted his sense of reality was. Even if Maverick managed to help these women, Caspian would hunt them down again. Their only chance of survival was to return to wherever they were from, and Ramon’s men could protect them. Somehow, Caspian had kidnapped them the first time, but it would be nearly impossible to do it a second time.
When I didn’t say anything, he sighed. “It’s not right, but there’s nothing anyone can do. My father has his mind made up, and nothing will change it. I say we just forget about it…” He grabbed the neck of the bottle and rested it on his thigh.
I knew Maverick had a much different perspective of himself. He considered himself cold and cruel, the spitting image of his father. But if that were true, he wouldn’t be trying to drink his sorrows away, to repress the memories because they were too hard to bear. It was killing him inside to know this was happening…because he cared.
There were a few things I didn’t like about his character, but the more I got to know him, the more I respected him. He was cruel in his own way, but he was also extremely kind…and generous. He’d been my rock since the beginning, the support I leaned on to get through the day. Our marriage was a sham, but I relied on him the way every wife relied on her husband.
Why didn’t his father see him the same way? Not as a disappointment…but as a good man he should be proud of.
Pinning the flashlight between my neck and shoulder, I focused the light on the door so I could grab the handle and slide it open. It was three in the morning, and the sky was so dark that stars and planets were Christmas lights that blanketed the sky. I pushed inside and saw the piles of hay on the ground.
All the doors to the stalls were open—except one.
There were hooks drilled into the wall, a place to hang keys. There was only one set, so I assumed that was what I needed. I grabbed them then moved to the door, my footsteps loud against the hay underneath my feet.
Their bodies stirred on the other side. “Dad…” The woman whispered to her father as she heard me slip the key in the door.
“It’s happening.” Another female voice entered the silence.
The second I opened this door, Ramon could overpower me. I didn’t have a weapon, and if I let Ramon go, then that wouldn’t be right. I wasn’t a fan of violence, but he needed to be punished for what he had done. So I couldn’t let him…only the women. “My name is Arwen. Maverick is my husband. He told me what’s supposed to happen in the morning.”
They were silent, not moving or breathing.
“I don’t think it’s right. I think Caspian is taking it too far. So, I want to let you go…but I have to make a deal with you first.”
“Please let us go.” The older woman turned aggressive, slamming her fists into the door. “Please. At least let my daughter go.”
Listening to them was just as bad as the horror I imagined. “I’ll let you both go…but Ramon has to stay. I don’t have a weapon, so I can’t keep you inside this cell once I open it.” Maybe being honest wasn’t the best way to go. He might just break down the door, kill me, and then run off. “So you have to make a deal with me. When I open the door, you stay put…and let the women go. If you give me any reason to doubt you, I’ll just go back to the house now. So, you need to decide what kind of man you want to be. Do you want to save your wife and daughter? Or do you want to be a coward?”
They whispered to one another, their voices barely audible.
It didn’t take long for them to make a decision. Ramon spoke next. “Please save my family…”
I could hear the sincerity in his voice, the way it cracked with emotion. I could hear his beating heart, his gratitude. It was just a single sentence, but it conveyed so much. “Alright…” I turned the key and opened the door.