Viola's Risk (The Twin Destinies Saga Book 2) Read online

  Viola and Cora nodded their heads in agreement, it was all they could think of to do, since they’d won this argument and it was only fair they agree.

  Everyone settled down to plan after that. Sage kept giving the girls disapproving looks, with Dominic and Liam following suit. Angelica looked proud and worried at the same time. Thomas had his business face on that betrayed none of his emotions or thoughts on what they were discussing.

  After mapping out the entire plan, Cora looked up and asked, “When are we doing this?”

  “We go in about an hour,” Sage replied with no further comment.

  Both girls’ eyes got huge at that statement.

  “So soon?” Viola asked in shock.

  “What? Are we interrupting a nail appointment or something?” Sage snapped back. “If we are, please don’t let us stand in the way, go keep your appointment and let the rest of us handle the mission.”

  “Excuse me?” Viola snapped, standing up and glaring at Sage.

  “You heard me just fine,” Sage replied, standing face to face with Viola. He was trying to push her buttons so she’d lose control of her powers and Thomas would be forced to keep them off the mission and safe.

  “What’s the matter Sage? You didn’t win the battle to keep us off the mission so now you’re gonna take it out on us? Think again. We’re going and there’s nothing you can do to stop it,” Viola said and sat back down, picking up on Sage’s plan. She gave him a smug smile as she crossed her legs and leaned back into the couch.

  Viola winked at Cora, who then relaxed back into Liam’s arms and not giving Sage the response he wanted, which frustrated him. He needed to keep them out of the danger zone.

  “Sage, there will be no more comments like that one. That is enough,” Thomas ordered. He was disappointed the girls did not fall for Sage’s trick, but proud of them at the same time. They were learning how to control their tempers and emotions so their powers did not get out of control, even though their training had not yet begun.

  “Yes, sir,” Sage replied with a bitter note in his voice.

  “Very well done my dears,” Angelica said softly to the girls with a proud smile on her face.

  “Thank you,” Each of them murmured to their mother, pride from their mother’s compliment making them beam.

  “Now, each of you go get dressed and meet back here in an hour. We will go over the plan one more time and then you will follow it to the letter,” Thomas instructed them as they rose and left the room to change and gather what they would need, although it wasn’t much since they weren’t even leaving the property.

  Dominic followed Viola to her room. She stopped just before opening the door and turned to face him.

  “Whatever it is you’re gonna say, don’t waste our time or your breath. I’m going and that’s final,” Viola told him, pinning him in place with a dead stare.

  “Look, I understand why you feel the need to do this, but you need to think of the consequences of Anna getting her hands on either you or Cora. That could be devastating. Please don’t do this,” Dominic pleaded anyway.

  Viola’s look softened as she reached up and ran her hand down the side of his face and then cupping his cheek.

  “I have to. I am done being afraid of her. She’s used fear to run my entire life until now. That is over. Now Cora and I are stronger than she is and can finally stop her before she can hurt anyone else. That is bigger than protecting you, myself or Cora. She has to be stopped and being in prison is not enough,” Viola said, understanding for his concern and pleading for his understanding all wrapped up in her voice.

  “The two of you have stopped her. I am only going to gather information, she can’t hurt me down there. If she could have, she would have done it when she’d sensed me there the first time,” Dominic said, begging Viola to reconsider.

  “No she wouldn’t have. She needs you to get out of that cell and she knows it. She will do whatever it takes to convince you to let her out and then she will hurt you. That is how Anna works. I’ve lived with her my entire life, believe me, I know. There is nothing you can say that will make me change my mind on this. It will go smoother if you stop trying,” Viola said, dropping her hand and entering her room, closing the door behind her before Dominic could say anything else.

  Dominic growled in frustration at how stubborn Viola was. He heard Sage chuckle from the top of the stairs and turned around.

  “What’s so funny?” Dominic demanded.

  “I know that frustration. I’ve seen Liam battle with it since he’s met Cora. Trust me, those two don’t get any easier to handle so you might as well learn to deal with it,” Sage advised as he moved away from the stairs, heading towards his own room to get ready.

  “That didn’t stop you from trying at the meeting,” Dominic argued.

  “I tried to get them to lose their tempers and lose control of their powers. There’s a difference. Once their minds are made up about something, you’re out of luck. Especially when they agree,” Sage said, patting Dominic on the shoulder as he walked past. “I feel for you man.”

  “Yeah, fat lotta good that does me,” Dominic groaned and headed downstairs to his own room to prepare.

  When everyone was ready, they reassembled in Thomas’ study and went over the plan one last time, which took only a few minutes.

  “One last question, do either of you even know how to use a gun?” Dominic asked, sarcasm dripping from his voice.

  “Heck yeah we do! Long story, but we figured it was better to know to protect ourselves, before we knew about our powers, than to be defenseless,” Cora said with a shrug as if it was nothing. Viola grinned at her mate when she saw the surprise written all over his face at Cora’s bombshell.

  “You do what you gotta do,” Viola said and shrugged, then crossed her arms across her chest.

  “You two are gonna be the death of me. I swear you are,” Liam said, rolling his eyes and heading for the door. “Let’s get this show on the road already.”

  He headed out and everyone followed suit except for Thomas and Angelica who remained where they were, watching the group and praying they’d all come back unharmed. Anything that had to do with Anna, had the potential to go horribly wrong.

  Chapter Thirty-Six

  Everyone was in their positions, with the twins at the most accessible points so that if Dominic needed them, they were right there.

  He took a deep breath and entered the corridor where Anna’s and Patrick’s cells were located just a few doors apart. They were busy arguing when he entered this time.

  “You betrayed me,” Anna screamed.

  “I had no reason not to,” Patrick said, cool and collected, even though he was in the middle of an argument.

  “You had every reason not to,” Anna screamed back.

  “I am so sick and tired of you ordering me around. That is all you’ve ever done since we’ve met. You ordered me to go out with you the first time, then to pretend to be your mate, and every other miserable, despicable, horrible thing I’ve ever done since I met you. It’s over Anna. This isn’t even a true mating,” Patrick replied, disgust in his voice.

  Dominic just stayed back and listened. They were giving him quite a bit of information and he was recording it all. No sense in making his presence known yet when he could possibly get everything he needed without doing so.

  “You are worthless. I should have listened to my mother when she told me you weren’t worth the time of day,” Anna spat, fury filling her words.

  “It would have made my life a whole lot happier if you had,” Patrick replied, earning a furious screech in response.

  “I’ve given you everything,” she screeched

  “You’ve given me nothing but misery and heartache. I’ve hated myself since the day I met you. The only good thing I’ve done since I met you is keep you from killing those girls. At least I can sleep at night because of that,” Patrick replied with a sneer. He’d held back quite a bit from what Dominic could te
ll, but Anna was pushing him to lose his cool.

  “You couldn’t have protected those girls from me if you wanted to. Your powers are weak, just like you are. I didn’t kill them because I had plans for them and still do,” Anna replied with a haughty laugh.

  “Still do huh? What are you gonna do from here, watch them fulfill the prophecy?” Patrick replied and laughed with true amusement.

  “Oh, I’ll be out of here long before that happens. Dominic will be back to get me out of here. I have no doubt about that whatsoever,” Anna cackled happily.

  Patrick laughed even harder at her words. Dominic even had to crack a smile at how delusional Anna truly was at this point.

  “You believe he would come back for you after everything you’ve done to him? I’m sure he’s long gone by now. If he’s not, then he’s a bigger fool than I gave him credit for,” Patrick said, laughter still filling his voice at Anna’s claims.

  “That boy owes me for everything he’s got and he knows it. He will be back to free me, mark my words,” Anna told Patrick with confidence. Dominic wondered how well Anna even knew him if she believed that load of crap, but then that might just be how he could get her to talk to him about her plans.

  As he opened his mouth to clear his throat and announce his presence since Anna had been too busy arguing with Patrick to sense it on her own, Patrick said something that stopped him in his tracks.

  “Are you ever going to tell him that his parents, sister and brother are still alive?” Patrick asked in a curious tone.

  “Who? Dominic? Why in the world would I tell him that? He works much better thinking they’re dead,” Anna sneered as if Patrick were the dumbest person in the world.

  Dominic’s brain stopped focusing on the plan and kept swirling Patrick’s words about his family around in his head. He didn’t know how they could possibly still be alive. He wondered where they’ve been all of this time if they were alive and if they had even tried to get back to him, regretting sacrificing him to Anna’s mercy and bidding.

  “Focus Dominic! We can figure all of that out later, right now we need to stick to the mission. I promise, I will help you find your family.” Viola’s voice filled his head with love, compassion and urgency. Snapping back to the situation at hand, he was glad he was recording everything because it was obvious he’d missed quite a bit while his mind had wandered to his family.

  Before announcing he was there, he decided to try to catch up and learn anything else before doing so. He listened for a few minutes and realized they must be done arguing because Patrick was now silent and Anna was muttering to herself so low he couldn’t understand a thing she was saying. He hoped they could amplify her words and make sense of them later when they analyzed the recording.

  He took a moment to gather his thoughts and form a plan, before stepping forward like he was sneaking in.

  “Anna,” he whispered loudly.

  Both Anna and Patrick went completely still and silent, so he called out again in a loud whisper as he got closer to their cells. “Anna, where are you?”

  “Here. I knew you’d come. Get over here and let me out now,” Anna called out, evil happiness in her voice.

  “Foolish boy. Stupid, foolish boy,” Patrick muttered.

  Dominic ignored Patrick’s words because, unless Patrick could read minds, he knew the man had no clue he wasn’t here to rescue Anna, but to gain information for the other side.

  He pretended to rush over to Anna’s cell and try to open it. He positioned his body so Patrick couldn’t tell he wasn’t trying at all and made a big production of it for Anna’s sake.

  “I can’t get it. I don’t have the right tools with me,” Dominic exclaimed in a loud whisper.

  “Go get them and come right back,” Anna demanded.

  “I can’t just go get them and come right back. Do you know how hard it was to get in here in the first place? It will take some planning to get back in here.” Dominic whispered in a fake exasperated tone.

  “How could you not bring the proper tools? I know you scouted ahead, I sensed your presence yesterday even though you didn’t answer me when I called to you,” Anna said, furious at his lack of response.

  “Did you want me to give myself away? There were guards nearby, if I had answered you, I would be in here with you right now instead of trying to get you out,” Dominic told her.

  “Hmph,” was all Anna said in reply to his statement. It was obvious she didn’t like being told something that made her look like a fool, which he’d done.

  “Look, I can’t do anything to get this open right now. Is there anything you need me to do before I come back to get you out?” Dominic asked her, sounding ready to do her bidding as soon as she issued the orders.

  “Get me out of here and we will put my plans into motion,” Anna snarled.

  “That will waste time. While I am planning my trip back to get you out, I can get things started for you so they’re already in motion and you won’t have to wait long after you get out,” Dominic said, putting away the fake tools he’d pulled out when he’d pretended to try to unlock the cell for her escape.

  “You were so incompetent you didn’t bring the proper tools with you to release me, what makes me think you’re competent enough to put my plans into motion?” Anna snapped.

  “I am sorry I let you down Ma’am. I promise I will never do so again. You can trust in me to get done what you need,” Dominic said, pretending subservience when all he wanted to do was throw up.

  “Let me think. I don’t know if I trust you to handle this. These are big plans that need to be tended to in just the right way,” Anna said, drawing it out. He could already tell she was going to give him an assignment. She just had to add the flare of drama to it like she always did.

  He already knew how to play this role, since he’d done it from a young age, and stepped right into the part with ease, even though it disgusted him to do so.

  “Anything. I will do anything you require of me. All I ask is that you forgive me for messing up your rescue,” Dominic pleaded, bile rising up in his throat.

  “Then this is what I need you to do. And you’d better do it exactly how I tell you to do it or you will suffer in more ways than you can possibly imagine,” Anna declared, the venom in her tone making Dominic shudder against his will. Her sheer vile hatred contaminating everything around her, making Dominic himself feel tainted.

  He nodded his head at her, “I’m listening,” he said, and paid close attention to every horrible detail she outlined for him to do.

  Chapter Thirty-Seven

  Dominic walked out of the high security prison area and right past where Viola, Cora, Liam and Sage were all waiting for him. They were dying to know what Anna and Patrick had said, but refrained from asking when they saw the ashen color and look of horror on his face.

  “It’s bad isn’t it? What she plans on doing?” Viola asked him, catching up and walking next to him. She got even more worried when he didn’t acknowledge she was there or had said anything. He just kept walking.

  His mind was trying to process the vileness that lived inside of Anna and how she could possibly be related to Angelica and the twins. Even after everything he’d seen and heard Anna do and say over the years, he was not ready to process what she’d just said to him in that prison. Never would he get those words out of his head.

  “Hey, Dominic, you okay man?” Sage asked, concern overflowing from his voice. The emotions rolling off of Dominic in waves made him want to curl into a ball and hide himself, so he knew something major was going on.

  Dominic still didn’t respond and just kept walking until he’d reached Thomas’ study and opened the door without knocking. He entered, leaving the door open behind him for the others and crossed the room to where Thomas was seated at his desk. Angelica was nowhere to be seen.

  “How did it go?” Thomas asked, looking up from a document he’d been reading.

  Not saying anything, he reached up and disconnecte
d the wire he’d been wearing to record everything. He handed the device to Thomas with a haunted look in his eyes, turned and walked out of the room, without saying a word.

  Viola took a step to follow Dominic, but Sage grabbed her arm and held her back with a shake of his head.

  “You don’t want to go after him right now Vi. He needs some time alone to process,” Sage warned her with compassion.

  “He needs me,” Viola said, looking out of the door after him.

  “He will after he fully wraps his mind around everything Anna just said to him. Give him that time,” Sage said with a dark, worried look on his face.

  “Are you sure?” Viola asked, hoping Sage would change what he’d said and let her go after Dominic.

  “I’m sure if you go after him right now, you won’t like the response you get from him. You’ll know when the time is right, but it isn’t now,” Sage told her and dropped his hand, turning toward Thomas, who was watching and listening intently.

  “So what did happen?” Thomas asked as he set the recording device down on his desk.

  “It was very uneventful. There was one point where Dominic almost attacked Anna, but I will let Viola fill you in on that,” Sage told Thomas in a professional tone that betrayed none of his worry for Dominic’s mental health at the moment.

  “Viola? What happened?” Thomas asked, turning his gaze toward her.

  “I was monitoring the situation through our mental link when Patrick said something to Anna about Dominic’s parents, brother and sister still being alive. His focus shifted and I had to promise to help him find them to get him back focused on the mission. He was close to abandoning the mission itself to find out where they are being kept and how this information had been kept from him. It was very difficult for him to pretend to be at Anna’s beck and call, especially after learning that information,” Viola told Thomas with a terrified look on her face. She wondered if leaving Dominic alone right now, after learning his family was alive after all of this time, was such a good idea.