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

  “I wanted to make sure Dominic got some food and get myself a cup of hot chocolate. Is that alright with you?” Viola asked, sarcasm dripping from her words.

  “In answer to Dominic getting some food, I delivered it to him myself so I know he got it. As for the hot chocolate, it’s kind of late for that isn’t it?” Sage asked raising an eyebrow.

  “I couldn’t sleep.” Viola said with a shrug. She knew she had to play it cool otherwise Sage would be even more suspicious than he already was. “Besides, since when do you sit outside of my room stalking me?”

  “Since we know you’re going to try to pull something in order to get your hands on that recording,” Sage said with no hesitation.

  “If you say so. I’m going to get some hot chocolate right now. Are you going to follow me to the kitchen or stay here and babysit my room?” Viola asked, closing the door behind her and heading toward the stairs.

  “What’s Cora up to in there?” Sage asked, torn between going with Viola and watching for Cora to sneak out.

  “She cried herself to sleep so she’s not going anywhere,” Viola said, her voice soft with compassion for her twin’s pain.

  “Why did she cry herself to sleep? She’s the one who decided to stay with you instead of with Liam,” Sage asked, more suspicion in his voice.

  “She decided to stay with me because Liam sided with our father and she felt that keeping something this important to us from her was a betrayal, and I can’t say that I disagree with her. Now, I am going to get my hot chocolate, coming or not?” Viola said as she turned her back on Sage and started down the stairs. She knew without a doubt he would follow her so when he jumped up and headed in her direction, the corners of her mouth lifted into a small smile.

  Keeping her pace casual, she made her way into the kitchen and took her sweet time pulling out everything for the hot chocolate. Sage sat down at the kitchen island and watched her with a careful eye.

  “So, what are you up to Vi?” Sage asked her as she poured milk into a saucepan to warm.

  “Making hot chocolate. Want some?” Viola asked, pausing and looking up at him with an innocent look on her face.

  “Sure. Thanks,” Sage said and leaned forward, resting his chin in his hands, continuing to watch her deliberate movements.

  “No problem,” Viola said with a shrug as she added more milk to the pan, then placed the pan on the stove before returning the milk to the fridge.

  “I have a question for you. If Anna didn’t keep much of anything edible in the house, how did you and Cora learn how to cook?” Sage asked, true curiosity in his voice and eyes. He was also remembering Cora cooking that wonderful breakfast for him and Liam at their family’s cabin.

  “We had cooking classes as an elective at our school. We chose to take them so when we moved out of that place, we’d know how to take care of ourselves,” Viola told him with a shrug as if it was no big deal.

  “That was smart,” Sage said with a nod and admiration in his voice. The twins’ wills to survive were strong enough that they planned on how to take care of themselves once they were free of Anna’s torment.

  “Thanks. It was a step towards freedom. Anna was furious when she found out we were taking that class. She even contacted the school trying to get our schedules changed so we couldn’t take it. We told the counselor that our ambitions were to be professional chefs when we grew up and Anna didn’t support that career choice, because it wasn’t what she’d planned for us, and if she took us out of that class, we’d have no hopes of reaching our career goals. The counselor told Anna there was nothing she could do to get us out of the class to help us out,” Viola said with a grin and a shrug.

  “Wow. That was pretty creative getting the counselor on your sides so you could stay in the class,” Sage said, impressed.

  “It was nothing new for us. We had to do stuff like that all of the time. It was our way of fighting back,” Viola said, stirring the milk.

  “That’s horrible Vi,” Sage said, sadness in his voice for the crap the girls had dealt with growing up.

  “You know what they say, what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger,” Viola replied with another shrug of her shoulders. Her mind was wondering if Cora had made it to the study yet or if she needed to keep Sage busy for much longer. This topic of conversation was not one she wanted to be having with him.

  “Well, the two of you are strong. There’s no doubt about that,” Sage nodded even though Viola’s back was to him and she couldn’t see it.

  “Trust me, there’s not much we can’t handle,” Viola said in a strong voice.

  “It’s not that you can’t handle it Vi. It’s that you shouldn’t have to handle it,” Sage said, picking up on her reference to the recording.

  “Yeah well, old habits die hard,” Viola said, mixing in the chocolate with the warmed milk. She was making this as slowly as she could, hoping Cora was doing her part in getting her hands on that recording.

  “You’ll just have to get used to having people around you who care about you and aren’t willing to let anyone hurt you. People who will watch out for you and relieve you of that burden of always having to defend yourselves without help,” Sage told her.

  “Maybe we don’t want to depend on others to protect us,” she told him, turning around and staring him straight in the eyes.

  “Just because you don’t want to, doesn’t mean you shouldn’t. It’s good to let other people in Viola. You can’t keep everyone at arm’s length forever. Here you have a family who loves you, it’s not like at the Kilpatrick house where you were on your own and terrorized. You will never be treated that way here. If anyone tries, just let me know, I’ve always got your back,” Sage said with a grin at the end.

  “If you’ve always got my back, how about you help me get my hands on that recording?” Viola twisted his words around.

  “Be reasonable Vi. That is something I agree with your parents on, you don’t need to hear the vileness spewed by that woman,” Sage said with a grim, angry look on his face.

  “Then at least tell me what’s on the recording. What is she planning?” Viola persisted as she poured the hot chocolate into mugs and topped it with whipped cream before handing Sage his cup.

  Sage took his cup and took a sip of the hot mixture Viola had concocted and closed his eyes. It was heaven in a cup. The only other person to have made hot chocolate that heavenly was his mother, who he was suddenly homesick for. Shutting down those thoughts and feelings, he turned his attention back to Viola.

  “Why are you pushing this so hard Viola?” Sage asked, setting the mug down on the counter with both hands wrapped around it and staring at her with an intense look.

  “I just can’t sit back when I know she’s planning something major to hurt the ones I love and myself. I can’t do it. You all seem to think Cora and I can’t handle knowing what she’s planning. You think we’ll be too scared to do what we need to do. What you all seem to forget is we’ve experienced her depravity before, for years. We aren’t scared of her, we’re angry. We need to know so we can stop her before anyone else gets hurt. It’s a need to stand up to her for ourselves. If you can’t understand that and support us, we’ll find out one way or another,” Viola met his stare and answered him with the same bluntness that he’d come to expect from her.

  Sage had to admit, he had a deep respect for both of the girls, but it was deeper for Viola than Cora and that was because she didn’t mince words. If she had something to say, she said it just the way she meant it. Cora had a way of softening the blow when she spoke her mind that didn’t have the same impact Viola’s blunt statements did. He found himself wishing he was her mate, which almost knocked him off of the stool he was sitting in with shock.

  He took another sip of the hot chocolate and rolled her words around in his head as he debated on what to do next, help her or follow orders and stop the twins no matter what.

  Chapter Forty-One

  After Viola lured Sage away to the kit
chen, Cora snuck her way downstairs and to the door of Thomas’ study. First she tried the doorknob and found it locked which didn’t surprise her in the least. She’d be more shocked if the door had been left unlocked.

  Reaching into her back pocket, she pulled out the bobby pin she’d stashed there just for this purpose and sank down onto her knees. Lock picking had been a skill they’d been forced to learn when they figured out Patrick was dirtier than they’d ever imagined and they wanted to know what he was into, so if there was a chance they could get him arrested and out of their lives, they were all over it. From early ages, they were looking to rescue themselves from the clutches of Patrick and Anna.

  It took her just a few seconds to pop the lock on the study door and slip inside, closing the door behind herself with a soft click. She pulled out the flashlight she’d brought with her and took a look around the room to make sure Thomas wasn’t waiting inside to bust her for breaking and entering.

  She heaved a huge, silent sigh of relief when she found herself alone in the room. Saying a silent prayer that Viola could keep Sage busy long enough for her to find what she was looking for and that nobody came along and caught her, she twisted the lock on the door and headed over to Thomas’ desk to begin her search.

  After an hour of looking, she still hadn’t found the recording and was getting more and more frustrated. She sank down into Thomas’ desk chair and leaned back, closing her eyes. Cora tried to put herself in her father’s shoes and think of where she’d put the recording if she were trying to keep it from two persistent teenage girls.

  She’d been sitting there trying to think like their father for about ten minutes when she heard a key in the lock. She was desperately looking for a place to hide when the door cracked and she heard Viola’s voice call out her name in a quiet whisper.

  “Oh my gosh, you scared the crap outta me Vi!” Cora exclaimed in a whisper. “I thought I was caught for sure. Where did you get a key?”

  “That would be me,” Sage whispered as he stepped in through the doorway behind Viola and closed it behind him. He flipped the lock shut and joined the girls.

  “What is he doing here? Are you crazy?” Cora asked Viola in disbelief.

  “If you want that recording, you’re going to need my help,” Sage replied. “If you don’t want it, I can leave.”

  “Be smart Cora. You’ve been in here for over an hour and since you’re still here, I’m going to feel safe in assuming you haven’t found it yet. Sage can help us,” Viola told Cora.

  “Why he’s suddenly willing to help us is what I don’t understand. He’s always the one standing up and trying to block us from being able to do anything,” Cora asked putting her hands on her hips and giving Sage a questioning look.

  “Let’s just say, we had a talk and he understands where we’re coming from a bit better now,” Viola told Cora with a wink.

  “Or maybe this is a set-up and we’re not going to get the real recording,” Cora said, not willing to trust Sage’s change of heart so quickly.

  “Do you have so little trust in me Little Sis? When have I ever betrayed you? When have I ever lied to you? I haven’t done a thing to deserve your distrust,” Sage said, hurt and anger in his voice.

  “I’m sorry Sage, but I know you’re one of our father’s men and follow his orders. I don’t trust him not to put a plan like that into effect,” Cora said, feeling guilty, but not changing her mind.

  “Yeah well, I do have a mind of my own and use it when I feel it’s necessary,” Sage said and moved away from the girls toward the wall filled with books. “You’ll be apologizing soon enough.”

  “Whatever. If you can help us and this isn’t a set-up, I’d appreciate it, but we need to move quickly before we get caught. I’m sure you’ll get into plenty of trouble if daddy dearest finds out you helped us,” Cora said being sarcastic as she looked at her watch and back up at Sage and Viola.

  Viola rolled her eyes at Cora’s moodiness, chalking it up to her being away from, and fighting with Liam, and followed Sage over to the bookshelves. Careful not to get in his way, she watched as he removed a section of books from the shelves and set them aside, revealing a safe tucked behind where they’d been. He was careful to put the books in a specific order so he’d remember to put them back properly so Thomas wouldn’t notice they’d been moved.

  With ease, he blocked the combination lock with his body so the girls couldn’t see the combination and twisted the dial until the lock clicked open. He opened the safe soundlessly, reached in and brought out the recording. Handing it to Cora, he closed the door to the safe, returned the lock to its original position and replaced the books back on the shelf as they were.

  “Let’s go,” Sage said. “Thomas is an early riser and he should be in here in just a little while.”

  Both girls nodded and followed Sage out of the study. He paused to relock the door and the three of them headed back up to Viola’s room without saying a word.

  Once in Viola’s room, they gathered in the sitting area and looked around at each other. Cora was holding tight to the recording, as if it were a lifeline, afraid Sage would change his mind and take it from her.

  “Are we going to do this or what?” Viola asked Cora, tired of waiting. She needed to know what it was that had Dominic so upset so she could try to ease his pain.

  “For the last time, are you one hundred percent positive this is what you want to do? There is no going back once you listen to it,” Sage warned them both.

  Viola and Cora looked at each other with renewed determination as Cora sat the recording device on the coffee table and Viola plugged in the portable speakers she’d gone over and grabbed from the end table next to the bed. Nodding to each other, Cora pushed play and their horror began.

  Chapter Forty-Two

  The recording clicked itself off once it was finished and the room was so silent you could hear a pin drop from the shock each Viola, Cora and even Sage were feeling.

  Viola was numb. She was trying to understand how anyone could be so cruel. What she’d thought she’d known about Anna was nothing compared to what they’d just been introduced to over the last half an hour.

  Cora had her hand over her mouth to cover the fact it was hanging wide open and her eyes were wide as she looked back and forth between her twin and Sage.

  Sage just sat there with a grim look on his face, staring into space.

  It was at least fifteen minutes before any of them recovered enough to speak.

  “Well, if Anna thinks any of that is going to happen, she’s got another thing coming,” Viola said, rage pouring from her and fire burning in her eyes.

  “I thought the house of horrors was bad, what is this other place she was talking about?” Cora asked, just as there was a soft knock on Viola’s bedroom door. All three of them looked up in surprise and then at each other.

  Sage grabbed the recording and shoved it into his pocket, making himself look comfortable like they’d just been having a normal conversation, rather than listening to something that had been expressly forbidden by Thomas. Nodding his head, Viola stood, composed herself and walked over to answer the door.

  As she got closer, she felt Dominic’s presence on the other side of it and rushed over and threw the door open wide. Without stopping to think about it, she threw herself into his arms, holding him tight.

  After a few minutes of the couple embracing, Cora cleared her throat to get their attention. Dominic looked up at her over Viola’s shoulder and Cora motioned for the two of them to come inside and close the door behind them. Once they were in, Viola pulled back and took Dominic’s hand firmly in her own and pulled him over to the loveseat. He sat without a word and she tucked herself into his lap without asking him if he was alright with her actions.

  “I know you listened to it after Thomas told you not to,” Dominic said in a low voice. “I wish you hadn’t.”

  “We had to know what had upset you so much,” Viola said, pulling back just enou
gh to look at his face. “I needed to know how to help you through this.”

  “We also had to know what she was planning so we could defend ourselves,” Cora replied, her voice defensive.

  Dominic’s eyes fell on Sage and the other man shrugged his shoulders. “If I were in their shoes, I’d want to know too and it wasn’t fair that they were being kept in the dark. They needed to know just how sadistic she is so they’ll be prepared to fight her.”

  “They would have been prepared without hearing that,” Dominic said, fury in his voice as he addressed Sage.

  “Uh uh. We take care of ourselves. It’s always been that way. Even if Sage had not helped us, we would have found a way to get a hold of that recording and listen to it. You might as well accept that simple fact,” Viola told Dominic, using her finger to turn his face toward hers and meeting his eyes with her own.

  “Now, the question is, how do we stop her for good? That prison is not going to hold her if her mind is that dark,” Cora said with a shudder.

  “You’re right, it won’t. It will only be a matter of time before she figures out I’m not coming back to rescue her and she will make her escape. I’m sure she’s already got a contingency plan in mind just in case. Although she’ll probably think I got caught or killed rather than turned on her,” Dominic said, his shoulders slumping.

  “I have to ask, what place was she talking about to you?” Cora asked, her voice soft and hesitant to stir up bad memories, but knowing they needed all of the information they could get.

  “Maybe I should start at the beginning,” Dominic said, heaving a huge sigh and closing his eyes for a few moments. Viola put her hand on his cheek, kissed the top of his head with soft lips and just held him as he prepared to lay everything on the table for them.

  “I already told you about what Anna did to my family to make me work for her, or at least, what she made me think she’d done to them. I had no one left, she was all I had. My only option was to do what she wanted me to do, even if it made me sick to do such things at first,” Dominic started and then paused. He was making every effort not to look at anyone in the room, knowing that by the end of what he had to tell them, they’d likely never want anything to do with him ever again. He squeezed Viola close, knowing these were the last few minutes he’d have with her.