Arielle Immortal Struggle (The Immortal Rapture Series Book 7) Read online

  Shockwaves tore across Colton, Aiden, and Mauritsio’s faces as they watched the death of Vitorio like a short film playing in front of their appalled brains.

  “Wh…what,” Colton started to say, but stopped mid-sentenced when the realization of Vitorio’s death resonated through his mind. His thoughts shattered as if a grenade detonated inside his head. He blinked, and quickly, he pulled his gun from the back of his belt and, without thinking, he fired. The bullet slammed right into Troy’s chest and he staggered backward, but didn’t fall. A small bloodstain appeared on the front of his shirt, and slowly, it spread wider. Troy’s lips quirked into a devilish smile and he took a step forward. Colton stepped back, not believing his eyes. He pointed the gun once again at Troy and started to squeeze the trigger, but Sebastian leaped forward and snatched the gun away from Colton. Folding his fingers around it, he squeezed effortlessly, crushing it into scrap metal.

  “What the hell!” Colton shrieked. “Who the hell are you?” he shouted, not believing his eyes. “What the hell are you?”

  Sebastian smiled, totally unruffled. “I’m the last person you’ll see before you meet your maker,” he hissed.

  Colton’s eyes moved around wildly. He knew something was different and extraordinary about these guys, but he had no idea what he was up against. Looking behind Sebastian, he noticed that Troy was now on the floor on his knees and was holding his chest. He breathed a short relief, thinking he rid of one of them. The shot was a temporary hindrance to Troy’s abilities. He glanced between Aiden and Mauritsio, and turning to Sebastian, he said firmly. “As you can see, your friend is out of commission,” he snorted arrogantly, pointing at Troy. “That leaves the two of you against us three. These aren’t very good odds for you and your friend. Your magic tricks will not work with me,” Colton said, tilting his chin up and pinning Sebastian with his livid gaze.

  The assassin scowled. He was mentally frustrated and exasperated. He was now hoping that Sebastian and Christian would decide to leave without any further incident. They each lost a guy. He had no emotional ties to Vitorio and he was sure that a couple of thieves didn’t have any emotional ties with the guy who was shot.

  Time was of the essence. Colton needed to check on the girl and then report back to Vasily on her condition. He was to be informed of the time and place to meet with Gaulle and make the exchange. There were three things he couldn’t allow to occur. He couldn’t allow Gaulle to see the girl before the exchange took place, he couldn’t allow Vitorio’s death become an issue, and he couldn’t allow a couple of thieves to jeopardize this assignment.

  Time was ticking away, and he was becoming anxious. “This is your last chance,” he screamed at Sebastian. “Are you going to leave?”

  “Oh, I wouldn’t think of depriving you of the pleasure of killing us,” Sebastian said and smiled wide.

  Confusion showed in Colton’s face. What the hell is wrong with these guys? Why don’t they leave? he thought to himself, clenching his fists. “Don’t say we didn’t give you the chance,” Colton continued, narrowing his eyes in warning.

  Christian moved right behind Aiden, using his immortal speed. Raising his hands, he closed his fingers tight around Aiden’s neck and lifted him off the ground. He then proceeded to squeeze slowly and firmly. Aiden tried to jerk free from Christian’s steel vise, but to no avail. Colton and Mauritsio went rigid. They never saw Christina move, so how could he be standing behind Aiden? They heard Aiden gasp for air, moving his hands in sheer desperation. He tried to scream, but no air exited his lungs. Soon the shroud of death wrapped around him and he stopped breathing. Christian let go of Aiden’s neck and his body hit the floor like a rock. He then turned around to face Colton and Mauritsio, who were still in shocked motionless. His loud voice snapped them out of their frozen state of mind.

  “Well…this evens the odds, don’t you think?” he hissed.

  Sebastian looked at Christian and smiled. “I’ll take Mauritsio,” he said evenly. “He’s the one that hurt Arielle.”

  “Who are you? What are you?” Mauritsio mouthed, demanding to understand what the fuck was going on.

  “I’m Sebastian Gaulle and the little girl you banged up is my fiancée. Now you will pay. You will die slowly. Your scummy friends died swiftly; you, however, aren’t going to be that lucky.”

  Mauritsio flinched at his words, but he glared stubbornly at Sebastian. “Your fiancée is a bitch. If I had had my way, I would have given her something to remember me by. I would have shown her what a real man could do.” There was no filter between his brain and his mouth. He just watched Sebastian kill his friend and he kept on.

  Sebastian’s eyes burned with fury, but he kept his composure and just smiled.

  “I have plans for your ugly face…” Sebastian hissed.

  “You are not scaring me with a couple of cheap magic tricks,” Mauritsio hissed right back.

  Christian was absorbed and enjoying the heated conversation between Sebastian and Mauritsio. Colton’s attack startled Christian. He saw him just as he leaped and landed a hard blow right between Christian’s eyes. Christian staggered backward, but didn’t fall. He lifted his hand, striking Colton in the chest and sending him flying across the room. Colton’s body bounced off the hideous wallpaper and his head jerked backward, hitting the wall hard with a crashing noise. He slid to the floor and his breath came out in a tense shriek. Christian watched him lift his hand and touch the back of his head. His face twisted and his body shuddered. To Christian’s surprise, Colton was not out for the count. He pressed his lips together in agony and pushed himself up, glaring at Christian’s unruffled face with fury.

  “You bastard!” he screamed and, pushing away from the wall, he threw himself against Christian. His forward momentum halted as though he’d hit a concrete barrier. Making contact with Christian’s body was an experience he never had and never expected to have. Being hit by a speeding train would have been a lot easier.

  The gruesome sound of bones breaking held Mauritsio in his tracks. What the hell is going on? he thought to himself. Before another thought could cross his already confused brain, he watched in horror as Christian’s body loomed over Colton’s, a hard smile curving his lips. He appeared like a bomb ready to explode. Colton snapped, his eyes searched Christian’s face in complete astonishment. “What the fuck are you?”

  Christian’s fist smashed into Colton’s face in reply. A bloody curdling howl escaped Colton’s lips as blood spattered everywhere and his body bowed backward. Blood oozed out of his face and soaked the front of his shirt. Christian bent down and, hauling him upright, he threw him swiftly across the room. Colton’s body passed in front of Mauritsio’s shocked eyes like a flare, and this time, the assassin went right through the wall, disappearing behind a mixture of drywall, paneling, studs, and insulation that crumbled to the floor, leaving a huge hole in the dividing wall.

  He listened vigilantly, but no sounds came from the other side, no movement at all. He swallowed down the nausea that was climbing up his throat quickly and his eyes moved wildly around the room. Troy was up on his feet and walking slowly to stand between Christian and Sebastian, facing Mauritsio. He had a wide smile on his face that didn’t touch his eyes.

  Mauritsio’s expression was that of a stunned shock. How could that be? He was shot in the chest; he was bleeding all over the place and he had been on his knees on the floor. Mauritsio blinked again. This had to be a nightmare; it couldn’t be happening. He shut his eyes tightly, hoping that when he opened them again everything would be the same as when they first walked into the room. He waited a few long moments and finally opened his eyes slowly. Nothing had changed. His three conspirators were dead, the wall was damaged, and he was standing all alone facing three very angry men.

  “You don’t have to do this,” he murmured in a barely audible voice. “The girl is fine; she is downstairs. You can take her and leave.” He was seriously trembling, and he had to reach and grab the back of a chair to be a
ble to stand up.

  “I don’t think so,” Sebastian hissed.

  A noise came from behind the wall and they all turned in astonished surprise. Silence threw a creepy realization over the room. They watched Colton’s broken body trying to climb over the broken wall. His face was distorted, covered in blood, and his body awkwardly dismantled. An unnatural noise came from the back of his throat and, closing his eyes, he felt life fading from his body. He slowly disappeared once again behind the pile of crumbled drywall. Mauritsio gasped in horror. He wanted to run and disappear, but his legs felt like they were glued to the floor. He couldn’t move. Fear was taking over every pore in his body and slipping deep into his bones, like rainwater in the dessert. He jerked his head back and glared between the three unforgiving men.

  “Three against one?” he hissed. “That’s a coward’s way to fight one man,” he continued menacingly.

  Sebastian glanced at Christian and Troy, and his lips moved. Mauritsio didn’t hear a sound and didn’t grasp what was said. His lip reading skills were nonexistent. Astounded, he watched Christian and Troy stroll unhurriedly toward the other side of the room. They leaned against the wall, crossed one leg over the other, and folded their arms against their chest. They pinned Mauritsio with their cold gaze and a sarcastic smile painted their sculptured lips.

  Mauritsio was startled to realize suddenly that all three looked extraordinarily alike, but for the color of their eyes and hair. That is just too eerie, he thought. Sebastian’s voice brought him back to reality.

  “Well, it’s just you and me again,” Sebastian murmured through clenched teeth. “Do you want to show me a real man?” He was using Mauritsio’s words, his voice was calm, the tone icy cold.

  Mauritsio turned and stared right into a pair of eyes that drove a chilling sensation right down his spine. Sebastian moved closer and he was now standing right in front of him.

  “Well?” Sebastian snapped. “Are you going to show me a real man? Or are you just keeping that for the women you abuse?” He spat in clear disgust.

  “Fuck you,” Mauritsio screamed, and with a quick movement, he slid a knife he had palmed right into Sebastian’s gut. Surprise crossed Sebastian’s eyes, but it disappeared just as fast as it came. Reaching up, he pulled the knife out, and grabbing Mauritsio’s arm, he broke it in two. A wild scream left Mauritsio’s lips and moved his right hand to shield his face. A steel vise wrapped around his right wrist and twisted hard. The sound of broken bones filled the silence. The pain was unbearable. Mauritsio screamed between the endless chain of oaths. Sebastian tore a piece from his shirt and gagged him. He smashed his fist into the goon’s chest like lighting. Mauritsio’s feet lost touch with the floor, flew across the room and bounced against the wall. The earth quaked beneath his feet just before he crashed to the ground. Sebastian walked over, and lifting his foot, he smashed Mauritsio’s left knee first and then the other. Loud noises of broken bones mixed with the gagged groans of pain filled the room. Mauritsio’s face was distorted and thick sweat mixed with blood pour down his face.

  “This is for Arielle,” he hissed and smashed his fist once again in Mauritsio’s face. Blood spattered out of his nose and the gag in his mouth was now soaked in blood. Mauritsio’s body was awkwardly sprawled on the floor with broken arms, legs, and now a broken face. Sebastian bent down and punched him a few more times with an unforgiving anger. Mauritsio’s body convulsed wildly, and after a few more hits, blood started to pour out of his mouth, ears, and nose. He stopped moving. Sebastian was ready to hit him again when Troy’s hand grabbed his arm mid-air.

  “Sebastian, stop! He’s dead, man! No more.”

  Sebastian pulled himself up, still staring at Mauritsio’s broken body. Anger boiled inside his mind. The sight of Arielle’s bloody and bruised body blinded his good judgment.

  Christian pulled away from the wall and walked over to Sebastian.

  “We need to clean up the mess and rid of their bodies,” Troy said quietly, “before Dylan’s men decide to come in.”

  “Yes, you’re right.” Sebastian agreed. They moved in their immortal speed, and soon the place appeared like nobody had been there, but for the crumbled interior wall.

  “We need to take the back stairs,” Sebastian said.

  “The detectives are here ready to set up surveillance on the house.”

  Satisfied with the outcome, they moved quickly down the steps to the basement, crossed the long corridor, ran through the bedroom, hurdled over the windowsill, and landed into the backyard.

  “The car is not here,” Sebastian said. “Ian used it to take Arielle to the hospital.”

  Troy and Christian exchanged glances hesitantly. They were not sure if Sebastian was ready to talk about Arielle. He was troubled, his eyes hard, his facial expression rigid.

  They wanted to deflect the uncomfortable topic, but they needed to know. “How is Arielle?” Troy finally asked.

  Sebastian gasped at the sound of her name. His face paled, and he took a long shaky breath before he replied. “She is really hurt.”

  “Sorry,” they both said simultaneously. Sadness coated their voices.

  Sebastian gave them a quick glance. “It’s not your fault. It’s nobody’s fault, but mine.” He came to an abrupt halt, and facing his friends, he shook his face in disgust. “It is all my fault. There are people out there that want to kill her. I have brought nothing, but pain into her life. I wish I had the strength to walk away and let her live a normal, happy life.” He raked both hands through his hair. “I don’t know what to do anymore. I hate to see her in pain.”

  “Sebastian, you need to stop thinking this way. You can’t let her see you like this,” Troy said firmly.

  He managed to flip the switch to reality, and he nodded in agreement. “We need to come up with a good story that will sound believable to her parents and to the police,” Sebastian said.

  “The police?” Christian exclaimed.

  “Yes, any time they admit someone in Arielle’s condition, the doctors call the authorities to investigate. That’s just normal procedure.”

  “So what’s the story that we are going to use?” Troy asked.

  They all fell silent, thoughts of Arielle and the situation at hand weighing them down. “I’m thinking,” Sebastian said quietly. “I’ve got it!” he said interrupting their thoughts.

  “And that is… what?” Troy said watching him carefully.

  “I thought that we might say that Arielle was taken from school to ransom for important documents that the Mafia needed from me. Interpol was on to them, but they were too late. Arielle used her cell and texted Eva to tell her that someone kidnapped her. She was badly hurt and locked into a room, but she had no idea where she was. Ian tracked her phone and located her, while we were in a meeting with Dylan. He rescued her and called us, just as we were leaving Interpol. We are now on the way to the hospital.”

  Troy and Christian appeared to seriously ponder Sebastian’s story.

  “I think I would believe something like that,” Christian snorted.

  “Yes, it sounds quite believable,” Troy, added.

  Sebastian glanced between them. “Well, we’ll have to go with that, because I can’t think of anything else. If you can think of something better, let me know.”

  “I don’t think I can make up anything better,” Christian replied. And Troy just shrugged. “It really is a good story,” Christian said again, grinning.

  “It is what it is,” Sebastian added dismissively. They agreed and started to walk away from the home.

  “I would like to be a fly on the wall when Rainer gets the news,” Christian whispered.

  “This will be a great wake up call for Rainer and his organization,” Sebastian said flatly, a grim smile tightening his face.

  “Christian, I think you should go to the hospital first, since you’re supposed to be with Ian. Troy and I will wait for a short period of time, to make the story fit.”

  Christian nodded
. “I’ll see you soon,” he said and took off.

  Sebastian and Troy used their immortal speed and left the location. They waited for about a half an hour, and then Sebastian picked up the phone and called Dylan. He needed to clear the situation with Dylan before they moved on.

  “Jamison here,” Dylan answered flatly.

  “Dylan, it’s Sebastian.”

  “Oh, Sebastian, I’m really glad you called. I was getting ready to call you.” His voice changed to that of great concern. “Well, my detectives followed the goons from the airport to a location on the North East part of town and parked a couple blocks away. The bizarre thing is that they waited for a long time and nobody ever came out.”

  “I don’t understand. Did they go inside to investigate?”

  “Yes…yes, they did. The house was empty and there were no traces of anyone ever being there. It was as if they all vanished in thin air.”

  Sebastian tried to keep his words measured. “That is very peculiar.”

  “Yes, I thought so, but now I am worried about Arielle.”

  “But that is what I wanted to talk to you about. While we were leaving your office, Ian called and said that he had tracked her phone to an abandoned house and took her to the hospital. She is badly hurt, but she is safe. We are on the way there now.”

  “Arielle is in the hospital?” Dylan’s voice was that of utter shock.