Steel Hearts – Patchwork Princess Ch. 04

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Authors note: Hello, everyone. For those that dare to read my rambling words, I hope you enjoy the Final instalment of the Patchwork Princess. As always, if you enjoy it, please comment and vote. If you hate it, please do neither, ~ellie.

Patchwork Princess 4.

The devastation Holly had felt in watching her business be destroyed, albeit at the rear of the building they had cleaned out of anything important earlier, was just as heart-rending as if she had truly lost everything. The news the following morning showed the fire service and police bathed in the red and blue lights from their vehicles as they sorted through the charred wreckage after the explosion and fire. She’d fought so hard to make a new life for herself, and now these women were trying to take it away because of the revenge Teddy had taken on her behalf.

Over a week later, it was still difficult to say how she felt. She was angry at the situation and unable to do anything but sit and wait. It was hard to be mad at Teddy, who had reacted out of grief. She could even see that grief drove the woman making her life hell. The difference was that Teddy acted when his grief was raw and clouding his judgement. These women had planned their revenge and were calculating and manipulative in their attempts to threaten and scare her. Still, she felt sorry for them rather than angry because she knew now that threatening one of the Steel Heart Brotherhood meant a world of pain for whoever was stupid enough to do it, not that the women would have known that was where their plans would have taken them.

“What the hell?” she asked the empty room as there was a loud banging on her door before it was pushed open from the corridor.

“Seems you had a visitor who didn’t want to be announced and made their way up the fire escape,” Declan, one of the men assigned to watch her apartment, announced as he pushed the middle-aged woman into the room.

“Magda?” she asked, not truly surprised by the woman’s appearance but by the anger she saw in Declan’s face and the two men who followed him inside.

“Teddy is on his way back now with Beau and Saxon. The exterior is on lockdown, and the rest of the crew are on alert for anyone who may have been watching her back,” Aggro, another of the men with Declan, reported.

“Magda, come on in and sit down. I’m sure this has just been a misunderstanding. People are a bit on edge since the accident at the shop, so finding someone not checking in at the front desk can make my guard dogs worried,” Holly soothed gently, leading the older woman to a couch. “Their bark is much worse than their bite, honestly. Would you like a glass of water? You look a bit pale,” she offered.

“Thank you, Holly. I was so worried when I saw what happened to your shop, and then I couldn’t get hold of you or Carter, so I came to see if you were alright and not working late that night. I would never forgive myself if you got hurt so badly again,” Magda rambled. Her eyes darted worried looks at the men who had spread out around the room, leaving only one to guard the door and prevent her escape.

“Again?” Holly asked, her hackles raising as she realised once and for all that Teddy and his brothers were right and she was part of a group trying to scare her or worse.

“You were hurt a long time ago. I think Carter mentioned something about terrible scars when you refused to try something I had brought especially for you to wear,” she waved her hand as if dismissing the idea.

“You need to try again because my best friends don’t even know about that,” Holly said in almost a whisper. She stood and moved away from the woman, a look of horror on her face.

“No, you don’t understand,” Magda started to get up and follow Holly, but a large hand landed on her shoulder, frightening her enough to scream and make Holly flee to the kitchen to catch her breath.

“Here,” Declan said, handing her his phone.

“Holly? Talk to me, baby, please,” Teddy said in an anguished tone. “You are safe, and you are loved. That witch is the one who is not safe there, so fuck her and the broom she rode in on!”

“I’m okay,” Holly said with a soft laugh. “She just ….” She paused, considering the conversation. “She seemed upset that I might have been hurt again. Again! That was what she said like she was there the first time.”

“Fuck! We are about five minutes from your building. Let the guys handle her until we get there. Please don’t talk to her again. I’ll get them to take her across the hall,” Teddy said, sounding frustrated.

“Gotta keep them apart,” Beau’s deep voice sounded from near Teddy.

“No, don’t. I’m fine now,” Holly breathed. “Besides, she might let something slip if I feed into her concern. I’m okay now that I have heard your voice, and know that you’ll be here in a few minutes anyway.”

“Okay, give Declan back the phone,” he said with a large breath, half sighing and half frustrated.

“I love you,” Holly whispered to reassure him. Then she handed back the phone and poured a glass of water for Magda and one for herself.

“I’m sorry about that,” she Ankara Yabancı Escort announced as she walked back into the living room, placing the glass of water in front of the woman and taking a seat a little further away so there would be no chance for low-voiced conversations that the men in the room wouldn’t hear.

“Thank you,” she said, leaning forward slightly to take the glass and sip at it.

“The torture and subsequent medical procedures that were almost as bad still affect every moment of my life. The scars pull and twist when I move; while the pain is bad, it’s not as bad as it used to be,” she said, exaggerating her suffering a little. “Still, I’m lucky to be alive, so I shouldn’t be so sensitive about it when it happened so long ago, and so many weren’t as lucky as me.”

“Torture? Come now, you expect me to believe a sweet girl like you was tortured?” she gave a brittle half-laugh.

“Oh, so you don’t know the whole story?” Holly tilted her head and narrowed her eyes. “It’s too late now to play innocent. That bomb was delivered with your order. You had my number to send me those threats, I don’t know that I can prove the package containing the doll was you, but you’re about the right build for the person we got on the camera feed.”

“Ah, not so sweet after all,” she shrugged. “None of those things was my doing, but I will admit that I knew about them and did not lift a hand to stop them. However, I was concerned when I thought you had been injured in the blast. Not that you believe that, and I expect my life is forfeit now anyway.”

“Then why come here, now? Just to taunt me one last time?” Holly accused.

“It seems our surveillance is not what it was, and once your boyfriend left and we had seen no others entering the building this morning, we believed it worth the risk to attempt another prank. No harm would have come to you,” she admitted.

“A prank?” Holly gasped and stood but was blocked from moving toward the woman by Declan, who held his phone out to her again. “No!” she pushed his hand away. “Get out of my way,” she went to step around him, but he picked her up by the waist, put her over his shoulder in a fireman’s hold, and walked her to the bedroom.”

“She’s goading you into doing something you will regret. So now we stay here until Teddy arrives, understand?” He looked into her eyes to show his resolve, and she nodded, turning to pace the room, her mind whirling. It was only a few minutes until Teddy walked through her door and pulled her into his arms.

“We got this, but we need to tread carefully. We need to talk about the past, do you understand?” Teddy said softly and felt her nod against his chest.” If you let that woman get under your skin again, Declan will bring you back here until it’s over, understand?”

“Okay, I get it,” she said, irritated that he was treating her like a child. She had let the woman goad her, and she could see that now but she didn’t need to be lectured like an idiot.

“Do you?” he raised an eyebrow. “You still sound pretty mad.”

“Because you’re treating me like a child, you arsehole!” she hissed and pushed away from him.

“I’m trying to protect you! Some of the stuff we are about to say and do will be triggers for you. We will be talking about what happened to you and the rehabilitation you went through. I told them that you would want to be there, but I need you to understand that Saxon and Beau will not hesitate to take Magda elsewhere to question her if you look distressed or are having trouble dealing,” he pulled back and looked into her eyes. “I won’t hide shit from you, but I also won’t let that shit hurt you.”

“I told you I get it,” she hissed angrily, pushing him further away this time. The waiting and paranoia of being watched day in and out were finally getting to her, and she was ready to look this horror in the face and put it behind her once and for all. Maybe these women could fill in those drug-induced blank spots in her memory born of pain and trauma.

She opened the bedroom door, knowing he was right behind her and walked out to find that Magda now sat at the small dining table with Beau and Saxon opposite her. She allowed Teddy to pull her to him as he leaned against the wall, watching as two of the two men, whom he respected above all others, continued their conversation with the woman.

“Then finding that her son had not only kidnapped the Slaugh princess and kept her in a drug-induced state as he not only raped and abused her but also had tattooed and branded her,” Saxon’s voice was low and hard.

“Tereza took her to the hospital. She was never in any real danger,” Magda argued.

“Only after carving out the brand and tattoo that would name the people who had tortured her,” Beau laid out photos that made Magda physically recoil. “Why would she have needed so much rehabilitation if it were only a branding she was recovering from? Nobody believed she would survive her injuries, and her remaining family were called to say farewells. Did Tereza leave that part out of the story she told Bahçelievler Escort you?”

“She did what she had to do to protect her family,” Magda said, averting her eyes and crossing her arms over her chest.

“Now we are protecting ours. You take this information and irrefutable evidence back to the women you scheme with and tell them the truth about what happened. We may not have known Holly when all of this shit went down, we were fighting our own war at the time, but that woman is our family now. If you keep coming at her to try and find some spectre from over a decade ago, we will not only come for you but all those who helped you, including your delivery men. One was your grandson if I’m not mistaken. Are you prepared to lose what is left of your family?” Saxon continued to speak in the low, threatening tone he had used throughout the interview.

“You’re just going to let me go?” Magda seemed shocked by his words.

“Now that you know the truth, will you continue to assist Tereza with her vendetta?” Saxon asked, tilting his head. “Especially knowing the consequences?”

“We… I never wanted to hurt Holly again. We just wanted to find him. The vigilante who went after all our men,” Magda said quietly.

“But you have hurt her, she doesn’t sleep, barely eats, and her business is closed when it was already struggling during the pandemic. So why bomb her business?” Beau asked gently, in contrast to Saxon’s deep threatening voice.

“It wasn’t supposed to do any damage. Just a flash to scare whoever found it. We didn’t want her hurt again. That’s why I came to check on her. Of course, I sent the shipment, but I swear I didn’t know it would be like that!” Magda shook her head and seemed genuinely distressed that the bomb had caused more extensive damage than she had believed possible.

“How much will you and your sisters continue torturing an innocent girl for something she never had a choice in? First, your spoiled little prince kidnapped, raped and tortured her. Then your Queen butchered her before tossing her out on the front steps of a hospital like yesterday’s trash. Honestly, you’re lucky only the men of your family were held accountable. Had she been my family back then….” Saxon left the sentence hanging.

“Now you’re taking away her livelihood and ruining her life again. What sort of monsters would you do that to a girl who has done nothing but suffer at your family’s hands? Take the evidence back to your sisters and tell them we know who they are and what they have done,” he said again as Declan escorted two police officers into the room.

“She and her sisters planted the bomb. The confession is on the audio your guy got of our conversation,” Saxon grumbled to the police officers. Who then read Magda her rights and took her to the station for processing.

“You said you would let me go!” Magda railed at the two men.

“I never said that. I said that I trust you will take the information you received here today back to your sisters,” Saxon shrugged as if it made perfect sense to him.

“Good luck, Magda. I hear bombing is seen as a terrorist act these days, but I am sure you will get bail,” Beau said as she was led from the room.

*****

“My sources tell me that all but one of the women have left the state,” Ian said. “No prizes for guessing which one.”

“We need to get hold of her before the Halloween event. It’s the one thing Holly and the girls have been working towards this whole time. They have invested more money and time into this than anything else in their lives and ours. If something happens to ruin the event, it will ruin them,” Teddy growled.

“Agreed,” Saxon nodded and turned to Steve. “Any word from our friends?”

“Not yet, but they have agreed that this torture cannot go unanswered. The woman will have no resources or friends in any but the most subversive corners of the underworld. Players may not like us, but the Besomar have links throughout even the darkest corners. If she reaches out at all, we will know it,” Steve shrugged.

“I’ve got a lead,” Jack said through the monitor, where he linked to the meeting from his position at the damaged shop. “Familiar looking young guy just came by asking about the damage and if the shop would be open in time for the event. One of my guys followed him while another reported the incident to me.”

“Why? Familiar how?” Teddy frowned.

“You tell me,” Jack smirked as everyone’s phone dinged with a message.

“Well fuck me,” Mitch whistled and shot a look at Beau, who swore and began barking orders.

“Check when he got out,” Beau ordered Ian, who already had his phone to his ear.

“This isn’t a big thing. It only proves our theory that they are out of allies and shit out of luck,” Saxon said, reaching out to put a hand on Teddy’s shoulder. “Look after your girl. We got this.”

“He’s not out,” Ian frowned and looked at his phone again. “Twins? Brothers, at the very least?”

“Possibly, but it doesn’t matter now. They crossed the line, and it is time to bring in the big brother Balgat Escort to them all,” Saxon growled, levelling a look at Steve.

“Done, let’s go. I will update the Besomar on the way,” Steve agreed and chucked Teddy on the shoulder as he passed him on the way to the door. “We got this, brother. You look after your lady.”

“Mitch, stay with Teddy in case it’s a diversion. We aren’t taking any more chances with our women,” Beau grumbled the command. Individually, Beau and Saxon were each scary bastards, but together, Teddy was glad he had never been on the receiving end of that wrath.

“True,” Ian seemed to consider this information. “Let’s all just think a moment. They would expect us to rush off and follow the kid leaving our defences not as well fortified here. I mean, what would they have to gain by sending the kid to the shop except to announce themselves? They would know we would have recognised him and followed him. Where is he now? I would hazard a guess that it’s the opposite direction to here.”

“Jack has the skill to manage a surveillance job even from the shop. His guys are good and give feedback to us,” Mitch pondered out loud.

“But to play into their hands, we will have to leave as if racing to catch someone like we were about to if we want them to believe,” Ian nodded. “They won’t have the technology to check too closely, so grab some guys from across the hall to make up numbers and say let’s go with a skeleton crew and leave the rest here.”

“Splitting our forces may not be the best idea in the world, but it does sound like the most reasonable plan. “I’ll get some Alliance boys to back us up,” Steve said, talking about their closest allies.

‘Do it,” Saxon commanded. “Beau, go with Ian and meet up with Jack’s guys. Steve and I will back Teddy here.” Then, without further talk or planning, the men moved and began to plan amongst their smaller groups.

It was as if they remained in a holding pattern for the next hour, and Teddy’s nerves frayed as he tried to hold it together for Holly and keep his nerve in front of his brothers. He’d done this, created this drama by enacting his revenge against the people who had almost killed the woman he loved. He had to remember that he didn’t start this feud, but he was going to end it once and for all with the help of his family.

Not long after he had finally stopped pacing to sit with Holly and watch a movie, the building’s emergency alarms went off in a full siren-like blare throughout the apartment. Then, after several minutes while they tried to decide what to do, a female voice came through the same speaker.

“Attention, please. Attention, please. An alarm has been activated, and we are investigating the situation. Please stand by for further announcements.” The disembodied voice spoke crisply as the siren’s wailing stopped, and the same message came through the speakers a second time.

“It happens more often than you would credit,” Holly shrugged. “The fire brigade will be here soon. They are usually prompt, despite how often it goes off without an actual fire or anything.”

“Smoke below us,” Steve said, coming in from the balcony. “Best get out on our own terms,” he said, walking toward the door before turning back to raise an eyebrow at Saxon.

“You protected?” he asked Teddy, who rolled his eyes, helping Holly from the couch.

“At least we aren’t on the top floor,” Teddy smiled crookedly at Holly. “Better to go than get stuck here if it is smoke that Steve saw.”

The small group of men that were Teddy’s brothers and crew formed around Holly and Teddy as they left her apartment and started down the emergency stairs. They could all smell the smoke as they passed the first floor and picked up their pace as they made it down to the first floor.

“Ground level or basement car park?” Steve paused beside the first door leading to the public areas of the building. “Witnesses, or no?”

“Witnesses in this case,” Saxon rumbled, and Steve pulled the door open. It seemed there was a delay of several minutes. Still, Holly knew it wasn’t nearly that long as she was pushed back through the bodies surrounding her and a series of loud bangs echoed through the stairwell, deafening those trapped there. The bodies in front of her stumbled and fell, forcing her to fall even further pain flared in her shoulder as it hit a step. Still, she managed to keep her head from connecting.

It seemed only a moment of shock silence passed before the fallen bodies regained their feet and rushed through the door, and she looked up at Kris as he helped her to her feet. He held her back from moving forward, and she saw, to her dismay, Teddy lying still on the floor as his brothers hovered over him.

“He’ll be okay as soon as we get him out of here,” Scotty said quietly after hearing her gasp echo in the stairwell. “He was wearing his vest, so he’ll be sore for a while, but he’ll live.”

*****

Teddy groaned as he turned in his bed. They had escaped to Holly’s cabin after the shooting, and while not alone in the strictest sense of the word, they had privacy within the cabin itself. The twins and their grandmother had been arrested but were mysteriously bailed out and had not been seen since then. Steve was trying to get confirmation about the whereabouts of the three antagonists, but as yet, all he could say for sure was that the Besomar had closed ranks.

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