You Broke Me First Phoenix Mountain Series Book 3

“Baby, I’m just saying. Go and talk with your parents.” Darcy says from the stove as he cooks up some omelets.

I’m sitting on the other side of the island. “Darcy. You expect me to just gloss over what they did?”

He turns with a piece of omelet on a fork. “Open up.” I lean and take the food off his fork. “No. I’m not saying that, but you’ve been restless since they showed up and I really think if you have a proper conversation with them, you’ll feel better.”

“It just shook me. My parents were the last people I expected to see.” I take a sip of my coffee.

I put it down and Darcy takes my cup and tops it up. He hands it back and leans on the counter. “Look. I know it’s hard, but maybe things aren’t what you think. Just talk to them.”

I lower my head and press my lips together. He grabs my hand. “Trust me. I wouldn’t say this if I didn’t think it would help.” He says softly.

I rub my neck. “Yeah, ok.”

He stood straight. “OK. Zanders keeping them in custody until he can prove they aren’t spies or anything. Do you want me to come with you?”

He went to the stove and prepared the breakfast plates.

“If you could. You can keep me calmer than Azriel can.” I say as he drops a plate in front of me.

“Ok. Eat up. We’ll go after breakfast.” He gives me a quick kiss and digs into his food.

As I eat, I think about why I’m even considering this. There’s nothing they can say that will make this feel better. The thought that my own parents were going to hand me to Black, will always sit and rot in the pit of my stomach.

A couple hours later, I’m trembling as we walk the prison halls to the visitors room.

Every clink of barred doors makes me jump a bit. A million things are running through my mind.

The guard opens a room door and leads us in.

Inside is a metal table. The walls are white and the table has brackets on it to chain cuffs to.

I’m nervous as hell.

As we sit, Darcy grabs my hand and gives it a squeeze. He looks at me and smiles. I smile back.

A few minutes later, Jacob and Heather are lead into the room.

My body heat rises at the sight of them.

My smile turns to a frown.

Jacob looks between us. “Darcy. Nice to see you again.”

“Jacob.” Darcy responds gruffly.

Heather’s face looks even more pained than when I left her. She’s not making any kind of real eye contact.

“Sam. We didn’t think we’d see you again.” Jacob says. He’s wringing his cuffed hands on the table.

“I didn’t think I’d come back.” I mumble. “Darcy wanted me to come.” My eyes flick to him and then Darcy’s.

“We're glad.” Jacob gives a small smile.

I held my head up. “I came here because you heard me and now I want to hear you.” My eyes well. “I want to know why? Why would you do this to me?”

Darcy squeezed my hand again as my voice cracked.

Jacob hung his head. “We had no choice.”

“No choice? You had no choice but to give your daughter to a psycho?” I grit.

He looks at me and leans on the table. “It wasn’t like that.” He swallowed.

Darcy looks at him. “Then tell us.”

He glances at Heather who was quietly crying.

“After our first escape attempt, Sterling had us watched closely. We needed out. The Ravens were dangerous and we needed to keep you safe. It was no place for a child. So we planned another one.”

He reached over and grabbed Heather’s hand.

“Sterling found out. He showed up. Roughed me up a bit. Then he said he would give us our freedom if we gave him you. I told him to go fuck himself. He grabbed your mother and put that damn feather to her throat. He said he’d kill all of us right now if I didn’t agree.”

His chin quivered as he spoke. “I was scared, Sam. I didn’t know what to do, so I agreed. Sterling said he’d be back in a week.”

“You were just going to hand me over to save your necks?” I lean on the table.

“NO!” Heather cried. “No, baby. I wouldn’t! Please, you have to believe me…” She sobbed hard.

Jacob tried to console her. “You remember Diane next door?”

I nod.

“We made a plan. She was a transport driver and she was going to get you out. Before Sterling showed up. We knew we would most likely be killed for it, but we didn’t care. As long as you were safe.” A tear slipped down his cheek.

“You said she was kidnapped.” Darcy states.

“She was. By Azriel. We had no idea he was watching us too. I searched for you. Not to bring you back, I…we…just needed to know you were alive and happy.” Jacob says quietly.

“You told him where I was!” I shout.

“Sam, I know I did! I’m sorry! I don’t know how Sterling found out. It may have been when Darcy showed up. I don’t know. But he found out. He came to us demanding to know where you were. I refused to tell him.”

He looked at me. His eyes were red, welled with tears and his cheeks were flushed. “He tortured her for hours, Sam. While his men held me and made me watch. Took that feather to her back.” He motioned to his wife.

Darcy stood up and walked around the table. “May I?” He asks.

Heather nodded and leaned forward. He lifted her prison shirt. His face dropped. “Baby…”

I get up and walk around. My hand went to my mouth and horrified shock comes over my face.

Her back had at least a hundred scars all over it and on an angle was the word Ravens.

Darcy put down her shirt and led me back to my seat.

I wiped my cheeks as we sit down.

“I couldn’t take her screams anymore, Sam. I broke. I told him. I’m so sorry. Oh God, I’m so sorry.” He hung his head and cried.

I sucked in my upper lip, fighting my heart.

“You did all that for me?” I whisper.

“Sam, we may be weak people, but we loved you. We shouldn’t have joined them, but we can’t take that back. You may never forgive us, but I want you to know, everything we tried to do was to keep you safe.” Jacob looks into my eyes.

I sniff and look around the table. “I…um…I need time. To process.”

“It’s ok, Sam. I’m just glad you heard us.” Jacob says.

I stand with Darcy and head for the door. I stop and turn.

“Mom…”

She looks at me. Her face wet with tears.

“I know someone who can take those scars away. I’ll send a message and get her down here as soon as I can.” I nod to her.

Darcy rubs my arm.

My mother gives a tiny smile and nods back.

Darcy looks at my parents. “We'll be back.”

He led me out and shut the door.

“Do you believe them?” He consoles.

I look around holding myself. “I don’t know. It felt sincere. I barely remember the time. I do remember a lot of late night quiet conversations with the neighbors.”

He finds my eyes. “I’m usually a good judge of character. I believe them, Sam. The hurt I saw in there. You can’t fake that.”

“I’m a little more cynical than that. I’ve been lied to so much. It’s hard for me.” I wrap my arms around his waist and lay my head on his chest.

“I know, baby. It won’t happen over night, but do you feel a bit better knowing their side?” He asks.

“If it’s true, yes.” I look up at him.

He smiles and rubs my cheek with his thumb. “I think you’ll be ok, kitten. With me, everything will be ok.”

He leans down and gives me a slow, gentle kiss.

I push back and hug him again laying my head back on his chest. “Thank you.” I whisper.

He rests his head on mine. “You’re welcome, my love.”

He held me for a solid minute before we left.

I’m not sure how I feel, but Darcy was right. Talking with them. Hearing them answered many of the questions I held onto all these years.

As I piece it all together, a lot makes sense. A lot is very plausible.

Sterling is a wicked man. The things they told me are very possible. He’s that evil. He cut the cheek of a seven year old to teach a lesson. Sadistic doesn’t even cover it.

I saw the pain and anguish that Darcy saw. I heard the torture in their voices. I want them to be genuine. I pray that they are because then it’ll mean it wasn’t me they were throwing away.

It’ll mean that I was loved. I just couldn’t be with them.

Whatever the circumstances though, they put me on my destined path. It may have been a good thing. If things were different, I may not be where I am now.

They broke me first, but it was because of that, that I turned out the way I did. For that, I actually thank them. Truly, I do.

As for the rest of it, only time will tell.

I know where to find them as Zander runs his checks. Maybe I can find it in my heart to forgive them.

I thought a lot about them as I went about my day.

It was hard not to, but right now, as the day ended, I had more important things to worry about. My parents will be for another day.

Tonight, I find out if dreams really do come true.

It’s funny. I crushed on Darcy Bourne so hard. When he hurt me, I thought there was no way I’d ever look at him that way again. Turns out, I not only looked at him with that same school girl crush, I fell and fell hard.

I fell for his charms. His sweet talk. His promises. I fell for his everything. But this time, he fell for mine too.

We played each other right into each other’s arms.

What started out as hatred and revenge ended up in love and devotion, but you know what? If I could do it all again, I probably wouldn’t change a thing.

Darcy is mine. He was made for me. He may not have known it at the time, but he was made to save me and I saved him.

The players played the game and knocked each other out. I wouldn’t have it any other way.

All that’s needed now is a deep, blue moon to set everything in place.

We’ll be forever bonded and as long as we’re together, we’ll be safe and protected. Nothing will tear us apart.