Chapter 7

The words felt like physical hands had slapped him. Swallowing the lump in his throat, Kupper had to take a second to process what he had heard as though in a daze. “Zigz...” Hands over her face, she sobbed hard, and he surrendered to the desire to pull her into his arms. “Zigz, why didn’t you just tell me?”

Pressing against him without an ounce of strength, her shoulders shook under his hands. “I shouldn’t’ve followed you. I shouldn’t’ve followed you. It was a mistake.”

“No. You said you loved me. Did you mean it?”

Maybe the thought to lie crossed her mind. Had she whispered anything but “yes,” he would not have believed it.

“I meant it, too,” he stated as a matter of fact. “I promised I would hold you forever. I promised you would have me forever. I did not lie.”

He did not think she could have wept any harder, but she leaned into him, pressing her forehead to his chest and struggled for every breath. “You—you don’t—you don’t understand, Kupper.” Gathering what little composure she could, her voice was a harsh whisper. “They ... cut off his finger in front of me, Kupper. He was only 6. He ... he screamed, and I–I couldn’t stop them!”

White hot fury boiled in his core as she sobbed. It bubbled up quickly, filling him with a murderous rage. “Zigz...”

“Please! Kupper, please don’t! They’ll kill him,” she pleaded, clutching his shirt in her hands. “Please. I couldn’t tell you. If ... if Kevin knows I was with you ... if he even thought I told you...”

Wrapping her up tight in his embrace, he leaned down to make his raw promise beside her ear. “You are my woman, Zigz. I cannot allow this to continue. I will do anything for you, and I will kill anyone for you, and I am going to kill every man that has harmed you and your son. All you need to do is trust me, my angel, and I will gladly be the devil that sends them to the hell they speak of.”

Her breath shuddered, sucking in raggedly. At last, she looked up to meet those eternal voids that reflected her own exhausted, tear-streaked face back at her. Within those glittering wet jewels, he saw a spark of hope, the sweet shine of her love.

After her march, the exhaustion of her emotional roller coaster made her legs weak. Her knees trembled when she released the tension. As she wobbled, he lifted her into his arms, so small and broken in his embrace. He carried her away with a brisk pace through several tight spaces between buildings until he found a warehouse that was devoid of activity. Tucking between two well-packed shelves, he set her on a crate hidden from view. Kneeling before her, his fingertips brushed her face to lift her gaze to meet him.

His voice was hardly above a whisper, as low as he could so that it did not carry far. “I need you to tell me everything, Zigz. I need to know what I’m about to walk into.”