Chapter 51 KIND PUNISHMENT
CHAPTER FIFTY-ONE
SAMANTHA’S POV
If I say I’ve ever seen a more angry man than the one standing in front of me today, I’d be lying.
“Daddy!” Micky called out, her small voice cutting through the tension like a knife.
But Kane wasn’t done.
“How many times have I told you to stay away from Micky?” he roared, eyes locked on me like I’d committed murder.
“I’m sorry, she…..”
“Mummy…” Micky reached for me again, her little fingers stretching.
Kane’s head snapped toward her. For one second his face twisted, something raw and ugly flashing across it, then he looked back at me like I was trash he’d stepped in. He grabbed Micky’s wrist and pulled her away from me in one sharp motion.
“Listen to me,” he said, crouching to her level, voice low but shaking with fury. “She isn’t your mummy. She is not Sally and she can never be Sally.”
“You’re hurting me, Daddy… stop,” Micky whimpered, eyes wide with fear.
The words hit him like cold water. He froze. His grip loosened instantly. His shoulders dropped. He looked down at her small hand in his like he couldn’t believe what he’d done.
“I’m sorry, my baby… so sorry,” he whispered. He knelt fully now, arms opening, trying to pull her close.
But Micky yanked away. She spun and ran, bare feet slapping the floor, disappearing down the hallway before either of us could react.
Kane shot to his feet and chased after her without another glance at me.
The silence that followed felt like the room had sucked all the air out.
I stood there shaking, chest heaving, waiting for the next blow. For a second I thought maybe that was it, maybe he’d forget about me in the chaos of comforting his daughter.
Then Abel stepped into the doorway.
“I’m sorry, Samantha,” he said quietly, almost regretful. “But you won’t go unpunished.”
Before I could speak, two of Kane’s men moved behind me. A rough burlap bag dropped over my head, the world going dark and muffled. Hands grabbed my arms, twisting them behind my back. Rope bit into my wrists. I stumbled as they dragged me forward.
I didn’t fight. There was no point.
The basement smelled the same, damp stone, rust, old fear soaked into the walls. I wasn’t a stranger here. I’d been tied up in this same cold room before. But this time the pain felt different. Deeper. Not just in my wrists or my shoulders from the tight ropes. It was in my chest, sharp and constant, like someone had reached in and squeeze
They’d tied me to the same metal chair bolted to the floor. The bag was gone now, but the single bulb overhead cast long shadows that made everything feel smaller. My arms had gone numb twenty minutes ago. My legs ached from being forced apart and tied to the chair legs. Every breath pulled at the ropes, reminding me how little movement I had left.
But I wasn’t thinking about the pain in my body.
I was thinking about Kane and Micky.
The way his voice had cracked when he apologized to her. The way he’d looked at his own hand like it belonged to someone else. He’d shown her a part of himself he never wanted her to see……the rage, the violence, the broken man underneath the control. And she’d felt it. She’d run from him.
She’d cried so deeply I could still hear the echo of it in my head.
I closed my eyes and let my head fall forward.
I had caused this.
I’d let her call me Mummy because it felt good, because her small arms around my neck made the rest of this nightmare bearable for a few minutes. I’d told myself I was helping her. Comforting her. Giving her what she needed.
But all I’d done was make her father look like a stranger to her.
Tears slipped down my cheeks and dripped onto my lap. I didn’t wipe them away. I couldn’t.
Footsteps echoed down the stairs.
The door creaked open.
Abel appeared first, expression blank as always. Behind him came Kane.
He looked worse than when he’d left, hair messy, eyes bloodshot, the bandage on his side already spotting red again. He’d clearly been running after Micky, trying to fix what he’d broken.
He stopped a few feet away. Didn’t speak. Just stared at me.
Abel glanced between us, then cleared his throat. “She’s been here thirty minutes, boss. Like you said.”
Kane nodded once. “Leave us.”
The door closed with a heavy thud.
Kane stepped closer. The bulb light carved harsh lines across his face.
“She’s asleep now,” he said, voice rough.
“Nanny had to give her something to calm her down. She wouldn’t stop crying.”
My throat closed. “I’m sorry.”
He laughed once “You’re always sorry.”
“I never wanted her to see you like that.”
“You think I did?” His voice rose, then dropped again. “She ran from me, Samantha. My own daughter ran from me because I lost control. Because of you.
”
The accusation stung, but I didn’t argue. He was right.
He dragged a hand down his face. “She knows you’re not Sally. She’s always known. She told me herself tonight. ‘I know she’s not my real mummy, Daddy. But I want her anyway.’”
My heart cracked open.
“She said you sing to her. You let her braid your hair. You don’t get mad when she spills things.” He looked away, jaw working. “She said you stay.”
Tears burned behind my eyes again. “I do stay. Because she needs someone to stay.”
Kane’s gaze snapped back to me. “She has me.”
“She has you when you’re not bleeding, when you’re not angry, when you’re not chasing enemies or punishing me in basements.” The words came out before I could stop them. “She needs more than that.”
He stepped forward so fast I flinched. He crouched in front of me, forearms braced on his thighs, face inches from mine.
“You don’t get to decide what she needs,” he said quietly. “You don’t get to decide anything.”
“Then why am I still breathing?” I whispered. “Why did you carry me out of the Sanctuary? Why did you give me a phone? Why did you fuck me like I was something more than property last night?”
His eyes darkened. “Because I wanted to.”
“That’s all it ever is with you. Want. Never need. Never care.”
He stared at me for another long second. Then he reached behind me and sliced the ropes with a knife I hadn’t seen him pull.
My arms fell forward. Pain exploded through them as blood rushed back. I gasped.
“Get up,” he said.
I tried. My legs shook so badly I nearly collapsed. He caught my elbow, and hauled me to my feet.
We stood chest to chest. His grip stayed on my arm like he couldn’t decide whether to keep holding or let go.
“Tomorrow,” he said, “you stay out of sight. My mother’s coming. She’s bringing someone. You don’t speak. You don’t exist. If she sees you near Micky,or near me, she’ll make sure the Sanctuary takes more than thirty lashes from me.”
My stomach dropped. “Your mother?”
He didn’t answer. Just released my arm and stepped back.
“Go upstairs. Shower. Eat. Sleep. I don’t want to see your face until I call for you.”
I turned toward the stairs on unsteady legs.
“Samantha.”
I stopped.
“If you go near Micky again without my permission,” he said quietly, “I won’t stop at the basement next time.”
The threat hung in the air.
I climbed the stairs without looking back.
When I reached my room, I collapsed against the door and slid to the floor.
Micky wanted me anyway.
Kane knew it.