SHE IS MY BROKEN ANGEL

I WAS BETRAYED BY THEM

Ryder’s P.O.V.

Chris and I planned to meet Arthur tonight. It was his birthday after two days and we were planning a small party for him. After he took over the position of Black Hawk, he rarely had time for us. We talked on the call but meeting in personal had decreased with years. We all were still good friends but there was a gap between us now. Everyone was busy in their lives. It seemed that we were trying to ignore her absence in our lives by making us busy.

We were sitting in Arthur’s penthouse living room right now. Kyle also joined us and he was in the kitchen right now preparing coffee for us. I was looking at the news. One news caught my attention. It was about assassination in Chicago. I smiled and then said to Chris, “It seemed that Arthur is taking his job very seriously. He told me that he is going to Chicago but didn’t tell me what’s his purpose was”, I said to him while leaning back on the backrest of the couch.

Chris scoffed and looked at the screen. “He is obsessed with her now. His only purpose is…..(he looked at me and I raised my brows)…. To catch her at any cost. He knows that she will come out if he put himself in danger”, Chris's words made me think deeply. Her mere thought made my heart ached badly. She still had an effect on me. I didn’t know where did I went wrong that she left me without even saying goodbye. I was okay with the fact that she couldn't conceive. I only wanted to spend my rest of life with her. It was my only wish that time.

“She can’t come out”, we both snapped our heads towards Kyle who was coming towards us with a tray in his hand. Chris stood up and took the tray from his hand. “What do you mean?” I asked him through my teeth. She was a sour topic for me and I didn’t want to discuss her any time. Still….. deep in my heart….  I wanted to make sure that she is okay…. Wherever she is…. She is okay…..

“Apart from Arthur…. There is someone else also who is obsessed with her and wants her dead at any cost”, he looked at me this time and I narrowed my eyes on him. “Drako….. he is still behind her?” Chris asked in disbelief and I sighed while closing my eyes. That Central African Don was like a thorn in our throat since our days in the agency.

Our discussion stopped when we heard someone opening the main door. “Hey guys”, Arthur greeted us while entering the living room and we all greeted him back. Kyle immediately stood up from his spot and put down the cup on the table again. “Let me get a cup of coffee for you too”, he said to him and Arthur looked at him thankfully.

He came near to us and sat down with Chris. I and Chris, both looked at him with concern. He was looking so tired and exhausted. The bags under his eyes were telling the other story. It was clear that he didn’t sleep well for the past few days.

“Did you find something about her?” I looked at Kyle who was looking at Arthur with a concerned look. I couldn’t understand why they had to talk about her every time when we met.

Arthur was looking towards his hands. I also looked at him curiously because he hated wearing gloves and right now he didn’t remove the gloves yet. “I …… finally met her”, we all snapped our heads towards him.

“What????? Did she come this time???? I told you that she would come for you…. I knew it?” Kyle was really happy and he sat down in front of him and took Arthur’s hand in his. “How is she? Has she grown old like us or else she is still the same like we have seen her before?” he was looking at Arthur with desperate eyes. He was anxious to know the answers to all his questions so do I.

“She…. Had mask on her face…. But… her eyes…. They are still the same”, Arthur looked at Kyle with sad eyes. I gulped down the lump that had formed into my throat. I felt my eyes also get watery. Her deep grey eyes that held me captivated whenever I looked at them in the past. Did she still love me?

“I…. also got this…. Of her”, I came out of my stance when I heard a gasp of Kyle and Chris. I looked at Arthur and my eyes widened in shock. He had removed his gloves and his hand was covered in dry blood.

“She is injured”, suddenly Kyle yelled while looking at his palm. Arthur sighed and leaned back on the couch. “She again took a bullet to save me”, I looked at him in disbelief first. Every one of us was looking at him in disbelief.

“You went on this mission only to make her come out when you are in danger?” I asked him angrily and he didn’t lookup. “You deliberately put yourself in a danger so that she could come forward to save you?” I stood up and went towards him. Chris suddenly held me back from my arm but I yanked my hand from his grip.

I pulled him up by his collar towards me while putting my one knee on the couch. “You put her in danger only to make her appearance in front of you. After this much of wait…. You… get this”, I took his hand and waved in front of him angrily. He had lowered his head till now.

“Ryder…. Let him go”, Kyle and Chris tried to pull me apart from him but I pushed them away from us. I was so mad at him now. I couldn’t stand the fact that he put himself as well as her in danger and she got shot. She bled and he brought her blood on his hand as his trophy?????

“Why did you do this???? Tell me… why did you do this??? Are you crazy???” I yelled at him and he instantly lifted his gaze on me. He was looking at me angrily now.

He thrashed my hands from his collar and yelled back. “Yes…. I am crazy…. I am crazy without her…. I need her to breathe properly… I need her to sleep well…. I need her to live”.  I was dumbfounded by his confession. Among us, he was the only one who was looking at her desperately since the day she left us. I didn’t realize throughout this time that he got obsessed with her now. I knew that he loved her so much but his craziness was new for me.

He stood up and went away from us in anger. I looked at Kyle and Chris and they were also dumbfounded like me. We all were looking at him not knowing what to say. “You loved her, Arthur”, Kyle finally broke the silence.

Arthur was breathing heavily while looking at his hand with dry blood on it. “I still love her, Kyle. I was happy being her best friend. She was with me. She betrayed only my trust but also my love for her. She has no rights to …. To leave me behind when she was in grave danger. What she thought, huh??? We were not able to save her??” what he was talking about now???

“What?? What are you talking about, Arthur?” Chris screamed this time and Kyle sighed loudly. “That African mafia don, Drako….”, we both looked at Kyle this time. I narrowed my eyes on Kyle with a burning gaze.

“He got the lead on her and his men were following her that time. According to her last report, they spotted her with Stacy and other girls. I assumed that she calculated the danger for all of us the led her to disappear in thin air”, I was startled at Kyle’s revelation. I looked at Chris and he also looked at me with guilt in his eyes.

“You also knew this”, I asked him in an accusing tone and he shook his head. “No… I didn’t know this for a long time. It was only a coincidence that I came to know through Kyle 3 years ago”, I couldn’t believe that they were my best buddies once. They all knew why did she leave but they never told me. She left me to keep me safe from the danger but why did they hide what they knew. I felt betrayed by them. I slumped down on the couch defeated.

“I am sorry, Ryder. When I came to know about the reason she left apart from that related to her, you already started dating Cassandra and I didn’t want to ruin your happiness with her. You suffered a lot and I …. I … only want to see you happy”, Chris came near to me and tried to explain his reason. I scoffed and looked away in another direction. “You all knew how much I love her. Then why didn’t you tell me?” I looked at him with a dejected face and he lowered his eyes.

“She is alone out there because of us. She chose to be alone to keep us safe. She…. She…”, I choked on my voice and Chris put his hand on my shoulder and squeezed a little. My heart shattered into so many tiny pieces due to the betrayal I got from friends. They hurt me more than her.

“Did you try to find out about her whereabouts?” Kyle’s question brought me to reality. She was hurt and she was alone. “I searched all the medical facilities there for any bullet injury but got nothing. It seems that someone is helping her till now”, Arthur’s statement made me jumped from my spot.

“Where is Dr. Carter nowadays?” I asked Arthur instantly and he looked at me with wide eyes.