Multiple POVs
Jackson's POV
My hands were clenched around the arm of the chair so tightly I swore I heard it crack. Next to me, Dominic Giovanni drew in a sharp breath, "Did he really just..." his voice trailed off.
We watched as the scene continued to play out. A waiter snuck behind Silas and injected him with something. The man swayed and then fell, crashing to the floor unconscious. Murdoch came waltzing in soon after going straight for Marissa. He waved a small bottle under her nose and she jolted upright. He took her vitals, then whispered in her ear as a wide and loving smile broke across her face.
"What the actual fuck," Dominic swore. I did my best to not agree out loud with his sentiment. I'd had my fill of that son of a bitch. Murdoch was getting far too cavalier with her safety, not to mention the risks to our daughter. I was contemplating reaching out to the Judge when Dominic spoke again, "How is she so calm? She's acting as if nothing happened."
"Because to her, it didn't," I scoffed. "He's got her so far into the fantasy that his reality is hers." I couldn't help the bitter tone of my voice, and Dominic noticed it too.
He cleared his throat, "Jackson, not to butt in further, but what's stopping him from erasing you from her mind as well? I mean, if he can do all of this in a matter of hours, then what else can he do?" My eyes snapped up to meet his. The look of concern on his face was genuine. I hadn't even considered that to be honest. I mean, Murdoch had already bragged on the plane that she belonged to him and that he would take her away eventually. How could I stop him? Does the Judge even know what is really going on? "Jackson?" I was snapped out of my thoughts when Dominic shook my shoulder.
Straightening up, I stood, "I'm not sure what you're implying, Mr. Giovanni. Let's go check on the patients." Although he seemed sincere in his concerns, I couldn't trust that he wasn't a plant from Murdoch or the Judge. The Academy was infamous for testing the loyalty of its members. I quickly made my way back to the room we had been given. My body tensed when I walked in and saw Murdoch sitting on the edge of the bed with her hands in his, their foreheads bent close together. I cleared my throat. Her eyes lifted to mine and she gave me a brilliant smile.
Stretching out her arms she cried out, "Jackson! I was so worried!" I crossed the room and scooped her into my arms as Murdoch moved aside.
"Love, why are you worried?" I asked, stroking her hair. I wanted to yell to the rafters when I saw the deep bruise marks on her neck.
"The accident," she said, her eyes brimming with tears. "Kyle was just telling me about it. He said you were on your way to check on me, but I was so scared. Why must people be so mean? I can't believe that mugger tried to hurt me and our guard."
I looked at Murdoch who just nodded slightly. So he fed her a story about a mugging to hide the truth. I wonder what he will tell Mr. Korba? I placed a gentle kiss on her lips, "You're safe, my love. That's all that matters." She sighed and snuggled into my arms. The way she clung to me made my heart sing.
"We'll let you two spend some time relaxing," Dominic said. "I'll have some warm tea sent up for Mrs. Porter's throat."
I gave him a grateful smile, "Thank you, Dominic." Then he and Murdoch stepped out the door.
Sean's POV
I'd watched on the cameras as the scene had played out. I was furious and sickened all at once at the way both of them seemed to believe the scene completely. I paced back and forth as I waited for Silas to be brought in by Luca and his men.
"Sean, calm down before you have a stroke," Owen chided me.
"How the hell am I supposed to calm down, Owen?" I raged, "Even if I can undo what that psycho has done to Silas, how the fuck am I supposed to undo the damage to Marissa? He's had his hooks in her for weeks - weeks!"
"Sean," he said softly, pulling me against him. "Take a breath. You aren't alone in this."
I let my body relax against him for a moment until the doors slammed open. Luca and one of Leonardo's men dragged Silas in and placed him on the hospital bed. He was still unconscious so I quickly took several blood samples. When I checked his eyes and heart rate, I was surprised to see normal responses. He was muttering Marissa's name under his breath in a pained tone. I leaned close to his ear and whispered, "She's alive. You didn't kill her. She loves you, Silas and she's alive." His chest seemed to slow and he stopped muttering. I hoped my words were reaching him.
"You gotta go, doc," Luca said looking up at the cameras. Murdoch was strutting down the hall next to Dominic with a proud smirk on his face. Owen and I stepped through the opposite doors and headed to our wing of the complex. All I could do was pray that Silas would be alright, and Marissa for that matter.
Corey's POV
I sat with Brandon and Nate watching the feed from my little one's room. She seemed completely at ease with Jackson comforting her. She was lying next to him after he'd given her a bath and applied creme to the bruises on her neck. She spoke animatedly about the 'attack' she and the guard had experienced. The amount of detail she recalled was terrifying. Raven and I had gone back and watched the footage from two days ago where she and Murdoch were initially alone.
"Toy," he'd said to her in a low voice as he stroked her cheek.
Her eyes instantly locked onto his, "Yes, sir."
"Listen to my voice, my sweet toy. You went to a local shopping center with your guard. You were both attacked. The mugger tried to hurt you - he choked you and stole your watch before the guard could stop him." He paused and watched as she blinked and shook her head in agreement. "You are safe, but you desperately want to see Jackson. You feel safe with him. You are safe with me."
"Yes, sir. I'm safe with you and Jackson," she repeated her voice hollow sounding. A few moments later Jackson and Dominic arrived. The surprise was clear on both men's faces as she recounted the story Murdoch had fed her. Marissa believed every word of it, just like Silas truly believed he'd killed her.
"Is he sleeping any better?" Brandon asked Nate.
Nate shook his head, "Not really. He seems to understand it was all staged when he's awake and can see her around the complex, but when he dreams it's like he's living that scene over and over again." I could see the fear in his eyes for his husband. Brandon and I had known Silas ever since he and North arrived from Greece, and I'd never seen him so distraught, not even after his father had died.
"Is there anything we can do to help?" I asked. "Does Sean have any ideas?"
"No," Nate replied in a hushed tone. "I think Sean's about to break. If Silas is this damaged after just a single dose, then what about her," he said, nodding to the image of a sleeping Marissa. "How do we bring her back?"
Brandon and I both sat unable to answer him. We all had doubts and they grew every day. "Corey," Brandon gasped and pointed to the screen. Marissa was sitting up, looking toward the camera, her finger twisting her hair in knots.
"Daddy, please help me," she whimpered then fell back onto the bed as if she'd been talking in her sleep.
"Did she just," Nate gaped.
"Yeah, I think she did," Brandon said, jumping up and running out the door. Soon the others jammed into the small room. "Play it for them, Cor," he said.
Keeping the side screen still recording, I played back the clip as the room filled with gasps and curses. "Some part of her still remembers," North said.
"But is it enough to pull her back?" Victor asked.
Gabe swore, "It fucking has to be! We aren't letting her leave here with those asshats, and I sure as fuck won't ignore her plea for help."
"I won't either," Axel said. "She's asking for us directly - either me, Gabe, or North. I've never heard her refer to either Jackson or Murdoch as Daddy. She knows we're here, or at least her little side does. We can't ignore that."
"We aren't going to ignore it," Sean said firmly. "We just need to find the right time. We need to get her away from both of them and try to coax out her little side."
Author's Notes: Operation save Marissa starts next chapter!
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