AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Come on, bro. He’s better off with us anyway. She never loved him,” Harris sighed as he looked to Nick.
“How could she do that?” Nick asked as he looked to me, his face a picture of worry and confusion.
“A rich guy proposed to her, Nick. That’s all she’s ever wanted. She thought having Zack would be her meal ticket, and it was. You’ve given her plenty of money and an amazing apartment, but it’s not enough. She wants it all, and she can’t get it with Zack in tow. Harris is right. Zack is way better off here with us,” Aleks explained.
“He loves it here, Nick. We can offer him so much more love than she can,” I added when he still looked terrified. “Everything’s gonna be okay. We’re all in this together, right?” I looked to the others and they quickly agreed.
“Is Zack okay?” Nick asked as we all started back inside.
“Kade took him outside so he wouldn’t have to hear any of that. He’s fine,” I replied.
“What about that?” Kailan asked as he nodded to the suitcase.
“Grab the legal papers, and toss the rest. We have everything we need, and if not, we’ll buy new. We don’t need anything from her,” Harris answered.
I agreed wholeheartedly as we walked back into the house. I had my arm wrapped tightly around Nick who looked riddled with worry. I knew he was panicking that he wasn’t good enough to care for Zack full time, but I also knew he was. He was an amazing father. We just needed to make him see it too.
CHAPTER 10
EVIE
I opened my eyes, the feeling of adrenaline coursing through me, fueled by the fear I was filled with, forcing me to wake.
Gasping, terrifyingly short of breath I remained still but looked around me, desperate to know where I was. Was I back in that hell, with Soloman? Had he come into the room and that was what had woken me?
But I knew instantly that wasn’t right by the smell that surrounded me. It wasn’t the scent of mold mixed with the iron of blood and stale air. The smell that surrounded me right then was a mix of gas and car fumes. The carpet beneath my rough cheek was rough and old, and all around me, all I could see was darkness.
Then it hit me. I was in the trunk. Soloman had grabbed me from Zack’s daycare and forced me into the back of his car. And here I was. Screwed. He was going to kill me, or worse, take me back to torture me more until I begged him for death. I felt tears trickle down my cheeks as I realized I wouldn’t be able to remain as strong a second time. I’d end up giving him what he wanted and I would lose everything. My family. My life. My guys.
My tears started to fall faster at the image of those four amazing men I had so hoped would one day be mine. We hadn’t had enough time. I wanted everything with each and every one of them. I didn’t want to die. I didn’t want to lose them and everyone else I loved so damned much.
My panic only increased ten-fold as the car jerked to a halt, then all that surrounded me was utter, terrifying silence.
I tried to think straight, to come up with a plan to escape. I could fight. This was what my brothers trained me each week for. They taught me to defend myself and that was what I needed to do. I wouldn’t go down without a fight.
Except as the trunk opened and Soloman loomed over me, a baseball cap pulled down low over those terrifying eyes, my entire body was frozen. It was like I was paralyzed, and no matter how hard I tried, nothing would move, no part of me. I wanted to fight, but I was helpless and at this monster’s mercy.
“You broke the rules, Eight,” he tells me, a sneer on his face, like me breaking his rules was what he had wanted all along. “Time to pay the price.”
A scream ripped from me as he grabbed my arms and jerked me from the trunk, but still no part of my body would move – not even a fucking finger. Panic just consumed me as I feared he had drugged me, or something much worse.
I landed hard on the cold ground, laid out on my back and looking up at a sky full of stars.
“Evie!” a deep voice booms. I know that voice and I turn with panic to search out my brother.
“Kade! NO!” Kade was laid on the ground, side by side with all of my brothers, and beside them, also bound at the ankles and wrists and laid out like lambs to the slaughter were my guys. “No! Please!” I beg as I look up to a still smirking Soloman. “Please don’t d-do this! They didn’t do anything! I did! I broke the rules! Please!”
But my words are useless. Soloman is smiling. He’s enjoying this as he pulls a gun from the small of his back and strides towards my guys first.
“NO!” I scream, but the first shot sounds anyway, and still I can’t move. Soloman moves down the line, killing Harris, Nick, Kailan, and Aleks. Then he turns to my brothers and the shots continue. I’m screaming non stop as pain rips through me, but still I can’t move. They’re all laid, bleeding out, cold, and dead before me and there’s nothing I can do but scream. They’re gone, all gone.
“Evie! Wake up for me, darlin’. You’re okay, You’re safe. It’s not real,” I hear Kailan’s voice, pulling me from the horror. My eyes snapped open and instantly my eyes locked with Kailan’s deep, dark pools of brown. His brow was furrowed with worry and I could feel his hands holding my forearms.
“Kailan!” I cried as I sat up and wrapped my arms around him frantically. He was alive, and right there with me.
“Sshh, you’re safe. Everything’s okay.”
“No! H-he sh-shot you…all of you. I c-couldn’t st-stop him,” I gasped through my tears.
