Matt’s POV

I couldn’t believe how much bullshit Jolie’s sister had filled her brain with! How the fuck could the little blonde bitch judge something she knew nothing about? If I had my way, Emery Pagano would be living in the fucking cell in the basement to pay for her actions. That girl needed to be taught a lesson and really needed keep her nose out things that didn’t concern her. I just hoped she hadn’t convinced Jolie that this was all an act. I loved her and I wasn’t about to let some little bitch put a wedge between us.

“Jo? Jolie, love… You don’t believe that do you? I freaking love you! I would risk everything for you. And I promise you that I will find a way to keep you… We will stay together you and me!” I urged, looking deeply into Jolie’s eyes. I had to make her see the truth in my words.

“I know… I just… all this… it’s so confusing!” Jo sighed, throwing her arms up in the air.

I hated to see her like this. Jolie shouldn’t doubt what she felt just because her little sister didn’t approve. I personally didn’t give a damn what Emery thought, but as it seemed Jolie did. I had to make both girls see that my intentions were true, but first the feisty little blonde needed to calm down. Maybe if she actually saw us together she would see we were meant to be. How could she not? I was fucking crazy about Jolie.

“What is it?”

I shook my head and pulled Jolie into the circle of my arms. “I promise your sister will calm down, once she sees us together she will realize that this is no game, that we belong together, okay?” I vowed. Jolie instantly threw her arms around my neck and a smile took over my face.

Jolie and I were now free of secrets. There was no more hiding, no more trying not to touch, and no more pent up frustration. We could kiss, laugh, and hold hands and no one would bat and eye in our direction, and if they did, I would rip them a new asshole.

I just hoped that Gates would come around about the whole thing, especially since I couldn’t stop any of this from happening. I really needed his skills to make our operations run smoothly, not to mention that the stubborn ass was one of my best friends.

And speaking of needing my men, I would need them on full alert if Jolie were carrying my child. Fuck, I still couldn’t believe I had been so stupid and careless. How could I not use protection? It was my number one fucking rule! And to make matters worse, Jolie didn’t even seem to be worried about it. Damn I didn’t want to talk about this, but I didn’t see any other way around it.

“But—” I continued, my heart rate starting to increase.

“What but?” Jo frowned as I took her hand, opening and closing my mouth like a fish out of water. The uncertainty was making me sick to my stomach but I knew I would feel better if I had some kind of answer. So why couldn’t I just spit it out?

“Matt, what is it? Not this again!” Jolie sighed and licked my lips, willing the words to come.

“About the protection topic… you said we shouldn’t worry?! How can you think that? I mean… Fuck, Jolie… what if you carry my child right now?!” I explained, the urge to vomit coming over me as I looked down at her stomach. Holy hell, I didn’t even know what I would do if there was a little person growing in there. I wasn’t ready to be a father and I sure as hell didn’t want to bring a kid into this dangerous environment. Fuck, I felt like I was going to be sick.

“I can guarantee you I am not,” Jo said calmly, leaning forward and kissing my cheek. How was that supposed to make any of this better?!

“Jo, I don’t think you realize what I am talking about… “ I urged, taking her hand and pulling her closer. I had to make her understand! “We didn’t use protection, not once. There is a chance you are pregnant and don’t even know it! We have to take you to a doctor, I can send Jimmy getting tests… and-and…” I stammered, running my hand over my face. Fuck, why didn’t she understand?!

“Babe, I have an implant. I can’t get pregnant.” She had a what? How? When?

“What? What do you mean?” I gapped, still trying to understand.

“Our father was very strict on… let’s say check up’s,” Jolie started and I instantly felt a wave of anger go over me as she continued. “He didn’t allow us to see any boys, he didn’t allow official boyfriends… but he was also always double checking, so he made sure, Emery and I went to the gynecologist twice a year and get our check up as well as the implant renewed. It stays 12 months and well it is a protection against pregnancy. That way he didn’t have to be concerned with us making our own choices…”

I couldn’t believe my ears. I mean, what kind of sick bastard forced his own daughters to endure that kind of shit? Furthermore, what business of his was it what his twenty-three and twenty-five year olds did? I was so fucking disgusted and pissed that I couldn’t even think straight! Pagano had no right to monitor his daughters like that or force them to get a fucking implant! They should be able to make their own decisions not be caged and monitored like lab rats! What the fuck was wrong with Pagano?

I clenched my fists, pushed myself off the bed, and began to pace back and forth in front of the bed, trying to calm myself. All I could see was fucking red and I wanted to kill Pagano. He was a worthless excuse for a human being and the more I heard about Jolie’s life before we kidnapped her, the more determined I was to keep her. There was no way I was going to let her go back to that hellhole. No way in fucking hell!

“Are you fucking kidding me!?” I raged, storming around the room. “What kind of sick fuck does that to his own daughters?”

Jolie looked down, chewed her bottom lip, and twisted her hands nervously in her hands. “He was just looking out for us…” she said softly.

“Just looking out for what? To make sure you don’t have any basic human rights?” I seethed. I was beyond pissed and I knew I shouldn’t take it out on Jolie but I just couldn’t control myself. Pagano had way overstepped any parental bounds with this shit. I was so glad I got Jolie out of that shit hole when I did! “He shouldn’t have a fucking say in who you see, what you do, or who you fuck! Why was that even important to him? You’re twenty-five years-old for Christ sake!”

Jo flinched at my words before she licked her lips and let out a sigh. “I guess he wanted to maintain our virtue… you know, make us wait until marriage…”

“But why force these check ups and implants if you’re not allowed out of the house? It doesn’t make any fucking sense, especially if you cant date.” I huffed, not understanding any of this. Unless there really was something going on with the guard! Fuck! Why was everything in these girls’ lives so fucked up?

“He had his reasons,” Jo sighed, sitting back down on the bed as she watched me continue to pace. I couldn’t’ help but feel like she was hiding something from me. If I found out she had something with that guard, I would fucking kill someone…

“What reason could he possibly have for doing something so…invasive?” I gapped. How the hell she could still take her father’s side I didn’t know. He must have really engrained a deep fear into those girls.

Jo let out a loud sigh and looked up at the ceiling. “Well…” she started, chewing her lips. “As you’ve probably gleamed by now, Emery has always been the more rebellious of the two of us.”

“You aren’t fucking kidding,” I grumbled, my hand subconsciously moving to touch the spot on my face where she slapped me. No one had ever dared touch me like that before but she had no fucking fear. I would have to change that.

“Well, long story short when Emery was sixteen she snuck out of the house and the guards found her in a…erm… compromising situation,” she explained and I nodded. “From then on we’ve had those check ups and the implants to make sure we aren’t doing anything we’re not supposed to,” she blushed.

I guess that made sense but I still didn’t agree with it. The girls should have the basic freedoms of every other human being, not be caged like animals. “So what happened when he found out you weren’t pure? Did he bar you in your room?” I hissed, still disgusted with the whole situation. Though I had to admit part of me was glad Jolie wasn’t and couldn’t become pregnant. “Because you obviously weren’t a virgin when we met.”

Jolie blushed and looked down floor, looking a little embarrassed by my words. Well, if that wasn’t the most adorable thing I had ever seen, I didn’t know what was. “He-he doesn’t know…”

I smirked as I moved over in front of her, looking into her crystal clear blue eyes. I felt a sense of pride knowing she had a leg up on her father. “How did you manage that with the doctors? Did you pay them off?” I asked, watching Jo duck her head and blush deeper. Damn this may be the most beautiful I had ever seen her.

“Jolie Pagano? Did you pay off the doctor to keep your secret?” I pushed, leaning into her. She gave me a small nod and I pulled her into my arms. “You really are something else, do you know that? There must be a little rebel hiding inside of you too, making you the perfecting fucking woman for me,” I said truthfully before kissing her lips.

“I guess I do,” she breathed, looking back into my eyes with a smile that made my heart melt. “It didn’t hurt that Beth had our best interests at heart too,” she continued. “She knew our father would take drastic measures if he ever find out that Emery and I weren’t pure… if you know what I mean. So we came to an agreement… she would keep our secret if we brought her some of the newest fashions that father always had flown in for us.”

I shook my head, as I looked down at the little brunette in my arms, my love for her growing by the second. “I’m so glad I got you out of their, babe,” I sighed, kissing her forehead. “And I promise you wont have to go back there. We will find a way. I fucking love you, Jo.”

“I love you too,” and there were those bright blue eyes staring back at me, taking my breath away. “But we cant let Emery go back either,” she continued and I had to fight the urge to groan. I knew Emery didn’t deserve that fate either but I sure as hell didn’t want her hanging around Jolie and I forever. “We need to find her someplace safe to go away from there…with someone that loves her. I would never forgive myself if we sent her someplace where she would get to be happy.”

“We’ll make a plan, babe and we’ll find the best thing for everyone,” I promised after lightly kissing her lips, a brilliant plan sparking in my head. Since all my men knew about us, we might as well have fun together out in the open, and I knew just the thing. “But first, you and I are going to make some dinner,” I pecked her lips one last time before I pulled her off the bed.

“Make dinner? But what about—” Jolie started and I stopped her by pressing a finger to his lips. “We don’t have to worry about that anymore, remember? Everyone knows,” I smiled. God it felt so good not to have to hide anymore. “It’s just me and you anyway. All my other men should be out on patrol. So get that cute little ass in the kitchen because I know you’re hungry.” I pointed out just as her stomach growled.

Jo giggled and put her hands on her stomach, looking up at me with a devious smirk. “I guess you’ve figured me out, huh?” she laughed musically. I pinched her sides and chased her out of the bedroom, loving the sound of her little shrieks and giggles down the hall.

By the time we reached the kitchen, I had Jo pinned to the island and was placing a line of kisses down her neck. Jo moaned lightly and wrapped her arms around me, pulling me closer. “So what are we going to be making?” She rasped after a few minutes, looking up at me with lust and love filled eyes. Was that a hint of mischief too?

“Well, Rev usually does the cooking, so I guess we’ll have to see what we have,” I said, placing another kiss on her cheek. She grabbed my shirt, pulling me in for a deeper kiss and I had to force myself to pull away after a few moments. We would never get dinner if she kept that up. No, I would end up fucking her right here on the island, not caring who saw us.

“You, Miss Pagano are playing with fire,” I teased, pulling away and pointing a warning finger at her. “If you keep that up I cant be held responsible for how I respond. My men may know about us but I don’t think they are prepared to see you screaming my name on the counter.”

Jolie flashed me a mischievous smirk and gave me a small shove towards the counter. “Get cooking, Shads,” she shot back and I shook my head at her.

I moved over to the cupboard and fridge, pulling out anything that I could find that looked edible. Okay, so I really had no idea how to cook but I wanted to do something with Jolie to make up for a crap show of a date. There had to be something we could make right?

After a few minutes of searching the cupboards, I found all the fixings for pancakes and some bacon in the fridge. “How do you feel about breakfast for dinner?” I asked, holding up the bag of pancake mix.

“Sounds good to me,” Jo giggled, moving around me to grab the bottle of wine that I set on the counter. “Breakfast and wine… dinner of champions,” she teased, pouring two glasses of wine as I got out the bowl and other dishes. She took a sip, her eyes closes and a light moan escaping her lips. “Mmm… it’s been forever since I’ve had a glass of wine…” she breathed before walking her fingers up my arm, each movement driving me wild. “What can I do to help?”

I carefully pulled her into my arms and looked down into her beautiful blues getting completely lost. “You my dear are going to make the pancake batter and I’ll get the bacon in the oven,” I purred in her ear, our proximity making my heart race. Damn, how was it that this woman could make me feel so alive? “Do you think you can manage that?”

“Yeah, as long as there are directions,” she breathed as I took her face in my palms, letting my thumb run over her bottom lip. Jo was so fucking beautiful and I couldn’t stand it anymore. I needed another taste.

I crashed my lips down on hers and Jo instantly responded, our tongues battling for dominance. She tasted so damn good and I couldn’t get enough of her. I pulled her closer, my arms wrapping around her waist as my dick sprung to life in my pants. I couldn’t believe how lucky I was to find her. She was everything I had ever wanted and more, and honestly I couldn’t get enough of her.

I pulled her closer, pressing her back into the island as her nails clawed my back. “I love you, Jo,” I breathed against her lips right before we were so rudely interrupted.

“You’ve got to be fucking kidding me!”

I slowly pulled away to see a very angry looking Emery standing on the other side of the island glaring at Jolie and I. Fuck! She was the last person I wanted to see! Who the hell let her out of the room? She should have been locked in Gates room while he was on patrol, not running around the fucking compound. I would have to fucking talk to him about that.

“Em… Hey…” Jo breathed, a blush covering her face as she pulled away from me. She took a step toward her sister but Emery shook her head. “What are you doing here? Do you need something?” I asked, my voice darker than intended.

“No I don’t need anything,” she growled at me. “Gates told me to come wait for Jimmy out here,” she huffed, her blue eyes glaring me down. “Though I guess he didn’t realize this area was already occupied.”

“Well, while you wait do you…erm… want to help us make dinner?” Jolie asked and I had to fight the urge to groan. The Rev should be back any minute now and besides, this was my activity with Jo, not Emery. I would rather lock her back up in the room than have her glaring at us the whole time. The only problem was I knew Jolie would never let me.

“No, I don’t want to do anything with you and him,” the little blonde snapped before turning and heading into the living room, leaving Jo and I alone.

Jo opened her mouth to call after her but I quickly pulled her into my embrace. “Don’t worry about her, babe. She’ll come around,” I whispered in her ear, my fingers tracing small circles on her hips. “Besides, you need to get that pancake batter going if we plan on eating tonight.”

Emery’s POV

By the time Brian pulled me out of the study, I had had enough of my conversation with Jolie. I was beyond hurt and felt so betrayed that I couldn’t even stand to look at my sister anymore. I mean, how could Jo do this to me? After all we had been through, she went and lied to my face and then got pissed at me because I didn’t understand how she could betray me like that? She was the only person I had to rely on in this world and now I had no one. I couldn’t trust her now that she was on their side.

Oh, god… I was fucking alone in all of this! Jo was going to end up staying here with fucking Shadows because she loved him and fell for his tricks, and I was going to be traded back to father and sold off again to the highest bidder! Unless…

I let my eyes wander up to see Brian angrily pacing the room. No, there was no way he was going to want to keep me. He had made that very clear with his actions today on the way back from the beach. He was just liked to keep me around for a good time and nothing more, while I wanted everything.

I mean, for the first time in my life, I could actually picture myself happy with a guy. I could see myself by Brian side, living on the beach, playing, loving, kissing, and just having fun together… but I knew it would never happen. It was a pipedream and I really needed to get my head out of my ass. I had to get used to the fact that I was just a fucking pawn to all of these people: Brian used me for sex, my father used me money and power, and Jolie, well I guess she used me to get the life she always wanted. I was destined for a life of imprisonment one way or another. I just had to wait to find out who was the highest bidder.

I felt the tears burn my eyes as I held my breath, the panic starting to rise as I pulled my knees to my chest, hugging them tightly to my body. I didn’t want to believe any of it but the cold hard truth was right there in front of me. No one wanted me and for the first time in my life I felt completely and utterly alone.

An angry sob escaped my lips as I took in a breath. The world was breaking down around me and suddenly felt numb to the core even though the tears were now freely running down my cheeks like waterfalls.

I didn’t understand how I could lose my best friend and my sister to a man so easily. He really must have brainwashed her, much like Brian did every time he touched or looked at me. She was the only person I had to confide in and now… now she was gone.

Hell, I wouldn’t be surprised if she set the asking price for my father to pay to get me back. Daddy would pay anything, that much was true, but only because I was the one he could easily trade for something else. Not that Jolie knew or even cared at this point. Fuck, how could my sister do this to me?! I was her flesh and blood and she was going to sell me out to Shadows! I could just see it now! If he could get her on his side and make her think she loved him, he could get her to get rid of me too.

Another sob raked my body and hugged my knees even tighter to my chest, unable to stop myself from crying. I was completely alone with no one to rely on, no one to protect me, and sure as hell no one to love me. God I fucking hated myself for believing that Jolie and I had an unbreakable sisterly bond and for falling for a guy that would never care about me. I was such an idiot. I should have just accepted that I would be alone and broken my whole entire life, just like a reoccurring nightmare that I couldn’t wake up from.

“Ssshhh… princess… It’s gonna be okay,” I heard a deep voice sooth as I was pulled into a strong set of arms. The smell of an intoxicating cologne filled my nostrils as I pressed my face into the soft black cotton t-shirt. I knew I should have pushed Brian away but comfort and warmth of his embrace was more than anything I could have asked for right now.

“Don’t think about her anymore…” Brian whispered in my ear after placing a kiss on my forehead. “Think about the beach… the sun on your skin, the waves of the ocean… can you hear them?” With each word he slowly rocked back and forth like the waves.

I pinched my eyes shut, picturing the beautiful sunset we watched together the first time Brian took me to the beach. God, why couldn’t life be that simple? Why couldn’t we just run away together and forget all about this crazy fucked up life we were living? Would that be so hard?

I sighed, feeling a pair of calloused fingers running over my cheeks and down my neck. When I opened my eyes, I found those breathtaking brown orbs staring back at me. Brian smiled lightly and I swallowed thickly as those calloused fingers moved over bottom lip. His touch alone felt intoxicating and I knew that resisting him was useless. I closed my eyes and took a sharp intake of breath before those perfect lips pressed into mine.

I closed my eyes, feeling breathless as his tongue slid into my mouth, effortlessly dancing with mine. His kiss was gentle and unlike anything we had shared before, almost like he was trying to erase all my problems with one kiss. I slowly ran my hands over his shoulders, kissing him back as my heart soared in my chest.

This man would undoubtedly be my undoing, but I couldn’t help myself. I was falling head-over-heals and his every touch made me crave him more. I was becoming addicted and even though I knew I should block him out and forget about him, I couldn’t. Brian had tattooed himself on my heart and I would be forever his prisoner, slowly being tortured by something that I could never have. That thought alone hurt more than my sister’s betrayal.

I gently pushed against Brian’s chest, breaking our kiss as my heart ached painfully in my chest. I couldn’t keep living this delusion with him and pretending that everything would work out. Our fates were already predetermined, and not to mention that Brian didn’t want anything more than physical relations. So why keep torturing myself?

Those hypnotizing brown eyes looked back at me with confusion as I sat up on the bed. “What’s wrong?” he asked, his hand slowly rubbing my back.

I took in a shaky breath and bit down on my lip before shaking my head. “Nothing,” I lied, looking up at the ceiling. Why the hell was he making this so much harder by acting like he fucking cared? We both knew that I was just a plaything, right?

“Come on, Princess.” I felt the bed shift behind me before I was pulled back into Brian’s hard chest, his arms encircling me. “Don’t you think I’ve figured out how to read you by now?”

My mouth instantly dried up as I froze in his arms, feeling the heat of his breath on the back of my neck. For the first time Brian’s touch wasn’t sexual. It was gentle and comforting, and was that concern I saw in those brown orbs? No, it couldn’t be. He had made it very clear that he wasn’t interested in anything more than sex. And that should have been fine with me! Fuck! What the hell had this man done to me?

“Is it your sister?” He continued to press and I shrugged my shoulders. Well that was part of it. “What did she say?” Why did he even care? I pulled my knees to my chest again and let out a small sigh. “Come on, Em. Talk to me… please?”

“She’s all I had left,” I whispered. “And now I cant even trust her…” I admitted, feeling Brian’s arms tighten protectively around me. “She’ll get the life she’s always wanted and I’ll-I’ll just be thrown to the fishes.”

“That’s not true,” Brian said. I must have just imagined the hurt timbre of his voice. “You’ve got—”

“I’ve got what?” I snapped, turning around to face him. “You? So you can sell me off just like my father when the time comes? Don’t think I don’t know how this whole kidnapping things works, Brian,” I hissed, getting off the bed and glaring at him. How dare he play that game with me? He couldn’t just get my hopes up and then leave me out to dry like the old wash.

“Don’t fucking compare me to your bastard of a father!” Brain shot back, the look on his face a mix between hurt and anger. “I’m not the sick and twisted bastard trying to sell his daughters off to the highest bidder!”

“You’re not?” I countered, crossing my arms over my chest. I was confused by his sudden anger. If anyone had the right to pissed about all this it was me, not him! “Well what the hell is holding me for a high ransom for my father to pay? Sounds like the same thing with a different name but still the same damn thing!”

Brian stepped closer to me. He had his fist clenched but I couldn’t describe the look in his eyes. Never before had he looked at me like that and I didn’t know whether I should be afraid or aroused. “It’s. Not. The. Same. Thing,” he hissed, pulling at his hair in frustration. “I would never sell you…” he continued, his tone suddenly softer as his hands gently landed on my shoulders.

“Then what are you doing with me?” I whispered, his touch erasing the anger and making my heart palpitate as I looked into his eyes. I could feel the tears coming again and the last thing I wanted to do was cry in front of him.

Brian stared back at me with an intense gaze that I couldn’t look away from, his chest moving quickly up and down. “I-I…” He stammered and I pinched my eyes shut, my lower lip quivering.

“You know I’m right,” I muttered, the pains in my chest making it hard to breath let alone think. This pain, this heartache, was more than anything I had ever experienced in my whole entire life. “You have to give me away…” I felt a tear roll down my cheek and I angrily whipped it away, hoping Brian didn’t notice.

“No,” he snapped, taking a step towards me. “I don’t know what’s going to happen with you but I refuse to trade you in like a fucking prize. I promise, Em. I wont let that happen.” The look in his eyes was so serious that I almost believed him.

I scoffed and looked up at the ceiling feeling my eyes well with tears again, “Don’t make promises you cant keep,” my voice shook with each word as I turned away from him, refusing to let him see the tears that threatened to fall. “I’ve been lied to enough…”

“It’s not a fucking lie!” Brian snapped just a loud knock sounded on the door behind.

“Yo Haner it’s time to go out for patrol! Get your ass moving!” Vengeance yelled through the door.

“Yeah, right,” I sighed, shaking my head. “Just go and leave me locked up here like you normally do. I should get used to it anyway…” I was beyond hurt and I knew if he didn’t leave soon we would end up in a full on screaming match. God, I just wanted everything to go back to the way it was, when my life wasn’t completely ruled by one man or another.

“Em,” Brian grabbed my arm and spun me around, his eyes instantly meeting mine. Why did he look so hurt? I must have just imagined that. “Where is all this coming from?”

“Gate lets go! Shads is going to be pissed if we’re late again!”

“You heard him, you better go,” I said, avoiding eye contact. “Don’t want to make your boss mad.”

“Em—”

“I’m coming in there in five seconds if you don’t open the damn door!” Vengeance yelled before Brian slammed his fist on the door.

“Im fucking coming, hold your god damn horses,” Brian snapped, ripping the door open, though his brown eyes were still glaring at me. “Is Jimmy back?”

Vengeance looked between Brian and I with a raised brow as if he was trying to figure out what we had been doing. “No but he just texted saying he was on his way. He should be here any minute. Why?”

“Just go wait in the car and I’ll be there in a minute,” Brian replied before turning back to face me, his features softening slightly. “Go wait for Jimmy in the living room and get yourself a glass of wine,” he whispered to me. “I’ll be back in a few hours so don’t do anything stupid, Princess.” He gentle squeezed my shoulder, shut the door behind me, and left me standing in the middle of the hallway trying to process what was going on.

Go get a glass of wine? Was that really supposed to fix everything? Not that I was complaining about being told to have a drink. Maybe the burn of the alcohol would ease the ache I was feeling in my chest. With any hope a bottle would drown any memory of him or Jolie and I would be good as new.

Unfortunately when I rounded the corner to the kitchen my stomach dropped to my feet. There right in front of me were fucking Shadows and Jolie making out against the island. I instantly felt sick as anger and betrayal coursed through my veins.

“You’ve got to be fucking kidding me!” I raged. As if this night couldn’t get any better.

“Em… Hey…” Jo breathed, pushing away from the big brute. A blush covered her cheeks and all I could do was shake my head in disgust. Yeah, Jolie, you should be embarrassed over choosing this ass over your own sister!

“What are you doing here? Do you need something?” Shadows asked and I narrowed my eyes at him. I wasn’t in the mood to deal with his shit again.

“No I don’t need anything,” I growled. “Gates told me to come wait for Jimmy out here, though I guess he didn’t realize this area was already occupied.”

“Well, while you wait do you…erm… want to help us make dinner?” Did I want to help and watch Shadows fucking brainwash my sister further? Fuck no. I’d rather stick a pencil in my eyeball.

“No, I don’t want to do anything with you and him,” I snapped before turning and heading into the living room. I had to put some distance between us or I would say something that I would really regret later.

I quickly turned on the TV and flopped down on the couch, trying to ignore the giggles that started to echo through the kitchen. “Oh, how cute, they are fucking making dinner together,” I seethed, flipping through the channels. Every once in a while I would hear light kissing sounds and I cringed.

Why the hell would they do that out in the open? And more importantly why did it bother me so much? He obviously wasn’t forcing her to making dinner with him and it sounded like they were having fun. Was she right? Did she actually love the bastard?

I carefully peaked around the corner to see Shadows go up behind my sister as she flipped something on stove. I could see the smile on his face as he put his hands on her hips, pulling Jolie back into him. “Those look pretty good, babe. If you ask me, I’d think you’ve made pancakes before.”

I watched as he leaned down and pressed a kiss to her lips before she responded. “No, just followed the directions. How’s the bacon coming?” I couldn’t miss the big smile on my sister’s face when she looked up at him with an adoring look that was mirrored in his expression.

In that instant, I twinge of jealously shot through my body as I watched them together in the kitchen. Why did their relationship look so easy? Hell, how could they have such an open relationship? It was the one thing that I wanted… but I knew that I would never have it. But what I wouldn’t do to have Brian look back at me with anything close to that look. Fuck! Why was I even thinking about that?

“Matt! Stop, I’m going to get batter all over!” My sister laughed as the big brute tickled her. “What are you afraid of a little mess?” he chuckled, picking her up and spinning her around in a small circle.

God they were so fucking sickly sweet that I could get a toothache from watching me. “Matt stop! Haha,” she continued to laugh as he tickled her, the kitchen quickly turning into the biggest mess I had ever seen. Jolie looked the happiest I had ever seen her and couldn’t help but feel jealous. Why did she always get everything? She always got father’s attention, all the best things, and now someone that could rescue her from our hell. It just wasn’t fucking fair!

I quickly pushed off the couch and stormed back down the hall toward Brian’s room. I couldn’t take them anymore! Hell, I couldn’t take any of this anymore! I had to get out of here and maybe now was my chance. I just had to grab a few things and I could slip out the door.

I quickly pulled at the bedroom door only to find it locked in its place. “Fuck!” I raged, pulling harder on the handle. “Why can’t I fucking have one thing?” I hissed, before kicking the door a few times.

I was so pissed and upset as I stormed back down the hall that I could barely think straight. Everything that I ever knew and trusted was crashing down around me and I felt like prisoner within my own body. I needed some kind of release from all the shit that was flooding my brain and there was only one thing that could help me calm down—drawing.

Without thinking twice, I stormed into the study and flopped down at the desk, grabbing whatever pencil and paper I could find. I just let my hand and my dark thoughts start to take control, though I wasn’t quite prepared for what came out.

My hand feverishly flew over the page, creating dark lines and blending them into the whiteness of the page. It was like the tip of the pencil had a mind of it’s own, drawing anything and everything that it desired. Only, what it came out was a very grim and dark scene of a woman standing behind bars in a cemetery, with tears running down her face as she screamed. In the background my hand began to scribble the beautiful sunset that was so vividly engrained in my memory.

‘Much has changed since the last time’, I wrote on the side of the drawing, thinking of how different things were since the first time Brian and I visited the beach. That memory being the turning point for everything bad that was happening to me. ‘And I feel a little less certain now.’

‘You know I jumped at the first sign’ Yeah, I fucking tried to push all my emotions away but they just came back again. ‘Tell me only if it's real,’ I continued to scribble, still not knowing what to believe about anything. God, I was so lost and confused that I didn’t know what to think or do.

‘While it seems sick, sober up quick. Psycho lunatic,’ I wrote, expressing everything that I was feeling. ‘Crushing you with hands of fate. Shamed to find out when it’s too late.’ I knew Brian would break me in the end—all fucking guys did. They were all the fucking same! ‘But you’re all the same… trapped inside inferno waits.’

I could feel tear burning my eyes and rolling down my cheeks and wrote the last lines, knowing that I was trapped in my fate. Bound and buried alone… as someone’s prisoner. ‘This is now your life. Strike you from the light. This is now your life. Die buried alive…” I finished whipping the tears away from my eyes just as the floor creaked behind me.

“Em?”

Notes

Hello lovely readers! thank you so much for reading! We love hearing from you so please keep leaving your awesome comments! You guys are the best!