Emery’s POV

My whole body felt numb as I stared blankly ahead at the wall behind my father’s desk. I could hear his booming voice echoing from the study next door, screaming obscenities at his failed guards, but I didn’t care. The only people I cared about were hopefully far away from his hellhole, safe and hiding from my father’s wrath. But my sacrifice was worth it, knowing that he got away. Knowing that they were safe. That was all that mattered now.

“HOW COULD YOU LET THOSE BASTARDS GET AWAY WITH MY DAUGHTER?! THEY WERE FUCKING BROKEN!” my father’s voice bellowed through the wall, shaking the picture frames on the shelf. “I COULD HAVE EVERY ONE OF YOUR HEADS FOR THIS!!”

I took a shaky breath and momentarily closed my eyes, trying to fight the rising tears as I replayed the painful look in Brian’s eyes as I pushed him out the window. Those brown orbs were so full of shock, pain, and terror that it physically hurt to think about it. But there they were, engrained in my memory, taunting me. It was the hardest decision I had ever made, but there was no way we were both going to make it off the property alive. I just hoped Brian understood why I couldn’t come with him…

A tear ran down my face and I angrily whipped it away, swallowing thickly as another one fell. I hated my father with every ounce of my being for putting us in this crappy situation. I mean, how could he do this to his own flesh and blood? Any normal father would want what was best for his daughters, not imprison them, sell them to the highest bidder, and torture and try to kill their boyfriends. This was all his fault and I knew from this point on that I would never forgive him for taking away the only people I ever loved—the only family I ever truly had. I just hoped that he got what was coming to him… I heard karma could be quite the little bitch.

“YOU BETTER FUCKING FIND THEM AND QUICK! GOT ME?” My father bellowed one last time before the door burst open, slamming against the wall. I quickly whipped away the rest of my tears, not wanting to give him that satisfaction of knowing that I was upset. He could go fuck himself.

I didn’t even flinch when my father stormed into the room. There was nothing left for him to take from me, nothing more he could do to break me. I was already a hollow shell of a person now that everyone I loved was gone. The only thing that kept me going was knowing that they were safe and out of this hellhole, and I would make that sacrifice for them time and time again. They were all that mattered to me. I just hoped they wouldn’t do anything stupid to jeopardize that.

I clenched my jaw and looked down at the pattern on the carpet as my father leaned on his desk, undoubtedly trying to intimidate me with his murderous glare. I just hugged my sweatshirt tightly around my body, trying to enjoy the light scent of Brian’s cologne that lingered on his shirt I was wearing beneath it. His scent reminded me that his was all for him – the pain, the heartache, the arranged marriage, and the beatings from my father – it was all worth it to save Brian’s life.

“I don’t have the patience to deal with your bullshit right now, so I will ask you one time and one time only,” my father started through gritted teeth. It was evident that he was on edge and that gave me a little bit of satisfaction knowing that the escape of the others had gotten under his skin. “Where did Avenged take your sister? And don’t tell me you don’t fucking know!”

I scoffed and looked up at him with a look of hatred. “What does it matter to you? You still have your most prized possession sitting in front of you. That’s all you really need isn’t it? Your fucking paycheck?” I snapped, not caring about the repercussions.

My father growled and leaned even further across the desk towards me. “You better watch your mouth Emery or—”

“Or what? You’ll lock me in the basement cells? Please go ahead! You’ve taken everything else away from me? Why keep up the façade of keeping me prison in my room? You might as well make it legitimate because I’m not telling you anything!” I could feel the tears burning in my eyes but I refused to let them fall.

Before I could even blink my tears away my father’s hand tightly grabbed my cheeks, forcing me to look at his menacing glare. He looked completely unhinged and for the first time ever I feared for my own life. The monster inside of him was slowly escaping through the cracks in his well-groomed disguise. “You think you have it bad? You think I’ve hurt you all that I can? Well think again sweet daughter,” he growled, squeezing my face harder with each word. “Wait until I get my hands on them… I’ll show your torture then…”

I glared back at him, seeing his eyes darken another shade from anger. “Good luck finding them. They are probably far away from California right now!” I retorted, trying to fight the tears in my eyes again.

I hated the thought of never seeing Brian or my sister again, but it was worth it if they could live safe and happy lives together, away from all this bullshit. God just thinking about never seeing them again hurt so bad but I had to remind myself that it was all for them… it was the right thing to do.

My father squeezed my face a little tighter, his eye thin slits before he pushed me back in the chair, my face burning. There would definitely be a bruise there. “Oh, don’t worry. I will find them, and when I do, it will be you that delivers their final blow.” His words felt like a punch in the chest and I struggled to bring air into my lungs. His threat alone was suffocating me. “You think you can mouth back to me and defy my rules? Think again, Emery. I will make your life fucking miserable, especially when you are the one in charge of Gates and your sister’s noose. They have now committed treason and will be punished by your hand!”

“No…” I gasped, unable to keep the tears from rolling down my face. “I wont do it!” I snarled. “I’ll kill myself first!”

“Like I would give you that easy of an out, dear daughter,” he laughed. What kind of sick and twisted game was he playing here? He had really lost it if he was thinking of killing my sister for running away. If he wasn’t a sick bastard before, he definitely was now. “But all that can change… all you have to is tell me where they are hiding.”

I took a shaky breath, my chest heaving up and down. “I don’t know where they went. They didn’t tell me anything,” I whispered as tears ran down my cheeks, my body shaking from the thought of being forced to kill the only ones I loved. “But I’ll do what you want. I’ll marry McGinley, play the perfect wife, and make you millions, just as long as you don’t hurt them.”

My father laughed and sat back down in his chair, looking at me with an amused smirk. “Well isn’t that a selfless gesture,” he sneered, almost mocking me. “Who knew your heart would be your biggest weakness. If I’d of known that, I would have used it to get what I wanted weeks ago,” he laughed, the sound alone making me sick. How could he be so heartless towards his own flesh and blood?

“Please… I’m begging you,” I tearfully pleaded. “I wont cause a fuss… I’ll do whatever you tell me… Just leave them alone…” I felt like my world was crashing down around me all over again. I couldn’t live in a world knowing that I was reason for Jo and Brian’s deaths. I would give anything to see them happy, even if that meant being miserable myself. It was the same when I was back with Vipers. I would have done anything to save Jolie, even let that slimy man destroy me. God maybe my father was right, my heart was my biggest weakness and I played the wrong card by showing it.

My father narrowed his eyes at me and stroked his goatee, thinking about his response. “You’re right, you will do whatever I ask,” he agreed with a small smirk on his face. “But why would I let traitors get away? I have a reputation at stake and they will pay for their crimes against me. Mark my words.”

“No… please…” I cried, shaking my head, unable to control myself any more. He couldn’t do this! I was supposed to save them, not be their downfall. God I hoped they were all far away from here and my father’s troops. “Please…”

“Oh Emery, begging will not help anyone,” he chuckled, shaking his head at me. Obviously he was pleased with himself, even though he still didn’t have the answers he wanted. Must be it was satisfaction enough to know he had broken me even more than I thought possible. “Now, you will go back to your room, shower and get ready for your big day today. I can already hear the wedding bells—” he started only for his phone to go off. “Ah, speak of the devil, it’s your soon to be husband.”

I closed my eyes and bit down on my bottom lip, trying to hold myself together as my father took the call. Marrying a man I hated after losing the one I loved would be one of the hardest things I would ever do. Was there really no hope for me now? No, I refused to believe that. I just needed to make a plan… even if it meant running away from McGinley and searching for my sister and Brian. It was the only choice I had and I had to remember that to get through. I would see them again… I had to.

“What do you mean the wedding is off?” My father bellowed, pulling me from my thoughts. “No, Mr. McGinley, you have been misinformed. Emery is still here and—” My father’s face was quickly turning the color of a tomato and his hands curled into fists. Suddenly he directing his deathly glare on me and I felt all the color drain from my face. What was going on? “Yes… there was an escape from my jail cells but I can assure you that the men did not—”

I bit down on my bottom lip, averting my gaze to the floor. I could only imagine what McGinley had heard if my father was talking about an escape. Had the Avenged guys contacted him to stop the wedding? My heart swelled lightly at the thought. Maybe Brian wasn’t mad at me after all. Maybe they were coming for me? Though deep down I didn’t want them to risk their lives to get back onto the property. In my eyes, I wasn’t worth all the trouble, not after all the hell I’d been through. I was a damaged good, which I’m sure was what McGinley was telling my father.

“Medical reports? What medical reports?” My father raged. “She is perfectly pure with her virtue intact, if that is what you’re questioning…. So what if she has a scar from a medical procedure years ago! ….. You already signed the contract! You cant pull out now!”

The longer my father argued on the phone with McGinley the more angry and unhinged he became. “You will be hearing from my lawyer about this breach of contract! You will pay for this McGinley! Mark my words!” He screamed before throwing his phone across the room.

With two menacing strides he crossed the room, his finger pointing right in my face. “Do you know how much trouble your little escape stunt just cost me?” he snarled, his eyes purely black now.

“I-I didn’t…” I shook my head, sinking back in the chair in fear. Now that there was no business deal surrounding me, there was no telling what he would do to me now.

“Oh your fucking little stunt with Gates cost me EVERYTHING!” His hand suddenly reached for my throat, squeezing it tightly and making it hard to breath. “Someone leaked Avenged’s escape and one of the members being held up in your room… and now McGinley magically has your latest doctors report? Now how do you think that happened?” He was squeezing so tightly now that I was starting to see stars.

“I-I-I—” I gasped, trying to pull air into my lungs.

“I bet your sister and your fucking boyfriend Gates are responsible for this! Oh, they will pay but for now it’s your ass that’s on the line! It’s your fault this deal fell through! You will fucking pay!” I had never seen my father look so terrifying. Even through my blurred strangled vision, I was truly afraid of him. The man had lost it.

“I-I-I—”

“I have no more use for you…” He hissed letting go of my throat with a hard push that sent the chair I was sitting in toppling backwards onto the floor. My head smacked against the marble floor, making my brain rattle inside my skull. Everything was blurry as I tried to pull myself up but my father kicked me back down. “Brown! Tucker! Get your asses in here!”

“Yes, Sir?” Jeremy asked, stopping inside the door. His eyes quickly darted between my father and I with a questioning look on his face.

“Take Emery down the basement cell. That will be her new residence.”

“But Sir—”

“I said take her down to the cell. NOW!”

Matt’s POV

“So you mean to tell me that the whole rescue idea was Short Shits plan?” I asked with a raised brow. I was still trying to wrap my head around what they were telling me, but my throbbing headache from Pagano’s guards beating was making it hard to follow.

“Well, kind of,” Christ said, passing me a glass of water and some Tylenol. We must have looked like shit but at this point I didn’t care. I had Jolie back in my arms and that was all that mattered. I would take a beating for her any day of the week. “The Berry’s said they had a appointment with Pagano to investigate an anonymous bid slip from the girls action ball and I remembered that you had put in a bid. And well, the pieces just kind of fell into place after that and the Berry’s set Dan up as the anonymous bidder.”

“Wait a minute… you bid on me at the ball?” I asked, looking up at me from my lap. God she was a sight for sore eyes. I was never letting her out of my sight again, or even out of arms reach for that matter. I was too close to losing her for the second time and I wasn’t risking it again. “When we were at the Viper compound?”

I pulled Jo close, gently letting my calloused finger run up and down her bare arms. “Yes,” I smiled down at you. “I wasn’t going to risk losing you forever after I got you back from the Vipers. I love you, Jo.” I gently leaned down and pressed my lips to hers in a tender kiss. Damn this woman was like an addicting drug that I just couldn’t get enough of. “And I’ll be damned if I’m letting anyone take you away again.”

Jo chuckled happily and pressed herself to my chest. Her touch was exactly what I needed to maintain my cool right now. “But how did Jo end up getting us out of those cells?” Zack asked. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Gates looking off into the distance with a deep frown. He looked like he was on the edge of breaking down and like he was in a different world at the same time. If I were in his position, I would feel the exact same way. I honestly didn’t know what I would have done if Jolie hadn’t escaped with us.

“Well, my father ordered me down to this office and introduced me to my new suitor,” Jo explained, smiling across the table at Dan. “We went for a walk in the gardens and he explained the plan. It was my job to get you guys’ disguises and figure out how to sneak you out. The Jimmy, Johnny, and the guys were in charge of the rest.”

“So how did you get down to us?” I asked, my hands running along her curves. Man I couldn’t get enough of this woman.

Jo smiled back at me before turning to address the others. “I snuck makeup and guards uniforms from the laundry and talked Jeremy into taking me down to see you guys one last time. When got down to the basement doors, I knocked him out and used his handprint and card to get to you guys. The rest is history,” she smiled back at me and I placed a small kiss on her temple. God I missed her.

“You are amazing you know that,” I whispered to her, slowly kissed up the side of neck. She really was the perfect woman for me and I couldn’t wait to show her that over and over again.

“Well I’m glad you guys are fucking happy,” Gates snapped, causing all of us to turn and look at him. “But Emery is still in that hellhole and is being forced to marry that bastard tomorrow,” he growled, wincing slightly as he moved his injured leg.

Jolie’s face instantly dropped at the mention of her sisters and I mentally cursed Gates’ timing. I had just got her to relax a little bit, even though he had a point. “Gates is right. We can’t just sit idly by and let my father marry her off. We need to do something!” she said, turning to look at me with pleading eyes.

I sighed and ran a hand over my face. Honestly I was exhausted, mentally and physically drained, and had no idea where to start with a rescue plan. But thankfully Jason Berry spoke up first.

“I have McGinley’s number in the account…” he said looking around the group. Gates slowly sat up a little straighter look at him with an unreadable expression.

“What are you saying?” Gates asked.

“I’m saying what if we pay McGinley an anonymous call with some information about Emery… information that will void his contract,” Jason shrugged and I nodded in agreement. That was perfect! “Though it would have to be on a burner phone, knowing that Pagano will go looking for the source once McGinley calls off the deal.”

“But what would make him void Pagano’s contract?” Gates asked, his tone gruff. “Sounded like he had the perfect deal, especially since the girls appeared to still have their virtue.” He sounded miserable and I honestly didn’t blame him. I just wished we could have gotten Emery out of there too. God know what Pagano was going to do to her once McGinley called off the wedding. All I knew was that we would have to act fast to get her out of there.

“He would have to find out Emery wasn’t a virgin or had some kind of major flaw,” Jo said sadly, looking around the room at the group. “But I don’t know how to prove that when we had the doctor cover up our secret for so long.”

“But what if the doctor wrote something else that would raise a red flag. Did he write about your Viper injuries?” I asked, my mind starting to formulate a plan.

“Yes,” Jo said slowly before a smile fell over her face. “That could be it! We could send McGinley a copy of her doctor’s report and make an anonymous call to give him some more information. He would sure call off the wedding!” she gushed with a look of hope.

“Christ, can you break into the system and get a copy of the medical notes?” I asked, rubbing Jo’s back.

“Sure, shouldn’t be a problem. I’ll get right on it and make the call.” With that, Christ got up and headed into the back room.

“But how are we going to get her out of there! We just can’t leave her! I swear if Pagano lays a hand on her I will kill him myself!” Gates warned, his eyes darting around dangerously. We would have to keep an eye on him because at this rate, he would try to sneak out the door in the middle of the night to do the job himself.

“Gates has a point,” I said looking between Jimmy and Zack. “We need to make a plan…”

Notes

So here is another chapter for our fantastic readers! Let us know what you think!