Chris’ POV (Emery’s Guard)

“You will be hearing from my lawyer about this breach of contract! You will pay for this McGinley! Mark my words!” Pagano screamed before something crashed and pieces rained down the wall. I stood still, just as I was told to do, even though my insides screamed for me to do something. Still I was trained to be silent, to hear nothing and just do as I was told.

“Oh your fucking little stunt with Gates cost me EVERYTHING!” His loud voice couldn’t be overhead, I turned my head to look at Jeremy, he seemed even more nervous now. No wonder, he got knocked down by someone and that helped Avenged Sevenfold along with Jolie to escape. “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?”
Silence greeted us and I hoped he finally calmed down. I felt sorry for Emery, wanted to help her, but didn’t know how.

“Brown! Tucker! Get your asses in here!” Pagano’s yell almost shook the walls. And both Jeremy and I moved as quickly as possible.

“Yes, Sir?” Jeremy asked, stopping inside the door. His and my eyes quickly darted between Pagano and Emery lying on the floor with a questioning look on our faces, wondering what had happened in here.

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

“But Sir—” I started to argue, he couldn’t mean that. She was his daughter, she even bled, what the hell had he been doing inside his office, they just had been alone for a couple of minutes. I looked at Pagano and he seemed completely out of his mind.

“I said take her down to the cell. NOW!” His crazy eyes turned towards me and he took a step towards me, his hand moved to the side of his pants, where I knew his gun holster was positioned.

“No problem, sir. We will.” I said while Jeremy helped Emery of the floor. We quickly moved out of his office while I quickened my step to take Emery from Jeremy’s hold. I lifted her feet up and carried her bridal style.

“Jer, go get the first aid kit. Some water, blankets and fresh clothes.” He nodded and went to find the requested items.

“What happened in there, Emery?” I asked but saw Emery close her eyes, while still a tear escaped her closed eyelids.

“What do you care, Chris? Just do as you are commanded, like you used to do.” With that she turned her head away from me and I sighed.

I never wanted anyone to hurt Emery, I was just in no position to help her, or… was I? What could I do? I could only make her stay down in the basement a little better, but else… I had no idea, we could try and talk to Pagano, but they look in his eyes told me, that there wasn’t any reasoning possible with the crazy man.

When I started working here, I loved the job, sure he was overprotective of his daughters, but he also was a running a dangerous business, I thought it was necessary, but as the months and even years ran by, it was getting more and more to the extreme. And now, it had been too much… he was no way just protecting his girls, it wasn’t Avenged’s fault, it was Pagano they should be fleeing from.

And I had to talk to Jeremy, we had to do something. Or Pagano would… shit, maybe he would even kill his own daughters… starting with Emery, down in the cell below his office.

I stopped with Emery near the cells, and let her carefully down on one of the benches. She sat up and winced. But she wouldn’t look at me, not once.

“Which one is mine?” She asked with a small voice and I cringed. She had always been the spitfire, she stood up to her father, but now seeing her like this, it almost felt like she was giving up. That her father had finally won, and broken her.

“We will take care of your wounds, have a set of fresh clothes so you can change and some water and blankets set out. Emery, believe me we don’t want to do this...” I reassured her. And Emery gave of a bitter laugh.

“Sure… just go ahead, do your job. I don’t care.” She turned her back on me, and I saw the small wound on her head, where she must have hit the marble floor.

Jeremy reached us with the items and helped me clean the scratch on her head. Emery was completely silent, didn’t say a word again. No matter what Jeremy and I asked, she didn’t even react when we cleaned the wound, thank god it was nothing big and it would heal soon.

Before we could say anything, she stepped into the middle cell and closed the bars on her own. She laid down on the bed and turned her back on us.

“Shit, Jeremy, he is going insane. I think… we need to do something before… before it’s too late.” Jeremy nodded and we left Emery alone.

“But what can we do?” Jeremy asked. “Come outside, we need a safe place to talk without someone overhearing us.” I dragged Jeremy into the garden where we knew the video feed wouldn’t be able to record us. A dead spot, not many knew about.

“We need to contact Sevenfold. They will help Emery get out of here.” I said and Jeremy swallowed thickly. “I don’t think that’s a good idea… we don’t know if they even treat Jo-Jolie good.” He argued and I frowned.

“What if we make a deal?!” I asked and Jeremy looked suspicious. “What deal?”

“We will contact them-” I started but Jeremy interrupted me already “And how will you do that? Without Pagano getting wind of it?”

“Didn’t you have the number of this anonymous bidder for Jolie? We will try his phone, send a message. We will try it, damn.. don’t be such a pussy, or don’t you want to help them?!” I asked and Jeremy looked down.

“Sure, I do. I’m just… Shit, I don’t know if Avenged Sevenfold is the right place, but… you are right, we need to do something.” He agreed finally.

“So we will contact them, set up a meeting. See if anyone answers at all. And we will request that Jolie is present, so we can see for ourselves that she is fine and healthy. What do you think?”

“Sounds like a plan.”He nodded in agreement. “I get the number and we will meet back here 20 minutes after our shift is done.”

Brian’s POV

I didn’t know when I fell asleep, mostly sleep wouldn’t come for me. Demons were following me, nightmares haunting me, knowing what I did, what I didn’t do, what I should have done, what I couldn’t protect.

I failed.
I failed so bad, that the consequences might shatter my whole existence.
I still couldn’t believe what she had done, that she had put herself in such danger, to save me. When I didn’t even want to be saved. I wanted to save her, I should have been the one to save her, and I… I didn’t.

Tossing and turning, that’s what I call sleep now, but only when I couldn’t hold my eyes open anymore, when sleep took over my body, because it was too exhausted, too tired to work, eat… It wasn’t the only time when I found myself tucked underneath a blanket on the couch, a pillow put underneath my head, with Jolie sitting beside me when I woke up screaming.

I hadn’t laid down on the couch to sleep, I knew I had been sitting on the plans of the house, trying to find a way inside, even on a suicide mission. I didn’t care, as long as I could get Emery out there, I didn’t care what happened to me. Why didn’t she see that?! How could she not see that, her life was more precious than mine. That I would have stayed there to save her, within a blink of my eye. No questions asked…

When I began yelling after waking up, Jolie tried to calm me down. Then Matt would come running, telling me to get a fucking grip, that I wasn’t helpful like this, but hell… I wasn’t helpful at all… Couldn’t they see? I fucked up, big. I didn’t mean to yell and make Jolie feel bad, because she wasn’t to blame, she tried to save us, she succeeded, but I… I didn’t.

I noticed Jolie didn’t look like she managed to sleep good either, she had dark circles underneath her eyes, but at least… she had Matt… Emery, she had no one. And I was to blame…

“Em! Babe, come on!” I climbed through the glass and tried to get a hold of her, saw how the guards were moving towards us, I leaned so far in a glass shard was now poking a hole inside my thigh but I just gnashed my teeth together and endured the pain, I had to get to Emery.

“EM! GODDAMNIT!” I yelled, when she turned to me, I saw the sad smile on her face. “I love you” She said moved towards me and I almost wanted to sigh in relief “I love you too, come on!” I was desperate now, but instead on taking my hand and follow me out, she gave my shoulders a hard push, and I fell backwards out the window, slithering on the roof until I was able to get a hold and not fall down into my sure death.

“Emery! NO!” I saw how she looked out the window, just as the guards got a hold of her. A tear ran down her face and I just got what she had done, she saved me, but damned herself… all over again, and now I wished I had fallen, because I wanted to die.

I inhaled air deeply into my lungs and let out a loud groan, when my eyes flipped open and stared into the light of the neon lamp above me.

This dream was haunting me, the demons I mentioned. Sad but true, it wasn’t a dream, it was a memory. I saw Emery every time I slept, her face, her fear, her love, her damnation created by myself.

I saw my failure, saw myself, how I could run to freedom, and leave her behind. Why did I leave? Why didn’t I try more, I was losing my mind. I was slowly but surely going crazy by now.

“Brian?” Zack’s voice sounded from beside me, I hadn’t even noticed I wasn’t alone.

I tried to sit up straight, but felt the exhaustion still deep in my bones, my soul. “Whoa, Gates… lay down. You look like shit man, and I mean even worse than down in the cells.”

I lifted an eyebrow, while trying to shove his hand away and sitting back up. “Thanks… but I don’t need you stupid talk. Leave me alone…” I finally sat straight and felt my head beginning to spin, when had been the last time that I drank something? Or ate? I had no idea.

“Here, Jolie made breakfast, she told me to give it to you as soon as you are up.” He held a glass in hand and a plate before me. My stomach grumbled, but I shoved it away. “Do you have a plan? What did I miss? How could I fucking fall asleep? Why didn’t someone wake me?! Fuck!” I pushed to my feet and swayed my body about to shut down again. But my will was stronger.

“You ain’t helping anyone with the condition you are in!” Matt’s voice boomed through the room. I was about to spin around when I heard a second voice whisper in my ear “You are definitely not helping me!” Emery’s voice. I swallowed thickly, “Em?!”

“Brian? Are you even listening?” A hand waved in front of my eyes and I blinked, tears of anger and frustration burning in my eyes, but I swallowed it all down.

I was surely going crazy, I heard her voice so clear in my mind. It felt like she was standing right beside me. I closed my eyes, picturing her before me. Fuck, I missed her so bad, and I had no idea if I would see her again…

“Fucking hell, Gates! Get a grip, we need you.” Matt shook my shoulders and then pushed me back down on the couch.

“Here, take the water, drink it. And then here, take the goddamn breakfast that Jolie made. We need all of us with our full strength!” He pushed the plate in my hands and I sighed.

“For what? Do you finally have a plan?” I looked up, while drinking the water, cooling my throat, that I hadn’t even noticed was so dry.

“We are still working on that.” Matt grumbled and I rolled my eyes “See, you don’t have shit, you don’t know what we can do… so what the hell!” I pushed the plate away, and it fell to the floor. The food flying everywhere, the plate shattering in a million pieces, just like my heart had, when I left Emery behind.

“Gates!” Matt suddenly was in my face, “We know that you are suffering, and we all try to fucking help you. We will get Emery out of there, we just need a plan that will succeed. We cannot risk being taken again. Don’t you get it. We can’t just fucking barge in there, weapons drawn, as much as we want to, believe me… Because I want just the same.”

“You don’t know shit.” I pushed up and got right into Matt’s face. “You are here with her. You have your girl, you don’t know anything about the shit that I have been through. About the pain I am in, the guilt. You know fucking nothing, now get the fuck out of my face, asshole.”

“I dare you-” Matt grabbed my shirt lifting me up, and I was so in for a fight, sadly Jolie pushed between us and broke Matt’s and my death stare.

“Stop it!” She pushed at Matt and he backed away “Babe, he needs someone to tell him-”
“But it’s not gonna be you, Matt. Let me do this, please” I couldn’t see her face, but knew the way Matt was retreating, that she had the man wrapped around her little finger, just like Em had me… fuck, there she was again back in my thoughts and I was still losing the battle.

“Brian, please… We need you here, we need you to rescue my sister. But if you don’t eat and don’t sleep, you can’t help us. Emery, would want-” She said and I narrowed my eyes “Don’t fucking tell me what she wants, you are not there, are you?!”

Jolie sighed “I am not, but she is still my blood. And I know what she would want, and she would want you to work with us on a plan to rescue her, and not throw a pityparty for yourself. We know what you went through, and believe me, I miss her too. I wished it was me there, not her, she is my little sister, do you know how my heart bleeds?!” She asked and I swallowed, shit… I always forgot that I wasn’t the only one missing her, but fuck, my head just wasn’t working right.

“Fine, I’ll eat something, and tonight I’m gonna lay down and sleep, sound good?!” I asked though my plan would never be to sleep, I just needed them off of my back.

“Promise?!” Jolie looked at me hopeful. “Sure.” I nodded and saw the small smile of hope in her face, and a little peng in my heart was making me feel guilty knowing, I had lied to her face just like that. “Hope, just as the hope that I had of you rescuing me? I don’t think you will ever come for me, will you?!” Em’s sad voice was in my head and I pushed it back, it sounded so real. It wasn’t long, that I would go completely insane, if I couldn’t find a way inside the house of the devil himself.

Jolie’s POV

“He is going crazy, I don’t want you alone with him.” Matt’s voice sounded in my ear, his arms wrapped around me and I sighed.

“He is missing her, he is blaming himself, what would you do, Matt? If it was the other way around?!” I turned in his arms and looked into his eyes.

“You wouldn’t want to know that, believe me.” I could see the fire in his eyes. I frowned “What do you mean?”

“I would have walked in there and got you out, without questions asked.” He caressed my face with his hands and smiled. “No matter what would have happened to me, I would have rescued you, and then… the guys would have taken you to safety. Honesty, I am still wondering why Gates haven’t tried to pull a stunt like that. I know he is thinking about it. I know he is thinking the exactly same thing. A suicide mission to save Emery.”

I breathed in deeply, “The others would never let you do that.” I said with anxiousness.

“No, they wouldn’t. But they wouldn’t know either.” He was saying this so sure, that I could feel it was the truth, with everything within him. He would have died, to get me out, and he knew that Brian would do the same for my sister.

“We need to keep an eye on him Matt. We need him, Emery will need him.” I held on to his shirt and Matt sighed. “I know, we need to make him see that, we need to make a bulletproof plan, we need all of us in this, so we can save Emery and end his whole nightmare.”

“Any news?” I asked and Matt pulled me down onto his lap, caressing my hair, running his hands through it.

“We heard that McGinley cancelled the contract, so our little information that was given to him worked out as planned. But… we don’t know what your father is planning now. He will be pissed off because his big deal is gone, and the other deal is sitting here in my lap.”

I licked my lips “Emery is in danger, Matt. If the deal is called off, he will blame her. He will punish her for that, I know him. He will… I don’t know, he will let his anger out on her. We need to find a solution, Matt. Quickly!” I felt my heart beat faster, this was not good. We really needed to hurry.

“Christ is still working on the new locking system they installed and trying to get a plan of the complete ground and house structure. Maybe you can help him rebuild everything. The Berry’s are anonymous trying to find a guard who is willing to help us, for the right amount of cash…but so far no luck. It’s a tough job, but believe me babe, we will save her. We just need a little more time.”I nodded and kissed Matt. I knew he would do all he could, he wasn’t sleeping much either, none of us were. We were all walking zombies, but Brian, he was even worse. And after my talk with Matt, I knew I had to keep a closer eye on Brian then I had already thought.

After Matt and I talked I spend a good amount of time with Johnny and helped him recreate the whole building and territory of the Pagano mansion.

I heard a loud argument and thought maybe Brian and Matt had gone heads to heads again but when I heard even more voices I knew it had to be something else.

Johnny and I looked at each other “We better have a look” I nodded and we headed from his office to the living room, where everyone was gathered around the table.

“What is going on?” I asked confused. “Tell you boyfriend that, he is being ridiculous. He is not fucking willing to rescue Emery. He is holding us the fuck back.” Brian yelled and Matt huffed out air.

“I just said, this could be a trap. I am not risking it all, for a trap. Then we are fucked and won’t find a way out, can’t you see reason!” Matt yelled back and I frowned.

“What the hell is going on?!” I asked between their ongoing argument.

Dan turned to me and sighed, “We received a message that tonight two guards of Pagano wants to talk to us. Brian see the chance that they are willing to help, while Matt thinks this could be Pagano’s trap.” He summed it up and I felt my heart starting to beat faster.

“How did you get the message?!” I asked and Matt turned to me “On Dan’s phone, he still has the phone as he acted as your anonymous bidder.” He told me and I nodded “Did they mention names?” I asked and hoped that maybe, just maybe it would be Jer or Chris, who are really willing to help.

“Just JC” Matt shrugged and I breathed in deeply. “That could be Jeremy and Chris. The guards responsible for me and Emery. Maybe they are willing to help?!”

“See, I told you.” Brian speaks up again and leaning against the wall beside him. He looked still bad, and I could bet he hadn’t eaten at all during the day, or slept at all. I should watch him more closely.

“And what if they are setting up the trap?” Matt said shaking his head, crushing my hope to find a wayin to help Emery.

“And what if not?!” Brian snapped again. “I will be going, with or without you.”
“The fuck you will, that’s just what they want.” Matt yelled right back,

“We could go. Jimmy and I. Sneak up, and see if they are alone or not, then we call you for backup or if the thing is real?!” Zack spoke up and I nodded, that could work, right?

“I will be going” Brian insisted and I nodded, he had to go, or he would never find peace again.

“Don’t you dare take this chance from me, Matt. You know I will be going, no matter what you say. You won’t hold me back, so better be on my side then the other.” Brian said his voice dark, staring straight at Matt. “You wouldn’t allow anyone to hold you back either, if it was the other way around.”

“Fine, Brian and Jimmy will be going. Me and Body will be going as back up. The rest is staying here. Johnny you will monitor the surrounding of the meeting area they wrote, prepare everything. Zack and the Berrys you will stay with Jolie. I don’t want her anywhere near them.” I opened my mouth to speak but Matt looked at me “I am not risking you, again. There is nothing to talk about.” With that he dismissed me and I couldn’t believe what just happened. He would be hearing about that soon, I wouldn’t be dismissed just like that.
And if he didn’t want to listen, I would talk to Zack, I bet he would be listening to me.

Notes

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