by G. Bailey
I hear them slap Tris around a few times before he wakes up, even then, he doesn’t look with it.
“Finally. We have one more guest to wait for, but I'm sure she is rushing here." He laughs, and I move to tackle him, knowing he is making Allie come here. I'm kicked to my knees by one of his goons, who’s standing behind me.
"Now, boy, that's not nice," Arthur tuts.
"Tristan, see you could have dealt with all this if you did what I asked. Is he really worth your own life?" He turns to Tris.
"No, but Allie is," Tristan says, strongly showing his love for his sister.
"Why would you do this to him? He's your son," I shout over whatever Arthur was going to reply.
"He's not my son," Arthur says coolly, and I look over to see the shock on Tris’ battered face. Arthur nods, and Tris is dragged to his knees on the bridge in front of Arthur. He gets his knife out of his pocket and cuts a deep cut down Tris’ face, from his eye to his chin.
"Fucking stop! Allie will hate you for this," I shout, and Arthur stops his cutting. I watch Tris' head drop to his chest.
"Maybe, but he's only her half-brother. I only kept him around so he would follow orders when he was older. He couldn't even do that right." Arthur laughs, making me feel sick.
"Who's his dad, then?" I ask, trying to buy time for my brothers to, hopefully, get here, or for something to happen. I'm slowly pulling the ropes, knowing I'm creating a big enough gap to get my hands free.
"I had no idea their whore of a mother was fucking around on me after she had Allie. I never caught who she was with, but she told me he isn’t mine. I wasn’t even in the country when he was made. I agreed to keep him, knowing he would be useful one day. Their mother was smart; she only left me when she knew Allie and Tristan were close. I couldn’t hurt Allie; she was this sweet ten-year old." He growls the end part, clearly not happy about their mum’s lack of involvement and most likely careful planning.
"So what's the big plan? You’re going to finally kill me for touching your baby girl?" I say, pissing him off. Tris isn't in a good way, and Arthur looks pissed enough to push him off the bridge. I don’t want to risk him ordering one of the goons to do it.
"You won't, fucking, touch my daughter again. She is worth a million of you, boy," he says.
"I love her, and yes, I agree with you that she is, but she is mine," I say firmly.
"What will it take to get us out of this? More fights? Money?" I ask him as he wipes the blood off his knife with a hanky.
"Nothing. I want you dead, and her brother is a warning not to ignore me again," he points at Tris.
"You were never our dad. She will hate you if she doesn't already. You say you care about her. You don’t, you wouldn't touch her brother or the man she loves if you did," Tris says, glaring up at his dad.
"You know nothing about being a parent, Tristan. Everything I do is for her," he replies, clearly believing his own lies.
"Lies. Everything you do is for you," Tris shouts the words I’m thinking.
Arthur reacts by punching Tris in the face so hard that he drops to the bridge with a bang.
"I hate getting messy," Arthur says, wiping his hand on his trouser pocket.
"I don't get this. Why are you so hell bent on punishing Allie?" I ask.
"I need someone to take over, and Allie won't do what I ask without a little encouragement." He sneers at me.
“Is that because my dad wouldn’t follow you? Are you going to kill her when she turns on you, too?” I ask him, and he glares at me.
“Your father was a lunatic but great when he worked for me. He kept all my enemies in line, and I only had to give him whatever he wanted. You look like him, fight like him in The Cage. It’s a shame you won’t work for me. You could have Allie by your side,” Arthurs says.
"You’re fucking crazy." I laugh, and I don't regret it as he nods at the goon behind me, who punches me hard in the face. I black out again.
79
Allie
"This is a bad, fucking, idea," Luke mutters from the back seat as Harley drives us up the dirt road in the middle of nowhere.
This is where my dad told me to come to get Tris and Elliot back. Just one text message and a sat nav address.
"Luke, you need to stay in the car, and when you see a chance, you need to take it," Harley says. "I'm walking up with you," Harley tells me and takes my hand, squeezing it once.
I know I look like shit because this past week, I haven't slept unless I've passed out, or eaten unless one of the boys forced me to. I have no idea what my dad was doing with them, or if they’re even alive. My thoughts ran over a million different things that could have happened in a week, and in the end, all I did was crawl up into a ball and cry. I tried calling my mother. I was surprised when she bothered calling me back.
“Mum, Dad has lost it. He has taken Tristan and Elliot, my boyfriend. I need your help,” I say as I answer the phone.
“I can’t help you, come and live with me. Tristan is lost,” my mother answers, her voice completely devoid of any emotion.
“He will kill them both!” I shout at her through the phone. I stand up to walk around Elliot’s room. It feels empty without him here, but I need to be close to him, and this is the only way.
“I know. I should have taken you both, but I couldn’t. I am sorry for that. You father is–” I stop her.
“You’re sorry, now? If you truly are, call Dad. Ask him to give Tristan and Elliot back to me,” I say, my voice sounding shrill even to me.
“I can’t do that. I ran from him for a reason. There isn’t anything he won’t do to get his own way. He killed my parents, your grandparents. Did you know that?” she says, her tone still sounds like I’m talking to a robot instead of my mother. It doesn’t surprise me he killed my grandparents; nothing about my dad is surprising me anymore. It just hurts my heart instead.
“No, I didn’t, and I am sorry for your loss. Apparently I didn’t know anything until recently.”
“Come and live with me. I can keep you away from him. I know things. Things he doesn’t want anyone else knowing,” she mumbles the end part.
“Like what? Tell me, and I can use it against him to get Tris and Elliot back,” I tell her.
“No, I wouldn’t have anything to keep myself safe, then,” she replies.
“Tris is your son! You are basically giving him up,” I shout and then lower my voice. “You know what? It doesn’t surprise me. You’re a heartless monster, just like Dad is. You two were perfect for each other,” I tell her.
“I am sorry, Allie,” she replies.
I throw my phone across the room as I slide to my knees on the floor.
"Shit, Sebastian is calling, we should tell him," Luke says as his phone buzzes, pulling me out of my dark thoughts.
I spent the week at Harley’s with Luke. I just told Izzy I was at home and needed space. Seb and Izzy think Elliot is with me. None of us corrected them because we have been too busy looking for Elliot and Tris. Harley’s contacts just didn’t find anything and we were seconds away from calling the police when I got the text.
"No. He has bigger responsibilities now," Harley says, glancing at Luke and giving him a nod, which Luke seems to understand.
"Whatever happens, you need to persuade your dad to let them go. Do whatever he asks, and we will sort it later or hide you all," Harley says, going over the plan we have come up with on the way over.
"Got it. Be nice and agree to his crazy requests," I mutter.
"Good." Harley nods, stopping the car.
In the pouring rain, I can just make out an old wooden bridge with big, open gaps on one side. There are outlines of people on the bridge. Two white vans and my father’s car are parked on one side. This must be the right place, but my heart drops as I look at the very fast-moving river. It looks as angry and scared as I feel. It’s almost the perfect place, I’m sure my dad thought of that. He knows Tristan isn’t a good swimmer.
"You ready?
" Harley asks me, his eyes watching the water with me.
"No, but I don't have a choice. They both mean too much for me not to try to save them. I would die for either of them," I tell him. There isn’t anything I wouldn’t do for Elliot or Tris.
"Be nice, remember? We can't fight him here, not like this," Harley says with his face more tense than I've ever seen him.
"Good luck," Luke says darkly, stroking my arm for comfort.
I pull on my natural face as I get out of the car and pull the hood of my coat up.
"Hello, Dad," I say, walking up the dirt path to the bridge my dad is standing on. Rain pours down my cheeks, and the river current shakes the very bridge he stand on.
Harley is stopped by a huge, bald guy with a gun, who grins at me, making me shiver. I don’t feel the cold rain as I look around. I see Elliot on his knees, staring at me as I walk up to my dad. I can't look at him because I feel like I'm going to break. The worst sight is a dark-skinned, huge man holding my brother, who is barely awake, over the bridge.
"Stop there," Dad says as my feet hit the bridge.
"Get the fuck out of here," Elliot growls behind me.
"Ignore the boy, Alexandria. This is your punishment." He waves a hand at Tris. The man holding him tilts him further over the edge. The running noise of the water fills my ears as I watch in horror.
"Why? He is your son," I scream at him.
"No need to get overly emotional, my little girl. I will let Elliot live, as long as you come away with me. I have to show you all the places I own, what true power is. You can take over, eventually, but only if you do what I ask. You are lucky I have a need for someone like you,” he tells me.
“I will let Tristan live if you do everything I ask from now on," he also adds like an afterthought. Like Tristan doesn’t mean anything to him. I guess he never really has, he was always obsessed with me. It was me who looked after Tristan.
"No, Allie, don't," Tris moans in a cracked voice.
"How can I trust you?" I ask my dad.
"You can’t, my silly, little girl, but I will teach you who to trust and how to make deals. I will teach you how to run my business. All you have to do is forget your past. I did it once, you can too, Daughter." Dad smiles.
I panic, having no idea what to do; and my face falls in horror as Tris kicks back at the man holding him and throws himself over the bridge. I see his eyes lock onto mine, showing me so much love and sadness. I scream, knowing there's no point, but I'm moving before I know what I'm doing. I saw where his arms were tied, and he can't swim like that. I look over at Elliot just before I jump over the gap. The man who was holding Tris doesn’t have time to stop me as I push him out of the way.
"I love you, Elliot; only ever you," I shout, and his face falls when he realises what I'm going to do.
"No!" I hear both Elliot and my dad scream as I jump after my brother into the dark, cold water.
80
Elliot
"Allie," I scream as her blond hair disappears over the bridge.
Everything stops around me, even the rain slows as my heart beats strongly against my chest. I hear shouting, but I'm in a daze when my ropes are being cut. My brother shouting in my ear snaps me back to the present.
"Go!" Luke shouts as my hands fall free, and I hear Harley’s grunts as he fights the man holding him. With a run, I take off to the bridge, a little surprised when Arthur moves out of the way for me so I can jump.
I forgot about my ribs and cuts until my body hits the freezing water. I’ve heard people can do incredible things when they need to, and that’s the only reason I somehow block out all the pain. I swim up to the top of the water until I can take a deep breath. I swing my head around, looking in the dim light for Allie or Tristan. The current pulls me down the river. Thankfully, it's not as strong as it looks. It’s just very deep. My feet catch on large, sharp rocks. The rain is getting heavier, and I see the sky light up with lightning. The extra light helps me see ahead.
Panic attacks my body as I swim hard down the river, desperately looking for them and then I see a smudge of blond in the water ahead.
"Allie," I shout loud enough for her to, hopefully, hear me.
I swim as fast as I can, frantic to get to her, and I grab her arm when I get close enough. I pull her to my chest, keeping us both above water.
"Let go, I have to find him." She wriggles against me, the river pulling us both back under the water, but I don’t let her go. We both get pushed up again and hit the surface of the water. The river is curving, and there’s a large tree in the middle of it. I swim us both over, hearing Allie coughing up water. I’m a good swimmer, but I know she isn’t.
"Get to the river bank, I’ll find him. I can swim in this, and you aren’t strong enough, Allie," I promise her through coughs of water. I want to add that if it’s possible, I’ll find him alive for her, but I don’t.
"No, I can help," she mutters. I see lights on the side in the river, and I watch Harley jump into the river. I hold onto Allie as I look around the water, waiting for Harley.
"Take her," I shout over the noise of the water when Harley gets to us.
Allie screams, "No!"
Harley is stronger and manages to take hold of Allie from me, dragging her with him as he swims away using the tree to lead him to the river bank.
I don't know how long I swim down the current, avoiding rocks, until I see a shape in the water. I pick up speed, zoning in on Tris floating in the water.
I pull him to me and, keeping his head above water, I make my way to the side of the river where Harley and Allie run to help me drag a blue-looking Tristan onto the edge of a muddy embankment.
"No, no, no, Tris!" Allie screams, and I move away as Harley starts trying to save Tris’ life.
"Allie," I croak out and pull her to me as we watch. Neither of us move, watching Harley breathe into Tristan’s mouth while doing CPR.
"I don't think this is working," Harley mutters after the third time.
"Tris, don't do this to me. I love you, please don't leave me like this. He cannot win like this. Fucking fight, Tris!" Allie screams at him, falling to her knees with me following while still holding onto her shoulders.
The next moment feels like a miracle when Tris coughs, and Harley turns him on his side as he coughs out a lot of water.
"Tris," Allie screams, crawling to his side and pushing his wet hair out of his face.
"Luke has called the police and ambulance. We knew Tris would need one," Harley says, and I nod at him.
"What are we going to say?" I ask, watching Allie whispering to Tris.
"That we had a party up here, and Allie and Tris fell in. Tris hit some rocks, which will explain his injuries, and you can say you jumped in with me after them and were hit too."
"Got that, Allie?" Harley asks gently, and she nods.
“Arthur will get the police to cover this up anyway. A few of the doctors go to The Cage; I'll make sure one of them treats you and Tris,” Harley says a little quieter to me. They won’t say a thing to anyone about tonight. They wouldn’t want us to mention where they go on the weekends to their families.
The police and ambulances turn up and Luke shows them the way. We are covered in blankets and checked over as they take Tris in the ambulance. I go in the other one, but Allie goes with Tris, which I told her to, and Luke stays with me. Harley decides to stay and explain before catching up with us.
Three hours later, my ribs are set and bound. I'm stuck in a hospital room while Luke is snoring in the chair in the corner. My arm is sore, and I have a few stitches, but it doesn’t matter.
"Hey," Allie says, making my head turn quickly to see her standing in the doorway. She looks amazing with her hair up in a bun. She is wearing hospital scrubs like me because our clothes are drying.
"Come here, angel," I say with my voice full of emotion, almost as much as what is on her face. She practically runs over to me, throwing her arms around my neck and sliding into the bed
.
"Are you okay?" she asks quietly, looking up at me.
"I'm good, how's Tris?" I ask gently, and she smiles slightly.
"Already awake and flirting with the nurse." She chuckles before her face turns serious. "He has broken ribs, a broken leg, and had some internal bleeding that they fixed in surgery. The cut on his face is going to scar. It looks terrible, and he hasn’t seen a mirror yet." She breaks into sobs, breaking my heart as I pull her close to me while ignoring the pain in my ribs.
"It’s my fault entirely," she cries quietly.
"No, it's not, Allie," I say determinedly. We don’t speak as I hold her to me, rocking her as gently as I can until she calms down.
"Allie, I love you," I say, and she looks up at me.
"I love you so much, Elliot. Holy cow, I didn't think I could love someone as much as I love you," she says in a strong voice.
I lean forward, kissing her gently while using my hand to cup her face as she leans into it. We break away to get comfier on the bed, her head lying on my chest.
"Dad texted me, lucky I left my phone on the bridge so it still works," she says, and her face darkens.
"What did the bastard have to say?" I ask.
"It just said ‘I'm sorry,’" she replies sadly.
"Do you think he will leave you alone? I saw his face when you jumped. I know he didn't expect any of that to happen. I think he meant to trick you into getting what he wanted," I tell her.
"I owe you my brother’s life," she says, her voice a whisper. I’m glad, in a way, she doesn’t comment on her dad. We have plenty of time to talk about him in the future. I don’t blame her for focusing on Tris.
"No, you don’t. He helped us a few times with your dad, we are friends now. Tris saved my life, too," I say, knowing I'm not going to tell her that her dad ordered Tristan to kill me or he would be killed.
"When?" she asks.
"Not my story to tell, angel, but trust me, your brother and I are even," I reply and kiss her on top of her head.