Austin’s eyes flickered to her right. In her peripheral she could see Grace; standing scared in the middle of her bedroom, Clara clasped to her chest. She hated how her daughter was able to interpret the situation. This wasn’t something a young child should have to deal with. None of this was part of the happy childhood she had promised Grace would have.
She knew that what Natasha wanted was Grace, and Austin’s heart broke at the thought of a hair on Grace’s head being touched by Natasha.
Swallowing all fear, Austin dared the beast before her. “How do I know you’re going to do anything?” Austin asked, her eyes flicking between the gun and Natasha’s piercing eyes. “Whatever you do now will not win you any favors with Tyler. He doesn’t want you, and if you do anything, Natasha, he will never forgive you.”
“Are you really willing to test that theory?” Natasha quizzed Austin, her bravado not shifting in any way, shape, or form. “I’m a good sweet talker and with you gone it makes it all the more easier to do.”
“How serious are you in doing this?” Austin dared to ask her arch nemesis. Natasha knew exactly what Austin meant to Tyler, and she just prayed that Natasha would keep that in mind. However, when the gun went off, she knew that Natasha didn’t care. As the piercing pain hit her shoulder, she felt her body involuntarily hit the wall behind her before she slid down against its flat panel.
“That serious,” Natasha snarled as Austin hit the floor, pain taking over and emasculating her.
Looking down, Austin felt her shock become more prevalent. She saw the blood begin to pour from the wound and immediately pushed her palm against it. With her chest heaving in panic and pain, she slowly began looking up, her eyes watering at how disadvantaged she was, but Austin knew she had to fight until the death to get free and get Grace to safety. Having heard Grace begin to sob, Austin felt distraught at not keeping her daughter safe from all measures of evil.
Looking up into Natasha’s face, the happiness written all over it all, she felt the pool of hatred begin to swirl and take over. “He’ll never forgive you,” Austin goaded Natasha, using her pain to empower her. “He will never love you now. Not after this. He will never, ever want to be with you.”
“We’ll see about that,” Natasha remarked, almost snorting on the words. “Now, it’s time to get my plan set into action before I deal with you.”
The moment she said that, Austin’s heart rate began to accelerate and she knew exactly what Natasha was after, and there was no way she would get to her daughter unless it was over her dead body.
“Gracie,” Austin shouted out, her voice weaker than she wanted it, but she was able to project enough emotional for her daughter to react. “Cubby,” she ended as Natasha made a hasty attempt to go for Grace’s room. She knew she didn’t have to say any other words for Grace to react.
Even with her daughter hidden, Austin wasn’t about to let Natasha get to her that easily. Grabbing her ankle, she yanked as hard as she could, hissing at the pain in her shoulder and watched Natasha fall hard to the ground.
Kicking Austin off, Natasha was even more enraged than ever.
“You’re not going to stop me,” Natasha hissed, and went for Austin, wrapping her hands around the other woman’s neck. She applied more pressure as she watched Austin struggle for breath. Consumed with the thrill of Austin’s plight, she was taken aback when Austin landed a clenched fist against her ribs and then her face, weakening her slightly. Receiving another blow to her jaw, Natasha pushed away, trying to gain composure in order to continue her attack.
Natasha refused to let Austin get away. Lunging at her, she pinned her to the floor and dug her nails into the shoulder wound making Austin howl out in immense pain. Smirking at the sound, she pushed deeper, concentrating on the pain she was inflicting. She felt the blood rushing out as she ripped at the already damaged wound and tried her optimal best to make this moment was as worthwhile as possible.
Austin could feel the nerve endings reacting to Natasha's torture, but she had to fight back. She had to stop this woman before she did anything else. Fighting back, she blindly threw punches, only happy when she felt a connection to Natasha. However, Natasha was relentless. She didn't cease up or give up. In a last attempt to fight back, Austin threw her hands up, ready to gouge out Natasha's eyes.
"You bitch!" Natasha cried clambering off Austin and trying to assess the damage now that her vision was blurry. She blinked hard trying to see Austin more in focus, and as her eyesight settled, she was shocked to see a slick smirk on Austin’s face staring back at her.
"You really think I'm not going to fight back?" Austin asked back, and even though the pain in her arm was disabling, she wasn’t going to be beaten. “You think I’d give up that easily?”
Natasha looked at Austin shocked, her jaw slackened at the strength Austin had hidden away. “I shot you in the shoulder. I should have gotten your subclavian artery. You should be bleeding out! You should be dying! I looked all of this up, how to get you out of the picture!” Natasha rambled on in a manic trance, before she suddenly stopped, looked at Austin and lunged for her. Again, she went for the gunshot wound, but it was futile, Austin’s fight was unbroken.
After fighting back with all the strength she had, Austin was thankful when Natasha began to whimper like a wounded dog. Crawling away, she knew that if she could get to hers and Tyler’s room she could call for help and get Grace. It was right now that she thanked Tyler for building a tunnel with a cubbyhole so that when storms struck, or Grace wanted a fort, she had one at her disposal. It was her safe place.
Suddenly, she felt her head whip back as Natasha grabbed a clump of her hair and pulled her away from the door. Being thrown down, Austin felt the impact most on her shoulder and she tried to swallow the scream, but she couldn’t keep it all down. She needed the release. Managing to verbalize the extent of her injury, she felt no more pain could come to her, but when she felt Natasha’s foot kick against her back, she felt the unpleasant shock wave race up her spine.
Deliberately pushing up onto her hands and knees, Austin took the heavy blows, but didn’t give up. Rising up as best she could, Austin mastered a punch to Natasha’s gut, sending her doubling over. Getting up shakily, she held onto Natasha so she could bring her knee up and cause her own damage. Pushing her away, Austin watched as Natasha tried to stand straight, and using her uninjured side, threw a punch towards Natasha. Using all of the training Tyler had shown her in order to be able to protect herself if she ever should need it, Austin did everything her husband had taught her. When she drew blood and caused abrasions to Natasha’s face, she felt like she had accomplished something and the pain, sweat, and tears hadn’t been for nothing.
Apparently her moment of being champion was short lived as Natasha suddenly came back to life and threw her own punch, connecting directly with Austin’s jaw. Stumbling backwards, Austin wondered how quickly she could get down the stairs and to the nearest house to get help.
"Mommy?" Grace cried out, her words coming out in a small and scared manner from behind Natasha.
It broke her thoughts entirely, and immediately Austin became defenseless as her daughter’s voice looped around her brain and reminded her that her daughter was here.
Seeing her distracted, Natasha took her opportunity and gave Austin a powerful push. She watched in delight as Austin fell backwards down the stairs, tumbling and twisting until she hit the floor below. Her legs were thrown waywardly, her arms the same. They looked disjointed and broken from the top of the stairs.
When Austin didn't move, Natasha took action.
Turning to face Grace, she used the back of her hand to wipe away the blood from the corner of her mouth and locked her gaze firmly on the intimidated child. "I'm your new mommy now," she said and stepped towards Grace, putting her hands out to the small child. "You're coming home with me now."
“No!” Grace squealed in horror and readied to run away and go back to her cubbyhole and wait for someone to find
her.
"Come here you little brat," Natasha sneered as she grabbed for Grace. As Grace fought her, Natasha knew she had to be menacing and use absolute force. “Stop squirming and I’ll make sure daddy gets you back unhurt,” she sneered and began to carry her towards the stairs, her hands firmly grasping the child’s upper arms painfully. Tyler might not want her if Austin was gone, but he’d sure as hell want her if it was the only way to get Grace back. She now had her bargaining tool, and she couldn’t have been happier with how it happened.
Now all she needed was a swift exit and all would fit together perfectly in her plan.
Austin could hear Grace's cries for help as she came too. She tried to move but pain was keeping her locked at the bottom of the stairs, her body thrown into a wayward contorted shape. She could feel the blood pulsating from her shoulder, the fall clearly exacerbating the wound already there.
"Gracie?" she murmured, calling out for her daughter. She tried to move as she heard movement, but her head couldn't cognitively work out where in fact it was coming from. "Gracie," she tried again, but yet words failed her, and body was no use for helping her to fight back.
Lying there helplessly, Austin suddenly felt an overbearing presence above her and when she painfully turned her head, her neck screamed in pain and her eyes widened as she saw Natasha holding onto Gracie tightly and possessively.
"No," Austin sobbed out, the tears falling on instinct.
Natasha merely laughed at Austin. "Say bye-bye to this woman, Gracie. Mommy's taking you home now."
"Mommy! Mommy! Help me!" Gracie only cried, striving for Austin's protective grasp.
"Don't take her!" Austin called out, her voice pained and weak. "Please," she wept, reaching out weakly for her daughter. "She's just a child. Please, Natasha."
It was a fruitless attempt as Natasha left without another word; Grace's screams growing distant until Austin heard a door slam shut and the car drive away.
"Please give her back," Austin whispered out her plea for a savior before regretfully closing her eyes.
Chapter Twenty-Three
“I’LL be right back with them both,” Nicolas laughed as he kissed Jane while they stood together at the front door. “You might want to work on waking the beast.” He nodded his head in the direction of Tyler as he lay snoring on the couch. “If he’s not awake when we get back then I’m letting his daughter loose on him.”
Jane laughed at the thought of Grace clambering all over her father, but she knew deep down, Tyler would love the wakeup call. Looking back to her husband, she was more than a little thankful for him being such a protective and strong man towards his family. It didn’t matter how they aged, how their lives evolved, or how they settled into their own futures, he was always the man that picked them up after the biggest fall, and still fought in their corner as their greatest supporter.
It made her appreciate having her family back together in one piece. All the bad memories were banished when she saw how happy they were and how connected they were now. She appreciated him more in that moment with how cool he played it, even after Sienna and Cassie’s attack. She guessed knowing they were going to be okay allowed him to keep a level head and remain stoic and sane.
“Go get our girls so we can head to bed,” Jane pushed him, wanting nothing more than to crawl into bed after this long and tiring day. “Tom and Cassie should be here soon and then we can all settle for the night.”
“I’m going,” he replied, stealing another kiss from her before rushing away from the house. As he crossed the road towards the Armstrong house, he saw James leaving the house in a similar hastened pace.
“Hey Nick,” James called out as he threw a large bag into the back of the car and closed the door. “Where are you off to?”
“Austin’s down at the house grabbing some clothes. Stupidly forgot my key so I had to run back,” Nicolas mocked himself for what he had done. “What about you?”
“Oh Cassie phoned begging for her own clothes,” James told him, a mirthful note to his voice. “She’s getting released in the morning, but she wants her own pajamas.”
“Can’t that man of hers not come and grab her things?” Nicolas asked, raising an eyebrow. “I mean, usually Mark’s more than up for obeying her wishes. Why the sudden resistance?”
“She doesn’t want him to leave her,” James replied, giving Nicolas an all-knowing look. “We’ve seen our daughter’s act that way often enough with their men, we should have guessed. I have no problem with running this stuff to her. Knowing she’s safe is enough for me.”
“You’re telling me,” Nicolas responded with a light chuckle. “We found out that Sienna’s been keeping a major secret.” Nicolas watched the look on James’ face morph, pressing for more information. “It’s not public knowledge yet, but Sienna and Michael have been dating for nearly two years and neither let on.”
“You’re joking?” James asked, his eyes widening with shock. “Wow, they were good at keeping that quiet. Especially when he comes to stay here like he normally does.”
“I know, but it is good to see my daughter being taken care of like she deserves,” Nicolas responded with much certainty. “Right, I better go and get Austin and that granddaughter of ours before Austin starts to panic.”
When a bright flash of lightning struck, James automatically looked up to the sky. “Bad storm’s coming,” James remarked as the sky lit up in the distance. “C’mon, if we’re quick we can be back without getting too wet.”
“You don’t have to come,” Nicolas protested, knowing that Cassie would be expecting her father.
James shrugged. “I’ve got no problem with seeing my granddaughter.” He laughed at the comment, knowing how he and Nicolas literally doted on Grace and loved her without any boundaries.
Walking down the road, the two men barely spoke, trying to outrun the storm that was beginning to ignite the small town they lived in. As the rain started, the pair ran the few hundred yards left, until they reached the drive, and Nicolas suddenly halted on the spot unable to go further as he began to feel apprehensive at his daughter’s house before him.
“That’s weird,” Nicolas muttered under his breath as he saw the front door wide open, all the lights out and no life beyond the doorframe. He looked to James who looked overcome with unease, and knew his gut was screaming in anticipation for a reason. Gulping deeply, he hastened his speed, and rushed up the driveway. He felt his heart plummet to the floor the moment he ran up the steps to the porch. He prepared himself to tread carefully, willing to seek out Austin and Grace, but the sight before him killed his plan in one swift blow. “Austin!” Nicolas yelled and ran towards his daughter as she lay thrown haphazardly onto the stairs. He looked to James who stood with wide eyes and horror marring his face. “Call for an ambulance, and try and find Gracie.” He looked to his daughter, fearing the worse before looking back to James. “And get Tyler down here now!”
Roused by the sudden company around her, Austin groaned awake, reality hitting her. “Give her back,” she whispered as she struggled in vain to open her eyes. “Don’t take her,” she began to cry, her sobs making her body convulse with pure agony.
“Aus, it’s me. It’s your dad,” Nicolas cried out to her, trying to suss what to do to ease her pain. He had barely caught her words, but the first thing he needed was to calm her. “Austin, what happened?” he asked her, watching her. He had no idea what to do, but hearing James calling for an ambulance told him his place was right beside his daughter. He watched her intently, the bruises and abrasions on her already terrified him. He had barely been gone fifteen minutes and it seemed part of his life was tumbling down on him.
“Gracie’s,” Austin gulped, trying in vain to steady herself, “Gone.” It was all she could master right now, and she hated herself for being so inept at even speaking coherently. Feeling lucidity failing her, she strained to look to her father. “Dad,” she cried out in a small voice.
“What, baby?” he asked
, leaning in, trying his hardest to not run from the house.
“Find her,” she whispered out. “Please,” she cried again, each new sob was wreaking havoc on her body. The pain was becoming unbearable, but she fought the encroaching darkness as it began to wrap around her and drag her to an unpleasant rock bottom.
“James is on it, but right now, you need to keep those eyes open, baby,” Nicolas pleaded heavily with Austin. He didn’t know where to touch her, but when he inched closer, he realized she had a bullet wound to her shoulder. Acting calm, he pulled his sweater off, rolling it into a ball before pushing it against the bloodied wound. He watched Austin’s face scrunched up with pain and he tried his hardest to keep her relaxed. “Shh, Aus, I’m just trying to stop the bleed to your shoulder.” He watched the tears fall down her bruised face and he closed his eyes before persevering with his act of bravery. “Tyler is on his way up to the house.” He looked up to James, not knowing if he had managed to do that part, but when James nodded and took off around the house, he knew everything was falling together. He just needed to be the strong father Austin loved. “James is going to search the house for Grace.”
“Natasha took her,” Austin cried weakly, her voice beginning to trail off from its pained and heavy note as Austin felt the urge to give into the darkness waiting for her. “She took her from me.” Suddenly her eyes opened a little wider, her gaze straining to watch her father. “Tell T-Tyler I’m so-sorry. I tri-tried to sa-save her. I tri-tried.”
“You tell him,” Nicolas responded with a harsh tone, but he knew Austin was fading before his eyes and he had no idea if it was blood loss beginning to render her unconscious or if she was literally slipping away from them all for good. “Aussie, you tell him. You keep your eyes open and fight with us to get Gracie back.”
As her eyes fluttered shut, her fight waning into nonexistence, Nicolas bowed his head in defeat. He prayed that an ambulance would arrive soon and he could look at trying to save his granddaughter. He knew they would all fall apart if they didn’t find her soon. If Natasha won this, their family would never be the same.
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