Page 103 of Three Stepbrothers Save Christmas

“I’ll get my keys!” Maximus yells, rushing into the lounge and pulling the coat from where she hung it.

We all run to the car and try to open the doors, but nothing will open.

“Come on!” I scream as Maximus starts rummaging around in his pockets.

“Fuck!” he curses as he drops his coat and pats down his trousers. “She’s taken my key!”

“What?” Ethan and I shout together as I grab the coat from the ground and start checking all the pockets.

“She must have taken it when she hung the coat up!” Maximus curses.

“Fuck!” I yell, throwing the coat onto the ground as I start to pace with my head in my hands.

“What the hell do we do?” Ethan yells at me.

“I don’t fucking know!” I scream back as I look around. The car was here for us to use. We only had the one to ensure the extra vehicles didn’t attract unwanted attention. We already know Travis has taken his car.

I rush back into the house and back up to the rooms to see if there is anything that tells us she knows where she is going. But all I find is a piece of paper with her handwriting on it.

I’m sorry, I have to save him.

I love you both so much.

Yours always

Verity

xxxxxxxxxxxxx

53

Travis

I look out the window into the night and try to see if there is anyone below. The viewpoint from up here is shit. Other than the prick who threw Henry in here earlier, we haven’t seen or heard anyone.

“Hey! HEY!”

I turn around as Henry starts banging on the door.

“Will someone tell me what the fuck is going on?” he yells, banging on the door again.

“Shut the fuck up. They won’t tell you shit until it suits them,” I snap, reminding myself for the hundredth time that I can’t kill him. Yet.

“This is all your fucking fault! Why couldn’t you just leave when we did? I told you to stay the hell away from her!” He turns and storms forward as I stand tall and look down at the short prick as he tries to glare at me. He’s not as brave as he makes out.

“My fault? I don’t remember agreeing for Verity to marry a drug lord's son! One who is known for beating women. Nor do I remember getting into so much debt with said drug lord that I had to sell my daughter to him as payment.” I poke him in the chest, causing him to, thankfully, distance himself from me. “How the fuck did you end up owing him anyway?”

“That’s none of your damn business!” he snaps, walking away from me.

“It’s my business if it involves my girl!” I snap.

“She’s not your girl! She was never going to be your girl! Let’s face it, you will be dead by morning anyway, so who will she turn to then? Me. That’s who! So, which of us will really win this one?”

I look at him for a moment before laughing in his face.

“You think getting her to trust you will be easy? That you’ll go up, pat her on the head, and she will come back like the little pet you have trained her to be?”

“She doesn’t know anything else. Now you are out of the picture; she will do as she’s been told like always.”

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