Page 116 of Little Psycho

“No!”I scream, fueled by desperation.As a surge of adrenaline courses through me, I force myself to my feet, swaying slightly."Do whatever you want to me, but leave her out of this!"

The masked man smirks, but his grip on Kill tightens.“You’re in no position to make demands,” he sneers, his eyes glinting with a sadistic pleasure that sends a chill down my spine.

Suddenly, I catch a glimpse of Dom's foot—he’s managed to pull away a nearby lamp, wielding it like a weapon.In a swift move, he swings it with all his might against one of the attackers holding Killian.The lamp shatters against his back, sending the man spiraling forward.

The moment of distraction is everything.Fueled by a mix of rage and fear, I sprint at the remaining attacker closest to me, crashing into him with my shoulder.We tumble to the ground, struggling for dominance, both of us grappling wildly.I get a hand on the gun, and as I throw it away from him, it fires.

A deafening roar envelops the room, followed by an eerie silence.Everyone freezes, and my heart pounds furiously as I look down.The attacker lies beneath me, wide-eyed, mouth agape, as his life drains from him.

“Fuck!”I shout, instinctively glancing at Dom, and relief washes over me as I see Killian staggering to his feet, unfazed by the situation.

He lunges for the remaining man, knocking him off balance.Without hesitation, I push past the body at my feet, moving toward Dom.I reach him just as Killian pulls him free, their eyes wide with fear and defeat.

“We need to get out of here right fucking now!”I shout, fear pumping through my veins, feeling the urgency of the moment.

Out of the corner of my eye, I see the remaining attacker regaining his footing, eyes narrowing as they scan the room for us.

“Shit!”Dom yells, rushing past me to the front door.“Let’s go!There’s no time!”

As the three of us manage to stagger to the door, upon opening it, we freeze in our tracks, being met with three more sets of evil eyes, the feeling of defeat taking over.

"Going somewhere?"My father asks smugly, blowing a puff of cigar smoke directly into my face.

I swallow hard, ignoring the immense pain flooding my body, taking a slow step back along with Dom and Kill, all three of our fathers backing us into the apartment even further.

Forced back inside where a man lies dead on my floor, the others rush out now that their job is done, and one positive thing keeps rushing through my mind—the fact that I saw no sight of Calista, which I'm hoping means that she was in fact able to run away.

"Sit down.We need to have a chat," Dom's father orders us, pointing to the couch.

We listen, deflated and fucking broken, collapsing on the couch right beside each other while our fathers stand in front of us, silent but threatening.

"You were behind this shit?"Killian seethes, glaring at his father while blood continues to drip from every laceration in his body.

"Where the fuck is she?"My father pierces his gaze into mine, but I refuse to speak."We know you've been in contact with her, and if I recall correctly, you were told to bring her to us once you found her."

I shrug, hearing my heartbeat hammering in my chest."I don't know.She hasn't been here."

The tension in the room heightens, a palpable mix of anger and determination swirling around us.My father's eyes darken, an unmistakable fury igniting within him.

“This is not a fucking game, boy.You had your chance to bring her to us, and now everything is at risk.”His voice drops to a dangerous whisper.

“Risk?What risk?”I snap back, every ounce of rebellion surging through my veins as adrenaline numbs the pain radiating from my head.“You think dragging her back into this miserable fucking world is going to fix anything?Shit, you all have it all fucking wrong."

“Asher, don’t you dare fucking test me.”My father's eyes smolder with a menacing intensity, and I know he's only a breath away from wanting to snap my fucking neck.

I can feel my heart racing in response—that gnawing fear clawing at my insides—but the thought of Cali keeps me grounded.

“Where the hell is she?We know she’s been with you.You know you can’t hide her from us.All we're trying to do is stop her parents from finding her first."

Killian, wincing but still trying to gather his strength, interjects.“You don’t give a shit about her.You just want control over everything and everyone!”His voice is hoarse but laced with a fire that mirrors my own.“You should have fucking known we wouldn’t just hand her over.”

Dom shifts uncomfortably between us, seething, knowing we have to stick together and keep her location a secret, even if it means betraying our family.

“She’s not a fucking pawn.She knows to stay the fuck away from here because of all of you,” he yells suddenly, the defiance echoing in the small apartment.

Despite everything, we’re still willing to fight for her, even if it means risking our lives just to protect hers.

“Enough!”Dom's father roars, the edge of his anger slicing through the air.“You think you can fucking defy us?You think you can protect her?You’re outnumbered—you three against our world.Neither of you are fucking strong enough.”

---