Page 49 of Dangerous Allure

“Who? Presley?” He asks and I nod.

“What the fuck does that mean?” He shouts, making me jump as the rest of my brothers come piling out of the front door.

“What is going on?” Harley asks as Caspian bends down, placing a hand gently on my shoulder.

“What happened Ax, talk to me.” He whispers, but I shrug him off.

“Why do you care? You think she’s a fucking slut that asked for it.” I spit as I stand, causing him to stand as well, taking a step back.

“You all had so much to fucking say yesterday, but you got your wish, she’s gone. She can’t take it anymore and now I lost the girl who actually helped me find my fucking voice.” I yell as Brax picks up my phone.

“Go ahead, read it you fucking idiot! All of you. Read the truth, not the fucking rumors being spewed about her.” I growl, getting in Caspians face.

“You may have saved me when mom’s boyfriends tried to rape me, but if I ever hear you speak about her the way you did yesterday, I will take your own knife and slice your fucking throat, brother or not.” I threaten and he nods. Looking at my other brothers, I give them the same malicious look, but Rick interrupts before I can continue to speak.

“Fuck this. Look, she sent that twenty minutes ago. I’m not letting her leave. We can protect her. I’ll fucking buy her from that family if I have to. Fuck them pricks. We hold just as much power, if not more than they do.” He says as Brax chucks the phone across the gravel.

“Yep, let’s go get our girl. I’ll fucking kill Jacob for this.” He growls as Harley nods, climbing down the steps. Looking at Casp who looks deep in thought, I snap my fingers in front of his face as he blinks at me.

“You with us?” I ask and he nods. Harley gets in with Brax while Casp gets in with me and Rick.

“Let’s check her house first and if she isn’t there, we stop at the shop and grab some guns.” Casp suggests and Rick nods, backing out of the driveway. Presley’s house isn’t far from ours, so it doesn’t take long to get there.

We all climb out and run for the front door. As we stand about to knock on it, we hear screaming from inside. I’m the first one to swing the door open with Rick hot on my tail. Seeing a trail of broken glass littering the floor the further we step in, I hear her screams again and move my ass to the kitchen. I stop in my tracks as I see her covered in blood, repeatedly stabbing her stepfather in the chest and stomach, completely void of her surroundings.

Rick moves quickly around me and wraps his arms around her, pulling her off Stan’s dead body. The knife clatters against the floor as she slips in the blood pooling from his head. Rick catches her, taking a few steps back. She looks around with wide eyes, shivering as cold air seeps in from the kitchen window.

Her eyes connect with someone over my shoulder as the front door opens and shuts in the near distance. The sound of crunching glass under their boots as they get closer to us. I step into her space and place one hand on her heaving chest as the other lifts her chin to look at me.

She’s in shock and I’m not sure she even knows we're here. The door slamming once again causes her to jump, making me and Rick sandwich her in between us, hoping to bring her back to us and snap her back to reality.

She closes her eyes, taking a deep breath before opening them. Her bright green eyes take in the scene for a second before pushing me away and walking out the back door, letting it slam behind her. I look at Rick who stares at the door she left through, then back at the dead body behind me.

“I’m honestly fucking proud of her.” Casp says and I can’t help but laugh.

“You ain’t never lied, brother. This was a long time coming.” I say and they all turn to look at me.

“What? Ask the question. Don’t just look at me waiting for the answers. Fucking ask.” I spit through gritted teeth.

“Why is it a long time coming? I know he was a piece of shit, but what would motivate her to kill him like this?” Brax asks and I laugh, bringing my fingers to my lips, smelling copper on them.

“Remember the night she came to the house for the first time and freaked out about her fucking pills?” I ask and they all nod. “Well, when I got here, he was in her bed, naked and passed out.” I growl, taking in their expressions.

Harley looks like he’s about to throw up. Rick is ready to flip tables. Brax has his hands in tight fists but Casp, he has that same look I saw so many years ago in my room the night he killed that fucker. “He’s been touching her for years. I saw right through her. Her broken soul speaks to mine. Why? Because I’ve been used and abused for the sake of someone else's gain damn near my whole life. Broken sees broken any day of the week. How you all never saw it, is beyond me. But that amazing, beautiful girl out there, she’s a fucking warrior, a survivor. And what she did to this piece of shit, is the icing on the cake. She just freed herself from one hell only to enter another.” I say and they all stand there looking like I slapped them all with a dose of fucking reality.

“I feel like a fucking asshole. She’s been my best friend for so fucking long and I never knew she was hurting, that she was suffering all this time.” Rick says and I turn to him.

“How would you? She played the part well. She couldn’t tell you even if she wanted to, and trust me, I tried. What makes matters worse, the other night, I found her trying to take her life.” I say and they all gasp.

“Yep and I saved her. She has nothing else left in her to give. They’ve taken everything away from her. If any of you really careabout her, you will help me save her, help me put her broken pieces back together. She deserves to feel safe again. And the only time she was ever genuinely happy, was when she was with us. Whether that be all together or any moments we steal with her. Because that's what it is, stolen moments, because now she’s theirs and we need to take her back.” I spit, hoping my words are sinking into their brains, because I will stop at nothing to make her happy and see her worth again. They don’t get to ruin her. They don’t get to break her. Not today, not tomorrow, not ever.

I spin and head for the back door, opening it and stepping onto the porch and down the stairs into the overgrown grass. I watch as she takes a deep breath, staring at the sky for a moment as the door opens and shuts behind me a few times. My brothers came to their senses as they join me, waiting for her to turn and acknowledge us.

I just want her to know we are here and there’s no leaving, there’s no walking away from this. Our hands are all bloody no matter how you look at it. We just need to know what the next move is. She takes another deep breath and spins, staring at us all as we stare at her. I can’t help but admire the woman covered in blood, looking hot as fuck, standing opposite me. I’m not sure what facial expressions my brothers have but I don’t fucking care.

“Angel Baby. We need a plan.” I say softly.

“We’re here to help, Gumdrop.” Casp rasps.

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