Page 51 of To Have and to Hold

“Yes,” I responded, sparing Violet a quick glance. “She’s here.”

Connor sighed. “You have pissed off a whole lot of powerful people, you two.”

“He was going to kill her,” I bit back, trying to keep the emotion out of my voice, failing. He didn’t know how much Violet knew, so I wasn’t sure how he’d talk, how he’d respond to me.

“Shit, I know that, you fucking idiot,” Connor snapped. “You don’t think I know that? I got every single one of those messages and videos you sent, little nephew.” He paused, no doubt thinking about all the screen recordings of the hacked CCTV I’d emailed him, Violet’s abuse in fuzzy color. I’d decided to show him, not to build a case, but so he could understand why I didwhat I did. “But you don’t know what you’ve done. Swapped one victim for another.”

“What do you mean?” Violet blurted, fear making her eyes wide in the passenger seat as she sat up straighter.

“Ah, little niece, nice to hear your voice without that whimper.”

“Don’t be a dick, Connor,” I interrupted, angry at him for teasing her. I hadn’t turned the car towards New York City yet, wasn’t sure I should. Could go to Chicago, find Christian instead, even if it would take longer. But I figured that might be the first place they come looking for me – running back to the city I lived in was a dumb move.

Connor audibly rolled his eyes, grunting and moving. He sighed, sounding more resigned. “Look, things move fast. Rafael is the angriest I’ve ever seen him. Your father has promised to give him Margaret if we don’t find you soon.”

Anger boiled in my gut, and Violet shrieked in anguish.

“But she’s only sixteen!” she shouted, lurching up, going green at the gills. She looked at me, frantic, panic making her near hyperventilate. I pulled over, swerving into the tree line and turning to face her, grabbing her cheeks and forcing her focus on me. My stomach bottomed out, a dark pit opening in my gut even as we stared into each other’s eyes, hers shiny with tears. I couldn’t save them all. “Connor,” I said, not looking away from my sister. “We have to stop it.”

He sighed down the phone. “I’ve got Amaryllis safe,” he said, not sounding happy about it. “She’s here with me. I persuaded them to let her come with me because I needed anassistantand didn’t want anyone outside of the family. But Margaret… she’s with your parents still, on their way to Rafe’s, last I heard.”

“No, no, no,” Violet cried, panic beginning to overwhelm her. “You’ve got to take me back.” She looked at me, anguished.“Take me back. I thought… I thought they wouldn't hurt children. I was told… you have to take me back."

“No!” I yelled. “Fuck no.”

She opened her mouth to beg, to yell at me, to promise to throw herself from the car if I didn’t, I couldn’t tell, but Connor interrupted her.

“You need to come here,” he said. “You need to come here and we will work it out. Two out of three sisters safe is a good thing.” There was deeper meaning in his tone, something just for me. He had a plan for us. He was trying to communicate with me without saying the words.

And I knew I would rather save Violet than anyone else. If that’s the way it had to be… Connor could do the grunt work. I was happy to hide with Vi.

“How can we have faith in you?” I asked, because of the suspicion in Violet’s expression. Even though it’s what I’d wanted, for him to call us to him, even though he wasn’t with my father, with the family business, not really, it was still putting trust in the dark man.

He paused for a considerable time, long enough that I checked the call had remained connected. “You don’t have a choice.” He hung up then, leaving us back in that silence.

I leaned forward and kissed Violet, my hands staying on her cheeks as I sought comfort in her lips.

“We don’t have a choice,” she told me. “He can help us help her.”

“Shit.”

I kissed her again, hard and dirty, tongues and teeth, told her I loved her, then pulled back onto the road, swerving to face the opposite direction. Towards the city.

ThedrivetoNYCtook a full day. We drove the slow way, stopping when we needed to in rest stops and at the side of the road to sleep in fitful bursts. Each time, we held each other close, wedging our bodies together in the front seats to seek comfort and body heat, never willing to stray to the back in case we needed to move fast.

I opened my eyes a while after stopping in a darkened lay-by, surprised, but happy, to find Violet’s body straddling mine. The last of the sun was gone, leaving us in near pitch black. And my cock was hard beneath her.

“I need you,” she whispered into my ear, her warm, soft breath tickling the delicate skin there. I shivered. “Please, Theo, if we’re gentle…”

Aah, the last of my strength was waning, and as she lowered her pussy down to grind on my cock in tender motions, it disappeared completely. How could I resist? When she was begging so sweetly…

“Pull your cock out,” she demanded, and I did without a thought in my head. Messy and desperate, I unzipped my jeans and yanked my shaft free. It ached for her, springing out and hitting her thigh. She giggled, and it was the most gorgeous sound in the world.

“You’ve already taken your underwear off,” I noted, lifting my hands to drag up her legs, finding nothing blocking my way to her skin. The sides of her knees, her thighs, her ass, it was all there, waiting for me. I stroked over the slices in her skin, givingthem gentle attention rather than bypassing them. Showing her how much I loved every inch of her body, marred or not.

“I’m so wet for you, Theo. Have been forages.” She sighed. “Days, really. Months. I miss you inside me. That night…”

“That night changed me, beautiful,” I whispered, stroking her face, tucking her hair behind her ears before returning to her hips, letting my thumbs graze over the sensitive strip of skin between her stomach and thighs.

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