Page 65 of Bound by Vengeance
“Breanna?” Poking my head in, I see movement off to the side. “Breanna?”
“Yeah, hang on.” She’s rummaging through something, which she should have done before I got here.
“We don’t have time to hang on. Move!”
“Okay,” she whisper-yells. “Be quiet; Dad’s here tonight.”
“You’re fuckin’ shittin’ me.” Of all the times for that motherfucker to show up, it has to be when I’m here and taking one of his prized girls. He covets the girls like expensive money because they are the ones who keep this lifestyle going. Stupid fucker.
“No. Now move.” She tosses a duffle bag out of the window opening, then tosses a second.
“Now,” Breanna says, and then a small body comes out of the window. Holy fuck.
“Breanna, what are you doing?”
“I’m not leaving her behind. She only has a few more years, then she’ll be in my shoes. She’s the last girl,” she says hastily, climbing out the window behind our younger sister Ashley.
My heart thumps loudly. This isn’t what I planned. Not two minors who now need places to escape. Fuck me.
A loud shatter comes from the window, one of the panes lays on the ground in pieces. Lights come on. There is no time to argue.
“Go. Down the road to the left until you get to the black truck. Get inside.”
I grab both the duffle bags, and then we head out around the side. The front porch light comes on as we get there.
“Go to the truck.”
Breanna stops. “He’ll be mad.”
“Fuckin’ go!” I yell just as the front door swings open with such force it hits the side of the house. My sperm donor comes out, wearing pajama pants and a T-shirt with “He’s the one” on the front. Asshole.
“What’s going on here?” James asks, quickly coming down the stairs and directly toward me on bare feet. Holding my ground, my feet stay planted as he approaches. “Who are you and what do you want?” he demands like he’s some sort of king or some shit and I’m supposed to listen to his bullshit. No, not happening.
He’s pudgier than I remember, and his dark hair has turned gray. His eyes show years of keeping secrets and how they are paying a toll on him now.
“Hey, Daddy-o. Remember me?”
He blinks repeatedly, looking me up and down. When it clicks in his head, his mouth turns in disgust. “Matthew?”
“The one and only. Seems you have a problem that I’m takin’ care of.”
He lifts his chin with confidence. “And what’s that?”
I lean in. “Two girls who want nothing to do with this life.”
His eyes round. “Charlotte, check the girls! What did you do to them?” His face turns a vibrant shade of red, and even with it dark, the glow from the light accentuates it. It’s not a good color for him at all. With his yelling, though, he’s going to draw attention and fast. That’s what he wants. He wants his minions to come out and get in my face. Idiot.
“They’re gone!” my mother wails, running out the door. “Matthew, what are you doing?”
“The girls want to come with me. I’m takin’ them somewhere safe where you can’t find them … ever.” I press the button on my walkie, knowing my brothers will be there momentarily. “James, I have enough information gathered on you to sink your entire operation. To close your banks and your stores—everything. Gone in a puff of smoke.”
I sense my brothers behind me, but it’s my sperm donor’s round eyes that tell me for a fact.
“See these men behind me? They’re my family. We protect each other with everything we have. You come after me or those girls, we’ll end all of this and you’ll have nothing left.”
Truth be told, I don’t have information that would destroy their operation, but that doesn’t mean I can’t get it. It’s a bluff I’m rolling with, seeing if he’ll take the bait.
“You can’t do this!” James exclaims.
