Page 86 of Unbreakable

Arizona

SeeingJakeacrossthe way, my heart fluttered with happiness. My men are here, I knew there was a plan to take me back. But being a realist, I know things don’t always go as planned. I eye the silverware lying on the table in front of me, lifting my gaze from the table I look around the room, then back to those seated at my table. I seize an opportune moment when no one is acknowledging me and move my hand over the steak knife. Slowly and carefully I slide it off the table and onto my lap. I’m trying to be careful with every movement so I don’t attract anyone’s attention. Leaning forward slightly in my seat, I use that moment to transfer the knife into my sling, tucking it in deeply inside securing it from falling out.

I keep scanning the room, trying to pick out who else on the wait staff is with the MC. Unable to keep still I begin to fidget, thinking it will speed up whatever event my men have planned.

“What’s the matter with you? You’re bouncing around in your seat like an untrained child.” My father leans into me and speaks. Not wanting to be near him I lean away, but unfortunately the person I lean into is no better.

“Nothing Father, my foot was just falling asleep and I was moving around some to wake it up.” I tell him, fabricating a story to cover up what I was actually doing. Because if my guys don’t get me out of here tonight, I’ll be ending it myself.

Movement off to my right catches my attention and I see one of the peppermint twins pulling his phone from his pocket, looking intently at what’s on the screen. He pauses for a moment before leaning into his father and speaks in a hushed voice with him while showing him the phone.

Alexander’s nostrils flare at whatever he’s reading, and immediately cuts off whatever the peppermint twin is telling him.

“Let’s go.” he says in a harsh tone. He stands from the chair, looking over to my father. “You too, and bring your daughter, I don’t want to give her any impression that she has the chance to escape. Besides, it’s time for her to be the dutiful, submissive wife, we might as well begin now.”

As I’m looking at Alexander in shock, I see a quick intense look between the brothers, their eyes telling me they’re not happy about me accompanying them to wherever they’re going.

I slowly stand, my father grabs me by the arm and pushes me in front of him, causing me to stumble slightly on my feet. A sneer crosses his face just before he speaks, “Really Arianna, why did we pay for dance classes if you can’t even walk without falling?” A tear breaks the corner of my eye and slowly slides down my face. All I can do is ponder how a father can be this cruel to his own child.

I follow behind them, my father close on my heels and two of Alexander’s goons falling in behind us. We head out of the room, and weave through the tables in the main dining room, heading to a hallway that leads back towards the kitchen. I know not to ask where we’re going or what’s going to happen there. I know if I did, there would be some type of punishment from my captors.

The twins are talking with their father, their voices raised. Alexander expressly not happy about whatever has gone wrong with the business deal, a deal that my father apparently helped to broker. Alexander takes a moment to direct his attention to the goons behind me, instructing them to stay at the end of the hallway and stand guard listening for any trouble.

We stop at a door, one of the twins opening it before stepping inside and the rest of us follow suit. I hear Alexander speaking gruffly, looking up to have my heart swell with excitement. I move to run to them, before feeling an excruciating pain as someone snatches me by my hair, pulling me backwards causing me to stumble to the floor.

“Get your fuckin’ hands off her!!” Bash screams from across the room starting to move closer, at the same time Alexander pulls a gun placing the barrell up against my skull.

“I wouldn’t step any closer if I was you, unless you want to have pieces of her brain all over the room. Women are a dime a dozen, and I can find another one anywhere, I don’t care how long I’ve waited to fuck her pussy.”

Bash stops dead in his tracks, Earl and Sam right behind him, all three with their guns pulled and facing towards us. The twins step back placing themselves in line beside their father.

“Maxwell, take her and get her out of here and send in the boys, it’s time to take out the biker trash.” Alexander instructs.

Maxwell moves towards me leaning down and helping me to stand, pulling my back flush to his body, wrapping his arms around my waist. I move my free hand, inching my fingers into the sling, noticing a wetness coating my skin, where the knife must have nicked me when I fell. I grip the handle slowly pulling it to the edge of the sling ready to strike when the opportunity presents itself.

“Dad, I would love to do that, but it seems the biker trash as you so eloquently called them, and I have a mutual understanding. We both want you dead. Them because you took their woman, and us because of what you did to Juliana, you and the scumbag husband you sold her to.”

Alexander pinches his mouth shut, displaying a hard, distinctive jaw line before a cold sinister smile flashes across his face.

“You were always a stupid child. The dumb twin as I affectionately labeled you to all my associates so they could tell you apart from Malcolm, then when we found out you were a fucking queer it was easy to tell you apart.” he spits out, as he keeps the gun pointed at Bash and the guys.

“Oh, daddy dearest you’re quite mistaken, we’re both queers, aren’t you so proud? Now put the fucking gun down before I blow your brains out.” Malcolm comes up behind Alexander and says, at the same time we hear gunfire before feet begin moving rapidly down the hallway towards the room we’re in, drawing everyone’s attention.

I use that distraction to lunge forward out of Maxwell's arms, stumbling but still landing the knife into Alexander's thigh. He lets out a demented laugh, once again yanking me by hair and placing the gun against my head once more, at the same time his two goons come running through the door firing shots.

He steps backwards, as we hear a large bang coming from beside us. We see another door flying open and Jace and Javier stampeding through it. I’m so afraid that one of the men I love will be hurt, my sweet Jace having just recovered from a gunshot wound. Alexander keeps moving backward until he tosses me to the ground and fires a couple of shots. I’m cowered on the ground, casting my gaze up. I see Bash, and start to use my arms to drag myself through the chaos of the room, figuring being on the floor was the safest place to be at this time.

I’m making my way towards one of my men, when I feel someone grasp my leg and pull me back. Looking back, I see my father, no emotion in his face as he moves me closer to him, until he is able to yank my body up, using me as a human shield against the gunfire in the room.

“You’re going to be my ticket out of here. The biker trash won’t let you get hurt, and apparently you bewitched the twins. Must be some good pussy you have to turn a gay man straight.” my father sneers in my ear, making sure to keep me planted firmly in front of him.

He barely gets the words out of his mouth, when I feel his body fly backwards from me, blood spraying all over me. I immediately drop to the ground, covering my head with my arms as I gasp, letting out a sharp scream. My muscles begin to tighten as I clutch my chest, my body shaking as tears stream down my face.

Glancing back over my shoulder I see my father’s body lying still. His blank, lifeless eyes seeming to look right at me. My eyes widen in disbelief knowing that he’s gone, but feeling no remorse over it.

Somehow during the commotion, the twins took out both security guards as Bash and the others took down Alexander, who’s out cold on the floor.

I feel arms coming around me causing me to jerk away in fear before I hear his voice.

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