Chapter Thirteen
SKYE
Laying here pretending to be asleep and listening to everything they are saying has me torn.
Axel and Asher want me here but Nixon wants me gone and that cuts deep.
The hurt is unexpected and I shouldn’t be surprised, everything he said is the truth.
I don’t belong here and I am the daughter of the man that slayed their father in cold blood, all for turf and greed.
I remain still and calm the whole time but when the alarm begins to blare, I snap my eyes open and watch as the three of them rush around the room to locate their clothes and firearms. My chest constricts when they head for the door, knowing this will be the last time I ever see them.
None of them look back as they make a dash for the exit.
I count to four before I jump out of the bed and rush into the walk-in wardrobe and tug on a pair of jeans, pull a shirt on, forgoing the time it would take to get panties and a bra, then snatch one of Nixon’s hoodies off the rack while stuffing my feet into a pair of sneakers.
Everything I am wearing they bought for me and I hate that.
I fucking hate how reliant I’ve become on them.
I was never this girl. I was independent and strong willed, never allowing anyone to do anything for me.
I make a break for the door, making sure the coast is clear before I rush down the hallway and walk briskly toward the back door.
I choose not to run in case one of the guards is around and spots me.
When I make it outside the cold hits me right in the face.
I ignore the falling snow, rush down the back porch stairs and take off in a sprint toward the woods.
I’ve seen enough movies to know not to waste time and look over my shoulder to see if I’m being chased.
Once I break through the tree line, I push my legs harder and pump my arms, trying to increase my speed to get as far away from them as I can.
The further I get from the house, the worse the pain gets inside my chest.
I ignore the anguish and fight back the tears that want to fall. I refuse to be that girl who cries over a guy or in my case, guys.
They managed to weave themselves under my skin without me even knowing, and now they are burrowed so deep inside me that I fear I will never be able to get them out of my system. They will remain a part of me long after I have left this place behind.
I’m panting and breathless but I don’t stop. I push myself harder and ignore everything around me as I keep pushing forward. I just need to make it to the river, cross it, then make a run for the road and get as far as I can from this place.
I see a break up ahead in the trees and fist bump the air like a child.
I made it without being caught. A smile tugs at the corners of my mouth as I break through the brush and come to the riverbank, but the smile vanishes instantly when I spot the three masked men standing there.
I skid along the snow covered ground and manage to remain on my feet…
just. I stare at them with wide eyes, panic coursing through me, and I instinctively begin to scout out my best escape routes.
“The fact you believed Max would know the river is frozen is fucking stupid,” Asher hisses. His red mask never appeared menacing before but now with the anger wafting off him, it sure as fuck does.
I look to Axel who stands there in his black jumpsuit and mask with his arms crossed over his chest. His body language tells me everything I need to know, he is fucking furious with me.
I look at Nixon who stands there with his gun pointed at me. The white jumpsuit and mask do nothing to hide the darkness that emits from his pores. The man is the Don of this family for a reason, and the fact the full force of his fury is focused on me has me trembling.
“How’d you know?” I counter Asher’s question and try to appear unfazed by their presence, and having a gun pointed at me.
“The whole place has cameras. Did you really think we weren’t watching you every second of every day?” Axel hisses.
I roll my lips over my teeth and nod my head. “Actually, I kind of banked on it,” I answer, shocking the three of them. Nixon growls and takes a step forward, never lowering that damned gun.
“Do you think this is a fucking game?” Nix roars. I don’t flinch or recoil at his harsh angry tone, instead I stiffen my spine and hold his gaze as I take a step forward.
“The only one who fucking got played was me and now look! Here we are with a line drawn between us because you can’t see past my last name.
” I sound meek and hurt but I continue on and pretend to be so lost in my emotions that I don’t realize that I’m pacing and getting closer to the river bank.
“I never meant for any of this to happen. All I wanted to do was save an innocent girl from being hurt but in the end, all I did was hurt myself.” When I reach the edge of the bank, I turn and face the three of them.
Asher lifts his mask and stares at me with wide eyes as if he can read my mind and knows what I’m about to do.
“Don’t,” Ash barks.
I shoot them a sad smile and shrug. “I’ll save you the bullet and spare myself the pain of being tortured by my father, but I need you all to know that regardless of which side of this war we are on, I never saw you as my enemy…
I saw you as my future.” Without thinking, I push off the balls of my feet and fall backward into the river.
The freezing temperature of the water robs me of air as the current pulls me under into the dark depths of the water.
I don’t fight against it or struggle. I allow it to carry me down stream, my lungs burning, but I know fighting against the pull of the river and trying to break the surface will exert more energy than I have right now.
So, I wait as long as I can until the current eases slightly.
I kick my legs hard and swim to the surface.
The instant I break free, I gasp and suck in some much needed air.
I don’t fight against the pull of the river and allow it to continue carrying me downstream, I just fucking hope Max was right.
Earlier, we devised a plan aloud, knowing that there were cameras and the guys would be listening.
The real plan was for Xyla to cause a distraction so Max would be able to slip into the garage and take a car without the guards knowing.
I knew the guys would hunt me down and try to stop me, giving the other two a chance to carry out our plan, but what I didn’t bank on was seeing the fear in all three of their eyes when I jumped into the river.
In that split second my feet left the ground, Nixon dropped his gun and tried to rush toward me.
I shut down my train of thought when I spot headlights in the distance.
Max is waiting for me and if his plan fails, I will kill him.
He asked me to trust him and I am, but I’ve never been pulled out of a river with a current this strong.
He told me he would have a rope thrown out and I need to grab it so he can pull me out.
My hands are aching from the freezing temperature and my body is stinging from the icy cold, but I fight against the pain and brace myself.
As I near the lights, I reach out in front of me and pray I don’t miss the rope.
“Grab it!” Max screams from the bank. I manage to wrap a hand around the rope and grip onto it for dear life.
“Hold on, Skye. I’m getting you out.” He uses the winch on the front of the truck to pull me in.
I sigh in gratefulness as I thought he had planned to pull me out himself!
Forgive me, Father, for deceiving and lying but it was for the best. After tonight, I promise to turn my life around and not live in sin.
The second I am free of the water and land on the bank, I cough and splutter. Max throws a blanket over me, drags me to my feet and leads me to the car.
“I need you to change out of those wet clothes. I have blankets in there as well as a change of clothes, and the heat is on. We have to get you warm or risk you catching pneumonia or worse, hypothermia.” I nod my thanks, unable to talk over the chattering of my teeth.
“Soon as you’re ready, I’ll drive you to the cabin and get you set up. ”
Great, this is what my life will be like from now on.
Living in a cabin in the middle of the fucking sticks until I can get a passport and get the fuck out of the country.
I’ll still be looking over my shoulder until the day I die because that is what happens when you betray your own family, and run from the mafia men you have been fucking.
Their reach is far and wide. I have no doubt they won’t stop hunting me.