Pawned Virtue - #wattys2015 BK4 TPBS - Completed 1st draft

-71-

Not edited. Thankyou xxx

Maxon sat at the table across from Ellie while Lucas and Damon both stood in a sideways fashion leaning against the wall. Damon had a thumb hitched in the loop of his jeans while Lucas had his arms folded. Of them all it was Maxon who looked the most laid back with his legs outstretched. His tapping forefinger on the table was the only noise in the room.

"You're lucky you know." Lucas spoke with an undeniable conviction.

"Lucky?" Ellie spat the word.

"Yep. The last person who tried to fúck with one of our wives ended up in a six by six concrete room. You have luxury compared to that."

"Gregory" she whispered.

"Ah I see you've heard of him."

"Everyone has" she acknowledged.

"That just makes you far more stupid than I first thought."

Ellie looked up at him sharply from the side of the cot like bed she was sitting on.

"Oh come on Ellie. You heard what we did to him and still you tried to hurt my wife. What were you thinking?"

"Clearly I wasn't."

Damon laughed suddenly.

"Oh will you listen to the way she's talking. It's like we're doing her a great injustice by keeping her here."

"Naww poor Ellie" Maxon mocked "must be difficult without all that make up you're used to."

It was true. Ellie looked nothing like the woman who'd entered the room. The woman who sat before them wore wrinkled clothes, her feet now bare and her face completely void of any tracenof make up. She was a pathetic shadow of the woman she portrayed to the world outside.

In different circumstances they would have felt sorry for the creature before them as they could see her fight for the last piece of her pride. But this wasn't different circumstances and they didn't... not one bit. She didn't deserve it.

"What do you want?" her shoulders slumped and her gaze dropped to the floor to reflect the serious situation she now found herself in.

"My father's coming home" Lucas said with a grin.

"Hey... and our Mum. Can't forget her!" Damon threw the words out to ensure that Ellie knew Marcus wasn't going to be alone.

"Marcus... he's..." she looked up at Lucas again "he's coming home?" Her eyes searched Lucas' quickly.

He grinned.

"Yep... not that it'll make any difference to you though."

"He'll..." she stopped. She'd like to believe that Marcus would help her but she couldn't rely on that.

"Now now Ellie" Maxon dragged his legs up and rested his elbows on his knees with his hands together out in front. "Marcus won't be helping you. He screwed you. He fúcked you. You were his little toy... his slút. You weren't anything else. He's with our mother and we don't take to kindly to anyone who upsets her." He broke off and watched as his words sunk in before starting again. "Have you upset our mother Ellie? Did you do anything that would make her sad? Anything at all? Let me give you an example... like did you ever fúck her husband?"

"It wasn't like that!" Ellie screached and jumped up. "He loved me! He told me he loved me, that I was special and..."

"You're an idiot." Lucas said flatly. "My father wouldn't ever leave my mother. You weren't special Ellie. You were a pawn in mu father's little game. He used you just like he used all the other women he was with."

Her legs buckled from under her and the last of her colour drained from her face.

"Other women?" she questioned quietly.

"You were one in a long line Ellie. You weren't ever special to him. He used women constantly to satisfy his sick games."

"You're wrong! He wasn't like that!"

"Yes he was Ellie and he still is. Do you honestly believe he's been faithful to you while he's been in England? I have proof that he wasn't."

"Why?" she whimpered "Why are you doing this to me? What about your mother? You're blaming me but letting him get away with..."

"What makes you think he's going to get away with it?" Damon asked with a tone that was so deep and dark Ellie couldn't help but shudder.

"What are you going to do?"

Maxon smirked. "You don't need to worry that empty little head of yours about that, we have it under control."

Ellie mumbled something that had them all bolting upright as they wondered if they heard her correctly.

"Say that again!" Lucas demanded.

She shook her head and started to cry.

"Shut the fúck up and tell me what you said!" Lucas was now pulling her up by the arm so fiercely she cried out as the pain shot through her arm.

"TELL ME!" He shook her.

She shook her head "he'll kill me"

"You have three seconds to fúcking tell me before I put a fúcking bullet in your head!"

He threw her back on the bed and she scrambled back against the wall. Tears streamed down her face and she fought to find her voice.

"TELL ME!" he screamed down at her.

"I... I have a daughter... your sister."

Lucas stumbled back and Maxon jumped up and grabbed him before he fell to the floor.

"What?" he said hoarsely as he clung onto Maxon's arm.

"Gemma. Her name's Gemma. She's fifteen."

"Are you fúcking serious right now?" Damon growled at her as he took the other side of Lucas.

"Yes" she cowered against the wall.

"Max get Luc out of here. I'm going to talk with this bítch."

He helped Maxon get Lucas to the door and as it closed again his gut ripped as he heard Lucas speaking.

"I have a sister Max... I lost Julia and now I have another sister..."

Damon turned to Ellie and snarled his next words.

"You fúcked with another member of my family. Start fúcking talking."