Saving Calen

17.

Aylah's POV

I scream and pound on the door until my voice is raw. I feel panic start to rise but I shove it down. Now is not the time.

I pace the small room that I'm in and run a hand through my hair. I quickly scan my surroundings, looking for anything that I can arm myself with.

Fucking Calen. I told him not to do anything this stupid.

Men never listen.

No they fucking don't.

I see a lamp and quickly unplug just in time to hear footsteps getting closer.

I hide behind the door and wait for it to swing open.

My heart pounds out of my chest.

Once it does I swing it hard and a thud rings out through the air. I quickly grab the dudes gun and raise it to point at whoever stands behind him.

My breath catches as I see who it is.

Archer.

"Come on, we have to go now." He grabs my arm and we run down a hallway I've never seen before. We enter a garage and I see a motorcycle. He runs to it and hands me a helmet.

"Where are we going?" My trust has grown paper thin.

"The fuck out of here. Get on."

I hesitate.

He raises his gun and aims it straight at my head. I freeze as a sinking feeling enters my stomach. I raise my hands in alarm.

"Archer no-" the words are barely out of my mouth before he interrupts me.

"Duck."

I do so and he fires three shots directly behind me, hitting three men.

Any hesitance leaves my body as I quickly hop on the bike and we take off. As we leave the compound, men file out like bees. Archer reaches into his boot and shoves a gun into my shaking hands.

"Shoot. It doesn't matter if you hit them. It'll be distracting." He yells over the bike.

My hands shake harder as I aim. I hesitate once again until a bullet pings off metal. Anger takes over my fear and I start shooting with surprising accuracy.

Fuck you.

Bodies start dropping as I empty the clip into the crowd behind me.

...

We roar into the parking lot.

I lift my head off of Archers back and take note of my surroundings. A cold numbness clouds over me as I realize what has happened.

They have him.

He was stabbed.

"Where are we?" I ask.

He all but drags me inside of this modest house in the middle of very dense forestry.

"Archer?"

He paces back and forth, running his hands through his hair. The worry on his face is evident as he frantically checks his phone every once in a while.

I about lose my mind at the fact that I'm being ignored. Yet again. Always fucking ignored.

"Hey, motherfucker, I'm talking to you!" I yell out, throwing a throw pillow at his head.

"Jesus Christ calm down," he says.

I grab another pillow and he raises his hands.

"Fine, we're at the Riot safe house. We're all wanted. Every last one of us now."

The words weigh heavily in the air as my mind starts to go someplace I've been fighting off this entire time. I feel wetness gather on my cheeks and I realize that I'm crying.

"What do you think they're doing to him?" I whisper,
afraid of the answer. I'm not even really sure why I asked.

Archer freezes and shakes his head.

"Nothing good, Aylah. Nothing good." His voice is grave and only serves to heighten my worry.

We both stand in silence when the door bursts open and two Calen look a-likes storm inside.

Ones huge and built like a Mac truck. He wears a venomous expression, his green eyes filled with rage.

Ones smaller but still built and has nothing but worry on his face.

"Finally, she's getting squirly." Archer huffs.

"Shut the fuck up." I snap. Archer raises his eyes in a "see?" Motion.

I roll mine and march straight up to the large one. Fear is a thing of the past at this point. "Who are you?"

He sneers down at me, "Caden Riot."

"And you?"

"Cole."

I nod.

"So what's the plan? Do we know where he is? When do we go get him? How long can he survive?" I word vomit all the questions out.

The tall one, Caden, laughs. Actually and literally laughs.

"What's with all this 'we' bullshit? As far as I'm concerned, you're the girl who got him into this mess. Now you need us. So, sit down and let us work." Cadens bedside manner could clearly use some work.

My entire body shakes with rage. Every single time my father has swatted me away like a fly, every time Dorian has waved me away, every meeting I've been ignored in, all the jeers and crude comments made about me come rushing to the surface.

I reach into my waistband where the gun is that Archer gave me. I whip it out as I walk forward and swing my fist as hard as I can towards his face. I connect. He barely moves but it's just enough for me to press the barrel of the gun to his forehead. It's empty, but he doesn't know that.

"Listen, I've been beaten, raped, forced to brand, and I do mean literally, your brother and he's stayed for all of it. He's stayed even when I had to publicly shame him. He's stayed when I stood idolly by as he was forced to press a gun to his own hea. If you think I'm not going, you're fucking dumber than you look." I spit out. Caden looks up at me with amusement in his eyes. In one swift, motion he disarms me and pins my arms behind my back.

"Fine, have it your way. But you're fucking useless as you are now. I'm training you, so you can actually back that foul mouth up." He drops the gun's clip in front me. "And next time you aim this thing at someone, make sure it's loaded."

He lets go of me and shoved me forward. Hard. I stumble and face him once again.

"Sweetheart, you look terrified." He mocks.

Now it's my turn to laugh.

"No. Scared got the man I love taken from me going through god knows what. Scared got me fucking raped and beaten. I don't do scared anymore. Try angry. Try too livid to think straight or have my self preservation kick in."

A nasty looking smile spreads across his face.

"This just might work."

OOOOOH BADASS AYLAH YES PLEASEEEEE

CANT HAVE NO SISSY GIRLS IN MY BOOKS LADIES.