The Runaway

Chapter 8.

Sawyer

His eyes are nothing like I have seen before.  I'm 17 and he has never looked at me like he is right now.  The disappointment is clear from the 8 feet away he stands from Ryder and I.

When he takes a threatening step forward Ryder pushes me behind his back, although I still crane my neck to peek around him.  "Volkov do not fucking test me." Ryder grounds out as Papà continues forward.

Papà swipes his hand and the men surrounding us pounce forward and rip me away from Ryders grip.  "Fuck! Sawyer." Ryder growls and punches the man who grabbed him.  But the more he fights, the more men grab him to restrain him. 

My Papàs eyes wander down from my face to my protruding stomach and my worst fear has ultimately come true. 

My eyes fill with tears as he gets closer and closer to Ryder. "Gill." He announces. "Grab your sister."

Gillian who I didn't notice before steps forward, a vest of his own on and his own guns loaded at his waistband. He grabs my hand gently and his other hand lays heavily down onto my back.  "Go baby, don't make him even angrier."

My breathing escalates, "no, no." I shake my head and try to yank my hand free from his strong grip. 

"Sawyer." Lucas voice slices the air stopping my movements to try and get away. My mother fights to get away at his side, from being held in what seems like an aggressive grip herself.

"How?" Ryder glares, his breathing heavy.  "How did you fucking find us?"

Papà nods to my Mama, "you should thank your Mother Sawyer, she led me right to you.  Didn't you darling?" He looks back at her.

He steps up to Ryder and looks back at my Mother, "next time you think of betraying me, watch if you are being followed."

Mama bares her teeth and thrashes against Luca, "next time you get close to me, make sure I don't punch you in the face Volkov."

He ignores my Mothers last statement and continues, "it was easy, really.  I made her believe she could do anything she wanted, which just led me right to my daughter, who you took away from me." Papà points his finger at Ryder.

"You did that to yourself." Ryder seethes back.  It almost feels like I'm stuck in time and like every thing that's happening in front me is all a bad dream.  But the grip on my wrist is a steady reminder this is not just a bad dream.

Papà glares and waves his hand in Ryders direction, "take him away. Oh but wait." He pauses and walks over to him.  Next thing I know his fist is flying through the air and landing right on Ryders cheek.  "I think the basement is most suited for him, get him settled.  Not only for touching my god damn daughter but for taking. Her. Away. From. Me." He enunciates each word. 

A cry releases from my throat and tears begin to roll past my eyelids when Ryders face is struck.  Ryders head lolls down towards the ground and he looks up lazily with new blood dripping from his mouth. 

Gill begins his walk with me still gathered in his arms. "No, no. Let go! Papà please!" I yell.  Men who go to his basement don't come back out and the thought of him doing the same to Ryder makes me sick to my stomach. 

A sudden pain shoots through my abdomen like a stab wound.  My knees buckle and my mouth opens in a silent yell. 

"No! Fuck!" Ryder yells as he gets dragged away.  His last view haven been me falling to the ground in absolute pain.  This has never happened before and this is not normal. 

But he fights to get back to me until he's officially out of sight.

Papà crowds me and picks me up immediately, my brothers and mama follow him outside of the house and into one of his many cars.  I yell in pain again and throw my head back against his forearm.

"Sh, sh." Papà whispers after he has ordered the driver to go.  "Oh baby, my baby girl." He kisses my forehead and cradles me tightly to his chest.

"This is why you shouldn't go outside of the house, look at what has happened." He says almost in a condescending manner, "you'll be kept safe by my side baby, now and forever okay?" He rocks. 

I close my eyes in not only pain but I can't seem to look at him any longer.  Mentally and physically, I am done.

——————

The sky is dark by the time I have woken up, and I've waken up to my brothers and Papà crowding the bed like they can't give me a moment of god damn peace. 

I close my eyes again, at the relief of no more physical pain.  Mentally, I've never been more hurt, and it will probably be that way for a while.

"Papà." I whimper. "Why?" I cry and tears begin to fall again like they usually do when I'm frustrated. 

He grabs my hand and kisses the back of it very gently, Luca speaks up, "the baby is fine." He announces like he's trying to avoid the other subject, the elephant in the room. "We all had a bit of a scare there but he's fine."

"What?" I sober up.

"You were stressed and deranged, it effected the baby, but we got you out of there in time." He consoles and grabs my other hand.

"No, you said he." I pull both of my hands away angrily.  I feel gross when they touch me and not only that but they ruined something so entirely special to Ryder and I, they couldn't possibly imagine. 

"It's a baby boy." Papà smiles as if he senses my bewilderment. 

A breath releases out of me like disbelief.  Ryder and I are having a baby boy? And I'm finding out all by myself, with the people I absolutely can't stand right now?

By the time everything has processed I've begun to sob, my whole body trembles and Papà takes it as a sign I need comfort.  He wraps his arms around me and pulls me into his chest, gently rocking.  I can't think of anything beside's absolutely wanting to die in this moment.