The Runaway

Chapter 17

Sawyer

'The Story, Brandi Carlile' 🎵

My pulse is beating rapidly against my skin as Nikolai sits in front of me, point blankly telling me that my Father and Brothers escaped. 

Ryder grabs my hand from beside me and gives it a little squeeze.  "What-" I clear my throat and blink away tears that tried to make an appearance, "what do- I do?"

Nikolai glanced at Jade to his side, "there's protection under the academy, or Alessio..."

I nod but nothing seems appropriate under the circumstances. 

Im so sick and tired constantly looking behind my back  and worrying about the safety of my own children. 

Linden paces behind Nikolai, biting at his nails and muttering in a certainly crazy manor.  Ryder raises an eyebrow at me but swings his head back and forth between linden and I. "Dude, you good?"

Linden swirls towards us, "no. God no, I betrayed Pops a long time ago Sawyer, he'll have my head. Fuck!"  He grabs a nearby glass that was on a silver cart and throws it at the wall.

I flinch, Ryder flinches and we're squeezing each other's hands for reassurance in seconds.

"Let them come." I mumble out into the room.

In return, all heads swerve towards me. "What?! Didn't you hear what I said!" Linden places his palms against his eyes. "I'm gonna die, this is it," he turns to head up the stairs, "I'm going to say goodbye to your kids and snuggle them one last time." Linden fake cries.

"Sit down." I sigh and wait for him to come back, moping,

"I'm sick and tired of being frightened." I start, "I just want to see them, I want to help them become better people. Because I can't expect anything better of them, if they haven't been given the chance," with that I stand up, hug Jade and Nikolai and head upstairs in hopes that insomnia won't take complete control over me.

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Ryder comes into the room not long after I took my leave and snuggled into bed. He does his nighttime routine and joins me soon after.

He snuggles up to my back and holds me with such tenderness, the same tenderness he's had ever since he's met me. He kisses the side of my neck and breathes in deeply.

"I'm scared." I whisper, tears already falling down my cheeks,

"I've got you." He whispers and turns my head towards him with a single finger on my chin. He kisses the tears away, just like he kisses the pain and uneasiness away. "You won't go through this alone, you will never go through anything like this alone again. You did the first time, and I'll be damned if that ever happens again,"

I nod and turn so I can rest against his chest. Where I feel safe and secure enough to finally fall asleep.

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'Terrible thing." AG🎵

In the middle of the night, around two AM I have a feeling in my stomach I can't explain. An uneasiness I've never felt before and one I certainly don't want to feel again.

It electrifies in minutes, goosebumps litter my arms and legs sending what seems like a shockwave of a shiver up my body.

I head to the kids rooms right away, worried because I can't tell if this is a mother's intuition or something completely different. Beau is sound asleep and safe in his room, but when I get to Clayton's room, he's wide awake, standing in his crib and staring at me in the doorway.

I head towards his crib and pick him up, the urge so strong to hold him it takes over me. "You feel that too baby?" I whisper and kiss his head. He doesn't do anything, but keeps his eyes on the door, yet to look away ever since I came into the room.

I slowly approach the doorway, scared suddenly beyond belief that there's something there I'm not aware of. Perhaps not something, maybe someone.

When I get to the doorway I peak around both frames to each side and take deep breaths in hopes it will calm down the erratic beating of my heart. Since it's so loud in my ears it would be a dead giveaway to my whereabouts if someone really was here.

After a few moments of just looking, not speaking and barely breathing, nothing has made an appearance and I head towards the stairs. Maybe the two of us just need a warm glass of milk.....

I prepare Clayton's bottle and my glass of milk as quickly as I can so I can return to the safe solitude of my room.

Clayton doesn't close his eyes for one moment, he glances around the whole time and keeps his eyes on every door in sight.

"Stop Clay, for fucks sake stop." I cry out, "you're scaring the shit out of mommy." I throw my head back and take a deep breath.

"Swearing in front of the baby? Bad Sawyer..." a voice says from behind me, tsking into the back of my neck.

I jump out of my skin and a screech comes from so deep in my throat that it doesn't even make an appearance at all. I turn around guarding Clayton with both of my hands like a shield, only to see my Father standing tall and proud in front of me.

"Get out." I whisper taking a few steps back. When I thought about giving them a shot, I thought a civilized sit down. Not breaking into my house at 2 am.

"Why would I do that? I just got here." He grins and nods to Clayton, "who's this little guy, seems young for the first one."

"It's none of your business." I speak through my gritted teeth and start looking towards all of the exits. I head for the main one first, which has the fastest route to stairs and front door.

When I get to the doorframe my oldest brother steps in front of it, I nearly bump into his chest because of how sudden he appeared and how frightened I've become of him alone. 

I step back again and turn around completely towards the back entrance to the kitchen but Gillian is suddenly there, smirking down at me and patting me on the head like he used to do when I was a young girl.

"Let me see my grandson, oh my goodness," my Father coos, taking my son out of my arms, almost forcefully. I step forward in a hurry to take him back but Gillian's hand clamps down onto my shoulder and the other on my arm holding me back.

"Don't hurt him!" I yell.

Clayton is already crying in hysterics, screaming and red faced looking for me in the arms of a stranger. "Please, he doesn't know you, please," I plead crying and struggling to get away from my brother. Not so much a brother now, but a stranger to me as well.

A gun is the next sound I hear. At first I can't see it, I can only hear it and all I can hope and dream for is that it isn't pointed at my babies head. That my father isn't hurting him to simply get back at me.

"Give me my kid you piece of shit." Ryders voice grounds me. All of the worst case scenarios regarding my child have scattered and now it's just me in the room, instead of me and all of my horrid dark thoughts. 

Ryder cocks the gun again behind my oldest brother, still pointing it at his head, a threat that most certainly still wound my father.

Another gun cocks, but this time it's behind me. "And let go of my fucking sister." Linden's voice growls from behind Gillian.

Papa slowly hands me Clayton and I try to settle down my screeching baby as fast as I can. Linden pulls me towards him and shields me with half of his body in a comforting manor.

"Let's settle this like adults" Ryder commands pointing towards the table. "Something you three seem to have a hard time recognizing."