Overprotective Much?

Chapter 24 One Big Happy Family

I try to pull open my eyes but it's like they're glued shut. My head is throbbing and I'm sitting slouched in a chair. I pull my arm up from behind me, feeling ever single one of my muscles ache, and reach for my face bit my arm is quickly restrained. My eyelids burst open in shock only to see a pair of handcuffs on either hand laced around the arms of the chair in positioned in.

"Nice of you to finally join us," I look up to see Paul sitting across from me at the end of a table, my brothers all sitting at the sides. I look at them and a wave of fear crashes down on me. Bruises, bloody noses, black eyes, everyone of them has some sort of injury, and on their faces too. Usually when we were younger, Paul tried not to hit our faces so one outside the house would be suspicious of what goes on inside the house. I guess now he didn't have to worry about anyone finding out, I'm not sure if anyone is going to find us here. Come to think of it, where is here?

"Don't lay a finger on her," Ben speaks up, his voice trembling, he looked the worst out of all of them, I could hardly see a clear patch of skin on him.

"And why would I do that?" He steps of from his chair and makes his way towards me," She's my little princess, and I wouldn't hurt my princess now would I?" He drags his fingers along my face outlining my bone structure.

"Get your hands off of me!" I try to pull my head away but his hand wraps around my neck and thrusts my head against the head of the chair.

"I don't like that attitude very much, and the boys and I have been waiting for so long to see you, isn't that right boys," They all have their heads down trying not to look at me," I said isn't that right boys!" Paul slams his fist in the table and almost immediately everyone shakes their head up and down," Now that you're awake, the party can finally start." He inches back towards his seat giving glares to the boys who look up at him.

"What party?" I ask him.

"Our family reunion of course. I have been waiting years to get us all back together again, I broke out of prison for you, I did it for you."

"Two years isn't that long, I definitely could've spent more time without you," I don't know why I'm trying to rattle him, I don't know why I'm even talking to him. I guess a part of me hates him as much as I fear him.

"Laurel shut up," Chad whispers to me but I can tell that everyone else at the table heard it too.

"I would take your brothers advice in this one sweetie, you shouldn't overstep your boundaries. But like I was saying, I put all this together for you, so that we could be a family again," he signals at the room surrounding us and I notice it. We're in our dining room, at our house.

"You're holding us hostage in our own house? Someone's going to find us!" I feel exhilarating to catch something he didn't, a flaw in his plan. Then again, he doesn't make mistakes, everything he does is for a reason.

"Oh no this isn't that ugly remodeled place you used to live in, this is a new version of your old home." He smiles, what does he mean though? "Now that were all together again, let's eat like a family," he snaps his finger and suddenly a dozen or so people emerge from the shadows with plates and cups that they put down in front of us, "Penn, please unshackle them will you?" A tall slender man takes a key and one by one unlocks our handcuffs.

A rush of relief runs through me as I rub my wrists and look at the boys bloodied ones, this is probably the only chance of freedom I am going to get here.

"Let us say grace," Paul reaches for Ben and Theo's hands and I reach for Liam and Chad's until everyone is linked together.

Paul begins to pray and everyone has their eyes shut, the people from before have left and through the doorway to the kitchen I see the front door and before I know it, I'm sprinting towards it.

Suddenly someone grabs me out of no where and injects a syringe with who knows what into my neck. Then it hits me, another wave but this time it's of fatigue and I can't move a muscle in my body. I soon fall to the ground and Paul's face appears over me.

"Tsk tsk tsk, some little girls need to learn when to stay still."

"I promise, I will next time," I manage to say through my numb lips, it feels like my whole body is swelling up.

"Oh you see after that little trick you just tried to pull, there isn't going to be a next time," he gives a bit of a smirk.

"But-" I can see his fist in slow motion falling over me, I try to fight back but I still cannot move a bone in my body and before I know it I'm out cold.