A/N Y'all this is a ridiculously cringey, totally unrealistic chapter. Welcome to my brain when it's food-deprived. Also if you criticize me too much I will cry, just a heads up. Childhood trauma for the win, right?
Also there's some POV jumping around, sorry
Brooke POV
It was my–gag–wedding day. I was finally let out of the stupid cell that had been my home for the past 12 days, according to Molly.
She was in charge of getting me ready, which translated to "make sure she doesn't look like a drowned rat when she comes down the aisle."
A pretty tall order, considering that my head had to be bandaged and my foot wrapped, and I hadn't washed my hair in 12 days.
She did her best, staying silent throughout the process due to the two guards keeping a close eye on both of us.
Finally when it came time to me to get into the all-important white dress, she turned to the guards. "Richard wouldn't like that you watched his bride change, so I suggest you leave."
They hesitated but their fear of disobeying orders was eventually outweighed by the fear of being targeted by Richard.
As soon as they left, she turned to me frantically. "You have the gun, right?"
I nodded, patting my waistband discreetly. How those stupid guards didn't notice, I had no idea.
"Don't react to this, but I managed to get into contact with your brothers. Sort of. I didn't tell him that you were getting married, but they know something's going down today and they're ready to strike."
My eyes widened but I stayed silent.
"You're gonna hate this part, but it's necessary. There's some lingerie–"
"Excuse me?" I blinked, staring at her blankly.
She winced. "Order from Richard. But," she hurried on when she saw the brewing storm on my face. "I managed to sew a small pouch into the lower half for you to keep the gun. Use that if he tries anything.
"Hopefully your brothers will come before the actual vows, but until they show up you need to pretend you're going along with the whole marriage thing. If Richard suspects for a second that something's off..." her voice faded away, her eyes haunted.
"Anyway, we need to get you into your...outfit before the guards get impatient. Just play along until help comes."
I nodded, and she helped me into the disgusting, flowy short white dress that showed an unnerving amount of skin.
"I tried to get a couple sizes bigger so it would be easier to hide the gun. It looks like it worked," she sighed in relief.
I just needed to keep my stomach sucked in and the gun wouldn't show.
I turned to her. "Molly...I don't know what to say. Why are you helping me?"
She closed her eyes and shuddered. "I'll tell you after this is over. You don't need to thank me. Just do me a favor and make sure Richard dies. Come on, the guards are getting impatient."
She opened the door, nodding to the guards and saying "she's ready."
With Molly leading me, the two guards walking behind me staying uncomfortably close.
She stopped in front of a door that to my frazzled mind looked like a portal to hell.
She hesitated a split second before knocking and turning the knob, sending me one final glance that I couldn't read.
"Ahhh, Molly. And my little teardrop," his voice boomed. He appraised me from head to toe, making me resist the urge to squirm uncomfortably.
"She is acceptable. Well done, my daughter," he sneered in her direction.
My face was blank, but internally I was screaming. Molly was Richard's motherf*cking daughter. God, what has she gone through?
She sent me a guilty glance, as if apologizing for not telling me. I shook my head a tiny bit, letting her know she was fine.
If she had told me the first time she came into my cell I probably wouldn't have trusted her, but she helped me so much that I just felt I could trust her.
Richard clapped his hands briskly, making me flinch. "We're almost ready to begin! I'll see you at the end of the aisle, my teardrop." He sent me a nauseating smile and left the room.
"Can you do this?" Molly asked lowly. I nodded, but I was trembling at the thought of being tied to this bastard in any way, even just temporarily.
"Stay safe, Molly," I said gently. I needed her to survive this. She jerked her head in response and left the room, abandoning me to the guards.
They gestured for me to follow them, presumably to my doom. Let's get this show on the road.
Marcus POV
"Are we ready?" I asked tersely, checking my gun magazine for the fifth time. My men nodded, their faces set.
"We are getting my sister back by any means necessary. Shoot to kill. No mercy for these f*ckers."
We moved into position, surrounding the fancy-looking hall silently. What the hell was happening in this building?
Counting down on my fingers, I nodded to Lucas, who threw a flash grenade into the building. We busted in there, ready for anything.
Except a f*cking wedding.
Brooke POV
I walked down the aisle, holding the white roses loosely, praying my brothers would show up before I reached the end.
No such luck. I stood stiffly, tensing up beside Dick as he sent me a sickening smile, something manic in his eyes.
The...pastor? How the hell did he get a clergy member to agree to this? The pastor read from a book, beginning with "Brothers and sisters, we are gathered here today to..."
I didn't listen, too focused on avoiding Richard's gaze, unnerved by the way his eyes flicked up and down my exposed body.
"Do you, Brooke Marie Amoretti–" first off, how the hell did he know my middle name? And isn't the ceremony supposed to take a lot longer before we get to the stupid vows?
"Ms. Amoretti?" the pastor prompted gently, and I realized I zoned out during the important part. I glanced at Molly, panicked, and she nodded emphatically, pleading with me to say the immortal phrase.
"I...I do," I said hesitantly. Richard sent me another disgusting smile, and I wished I could take the words back.
"And do you, Richard Arthur Teagle, take Brooke to be your lawfully wedded wife?" His eyes were shining with a feverish light as he said "I do."
And it was at that moment that my dear brothers made their late appearance.
Marcus POV
What the hell. My sister was standing in front of an altar in a white f*cking dress, next to a slimeball I presumed was f*cking Richard.
She looked tense but relatively unharmed, which was relieving.
Dick looked unperturbed by our entrance and raised guns. "I'm so glad the family of the bride was able to make an appearance, albeit late. Unfortunately, the time to object to the union has passed. We're a happily married couple now, aren't we, my teardrop?"
Brooke's face was stony, but her eyes found mine and I saw the trust in them. She kept touching her stomach for some weird reason, but I didn't have time to worry about that, instead moving my focus back to Dick.
"Release my sister or I'll shoot you in your namesake," I snarled, raising my gun. The previously frozen guests all stood in unison at my movement, pulling guns from God knows where.
"Really, did you think I would come unprepared?" Dick laughed, pulling a gun from a hidden side holster.
Brooke squirmed uncomfortably at the sight of it, her hand slipping into a hidden pocket in her dress.
Dick noticed her movement. "My little teardrop, just let the men handle this one. We'll be on our honeymoon soon enough," he gently touched her cheek and I saw her cringe.
Sadly, I couldn't do anything. Most of the "guests" were aiming their guns at us, but there were a select few with their muzzles pointed at Brooke. That was unacceptable.
"You see, if you shoot me, my men have orders to shoot my little teardrop, so we can be together in the afterlife. Now, put down your weapons and come congratulate the happy couple."
"Did you think they would come unprepared?" Brooke's voice was clear and calm as she stared straight at me, her hand fidgeting in her pocket.
"Teardrop, you should really stay out of this," Dick's voice had a dangerous edge as his finger closed around the trigger of his gun, aimed straight at me.
She whipped her hand out of her pocket, holding...a gun? Her gaze bored into Dick, her hand steady on the trigger. "You should really put your gun down."
"Teardrop, I don't want you to hurt yourself," Dick seemed unphased by the weapon in her grasp, barely glancing at it before turning his attention back to me. "I know you won't use it."
Brooke glanced at me, nodded reassuringly, and shoved the gun into his stomach. "I want a divorce," she said calmly, squeezing the trigger.
Dick collapsed and chaos exploded. Brooke dropped to the ground, hands covering her head. Smart girl.
Shots were going off all around as my men picked off the wedding "guests." I headed straight for Dick, who was attempting to pick himself up from the floor.
Before I could reach him, I was intercepted by a burly man holding a machine gun. Barely sparing him a look, I shot him in the head and continued on. In those 3 seconds, the unthinkable happened.
Dick had moved with impossible speed, managing to hit Brooke over the head with his gun.
She kicked and squirmed sluggishly, but Dick somehow had the strength to pull her closer, his gun hand raised.
Before I could reach him, he held a gun up to her head, and two shots went off.
A/N if you're wondering why Dick was able to get ahold of her, remember she had barely any food for 12 days. Also this chapter is incredibly cringey, I'm well aware. Feel free to laugh or complain about the inaccuracies and plot holes, but I am past caring so just know that nothing is changing until I find my will to live again.