JUSTIN POV
It would be surprising if you weren't tired. In some ways, your pregnant body is working harder even when you're resting than a nonpregnant body is when mountain-climbing; you just can't see its efforts. For one thing, it's manufacturing your baby's life-support system, the placenta, which won't be completed until the end of the first trimester. For another, it's adjusting to the many other physical and emotional demands of pregnancy, which are considerable. Once your body has adjusted and the placenta...
I had to stop reading after that.
I smashed my palms into my eyes and scrubbed them across my face. My heart was still pumping a little quicker than usual, and my head was pounding. For the first time in years, I wanted to take a nap.
Could this really be happening? How could this be happening?
I took a large gulp of water and tried to sooth my fiery nerves. I was pissed; I was confused. I was uncertain, but I was also terrified, and I had never in my life felt that emotion.
Maddie had just left for her walk, and I was thankful for that, because I couldn't breathe while she was around right now. It was hard for me to even think about being in the same room with her. Did she really not see how much of a bad idea this was? She was pregnant! Holy shit, she was pregnant! She was pregnant!
I had to say it at least ten times before I could even fathom the possibility of that statement. A child with my eyes or my hair or my nose... It made me sick just thinking about it. Like she requested, I had called Benny and asked him to stay behind. She needed her time alone just as much as I did.
There were so many things that could go wrong with this, and I wasn't just thinking about myself.
Maddie was fucking eighteen years old. She had her whole life ahead of her for this kind of shit. In ten years, when she had grown up and was with some man who wanted kids, then she could rethink things. But that brought about a new set of problems. I didn't want her with another man now, and I didn't want her with another one in ten years. Maddie was mine, and I planned on keeping it that way. Never mind about the marriage thing or the fact that I would make a horrible husband; some people just dated forever, right?
Last night, I was so excited to get home because I had taken care of the threat. With Felix and Demetri gone, a weight was lifted off of my shoulders, and I felt like I could finally breathe. Maddie was somewhat safer now. I didn't have to look over my shoulder every five seconds for one of the Anthis boys to pop up and kill her. Of course, the threat would never be truly gone, but I didn't have those stupid mosquitoes buzzing in my ear anymore.
My seemingly good mood came crashing down when Maddie revealed her little secret.
My first reaction was to disbelieve her. I had encountered this before, and on those occasions, girls lied because they wanted to trap me. There was never any truth to those situations, and I really hoped that Maddie was following the same path. But then the logical side of my brain stepped in. Maddie and I were already together. She had me under her finger. What need would she have to fabricate a lie like that? She didn't need to lie to me.
So, Maddie was pregnant. That was the only conclusion I could come up with. Whatever happened to modern science? I knew birth control wasn't full proof, but this was ridiculous. Why now? This was the worst possible time for this to fall into my lap. I was on the verge of taking over a major crime syndicate and still in remission from a fucking heart attack. My life wasn't really conducive for a child, even if I did want one.
I could never see someone like me raising a kid. I would be horrible; things weren't going to get any easier as I got older. I knew that it was my lot in life to produce children, but I was hoping that I could skirt around that topic. I'm sure Keegan, Jaxon, and Finn could provide more than enough kids to keep the Bieber name going. Why did I need to be a part of that?
When Maddie told me, I blew up. I didn't know how else I was supposed to act. My brain was going crazy with questions that I just wanted to spit at her and demand answers. I felt like I needed to hit something, so that's why I got up from the table. I should have taken a couple of breaths and just talked it out, but I didn't have words. When Maddie did push me to say something, I exploded with all of my thoughts.
I was ashamed of my first reaction to the news, but I had always known that "getting rid" of the baby was the path I would choose. Abortion or adoption, I didn't care which just as long as I didn't have to be burdened with a fucking baby. Call me a coward or whatever, but that was my stance, and I was sticking to it. I wasn't only doing this for Maddie and myself, but for that kid too. How well could it turn out? There were no positives to this situation, and I just needed to convince Maddie of that.
I didn't know how far along she was-we never got that far-but I figured abortion was still an option. She could be through with this in minutes. That would be fine with me. We didn't even have to tell anyone. If Maddie didn't go for that, then there was also adoption. That would be a far more strenuous route, but it would still leave us free of a child. That was the main goal. People would obviously know that Maddie was pregnant if we went that way, although, it might be a better option if she didn't want to go to a clinic. Everyone would hate me, but it was the only viable possibility. Whichever was fine with me.
Unfortunately, Maddie wasn't seeing things my way. I didn't know what about this made anything appear positive, but it seemed like I was the only one in this relationship with a clear head. This baby was going to ruin Maddie's life. She was going to have to drop out of school, take time off and probably wouldn't ever go back. I didn't want that for her. I had already taken so much from Maddie without giving anything back and now this? I was destroying her life. We couldn't have this baby.
I groaned and banged my head against the counter, "Stupid, stupid, stupid..."
There was a knock at the door, and I didn't even move from my spot. I didn't care to open it. Maddie had a key so anyone else could suck it. I wasn't in the mood to deal with stupidity today.
"Yo, Justin," Keegan's voice yelled, "we're here and we're hungry. You better not be hogging pizza or I'm breaking your arm."
"I have to remember to take that key away," I said to myself and put the pregnancy book in a drawer so he wouldn't suspect anything. I was going to leave it up to Maddie about telling people. I didn't mind as long as in nine months' time, I wasn't rocking a baby to sleep.
"What's going on?" Keegan started going through my fridge for food. Jaxon was with him, and he sat on a barstool, eating a massive chocolate bar.
"Don't you have your own house? I'm tired of you being over here," I growled.
"You will never be rid of me." He laughed. "Besides, Bridget hasn't gone grocery shopping this week. I'm hungry and I know Maddie always keeps this place stocked."
"Yeah," I sighed.
"Why is there so much damned ginger ale?" He moved stuff around. "I can't even find the food. This is ridiculous. There must be ten bottles in here."
"It helps Maddie's stomach. She's still sick," I lied.
"Maybe she should go see a doctor," Jaxon suggested. "It's not healthy for her to be sick this long. Is she all right?"
"She's fine." I shut the refrigerator door. "Can I help either of you?"
"We're bored," Keegan pouted. "Let's go shoot something. We could go play arrow roulette."
"As much as I would love that, I'm busy and you need to occupy your time in a healthier way. I'm sure you have some work to do."
"Don't care. I'm on vacation."
"We just got back from vacation and like I said, I'm busy."
"With what?" Jaxon asked.
"Things that don't concern you. Leave," I commanded and crossed my arms.
"No, I don't think we will." Keegan sat next to Alec. "What the hell happened with you and Maddie last night?"
"What do you mean?" I exhaled, getting very annoyed with my brothers.
"Finn said you guys had a massive fight and she had to stay with him and Olivia. What did you do?"
"Can nothing stay private in this family?" I ran a hand through my hair. He didn't mention the baby, so I assumed Maddie hadn't said anything to either Finn or Olivia. I would have heard about it by now.
"What's going on?" Jaxon was concerned. I could tell by the tone of his voice. His childlike curiosity and knack for sensing problems was becoming highly dangerous for me in this situation.
"Nothing, just drop it."
"You did something to Maddie, didn't you?" Keegan squinted his eyes at me. "You made her cry?"
"Yes," I admitted, "we just had a fight."
"About what?"
"I can't remember." I shrugged.
"You're lying," Keegan accused.
"So what if I am? No one asked you to butt into my business."
"This is Maddie's business too," Jaxon challenged. "We have a right to know."
"Stupid Italian, gossiping, brothers..." I grumbled under my breath and filled a glass with water. It was time to take my medication and today, I needed it more than ever.
"Are you still taking that shit?" Keegan asked.
"Yes, and I don't need your mouth right now. Just leave." I ingested a couple pills and swallowed the water.
"You're extra bitchy today," Alec said.
"It must be his man-period."
"Both of you need to leave." I roughly picked Jaxon up by the collar of his shirt and started shoving him into the hallway.
"You know, we can give you brotherly advice if you'd just ask." Keegan followed us.
"I already got the big brother talk from Finn last night."
"He's stupid. You need to come to me for girlfriend problems."
"That makes me feel so much better." I rolled my eyes.
"Are you going to break up with her? You know Ma would kill you if you did." Jaxon pushed me off of him.
"No, I'm not breaking up with her. We're just... having issues."
"Finn said that she was crying like crazy last night. Did you hurt her?"
"Of course I didn't and I would appreciate it if you would stop getting your information from Finn. You three are like old ladies. Keep your noses in your own business."
"Fine, we'll go downstairs and have some fun without you." Keegan walked out of my apartment. "Come on, kid."
"Bye, Justin." Jaxon waved and trotted after him.
I slammed the door and stomped back to the kitchen. I didn't want to go back to reading that stupid book again, because I could barely understand what the hell it was saying. There were so many words that were foreign to me, and I only got more stressed with each turn of the page. How the hell were we supposed to raise a baby? There was no way in hell it was going to work. I just had to convince Maddie that our only option was to handle it by other means.
I wasn't a total monster. Somewhere in the back of my mind, I realized that I had created something. A part of me was growing inside of Maddie, and I'm sure some people would die to be in my position; just not me. Should I want a child? Like with most normal things, my mind wasn't wired that way. I only saw this as a negative.
Besides the theoretical horrors of me raising a child, there was also the very real possibility that I might actually die if I had to care for something that vomited and pooped and peed excessively for the first year of its life.
I shuddered just thinking about being anywhere near a baby. How the hell did people take care of those things?
I sighed heavily, going back into the kitchen to resume my reading. I was trying to understand what about this child thing was so appealing to everyone. My plans still weren't changing, but I might be able to sympathize with Maddie more if I knew why she was willing to sacrifice everything for this baby.
I never wanted to be away from her again, because that only caused me to do stupid things. I didn't want to lose Maddie, but would she make me choose? I figured yes, and I didn't want to even think about that right now. My main goal was to just get her to see reason.
Before I could even open the damned pregnancy book up, there was another knock on the door.
"Justin, open up. I need to talk to you." I heard my father's voice frantically commanding me.
"What do you want?" I shouted, not moving from the counter.
"This is no time for games. Open this fucking door!"
I rolled my eyes and trekked into the hallway. He pushed past me when I opened the door, and I could tell that he was worried about something. Jeremy rarely showed signs of agitation or stress, so this was a little perplexing.
"What's wrong?" I asked.
"Sit down." He went to my liquor cabinet that had just been restocked, and pulled out a large bottle of scotch.
"Should I be worried?" I sat on the couch.
"I'm about to tell you something, but I want you to just take deep breaths and think before you act."
"What's going on?" I said skeptically, "I don't like the way you're talking."
He downed his drink and began pouring another one. "Maddie got arrested."
It took me a second to digest his words. "I'm confused. What did you say?"
"Maddie was just arrested."
"No... what? That's impossible. I just saw her like an hour ago. She went out... for a walk. I think you misunderstood."
"Justin, listen to me, this is serious. I just got a call from the Commissioner; they're holding her downtown."
I blinked a couple of times, trying to understand what the hell he was talking about. "She was arrested?"
"I don't like repeating myself and I've done it twice already." Jeremy sighed. "I'm working on it."
"What the hell are the charges?" I jumped up from the couch, my legs wanting to run out of the room.
"A whole bunch of shit that's trumped up. They're trying to get her to talk about your recent trip to Maine."
"What does that have to do with her?" I realized that I was shouting at this point, but I didn't care.
"Racketeering, harboring a suspect, money laundering, drug trafficking; it's a mess, Justin and they're just getting started. They're even trying to charge her with accessory to murder since they think she knows something about Maine."
"She has nothing to do with any of that." I was seething.
"Of course she doesn't and most of the charges aren't going to be worth anything, but she is in a very bad position right now."
"Why? Just get her out."
"I can't do that. The Commissioner is blowing smoke up my ass and he's starting to ask questions."
"Get her out!"
"It doesn't work like that, Justin. You can't just bypass the entire legal system; not this time. Maddie has been arrested and there are actually a few things that suggest she broke the law, but they're trying to get to you. You need to calm down and let me handle this."
"I won't let her go down for my mistakes. She didn't do anything wrong," I argued, my heart starting to thunder in my chest.
"She will be held and I have Jenks working on things, but... this is a tricky situation."
"Why? It seems simple to me. Maddie is innocent so she'll get off. How are you not seeing this?"
"Justin, they won't let her go without getting to you first. Maddie's just a liability and they're trying to scare us."
"So you're not going to do anything?"
"I'm doing all I can. You have to let this work itself out."
"Are you fucking serious? Is that what you have to say to me?"
"Justin, this is going to get very dirty because Robert isn't letting Maddie go. He's going to use her against us."
"They don't have anything on her." I was pulling at my hair so tightly that it hurt. "Why not Olivia or Bridget?"
"I don't know," Jeremy sighed. "I'm being proactive about it all, though. I can't stall much longer and once things get out about this, they won't stop. People are going to ask questions and start searching for answers."
"This shouldn't be as bad as it's sounding. I still don't understand the charges. Don't we have a plan in place for this?"
"They can hold her for a traffic violation and beef it up to ten years if they want to. It doesn't matter. They're trying to humiliate you and it's working. Our plan is always to be proactive. We're going to nip this thing in the bud before it even gets started."
Before I could even think about it, I jumped over the back of the sofa and went into the kitchen, grabbing my keys off of the counter. I threw the pregnancy book in the trash. I would worry about that later.
"Justin, where are you going?"
"To get Maddie back." I slammed the door shut and was in the elevator in a second.
I heard Jeremy yelling at me as the doors closed, but I could have cared less.
This was my biggest fear come true. I didn't even really know what the whole situation was, but after the words "Maddie got arrested" were uttered, I didn't really need to know. Because of me, she was being taken, and I would figure the rest out after I got her freed. This was turning into a massive shit storm that neither of us needed to be dealing with right now, and I was going to make sure that the right people paid for crossing me.
Why was it always Maddie? Olivia and Bridget were sitting ducks and perfect candidates for the taking. Not that I ever wished anything bad on them, but Maddie needed a fucking break. I knew why Brown was doing this. He wanted me to do something rash and dig myself into a hole. Jeremy was right; they could hold her on trumped up charges and plant all the evidence they wanted just to make me enraged. It wasn't a secret that I acted before I thought, and this was just one instance when I wished I could control the beast inside of me. It wasn't going to happen.
I would handle everyone else after Maddie was let go.
Thankfully, the Saleen was waiting in the garage, and I was more than ready to stretch her legs. I sped out of the parking lot and blasted through the streets, not bothering to look at lights or stop signs. I didn't know what I planned on doing when I got there, but I would figure it out later.
By the time I reached the downtown office, my blood was raging in my body, and I was trying to convince myself that I didn't need to blow up. For good reason though, I brought my Eagle. I wasn't playing games anymore. I jumped out of the car and just kept running.
"Justin, where are you going?" Keegan's Mercedes screeched to a halt in front of me, effectively blocking my path.
"What does it look like?" I tried to move in front of the car, but he accelerated and blocked me again.
"You can't go in there. Dad told me what happened."
"Get out of my way." I closed my eyes to calm down. The last thing I needed to do was shoot my brother in the parking lot of the police department.
"Justin, let them handle this."
"She did nothing wrong!" I shouted at him.
"I know that, but you can't just barge in there and expect things to be resolved."
"You can say that because Bridget isn't sitting in a fucking jail cell."
"I know you're mad, but we're going to get her out. They won't be able to hurt her." Keegan got out of the car, leaving it running. "Just calm down before you give yourself a stroke."
I breathed deeply, clutching my gun in my hand. "They arrested her. It was my fault..."
"It's not your fault, Justin. Just get in the car and I'll drive you home."
"I can't just leave her in there."
I pushed him off of me and jumped over the hood of his car, sliding to the ground and darting up the sidewalk. I took the stairs three at a time and right before I reached the door, I felt arms wrap around my torso from behind.
I struggled to break free. "Get the fuck off of me."
"I can't let you get in anymore trouble." Keegan was too strong, so I was flailing around aimlessly but still trying to break free.
"Let me go!" I threw my head back and heard a crack as I broke his nose, but Keegan still didn't release his hold. He carried me to the car and by the way my hands were bound, I couldn't move or use my Eagle.
"I've been ordered to take you home." It took him a long time to get me in the car, but he finally shoved me through the door and grabbed the gun from me.
He was speeding away from the police department and as much as I protested, he wouldn't hear my reasoning.
"Just let me handle my own business." I was debating on whether or not I should just kill him now and take control of the car.
"Let Dad deal with this. He knows what he's doing but you need to lay low. Did you know that Aro took out a hit on you this morning? He's fucking out for our blood, dude."
"Let him try. I'm ready for him."
"You need to just shut up and take a break for a couple of days. You can't run over everyone and expect to get off without consequences. You know I'm with you but calm down."
"She's in fucking jail. Does no one understand that?" I pulled at my hair.
"Maddie isn't going to get in trouble and you know it. Brown wants you to come out of hiding."
"Why didn't he just come after me?"
"Because he needs you enraged. We have to keep you safe, first and foremost."
"I can't believe we're just going to let her sit in jail!"
"Dad's dealing with it," Keegan yelled. "Just shut up. I can't have you getting yourself locked up too. Then we'd get nowhere."
I sulked in my seat, trying to control my heart because it was about to explode out of my chest.
It didn't matter what "condition" Maddie was in, I had to push through my opinions on our baby and just get her the fuck out of jail. I almost choked on air as I thought about what I had just said: our baby.
This was not good at all. I had to keep reminding myself that my father promised to handle this. If I didn't have that vow, I would have turned this car around and headed right back to the police offices. Maddie was my main priority right now. Not the baby, not me, and not Robert fucking Brown-just Maddie.
By the time we reached my parents' house, I was still furious, but trying to calm down so that I could logically get some answers.
I jumped out of the car and raced inside.
"Justin, calm down or you're going to give yourself another heart attack." Pattie hugged me. "Jeremy's going to get her out."
"Where is he?" I pushed her off.
"In his office." Her voice was small, and I could tell that we were in a worse situation than people were telling me.
I bounded up the stairs and busted through Jeremy's office door. He was on the phone and shouting with a red face. Nicola was in his wheelchair and watching his grandson work.
"How the hell did you get up here?" I asked him.
"Never mind that; how is Maddie?"
"I don't know. No one's telling me anything and Keegan wouldn't let me get in to see her."
"Good. Who knows what you would have done." Nicola rolled towards the desk and pressed the receiver button on the phone, cutting it off.
"What the hell was that for?" Jeremy slammed the phone down.
"You're not going to get anything done with normal bureaucracy. What's the Commissioner saying?"
"He wants to know who the hell Maddie is and why she has racketeering charges against her. Robert locked her up for illegal gambling." He sat in his large chair.
"Are you fucking serious?"
"He has tape of her at the tracks a couple days ago and says she frequents your casino a lot."
"She's been there once and she never paid for anything at the tracks," I argued, "Isn't the legal gambling age eighteen?"
"Horse betting is different; twenty-one."
"This is bullshit." I yelled, "She did nothing wrong."
"It doesn't matter; until they do an investigation, we can't get her out. At least, until her arraignment tomorrow. They'll set bail and we'll post it, but until then, she's staying downtown. Plus, you went home last night after that massacre and they're trying to say she harbored a fugitive."
"I went back to my own house. They can't charge her for that."
"They can do anything they want if they spin it the right way. Don't underestimate this, Justin. The Commissioner has never been on our bad side, but this could turn out horribly."
"And what about that gambling shit? Jaxon is way younger than she is and he was betting too."
"I know, I know. No one cares about that, though, and now I have people looking into you for RICCO charges. They want to know where each and every cent of your money is coming from."
"What about you?" My breathing was harsh and deliberate.
"They would never touch your father. He pays all their salaries and he would just fight back, causing a hell of a scandal," Nicola thought out loud. "Maddie can't fight with any gusto. She has nothing."
"So what are you going to do?" I asked my father. "She didn't do anything. I won't let her go down for me."
"First of all, we need to get you out of the country, and then I'll post her bail tomorrow. After that, I'll get Jenks to handle her case because this sure as hell will end up in court. Brown won't ever let this go now that he has you in the palm of his hand." Jeremy was typing on his computer quickly, his fingers flying across the keys.
"I'm not going anywhere until I see Maddie."
"Justin, I don't have time to debate this with you. You're leaving and getting under the radar. Once they start with this investigation, I won't be able to hide you anymore. The RICCO charges are just the start. You better believe that they have things on that stunt you pulled in Maine, especially if Aro's involved."
"And then that Shinobu shit's going to get on board." Nicola rolled his eyes. "I suggest posting Maddie's bail tomorrow, and then shipping her off to wherever you send Justin to."
"You want to make them both fugitives?" Jeremy sighed. "I can't do that. If Justin leaves now, he can come back without any consequence. If Maddie violates her bail, she could be in deep water."
"Oh, please," Nicola scoffed. "I've been a fugitive since 1972. They don't have enough resources to hunt her down. Get Justin out now, and then Maddie can follow tomorrow."
"I said I'm not leaving until I make sure she's safe," I repeated.
"You don't really have a say anymore, son." Jeremy looked at me. "If you want Maddie safe, then you'll do as I say. Let me handle this."
"You keep saying that, but nothing's getting done. I need Maddie out of jail and her name cleared." I slammed my fist down on his desk, rattling the things on top of it.
"First of all, never raise your voice to me again. Don't forget who runs this family. You might think you have clout, but I can run your ass over in a second if I need to. No one is above me and I'll do what I think is necessary."
"What if your way is wrong?" I gritted.
Nicola slapped the back of my head so hard that I thought my spinal column had snapped, "Bite your tongue. We know what we're doing. You young kids think you can do anything and everything, but there's a system."
"The system doesn't work." I challenged.
"Justin, you're two seconds away from having my gun in your mouth. Don't test me right now." Jeremy glared at me with such authority that I had to prevent myself from cowering backwards.
"Maddie is a civilian. I can't just snap my fingers and have her out of jail. That's not how it works in this case." He calmed down.
As much as I wanted to argue, I couldn't. I was in no position to say a word, because things were moving too quickly. It was times like these when I realized just how inexperienced I was. I had no idea what I would do in this situation. I needed to be more like my father and think things through. Unfortunately, all of my reasoning kind of went out the window when Maddie was endangered.
"I'm sending Justin off in an hour. As for Maddie, I think we'll take our chances. I don't want her being an international deserter. She doesn't need that," Jeremy said.
"And where exactly am I going?" I pinched the bridge of my nose.
"Switzerland." Nicola rolled away from us towards the liquor cabinet. "You'll stay there until things have calmed down."
"How long does that take?"
"Maybe a year, could be longer." Jeremy answered. "And connections will be limited. I don't want to risk it. They'll be trying to find you."
"How will I know if Maddie's safe?"
"She will be. You have to trust me Justin."
I heard the door open behind me, and then small arms wrapped around my body. "I don't want him to go, Jeremy," Pattie said.
"We've been through this before, sweetheart. He has to go. We've been through this with Keegan before and we'll make it work."
"Why does he have to leave?"
"If they bring an investigation against him, they'll find something; maybe not soon, but they will. Once he's out of the county, everything he has will be wiped clean. No bank records, account information, identity. I can help him from afar, but not while he's still here."
"Why now?"
"Because they're ready to take you down. They have enough. First Maddie, then you, and then they'll try to come for me. That's how it works. If we break the chain, they'll lose everything."
"We'll get Maddie out of there and make it okay for you to come home quickly." She kissed the top of my head. "Stay safe."
"What about everyone else?" I asked.
"No one else is about to be knee deep in the middle of a federal shakedown."
"I can't do this. I don't feel right leaving Maddie."
"You don't have a choice. There's a car waiting for you downstairs and you'll get to the airport within the hour."
Jeremy stood up and pulled the massive Eagle out of his front desk. It was the same one he had pointed at me on our trip to Russia, and the one that would have probably been stuck in my mouth if I hadn't shut up a couple minutes ago. I was still fucking scared of that thing. He popped the magazine in place, and then handed it to me.
I took it from him and put it in my belt, not knowing why he was giving it to me, but I didn't question him. Instead of a tearful goodbye, this was his way of telling me to be safe. Things like this were always tricky because communication was completely non-existent. I wouldn't be able to speak with anyone from my family for at least a year. I wouldn't be back to the states for a very long time-even if my name was cleared. I wouldn't need to pack anything because by the time I got to Switzerland, my accommodations would be set.
"You need to leave now." Nicola started pushing me out of the door. "You will only have one shot at this and if they wise up, you won't be able to get out of the country."
I didn't know what to say or what to do.
I just stood at the door, opening my mouth a couple of times to speak, but no words came out.
"We'll make sure Maddie gets to you soon. Jenks is going to get her off, and then after I'm sure she's clear, I'll send her on," my father said and tightly smiled. "I promise."
"Just go, Justin." Pattie was crying into his shoulder, and I wanted to give her a massive hug. I didn't, though.
I shut the door behind me and briskly walked down the stairs.
"Where are you off to?" Finn poked his head around a corner up when I was about to leave the house.
"Switzerland," I answered, my hand on the doorknob.
"Oh." He came into the foyer, followed by Keegan and Jaxon.
"Have fun." Keegan nodded. He had been through this before about five years ago, so he knew how hard it was to leave everything at the drop of a hat. His separation was quick though. "Switzerland's nice."
"I..." I wanted to say something profound, but nothing was coming to mind. All this emotional bullshit was making my head hurt.
"Just take care of yourself." Finn manfully hugged me. I kept my arms at my side.
"We'll keep Maddie safe," Jaxon assured me. "Don't worry about anything."
"Should I write her a letter?" I asked them when he let me go.
"Why are you not gone, Justin?" Jeremy shouted from the stairs. "The plane is running and waiting."
"We'll take care of everything." Keegan started pushing me out of the door. "I'll call if we can."
"Alright." I gave them one final wave, and then started walking down the driveway, where a car was waiting at the gates.
"There you are. Finally." My father's most trusted associate stepped from behind the driver's side.
"Daniel Flick. I didn't know you were still alive. I haven't heard from you in forever."
"You know, just keeping a low profile over there at the police office. I have to keep you informed all the fucking time. They almost caught me there for a second."
"How bad is it?" I asked.
"Truthfully, you're in a pile of shit. Brown is going crazy and he's pulling out everything he's been gathering for the past couple of years. They actually have a good case against Maddie but they'll let her go if you turn yourself in."
"Well then, let's do that. Take me to the police department."
"I can't do that, Justin." Daniel crossed his arms. "I'm to get you to the airport and you're not arguing with me. Get in the car."
"Not unless we're going downtown. Fuck the airport."
Daniel pulled out his gun, pointing straight at my knee. "I'll blow it out."
"Don't threaten me unless you actually plan on using that thing." I said menacingly. I knew he wouldn't hesitate to fuck me up because Jeremy had taught him well. Daniel wasn't family but could have been since my father had trained him since he was young.
"You know I'll do it," Daniel replied, just as darkly as I had. "Get in the car, Justin."
I ground my teeth together and ripped the backseat door open, plopping down in my seat. Benny was up in the passenger's side and looked incredibly deadly with his massive form hidden behind his sunglasses.
Once Daniel was in the car, he sped off through the streets, not even bothering with the speed limit.
Daniel Flick was my father's mentee. Besides his sons, Jeremy thought it prudent to have informants on the inside our enemies' camps. He had people burrowed everywhere in this city, especially in the police department. Come to think of it, someone should have told us that this was coming. Daniel was simply the best at what he did, and he was the one who had been giving me all the inner workings throughout this past year.
The ride to the airport was silent. I wanted to pull out my phone and call Maddie, but I couldn't. There was no way for me to get in contact with her. How was she doing? How was the baby doing?
Fuck, she was still pregnant. I kept forgetting that. As much as I hated what she was carrying, Maddie's health was important to me and right now, that included the baby. Should I tell someone that she was pregnant? Then I realized that someone already knew.
"When were you going to tell me?" I asked Benny. I figured he knew what I was talking about.
"She begged me not to say anything," he replied. "I trusted her to say something."
"You didn't think to warn me?"
"I didn't think it would be appropriate to get involved in personal business, sir."
"What's going on?" Seth interjected.
"Maddie's pregnant," I sighed.
"Holy shit," The car swerved wildly, and then corrected itself, "are you serious?"
"Yeah."
"How the hell did that conversation go?"
"We never really talked it out. There was too much yelling." I combed through my hair with my hand and tried not to think about how much of a dick I was last night to Maddie. The final true conversation we had with each other was one of shouting.
"I think I can guess which side you were on."
"I never got a chance to really think about it."
Now that I was being shipped off, how was this going to affect us? I wouldn't see Maddie for a couple months, at least. By that time, the baby would certainly be here to stay. Maddie would never go with adoption. I didn't really have a choice anymore. It didn't matter what I thought now. I was having a child.
That thought struck me deep, but I didn't have a chance to dwell on it, because the car came to a halt a second later.
We were on the tarmac already and a private plane was geared up to go. It was smaller than the one I normally took, because I knew that Jeremy's planes were being tracked. This one probably belonged to one of his friends.
"Get out." Daniel opened his door.
As soon as my feet hit the ground, shots rang out and echoed around us.
I ducked behind the car door and pulled out my father's gun, trying to survey the area. I stayed low and to the ground as bullets pelted the car, but they were bouncing off.
"What the fuck!" Daniel was next to me, sporting his own gun. "This is so not cool."
"Who are they?" I asked and peeked over the hood at the three men on the roof of the hangar.
"Aro's guys. I would bet my life on it." Daniel started firing above us, and I did the same.
We were no match being this far away and not having the proper weapons. I could see the stairs of the plane from where I was hunched over and judged the distance at about a couple of yards. I could easily make it if I ran, but I didn't want to. I had never backed down from a fight. Today was seemingly not my day. First, I had to pussy out and leave Maddie behind-which I positively didn't want to do, and now bullets were raining down on me. I wasn't going to let them win.
I started shooting and missed a few times before I saw one the guys retreat. I think I got him, but couldn't be sure.
"Where's Benny?" Daniel asked me as he reloaded.
A low whine came from the other side of the car, and I looked under it to see Benny lying in a pool of his own blood. His eyes were open, but unresponsive, and his breathing was too low to hold out much longer.
"Holy shit," I said in astonishment. I never thought I would see him in a weak position like that.
He was trying to push his gun towards me under the car, and I reached out to grab it from his bloodied hand. He sputtered up some more blood before he gave out completely. His chest stopped moving as his breaths were exhausted.
"You have to run for it," Daniel shouted at me and pointed to the plane, which was still revving and ready. I could see the pilot beckoning me over.
"I'm not going to leave you here." I fired some more and realized that I was out of bullets. I tried to use Benny's, but he was also out.
"Just go. I can make it back. Once I know you're safe, I'll just take off."
"Are you sure?" I was running out of options. "I hate losing at this shit."
"You're not losing. Maddie needs you alive and safe. Hurry up and go."
"I can't leave you here alone. You won't make it out."
"Yes, I will. I've got-" His words were cut off by the bullet that popped through the side of his head. He slumped forward and fell onto me, but I propped him up. The whole right side of his head was blown off, and blood was running over my hands, while seeping into my clothes.
It seemed like I was running out of words today, because once again, I couldn't think of anything to utter.
I guess now I didn't have a choice.
I let Daniel's dead body slump to the floor and judged the distance to the plane again. I could make it. I took off my jacket so that I wasn't bothered with extra fabric and took a look over the car to see if the men were still there. It was quiet.
I darted over the tarmac, keeping my body low, and made it about halfway there before my leg erupted in pain. The bullet went straight through my left thigh and straight out the other side.
I didn't gurgle a word, taking my punishment in silence and held the wound as I made it that final distance onto the plane with a pronounced limp. The stairs shut quickly behind me.
"We're going to get you out of here." A man started tending to me. "I'm one of the pilots. Don't worry, I know what I'm doing. It's just a flesh wound."
"How do I know you're not one of them?"
"Because I'm your fucking cousin, Justin."
"Oh." I vaguely recognized him. I thought I knew his face from Sunday dinners, but my head was hurting too much to know for sure.
"Just sit back and shut up. We'll make it to Switzerland in ten hours."
I was losing too much blood to reply. The darkness was coming quickly, and I couldn't fight it off.
"Who's Maddie, sir? Why do you keep saying her name?" the pilot asked.
My head hit the floor with a thump as my thoughts became clouded over and the blackness consumed me.