Never Give You Up (Snakes Henchmen Book 3)

by Alivia Grayson

  My husband and my brothers will come for me; I have no doubt about that. Draven isn't stupid he knows how the minds of men like Joseph Vidal work much better than most.

  It's sad to think that I once thought of this man like Superman. He was my hero. I worshipped him. My daddy. When I was a little girl, he could do no wrong in my eyes even if he spent next to no time with me, even if he did hurt my mother in front of me a couple of times. Then there were all the friends he chased away because he believed them not good enough for his little girl. Then there was the boy who asked me out on a playdate when I was eleven, who got told if he didn't leave me alone he'd go home after school one day to find his whole family dead in their beds. Even that didn't change my mind about how much I loved him.

  He had a way of making me see that what he did was for the best, all to protect me from all the bad in this world.

  However, nothing he did was for the best. None of it was to protect me. It was all to show how powerful he was, the man who tried to have his own brother killed so that he could take over the family. The man I know murdered my mother.

  The only person who ever had my best interests at heart was my brother, especially after my mother died. Don't get me wrong, she tried to show me I was just like every other little girl in the world, but Joseph never really allowed her to be like other mother's, especially when I came along. He had to be Lord and master of all things.

  My mother loved me. I will never doubt that a day in my life. She made sure I knew every day that she loved me, she sang to me, read stories to me, took me shopping, told me a million times a day just how much I meant to her. However, there were times my father would drag her away from me, tell her that she shouldn't baby me, I was just a girl, after all, but my Mama never made me feel like I was just a girl. She used to tell me never to let a man make me think I was less than him. I am just as strong as any man on this earth. I've always believed it to be true.

  It hurts to think my father would think so little of me that he'd do this to me. What on earth makes a man treat his own child like this? Then there's my brothers and the fact Joseph thinks nothing of them at all. He'd kill them in a heartbeat if it meant he could get what he wanted.

  That's how I know he won't think twice about killing my unborn baby and me.

  Talking of my baby, I'm in pain right now. My stomach is tight and cramping. I don't know if it's because I'm scared and the stress is causing it, or my baby is on the way, but this really hurts.

  I'm scared out of my mind because it's too early for Jessica to be born. Just a few weeks, but still, it can't be good for her. I need to get out of here. I need to get to the hospital and get checked out. It would kill me if anything happened to my little girl. She's everything to me already.

  She's going to be a very lucky little girl. She'll never know the monster in front of me because I know, either way, he'll be dead the moment the men in my life catch up with him. She's going to have the best daddy and uncles in the world.

  Jett and I can't wait to meet her. She's our whole world. The little girl that binds us together. However, what if I never see him again? What if this morning was the last kiss I'll share with him?

  I can't bear it. I just can't.

  All I want is to close my eyes, and when I open them again, be safe in my bed with my husband's arms around me. I've tried it once or twice, I know it's not going to work, but I had hoped all of this was just one big nightmare like the ones I have back home each night.

  I look around the room; Joseph is holding me in. I can tell no one has been here for a while; the wallpaper is peeling. The furniture is old and dusty, and it smells musty and stale. However, it looks like it was once a beautiful house, even if it does look like it's been abandoned for ten years.

  “Why are you doing this to me?” I finally ask out of curiosity.

  Joseph is sitting behind a desk to the right of the room, sitting there like he's a man three times younger than his sixty-two years. His smug smirk is getting on my nerves.

  “You're the key to the empire, Maria.”

  “Draven is not going to hand the family over to you. The famiglia would kill you the second you walked into that office. Why on this earth do you believe they'd be loyal to you in any way? They know what you've done. They know who you are.”

  “And that is exactly why they'll follow me, little lady. Your brother has half an hour to do as I say, or –”

  “What, you'll kill me?”

  He laughs loudly, and my heart sinks. That's precisely what he's going to do. He's going to kill me like I'm nothing to him, but that's what I've always been to him, nothing. I know that now.

  I watch him through scared eyes as he takes his phone from the inside pocket of his expensive suit jacket. I hear the ringing tone on the other end of the line the second he puts it on loudspeaker. I know whom he's calling before the person answers. “Where is she, old man?”

  “Safe. For now.”

  “I'm not playing games here!”

  “Now, now,” Joseph laughs. “You know what I want. I warned you what would happen if you didn't come through on time. You thought I was playing? This is no game, Draven! I want what's mine.”

  “Not gonna happen. You'll be dead before the nights out, and none of us will ever think about you again.”

  “It's like that, is it? Well,” He walks toward me, my eyes widen. What the hell is he going to do? He strokes my hair, and I whimper. “I think your little sister was counting on living another day. Looks like he doesn't care what happens to you, princess.”

  “You touch one hair on her head, and I'll rip you apart!”

  “Tell your brother that you want to go home, little one. Tell him to hand over what's mine, and you can go home.” He shoves the phone at me, close to my mouth so I can speak to my brother.

  There is no way on earth I will tell my brother to hand anything over to this man. He would if I asked him to, or at least, he'd make Joseph think he would. I know my brother inside and out, he always has a plan, but still, I won't say any such thing to him.

  “Maria? Maria, are you okay?”

  “I'm fine, Draven,” I tell him in the strongest voice I can muster. My brother taught me well over the years. There's nothing to fear but fear itself. Those who hurt us can only do so when we stop fighting. I will never stop fighting.

  “Has he hurt you?” There's an urgency in his voice that I've never heard before. I want to ask him if Jett is with him, I want to hear his voice, I can draw strength from him. It might be the last time I hear Jett say anything to me. However, I won't ask. I don't have time.

  Joseph grabs the back of my neck making me whimper. I didn't mean to, but he's squeezing so damn tight it hurts.

  “Maria?”

  “Don't give in to him, Draven. Don't even think about giving him what he wants!”

  Smack!

  Smack indeed. One almighty smack right across my face that sends the chair I'm in crashing to the ground. A scream erupts from me right before I hit the ground. There's a searing pain in my left arm and leg, and my stomach is screaming in pain.

  I can hear my brother yelling, but I can't make out what he's saying, my head is in pain, hell, my whole body is.

  “Look what you made me do, you silly, silly girl. Don't worry it'll all be over soon.”

  I hope so.

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Jett

  You are not going in there alone. She's my wife. I'm going in.”

  “No, you're not.” Fucking Vidal!

  The old house in the hills is surrounded, my men, Vidal's. There's no way out of this place for that motherfucker. Every entrance is covered. If he comes out, his head will be blown right off!

  I'm not worried about that, but I am concerned about my wife. The second we arrived, Draven explained how his father had called him on the way over here. I wasn't interested in what his father said unless it was to do with Maria. Draven couldn't be sure, but he believed Joseph had hurt Maria.
r />   My blood ran cold. I want the cunt dead and now!

  “If he sees you, he will kill her.”

  “She's my wife!”

  “Jett, I know this is hard for you right now, but we have to do this Draven's way. He knows what that man in there is capable of.”

  “We all do, Dad, but if you think for one-second I'm not going in there, you're all insane!”

  “We don't have time for this!” Hammer yells. “That girl in there is my sister!” He's finally come around to having Maria in his life, and he's become just as protective of her as I am of Nova and Willow. “Enough of this bullshit. The three of us are going in there.

  “You two,” He points to Draven and then me. “Go in the room, and I'll wait outside. You'll have five minutes before I bust the fuckin' door down. I don't care what you do to that son of a bitch, but I'm getting my sister out of there as quickly and safely as I can.”

  “Whatever. Just get her out of there.” Both Hammer and I nod. I don't care what I have to do I'll get her out of there. I want her home where she's safe with me. I swear I'll never leave her alone again.

  Guns cocked in place, the three of us enter the house, following the stairs, each step creaking with the weight of three huge men.

  “Don't be shy, son!” My gut churns at the sound of that cunts laughter coming from behind the door in front of us.

  Draven takes the handle but turns to Hammer and me before opening it. I'm on fuckin' pins and needles here! I want to get in there, get my wife and get out. “Keep your eyes peeled, little brother. We may not have seen anyone around this place, but it doesn't mean he's alone.”

  “Five minutes. If you're not out by then, I'm comin' in.”

  “Can we just get in there?” I hiss between angry teeth. We're wasting precious time!

  I see her the second Draven opens the door, my Maria. That old fuck has a gun to her head, his hand around her throat, using her as a shield. He's sweating and has a crazy look in his eyes. He's fuckin' lost it.

  I can feel my anger rising. Maria's face is bruised on both sides of her. He must have done something to the left side of her body because she's bearing all her weight on her right foot.

  She looks from Draven to me. She hadn't noticed me before. Her eyes widen in relief, her lower lip quivers, she reaches for me. I want nothing more than to go to her, to pull her away from Joseph and hold her so fuckin' close, but that evil old cunt would blow her brains out before I could reach her. I won't risk it. However, if Draven can keep him talking, then I have a chance to move closer, to catch him off guard and bring Maria to safety.

  “I told you to come alone!” The old man is sweating even more. He seems jumpy. Has he finally realized he's going to get nowhere with this? Ain't no way he's ever going to be the head of the Vidal Crime Family. Hell, he isn't even going to get out of this room alive!

  “You knew I wouldn't do that, old man.”

  “I bet you've got that other no good son of mine out there somewhere, don't you?” His eyes dart all over the place. Paranoid motherfucker.

  “Why did you do it? Why did you kill my mother? Why did you kill Sam's mother? And why on this earth did you think taking my sister and hurting her was ever going to end with anything but your death?”

  “That's easy. His mother was lying bitch who stole my son from me. By the time I found out he was actually mine, it was too late for him, those filthy bikers molded him to be one of them.” He shots a look at me, I see it through the corner of my eye, but mine are firmly on my wife.

  I'm mentally telling her that I'll get her out of this, that everything will be all right. She gives me a weak smile. For now, that will have to do.

  “Your mother was a stupid nosy bitch who didn't know how to keep herself out of my business! Whining about me killing her precious sister and that biker prick she ran off with,” He starts chuckling. “You knew, did you? That those two bitches were twin sisters?”

  “Yeah, old man, I knew. Pretty fucking sick to force both of them to marry you. I know how much my mother loved Hillary. I know what she did to save her from you.”

  “Well,” He shifts on his feet, pulling Maria closer to him, she flinches, and I'm seconds away from charging him. “Helen had to go. Not only for helping Hillary cover up that Sam was mine, but not keeping her damn mouth shut! I couldn't have her running to my brother with what she knew, and she did know I killed Hillary. Helen always was too smart for her own good. Vinny would have believed her, bastard always believed her over me! As for Maria...” He looks at her then looks back to Draven.

  Something is wrong. Something is very wrong with my wife. She's struggling to stay on her shoeless feet. Her hand is clasping her stomach. She's in pain. I need to get her out of here!

  “She's just a pawn. Always has been. There's nothing in the world you love more than your sister. I could have torn the world down around you, and it wouldn't've meant a damn thing, but this little lady,” He yanks her closer, her eyes close painfully.

  She opens them and looks at me, eyes locking. She slides hers toward the floor, wanting mine to follow. They do, right to her legs. Blood is slowly sliding down her legs.

  Shit! She's bleeding. Something's wrong with the baby, that's the pain she's feeling. She's losing our little girl thanks to this cunt!

  What the fuck do I do?

  He and Draven can argue this shit out until the next century for all I care; I need to get Maria out of here now, there is no more time to waste!

  “Enough!” I yell so loudly both men jump a little. “You ain't getting the family business, and you're not getting out of this room alive. However, you can do the right thing by your daughter for once in your life and let her go.”

  “Who the fuck are you to even speak to me, you filthy fuckin' biker cunt!” He's getting more agitated. If either of us spooks him in any way, he'll shoot Maria right through the temple. As much as I want to rush this, I can't risk him hurting her more than he already has.

  “Can't you see what you're doing to her?!” Draven yells. I grind my teeth. Draven takes a step toward his father, who pulls Maria back against him. My beautiful wife who can no longer open her eyes.

  Joseph pushes the barrel of the gun harder into Maria's temple. She doesn't even flinch. She's losing blood fast, and I'm going to lose her, I just know it. She's so damn pale!

  “Give me what's mine, and I'll let her go. You know you never deserved what you took from me.”

  “And Maria, Sam, and I deserved what you took from us? You killed our mother's! The only father Sam ever knew, and...” The look on his face as it turns deathly white. He sees what I see, my Maria fading before our eyes. He turns his eyes to me. He's thinking the same thing I am.

  I turn to make my move, but neither of us saw that motherfucker grab her by the throat and squeeze! “You're killin' her!” I scream.

  That's when the door behind us flies open with so much force it hits the wall with a deafening crack. Of course, all eyes turn in that direction. There's a loud bang, and a thud hits the ground. I turn toward my wife, rushing to her on instinct. She's sprawled on the floor, Joseph next to her. One shot is all it took.

  Five-seconds flat is how long it was from the moment Hammer kicked that door off its hinges and shot the man who created him right between the eyes. The eyes that are wide open and looking at me. I can feel the hate inside of me for that cunt. I wanted to be the one to kill him. However, I can't think like that; Maria needs me.

  I take her face in my hands. Fuck, he really messed her up. “Maria, can you hear me?”

  “Is she okay?” Draven asks while crouching down beside me, Hammer on the other side, both men placing a hand on their little sister.

  “Does she look okay? She's fuckin' bleeding. You know what that means, don't you?”

  “That we need to get her out of here now.”

  “It's okay, baby,” I lift her into my arms. For a pregnant woman, she still doesn't weigh much, or maybe I can't tell the difference be
cause of all the fuckin' adrenaline pumping through my body right now. “I'm getting you outta here.”

  I step outside, and everyone is talking to me all at once. I don't and won't answer them. My only concern is my wife. Nothing else will ever come before her. Nothing.

  I lay her down in the back of Draven's car, her head in my lap. I didn't even see him follow me out of that filthy old house, let alone see him get in the car. However, he's here. I'll let him get us to the hospital just as long as he gets us there fast.

  I stroke the hair back from Maria's face and kiss her forehead. “I love you,” I tell her. I feel a deep sickness inside of me, something I have never felt in my life. I don't want to lose her. I really fuckin' don't.

  I'm not a praying man, but I do just that now. If there is a higher power out there, then I'll pray with my whole fuckin' soul that he doesn't take Maria from me, and if there's any room left that he keeps my little girl from leaving us.

  Over an hour I've been pacing this damn waiting room floor. No one has given me any information on how Maria is. I'm going out of my fuckin' mind!

  The doctors took Maria from me before we were even through the front doors. Some jumped up little motherfucker got all up in my face demanding to know what happened to her. What the fuck was I supposed to tell him? I couldn't tell him that her father abducted her and that he'd hurt her. The police would be all over us.

  I couldn't have answered him even if I did know what to say. I think I was in shock. I still am.

  I was just about to smack that motherfuckin' doctors face in when Draven came over. I guess to both calm me down and fill the doctor in on what happened. Stupid old fuck, I thought he was going to have a heart attack where he stood. I can be a scary bastard when pushed.

  I stood by while Draven explained to the doctor how a gang attacked Maria, how she called for help, and how we found her. Then the cops came. They didn't even acknowledge me. They spoke only to Draven, and that was in a private room. They came out, shook hands with Vidal and left.