The first gunshot was not meant to harm us, it is, however meant to scare us.

And it works.

Warner's side mirror takes the hit and shatters loudly. I scream, my knees buckling and taking me to the ground. Warner grabs me, hooking his forearm around my waist and plasters me to him.

"No phones. Slide them over." A familiar voice rings out right as I try to reach into my pocket to dial 911. I am about to ignore the man's request until I look up and see a gun being held at my head.

I slide my phone over and Warner reluctantly slides his but keeps me close to his side as if he can protect me from four men with guns. I look up and meet Paul's eyes. I knew he would come back after last time. I scan the other three men's faces, two I don't recognize but the third I would recognize anywhere.

It's the man from the night I followed Warner to the betting site. The one who tried to touch me outside. Also, the one I beat the shit out of, with Warner going in for round two.

Satisfied to see that Warner and I are huddled close together, Paul grins at us throwing his head back and laughing manically. "Oh, this is too good." He waves the gun between us.

"I believe you two know Jared already." He smiles and waves the gun in the man from the betting site's direction, who looks like he wants revenge for what we did to him.

Warner's heart is beating so fast that I can feel it under my palm. I take one look at his face and know I can't look again without falling apart. He looks angry but he also has a look of hopelessness.

He is helpless to do anything to save us and he knows it.

These men have guns, and we have nothing.

"You really thought you could work with the cops, and we wouldn't know?" Paul starts clapping his hands together in a mocking gesture.

He is acting like this is all amusing to him. There is a twinkle in his eye that is all craze as he nears us. "When Matt told me you needed more motivation to come back to him, I was more than happy to oblige. Especially after you hit me to defend your little bitch of a girlfriend. Although I can hardly understand why you would want to fuck a bitch with the body of a 12-year-old boy." He gestures down my body with the gun. "I mean unless that's what you are into."

Warner's entire body vibrates with anger, but I clamp his hand to ease him down. We were outnumbered and had no weapons. I could deal with the name-calling. I've been doing it for years.

Warner continues to shake with a restless energy. "Don't say one more word about her, you worthless piece of shit." He spits, standing us both up so I am still pressed beside him.

He looks like he might actually try to take on four men with guns just to defend me.

"Warner. Please." I whisper in a plea to stop him.

We need to make it out of here in one piece.

"Is this whore really worth throwing away everything your father has given you? I might need to give her a test run myself to see what all the fuss is about." Jared spits back at us.

Warner rocks back on his heels for a split moment, cocking his fist and stepping forward, ready to knock him out.

"Ah. Ah. Ah." Paul waves the gun like a taunt.

"Come any closer and I will shoot her. I'm here for a reason. You were offered a position; it would be wise to take it. Say you will take the job and continue controlling the scores and you'll be left alone. You can go back to fucking your malnourished girlfriend and making money."

Warner's fingers grip mine with a painful exertion that nearly has me gasping. This is him holding on. My touch is what is stopping him from delivering a blow to Paul's face. If there wasn't guns involved, Warner would have knocked him out cold for talking to me the way he is.

"I saw the envelope; I have a few days to make my decision."

Well, that answers my question as to what was taped to our door the other day

"You know too much. Matt is getting impatient...so are the rest of us. We don't have time to waste like you do. We need an answer. Now. Keep in mind we can't exactly let you go if you say no. Can't have our little golden boy running to the cops."

Warner pushes me behind him, like his body is bulletproof. "Tell Matt I'm not doing it and if he is so impatient, he can come to me himself."

It is the wrong thing to say.

One order from Paul and it all happens so fast.

The men close in on us.

I am kicked to the side by Jared until I fall flat on my face, the palms of my hands scraped.

Warner fights the other two uselessly. It doesn't matter how strong he is; With a gun pressed to the nape of his neck, he is forced to his knees in a fit of rage. His arms are held behind his back by the other man.

Warner pants; his face twisted ferally in something that promises carnage.

He is too far out of my reach. I am held down with a big foot to my lower back. Jared grins at me smugly, before pressing even harder on me.

"You have me, just let her go and I will consider your offer. But I am not considering anything when you are hurting her." Even in the night, I can see the worry, horror and anger wreaking havoc on his face. The emotions mix together and darken his entire demeanour, displaying the battle he is having with himself.

"I think you need a bit of motivation to stay in line." Paul says void of any emotions. He turns his stare to Jared who is looming over me and nods. "Now you can watch and remember what happens when you don't do as your told."

Jared lifts his foot and I try to crawl towards Warner, but the wind is knocked out of me as my enforcer kicks me in the ribs and there is a painful crack. I clutch my middle and let out a grunt. I am so weak that I think he just cracked one of my ribs from a simple kick.

Warner twitches, his fingers jerking in the air, as if to grab me. I know he wants to do something stupid to save me, but I have to stop him. I give him a fearful glare, begging him to remain still and not get himself shot.

His face crumples at my look and he grinds his jaw stubbornly. He knows I am right.

Next thing I know, a fist delves into my scalp and grasps my strands, tugging my head back at a sharp angle that has me crying out.

The pain was too much. I think I am going to blackout.

My eyes sting. My voice is hoarse.

Warner yells out, but I can't see him. I hear his matching grunt and I know he's been kicked too.

"This is what happens when you try to leave our business!" Paul yells and I hold in a whimper.

I look over at Warner, thinking that we were going to die. Nobody was coming. We had no wires, no cops, nobody else. My heart rate speeds up about a million beats per second, shaking not just my fingers but my forearms and even my biceps at the possibility of what is about to happen.

"Jared, take the girls clothes off. Let's see if she still looks like a little boy with no clothes on."

God, No.

I yell louder than before as I am shoved to my back. My legs kick and my arms flail. It is futile. I have no control.

I beg in pained whimpers. They laugh.

Warner is thrashing, his body contorting wildly in hopes of getting free. "NO! NO! You fucking leave her alone!" His gravelly voice booms in the night air, pleading, as he struggles to free his arms once again.

Our gazes meet hopelessly, closing the gaping distance between us. The man holding Warner has a bloodcurdling grin spreading across his mouth. I can't fight the terror snaking down my spine.

The gun digs harder into Warner's skin. "Don't you dare touch her. I'll do it. I'll fucking do it. I'll take the job, I won't leave just let her go. Please." His words end on a whisper, but his eyes are ablaze. "Please. Just let her go."

"No, Warner you can't go back. Don't let them win." I try to sound strong, but my voice is weak, and I know he can see the fear on my face.

"Juliet, I swear to fucking god do not say that. Do not sacrifice anything for me." The glazed quality in Warner's eyes tells me he has already conjured up the worst when it comes to what they will do to me.

"I'm sorry," I mouth shakily, apologizing for one thing, but conveying a hundred feelings with my gaze.

He doesn't see how close I am to reaching my phone, a few more inches and I will have it. They are too focused on Warner right now. They don't notice that I have now pushed it to my side.

He has worked too hard to get away from his dad, I wasn't letting him go back to him. These men couldn't break me, I was already broken. Warner can get away; he can still make something of himself.

I reach out my fingers a little farther and they graze the top of my phone.

Just a little more

"How do we know you aren't just going to try to leave again?" Paul asks, the other two men with us are both standing silently with guns pointed at each of us.

"I won't leave. Just let her go and I will do it. I will sign the contract, just please don't touch her." His voice breaks and I send him a glare. There is no way I am letting him sign his life away in a contract for me.

Jared pulls on my ponytail again, lowering himself into a squat with the gun in hand. His lips peel back as he brings his face to mine. "I think he could still use a little more incentive," he says ominously a moment before his free hand whips out and slaps me straight across the face so hard my vision explodes in multi-coloured stars.

"Take off your top." He demands.

I am blinking, unable to really see where the hell he is because my face feels like it has gotten beaten with a kaleidoscope made of bricks. I hear Warner telling me no but I don't know what else to do.

Jared slaps me again just as hard if not harder. "You understand me, bitch?" The cool barrel of the gun presses straight into the middle of my forehead, and it takes everything in me to suppress a whimper. "Take it off!"

I reach up and take off my shirt, my fingers trembling as I pull it over my head. I try to cover my chest with it but Jared rips it out of my hands and throws it to the side.

"Now I understand why you are so into her Warner. You could've told us she had such a nice rack on her." Paul walks over and trails the gun on my chest over each one of my breasts.

I can't look at Warner.

I won't cry.

"Get in the car Warner," Paul demands.

I finally feel brave enough to look at Warner and I wish I never looked. I have never seen him look so anguished. He has two guns pointed at his head but I know the only reason he hasn't moved is because of the gun pointed to mine.

I try to still my vision, the phone is so close.

I can do this.

Only a few clicks on the side of my phone and the cops will come. I just need to keep going a bit longer.

"Don't get in that car Warner." I tell him, trying to convey in my gaze that I am just wasting time

I click the emergency button on my iPhone five times and let it ring to 911.

Now I just had to get them to stay

"What will you give us instead?" Paul asks and I know what he is asking for. I just need to delay until the police come.

I can do this. I can be strong.

"Whatever you want." I look up at him and hope the tears I am holding back don't show. It's my turn to sacrifice something. All Warner has done for the past four months is be there for me, I could do this to save him.

"Juliet shut up! Stop it right now, I am not letting you do this." Warner tries to stand but is hit over the top of the head with the butt of the man's gun.

"So, you will suck my cock now? Will you suck Jared's too? Will you take us inside you at the same time?" Paul isn't looking at Warner anymore.

The police had to be on their way at this point.

"If you let Warner go." I try not to shudder in disgust as I feel Jared unclip the back of my bra leaving me completely naked on my top half.

Paul reaches out a hand and pinches one of my nipples. I want to die. I want to die right now. Anything is better than being touched by this man.

The one and only thing I understand clearly is that I am going to kill this man. I am going to slice him up into little pieces, serial killer style, and drop him into the ocean where his remains will never be found.

I close my eyes and try to picture myself somewhere else. Anywhere but here, with this man touching me. I'm with Warner, we are on our date. We are watching a bad movie like we said we would. Everything is over, we are happy.

I try to ignore Warner's pleas in the background but its hard. I wish I could tell him the cops are coming and that everything will be okay. "Stop fucking touching her. I already said I would do it. Please just please stop—" he sounds so defeated.

"What a sweet girlfriend, sacrificing herself for you. Juliet have you ever been fucked with a gun? I could do it right now in front of him." Jared pushes my thighs apart with his gun, while Paul still holds one at my head.

Okay this is going too far; I can't come back from this if they keep going.

Where are the police?

I can't be strong anymore; I don't think we are getting out of this.

"I love you, Warner. I'm sorry we didn't get to go on a normal college date. I'm sorry it took me so long to tell you how I felt. I want to thank you for the last four months together. For being the best teammate I could ask for. I love you so much-" I have to stop talking because I choke on the words.

I'm crying now, I can feel the tears dripping down my face. Nobody is coming to save us.

"Juliet, I swear to God, you will not do this for me. Let me leave with them. Please don't do this to yourself, please don't make me watch—" I look over and he has lost it, he is crying. I can see the tears falling down his face.

Just when I think it's over, I hear them. The sirens.

"You stupid bitch." Jared grunts when he sees the phone close to me. "She called the cops!"

I'm on my knees, topless but yet I still manage to grin up at the bastard.

I win.

"They were listening the whole time." I lie, feeling blood trickle down from my head to my mouth as I smile at him.

My smile is gone in a second because Jared hits me in the head with the gun so hard I almost black out. Between the kicks to my ribs and my head I'm so weak I can barely stay awake.

I hear Warner yelling but I don't mind being beaten to death because I won. The cops are here, and Warner will be safe. My body is so weak I don't know how I am alive at this rate.

"Drop your weapons!"

I have never been so relieved in my life. I can barely stay awake to witness them be arrested. I want to close my eyes so badly. Just a small nap, right here on the ground.

"Juliet!" Warner's voice is frantic and as soon as the gun is off him he runs right to me. He strips off his bloody shirt immediately and holds it up to my chest to cover me.

I see Kenji run over at the same time with a male cop and both of them are adverting their eyes from my upper half. The horror on Kenji's face means I can't be looking very good at the moment. The cop helps me up and hands me a blanket to cover up, once I wrap myself I look at Warner.

I expect him to say something, but instead, he just falls to his knees in front of me, wrapping his arms around my hips and pressing his face to my stomach. Frozen for a moment, I stare down at the top of his head, trying to translate the shaking of his shoulders

He's crying.

"No, no," I whisper. My hands go into his hair, tilting his face to me.

When he opens his eyes they pin me with fury. "Why the fuck would you do that? He growls with a deep rasp. "Why?"

"I called 911, I knew they were coming. I was trying to stall them so you wouldn't have to go with them. I did for you." My voice is strangled.

He stares at me with a mixture of disbelief and anger. "You don't get to sacrifice yourself for me." He clenches his teeth. "You will not die for me." His eyes crucify me. "Do you understand?"

I don't understand so I shake my head no.

"I can't imagine a world where you don't exist. So just know that if you die, I will be a shell of a person and your sacrifice will mean nothing. I will never forgive myself for tonight. I am so sorry Juliet. I let them hurt you and I did nothing. I am so sorry." He won't let go of me and I can see his body shaking.

He keeps whispering "Please." and I want to cry just seeing him like this. Blaming himself for the actions of these sick men.

A tear runs down my cheek as the cold begins to invade me. I shiver violently.

"I'm so cold, Warner..." my eyes feel weighted down, so I close them,

"Jules," Warner stands and grabs my face. "Open your fucking eyes right now."

"I'm so tired," I whisper. Lethargy pulling at every muscle in my body.

I hear Warner call for the ambulance but I can't open my eyes anymore.

"Juliet, can you hear me? Where is the ambulance?'You're fucking cops, someone help her! "

Warner?

I feel a hand slip into mine. "I'm right here baby. Just stay with me, okay?"

I'm scared

"Please don't leave me." He begs

I don't want to

"Is she breathing? Kenji, is she fucking breathing?"

"Just help her –" he sobs. "Make her fucking breathe!"