"Wakey wake, sweetheart!"

My eyes slowly opened and I looked around at the room I was still kept in. I can't tell the time of the day or how long I've been standing, chained to this pole. But in some weird and cruel way, it was fine as long as Jaimie kept visiting me.

I missed my sister. I hadn't seen her in over a decade, and I thought she was dead. Of course the circumstances weren't the best. Our kidnapped, whose name I still don't know, had only hit me a couple times on the days that I was feeling brave and gave him attitude. But I gave up hoping I would be found anytime soon. No one had found Jaimie in ten years... How would they find me now?

"You and Jaimie are going on a trip today!" He walked to stand in front of me to take in my appearance, "You'll only be going into town for a quick shop at the market and you'll be wearing a disguise so that I can still keep my Anderson girls."

"We're not your girls." I spat and I saw his jaw tick, "And how do you know I won't try get help?"

His humorless laugh sent chills throughout my body, "Trust me, sweetheart, you definitely won't even want to consider it."

The way he said it made me shut my mouth and obey. It was so much easier to follow his rules than go against it and get hurt.

"Jaimie's on her way now to help you get all dressed up! Remember, don't do anything you'll regret." He tapped my cheek lightly, almost affectionately, until he slapped it. My flinch was immediate, "I can do way worse than that. So listen to Jaimie and don't do anything stupid."

I only nodded my head.

-

"Don't look suspicious and keep your head down. Don't talk to anyone other than me. And don't do anything dumb." Jaimie recited just before we left.

Our kidnapper nodded in approval at Jaimie and opened the door to send us on our way, "Be safe my beautiful girls!"

We walked towards the market. I was wearing a blonde wig and enough make up to make me look different enough. My clothes were bright and cheery, not my typical black or red attire. No one would be able to recognize me. Not even Hunter...

Hunter. I sighed at the thought of him. I wondered if he was still here looking for me or if perhaps he went back.

"How long have I been in there?" I whispered to Jaimie.

"It'll be a month in a week." She looked at me sadly.

"I don't know how you've done this for so long. You're so brave." I breathed out and forced the tears back.

"I'm going to need you to be brave for me too. I'm going to get help." She looked at me and I stopped in my tracks.

"Jams, we can't." I stared at her.

"I'm getting you out if it's the last thing I do. As much as I loved the few short trips I took... I can't let you live the way I have lived. And each time I walk into your room and you have a new bruise - It - it breaks me." There was a single tear that slid down her cheek.

"I'm helping to get you out too. I'm not letting you stay there if I'm not. I'll find a way to get you out Jams."

"I know you will Mili, that's why I need you to do exactly as I tell you."

-

Jaimie put on a thick southern accent and walked confidently towards the postman, waiting at his bicycle, "Hi there! I was just wondering if you could get this message passed along to a person who's staying in the area?" It's a little bit of a surprise for him."

"Ah ma'am you'll have to post it at the office..." He replied back.

"Oh... It's just I've never been here before and I want to set up a treasure hunt for my boyfriend. We've been dating long distance, which has been so hard, and he doesn't know I'm here. I was really hoping to surprise him..." Jams put on her saddest face, "I understand though, I'll just be on my way - "

"Wait!" He called after her and she winked at me before turning back to face him. "Give me his address and I'll get it to him immediately."

"Oh you're such a darling! Thank you so much!" She kissed him on the cheek, handed him the letter and hen ran back over to me.

"You've bought everything he asked for, right? And no one recognized you?" She looked down at the bags I was carrying, "He can't suspect we were gone for too long."

"Everything's in here. No one spoke to me. And he won't suspect anything because we'll act as if nothing happened." I smiled weakly at her.

"Okay. Let's get going then."

"Well done on the very fake southern accent, I'm surprised he believed you!" I teased her.

"Oh shut up!" She laughed and her face lit up reminding me of when we were younger.

When we were nearly back at the house Jaimie leaned over to me, "Thank him for letting you out. He likes it when you're a bit of a suck up but don't make it too obvious." I nodded, "Ready?"

I looked at her and smiled hopefully. Maybe we could both go back home safely. I took a step and opened the door.

When I saw our kidnapper was talking to someone whose back was towards me, I panicked and shoved Jaimie forward so that she could walk in first.

"Accents." She said through her teeth.

"Ah my girls are back!" He announced and that's when the stranger turned around.

And facing me was the person I just sent a letter of rescue to.

My Hunter Maddox.

I froze.

Everyone noticed. It was hard not to.

"Excuse my cousin," Jaimie came over to me and put her thick southern accent back on, "I think Emily here forgot to take her diabetes meds. Let's go to the kitchen and get you something to eat or whatever it is you need."

Once we were inside the kitchen she turned to me, "What the hell was that?" Her whisper was quiet but sharp.

I gulped and then looked up at Jaimie, "That's Hunter."

He eyes widened, "You're tell me he already got your letter!?"

"No... that's impossible... but why would he bring Hunter here? I'm almost certain he knows he's my boyfriend."

"Oh my gosh..." She looked at me scared, "He's testing you. He's making sure that you won't tell Hunter it's really you. I forgot until now but he did this with me too. He brought Paul in here and I almost told Paul who I was... I was so close to escaping that day but of course Jerry convinced Paul that I was just delusional. I'm so sorry Mili..." I could see the tears threatening to spill out of her eyes.

"He's sick." I tried to contain my anger but my blood was boiling.

"You're just going to have to go in there, slap on a fake smile and an accent too and not give yourself away." Jamie advised.

I walked back into the lounge calmly. My kidnapper, whose name I found out is Jerry, was watching me cautiously.

"How you doing, sweetheart?"

"Just fine." I smiled back at Jerry.

"Why don't you go take a seat next to my son?" Jerry taunted me.

"Oh! Of course." I sat down uncertainly next to Hunter, keeping a good distance away from him.

"So kiddo... To what do I owe this pleasure?" Jerry turned to speak to Hunter.

"You're the last person I want to be asking a favor but I need help. You still have some connections with the police, right?" Hunter asked.

Oh the irony. I should have seen it coming. The kidnapper having connections with the cops.

"I do, son. But what's this all about?"

Hunter closed his eyes and took a shaky breath. It was torture to sit next to him and not be able to comfort him, "My girlfriend..." Jerry and Jaimie's eyes flicked to me for a split second, "She was kidnapped nearly a month ago and I just need them to put a bit more effort into finding her. You see the thing is... her sister was also kidnapped and they recently found her dead body."

Jaimie sucked in a deep breath and Hunter looked up to look at her. She covered her tracks quickly, "That's awful!"

"It is... but that's not the part bugging me. You see, Emilia and I had a fight before she was kidnapped. Not only do I feel awful but I think I have a clue as to where she might be."

I saw Jerry's eyes widen, "What so you mean?"

"She believed her sister wasn't dead because she found some pieces of a poem hidden around her house and she was sure they were coming from Jaimie, her sister." Hunter just told our secret which was sure to have extreme consequences.

I saw Jerry's face turn red and his fists were clenched so tightly that his knuckles were white.

"Dad... what's wrong?" Hunter asked.

"Dad?" I asked turning to Hunter, completely forgetting my accent.

"Emilia!" Hunter stared at me.

While we had this exchange I saw Jerry screaming at my sister, "You disobeyed me! After all I've done! I told you I would bring her to you! You ungrateful son of a bitch! And you!" He turned to face me, "How dare you!"

The punch to my face was unexpected and hard. I stumbled back at the impact but was pulled back by my hair. In the process, my wig fell off, which only seemed to make Jerry angrier. I was being pulled to the room I had been locked up in for so long. Now that I knew there was hope I was determined to fight back.

Landing a punch to Jerry's side made him let go of me.

I saw Hunter from the corner of my eye helping my sister up since Jerry kicked her to the ground.

"Both of you fucked this up for me!" Jerry screamed looking between my sister and I.

Before any of us could expect it, Jerry grabbed a gun from the drawer next to him. Since I was closest to him and I was still in shock, he caught me off guard and pressed the cold, hard barrel against my side.

"I will shoot her." Jerry threatened. His voice was level and calm now which only made him sound more psychotic.

"Dad, please." Hunter begged.

"It's me you want, Jerry." Jaimie stepped in front of Hunter, "Let them go and you and I can runaway somewhere far from here. They won't tell."

I shook my head, "You can kill me but I'm not letting my sister stay another day with you."

"Is that so?" Jerry laughed manically. He kept his one arm around my neck while he out the gun in his back pocket only to take out a knife. "How about we make this slow," he said pushing the blade against my skin, "and make them suffer..."

The blade pieced my skin and I bit back a scream as he cut down my ribs. The tears spilled involuntarily and I could see the pain in Hunter's face. The knife was pressed a little deeper and then removed which caused me to stumble backwards.

Hunter was in behind me in seconds to catch me and he then pressed his hands down over the deeper cut.

"Sweetheart, I'm so sorry." I hated that nickname but didn't care enough to ask Hunter to never say it again.

Hunter's eyes glistened with tears. As he bent him head down to kiss me we heard a loud battle cry and saw Jaimie sprint towards Jerry.

I screamed her name and sprinted forward ignoring my cut and Hunter's protest. I tried to pull her off him and did manage to but that's when I heard a gunshot.

I collapsed and screamed out in agony. The blood seeped through my shirt and I writhed in pain. I'm losing a lot of blood. My sight goes dark and blurry and I try not to think about what just happened.

I just saw my sister, who has been missing for ten years, shot dead in front of me by my boyfriend's father.

•

Don't hate me because I did just give you an early update and an extra long chapter! This chapter was really hard to write and it was really sad for me too. I mean this is a major turning point for the book.

Is it what you were expecting or was that a surprise? Leave lots of comments and keep reading! Just trust me when I say keep reading.

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Until next time which might be a while again...