Allie

 

"This is a bad fucking idea," Luke mutters from the back seat as Harley drives us up the dirt road in the middle of nowhere. This is where my dad told me to come to get Tris and Elliot back. Just one text message and a sat nav address.

"Luke, you need to stay in the car and when you see a chance, you need to take it," Harley says.

"I'm walking up with you," Harley tells me and takes my hand squeezing it once. I know I look like shit because the past week I haven't slept until I've passed out or eaten unless one of the boys forces me to. I have no idea what my dad was doing with them or if they’re even alive. My thoughts ran over a million different things that could have happened in a week and in the end I all I did was crawl up into a ball and cry. I tried calling my mother, I was surprised when she bothered calling me back.

“Mum, dad has lost it. He has taken Tristan and Elliot, my boyfriend. I need your help.” I say as I answer the phone.

“I can’t help you, come and live with me. Tristan is lost.” My mother answers, her voice completely devoid of any emotion.

“He will kill them both!” I shout at her through the phone. I stand up to walk around Elliot’s room. It feels empty without him here but I need to be close to him and this is the only way.

“I know. I should have taken you both but I couldn’t. I am sorry for that. You father is…,” I stop her.

“You’re sorry, now? If you truly are, call dad. Ask him to give Tristan and Elliot back to me,” I say, my voice sounding shrill even to me.

“I can’t do that. I ran from him for a reason. There isn’t anything he won’t do to get his own way. He killed my parents, your grandparents. Did you know that?” she says, her tone still sounds like I’m talking to a robot instead of mother. It doesn’t surprise me that he killed my grandparents; nothing about my dad is surprising me anymore. It just hurts my heart instead.

“No, I didn’t and I am sorry for your loss. Apparently, I didn’t know anything until recently.”

“Come and live with me. I can keep you away from him, I know things. Things he doesn’t want anyone else knowing.” She mumbles the end part.

“Like what? Tell me and I can use it against him to get Tris and Elliot back.” I ask her.

“No, I wouldn’t have anything to keep myself safe then.” She replies.
“Tris is your son! You are basically giving him up.” I shout and then lower my voice.

“You know what? It doesn’t surprise me. You’re a heartless monster, just like dad is. You two were perfect for each other.” I tell her.
“I am sorry, Allie.” She replies and I throw my phone across the room as I slide to my knees on the floor.

"Shit, Sebastian is calling, we should tell him," Luke says as he phone buzzes, pulling me out of my dark thoughts. I spent the week at Harley’s with Luke. I just told Izzy I was at home and needed space. Seb and Izzy think Elliot is with me. None of us corrected them because we have been too busy looking for Elliot and Tris. Harley’s contacts just didn’t find anything and we were seconds away from calling the police when I got the text.

"No. he has bigger responsibilities now," Harley says glancing a Luke, giving him a nod which Luke seems to understand.

"Whatever happens you need to persuade your dad to let them go. Do whatever he asks and we will sort it later or hide you all," Harley says going over the plan we have come up with on the way over. 

"Got it. Be nice and agree to his crazy requests," I mutter.

"Good," Harley nods stopping the car. In the pouring rain I can just make out an old wooden bridge with big open gaps on the one side. There are outlines of people on the bridge, two white vans and my father’s car are parked on the one side. This must be the right place, but my heart drops as I look at the very fast looking river. It looks as angry and scared as I feel. It almost the perfect place, I’m sure my dad thought of that. He knows Tristan isn’t a good swimmer.

"You ready?" Harley asks me, with these eyes watching the water with mine.

"No, but I don't have a choice. They both mean too much for me not to try and save them. I would die for either of them." I tell him, there isn’t anything I wouldn’t do for Elliot or Tris.

"Be nice remember. We can't fight him here, not like this," Harley says with his face more tense than I've ever seen him.

"Good luck," Luke says darkly, stroking my arm for comfort. 

I pull on my natural face as I get out the car and pulling my hood of my coat up. 

"Hello dad," I say walking up the dirt path to the bridge my dad stands on. Rain pours down my cheeks and the river current shakes the very bridge he stands on.

Harley is stopped by a huge bold guy with a gun, who grins at me and making me shiver. I don’t feel the cold rain as I look around. I see Elliot on his knees staring at me as I walk up to my dad. I can't look at him because I feel like I'm going to break. The worse sight is a dark skinned huge man holding my brother, who is barely awake, over the bridge.

"Stop there," dad says as my feet hit the bridge.

"Get the fuck out of here," Elliot growls behind me. 

"Ignore the boy, Alexandria. This is your punishment," he waves a hand at Tris. The man holding him tilts him further over the edge. The running noise of the water fills my ears as I watch in horror.

"Why? He is your son," I scream at him.

"No need to get overly emotional, my little girl. I will let Elliot live, as long as you come away with me. I have to show you all the places I own, what true power is. You can take over eventually but only if you do what I ask. You are lucky I have a need for someone like you.” He tells me.

“I will let Tristan live if you do everything I ask from now on." He also adds like an afterthought. Like Tristan doesn’t mean anything to him. I guess he never really has, he was always obsessed with me. It was me that looked after Tristan.

"No Allie don't," Tris moans in a cracked voice.

"How can I trust you?" I ask my dad.

"You can’t, my silly little girl, but I will teach you who to trust. How to make deals, I will teach you how to run my business. All you have to do is forget your past, I did it once. You can too, daughter." Dad smiles. I panic; having no idea what to do and my face falls in horror as Tris kicks back at the man holding him and throws himself over the bridge. I see his eyes lock onto mine showing me so much love and sadness. I scream knowing there's no point and I'm moving before I know what I'm doing. I saw where his arms were tied and he can't swim like that. I look over at Elliot just before I jump over the gap. The man that was holding Tris doesn’t have time to stop me as I push him out the way.

"I love you Elliot, only ever you," I shout and his face falls when he realises what I'm going to do. 

"No!" I hear both Elliot and my dad scream, as I jump after my brother into the dark cold water.