Camryn

As I faded in and out of consciousness in Robby's grasp, all I could think about was Riley. She was still somewhere here in the house, and I knew she was probably terrified. Once he killed me, I had no idea what he would do to her.

I wanted so much more for her. A stable, safe family where she could be happy and free and never worry about how much she was loved. The things she'd already seen were hideous and who knew how much more she would be subjected to? Robby turned into a monster. I once thought he was a good father to her, despite how terrible he was to me. Things had shifted, though, and I knew she was in just as much danger as I was.

Part of me wanted him just to do it. He'd been talking about killing me for so long, part of me wanted it to happen. To stop the pain and the hurt and end this battle, I'd been fighting my entire marriage. But another part of me knew I had to do everything I possibly could to keep her safe. I had to fend him off long enough to get her somewhere else. To get someone here. I had to do something. No matter what happened to me, I couldn't let her meet the same fate.

I tried to sit up, but Robby shoved me back to the floor.

"Where the fuck do you think you're going?" He hissed. The smell of whiskey on his breath made me nauseous.

The bottle was lying to the side a few feet away from us, and I knew I needed to make a move. I reached my arm out and grasped the neck of the bottle in my palm. Robby was drunk and disoriented enough he didn't notice.

I brought it up, slamming it against his head. He rolled off of me, clutching his head as blood poured out of the wound.

"AH!!!!" He shrieked, writhing on the floor in pain.

I scrambled to my feet and down the hallway towards his parents' room. I knew his dad had a gun case in there and if I could just make it...

Robby was hot on my heals, chasing me down the hallway and screaming at me. I was nearly there when I felt him grab my shoulder, whirling me around and body slamming against the wall. The force splintered the door to an extra bedroom, and Robby and I both fell through it and to the floor.

His fists kept coming, hitting me over and over again as I begged for him to stop. Everything around me was closing in and just when I was sure it was the end, he stopped.

There was a noise downstairs and Robby lurched off of me and disappeared.

I couldn't feel my arms and legs anymore. Everything was absolutely numb, and I was fading fast. I was so weak from the blood loss and injuries at this point, there wasn't much more I could do. I closed my eyes, sucking in one sharp breath.

"Mommy," Riley appeared over me. Was I actually seeing her or was ai hallucinating? Her little hand was on my cheek.

"Ry..." I whispered, reaching out for her.

"Mommy, it's okay. Derek is coming." She said, kissing my cheek softly. "He's going to be here soon. He's going to save you."

Now I was sure I was hallucinating. I was pretty sure Derek was dead himself, and even if he wasn't, there was no way he knew where we were. "I love you, sweetie." I said, my throat tightening.

"Mommy!" Riley's voice got louder. "Mommy, wake up! Mommy!"

Derek

I didn't even remember the drive, so hyper focused on what I was about to walk in to. I had no idea who was here, or who knew what was going on. All I knew was that I needed to find Camryn and Riley. At this point, I didn't even know if they were alive. My call with Riley had been chilling and no matter how many times I tried to call her back, it hadn't worked.

Will pulled into the driveway and we rushed inside the house. It was relatively quiet, aside from some thumping around upstairs. Will and Cole were right behind me as I took the stairs two at a time to get up them. Once we were upstairs, all I could hear were soft sobs.

"Mommy..." "Mommy..."

I followed Riley's voice down the hallway to a bedroom, and my heart absolutely sank. She was kneeling over the bloody and beaten body of her mother, shaking her and trying to wake her up. Had I been too late?

"Ry?" I knelt down next to her.

Riley turned to me and threw her arms around my neck. "Wake her lip, Derek. Mommy won't wake up!" She cried.

Cam was hardly recognizable. Her face was bloody and swollen, and her body completely mangled. I could hardly bring myself to look at her, just knowing what he'd put her through. I put my fingers to Camryn's neck, trying to keep as much of my composure as I could. She had a pulse, but it was very, very faint.

"Cole!" I called.

He rushed in and started working on her. "This is too much, Derek..." He said, glancing up at me. "I can't do it alone. We need to get her to the hospital."

I nodded, knowing he was right. If Cam had any chance, we needed to get her out of here. I didn't know where Robby was, but I didn't care at this point. Riley held onto my neck and I clutched her safely in my arms. I needed her comfort as much as she needed mine right now.

"Are you okay, Ry? Are you hurt?" I asked, standing up.

She shook her head. "Why won't mommy wake up?"

"It's going to be okay, Ry. I promise. We're going to get mommy to..."

"No one is going anywhere." Robby appeared at the door, holding a machine gun.

I froze, contemplating my next move. Time was crucial for Cam right now, but Will, Cole and Riley were all at risk if I did something stupid. We all had our guns, but we would be no match for what he was carrying.

"Riley, come over here to daddy." He said, fanning the gun out in front of him.

"She's fine right here, Robby. Why don't you put that down and..."

"Don't fucking placate me." He snarled, pointing the gun at Riley and I. "She's my daughter."

"No!" Riley spat, holding on to me even tighter.

Robby didn't take her rejection well, and it seemed to ignite him. "Did you really think you could take them from me, Bennett? They're mine and they always will be."

"Look, Robby, there is still a way out of this." I tried to reason, even though I knew he was beyond it. I had to buy us a little bit of time here so I could figure out my next move.

Robby rolled his eyes dramatically. "I'm already on trial for her murder, Derek. This is just a self-fulfilling prophecy. Why don't you and your buddies get out here and leave me and my daughter alone?"

"We both know I'm not going to do that." I glanced at Will. I had the better angle at Robby, but I also had Riley in my arms.

"You know, it's really a shame things turned out this way." He chuckled. "I always thought you and I might really get along. Obviously, we have the same taste in women."

"You and I have nothing in common." I gritted my teeth, ready to rip his throat out. He was wasting precious time Cam didn't have. We had to do something.

Will caught my attention, and I nodded.

He launched himself towards Robby, distracting him just long enough for me to put Riley down and come at him from behind. Cole scooped her up quickly and rushed her out of the room so she wasn't subjected to anymore bullshit because of her father.

I grabbed the gun out of my waistband and slammed it against Robby's temple. He was drunk and staggered around for a few seconds, clutching at his head. "Damn it!" He shrieked.

I tackled him, pinning him to the ground and raining blow after blow onto his face. Once I was on top of him, hitting him with everything I had, it was like I couldn't control myself. All of my pent of rage towards him was finally getting its outlet, and Robby was a bloody mess beneath me. It didn't seem to phase him, though. He grinned up at me like this was all a game for him, and it only infuriated me more.

Punch after punch, I landed on his face, blood pouring from his mouth and nose. He didn't even try to fight back, just laid beneath me as I attacked.

The hell he put Camryn and Riley through was the only thing on my mind— even as her still body laid a few feet away. She needed me, but I was having trouble tearing myself off of the monster who made her that way. Who took the most precious thing in my life and made her terrified and helpless and left her to die in a room while her daughter watched. It was sickening. It was more than sickening—it was inhumane. Robby treated Camryn worse than an animal, and I'd be damned if he got any with it.

"Derek." Will put his hand on my shoulder. "It's over. She needs you now."

His voice pulled me back to reality, and I stared at Robby's lifeless body. I hadn't even noticed when he finally let go. As I was beating him, I lost all concept of reality. I had wanted to make him suffer so much more; this seemed like such an easy way out. I hadn't felt a single thing as I took his life so easily. Maybe he was right. Maybe we had more in common than I thought. But I'd do it a million times over if it meant I could keep Camryn and Riley safe.

"Derek, come on, man." Will pulled me off of him and I finally came to terms with what I needed to do.

Cam needed help, and I had to get her to the hospital as fast as possible.